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Those of you who keep at least half an eye on the ubiquitous microblogging service Twitter can’t hesitate to have noticed a stream of #savebbc6music and #savebbcasiannetwork (or similar) hashtags over the past 36 hours or so. This particular virtual stomping of feet has come about due to a report in The Times that claims both radio stations, as well as a noteable proportion of web content, are threatened in the corporation’s forthcoming Strategic Review, due to be published in March.

One might not really wonder why circa 695,000 6Music listeners and 360,000 Asian Network listeners – a comparative drop in the ocean in a UK population of 60 million – are up in arms about the loss of their stations. But if you’re not a regular listener, or indeed a listener at all, then why should you care? Well, here’s why – 6Music in particular fulfils the BBC’s mission statement “to enrich people’s lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.”

6Music’s carefully chosen cast of on-air talent has been chosen because each does at least one of these things. For information, look no further than Steve Lamacq’s carefully considered introductions of new bands each and every day he’s on the air, or Guy Garvey’s rambling, yet worldy-wise, late-night anecdotes.

Education is served on many levels – via the 6Music documentaries stand (with Tom Robinson’s retrospective on the foundation of the Rock Against Racism movement a personal highlight), and – whilst perhaps not originally conceived as an educational feature – Jon Holmes’ Celebrity DIY slot. Where else are you going to hear sultry-voiced singer Lykke Li tell you how to fit damp course, or listen to Mark Ronson tell you how to fit a mortice lock?

Naturally, listeners’ musical education is also furthered each day, with a playlist and attitude to freeplays that would never *ever* be considered by a revenue-driven commercial radio station. When I briefly worked in music PR a couple of years ago, 6Music was widely respected by everyone I worked with. It gave me great pride to hear the lucky musicians and bands who received freeplays on the station talked about by the DJs responsible with such genuine interest, warmth and knowledge. I’ve lost count of people I’ve worked with and musicians I’ve known peripherally or interviewed who have shown great gratitude for the support they have received from 6.

And then, of course there’s entertainment – already touched on above. Take Marc Riley’s easy evening style as he welcomes musicians into the studio as though it were his front sitting room, Chris Hawkins, your loyal and knowledgeable friend through the small hours, or Jarvis Cocker…well, simply being himself. As divisive an addition as George Lamb was to the 6music roster (whilst I think he’s a competent television presenter, I was never much a fan of him in the weekday morning slot), the campaign to oust him provoked a number of fans of his style to protest that yes, they did actually find him entertaining, so even in its most controversial moments 6Music has fulfilled the BBC’s mission statement.

Finally, the BBC publically states on its own website that its vision is “to be the most creative organisation in the world”. To remove BBC6Music (and the Asian Network, also widely recognised with breaking a number of bands that otherwise would never have received mainstream airplay) from the equation would surely threaten the stability of such a lofty ambition.

Further information
Somebody who speaks with far more eloquence on the issue than I is Phill Jupitus, a man who was with the station at the beginning and who drew me in when I first received a DAB radio for Christmas. See here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/26/bbc-6-music-licence-payers
Check out @love6music on Twitter, and a petition has been started here – the petition organisers have promised to pass it onto Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, and Sir Michael Lyons, Chair of the BBC Trust.
Finally – listen to 6Music and the Asian Network! The next set of RAJAR audience figures will be released in mid-May, covering January-March 2010. Leaving aside debates about how the RAJAR figures are collected and their purported accuracy, a dip in audience figures simply enhances any arguemnts for closure.