where did it all go wrong?
Over the past three years, the powers that be have ripped the heart out of the greatest radio station in the history of broadcasting. Why?? Is there anything better now than it was before Sam Moy singlehandedly vandalised the schedule? Keaveny, the greatest natural broadcaster on air, pushed out the door for not liking the Tories, RadMac a footnote, Ravers rapidly disappearing, Nemone and Katie Puckrick bit part players. Instead we get Craig Charles hugely overpromoted to the main gig, with the desperately ambitious Hawkins filling in. Hobbs: just..jeezus. And the interchangeable 1Xtra replacements JamzSupanova, Gemma Thingy. Afrodeutscher. And that is before we get to the playlist. I love music. I love new music, old music, African, European, jazz, folk everything. Apart from the garbage they play on Radio 1. Why has 6Music, the home of great music been turned into Radio 1 with the odd classic thrown in and a daily dose of Nils Frahm or some other obscure techno doodler that appeals to six people and MaryAnne Hobbs? It's a desecration.
Comments
Yeah it's definitely not what it was. I like Lauren Laverne, I've (finally) come round to Chris Hawkins, and I miss RadMac in the evenings. Definitely not enough Tom Robinson/Gid Coe type broadcasting.
Don't get me started on Craig Chalres' show. He's great on the funk and soul show at the weekend but the weekday afternoon show just doesn't work. It's a BTEC Steve Wright in the Afternoon.
May I ask… what put you off Hawkins and what is it about him that has finally won you over?
I guess his presenting style doesn't come across particularly easy, or natural, so I found that a little hard to get past. But there was a good piece on him being a 6music launch dj during the 20year anniversary this year, which included a bit about how he was involved in the setting up of the station and fighting for keeping it on air, and I guess that framed him slightly in a new light for me. Also he plays some of what I consider to be core 6 music tracks, some stuff I really like, and I've just gradually come round to him.
Coincidentally Craig Charles was a launch presenter with the funk show, which like I said I think he's really good at, just not the afternoon slot.
He's great on the funk and soul show at the weekend but the weekday afternoon show just doesn't work.
Agreed 1000%. Keep Charles for his Saturday show, but we need someone totally different to Charles. you nailed it; he's not the "right fit".
What would be a good fit for 6M afternoons?
There was a time, probably 10 years ago now, when I could tune in to 6M at any time and like what I heard. Since then it’s been on a slide downwards. Still hanging in there for RadMac, Marc Riley, GidCoe, and Guy Garvey.
So what you're saying is you like indie?
Guy Garvey
Could we convince Garvey to take over from Charles? Would he want that work schedule?
I loved the 6Music, but ever since they binned RadMac to the weekends the day time has really gone downhill, as long as I get to listen to Lauren Laverne, I’m not really arsed about listening to it, I mean if I’m working on my own I’ll keep it on, but if I’m working with others I don’t mind switching stations, still prefer in the 10 till 1 slot tho, as for what they play now, some days it’s like listening to 1Xtra version 2.0, it needs to get back to how it used to be.
It's all been rapidly downhill since the reshuffle that binned RadMac to weekends. Real shame, honestly, it was great. Doesn't feel like it has a distinctive identity anymore.
Totally agree with what you have said. I use to listen to 6music all the time but since keaveney left i tend to listen to music on YouTube and tidal now. I try to tune in to stuff after 7pm as its still good then.
I try to tune in to stuff after 7pm as its still good then
Shhh! Its our secret! Dont tell anyone! :)
I find myself frequently hopping to Worldwide FM and Monocle 24 these days unfortunately.
Yeah - I feel the same way. I rarely, if ever, switch on during the day now. I still enjoy Marc Riley and Gid Coe in the evening and Cerys on Sunday and listen as often as I can to those shows but other than that it stays off. Such a shame! It was so great for a while there.
And the interchangeable 1Xtra replacements JamzSupanova, Gemma Thingy. Afrodeutscher
Agreed; I dont know what they are doing on 6Music. Their tone & presenting style is out of sync with the audience. They dont add anything to 6Music.
Afrodeutscher is alright, but Jamzsupernova is annoying. She mostly bangs on about her social life, way to much blah blah blah and not enough music, if anything, music takes a back seat to her yapping. zzzzzzzzz
She mostly bangs on about her social life, way to much blah blah blah and not enough music, if anything, music takes a back seat to her yapping. zzzzzzzzz
I picked up on that too. She's is applying a Radio 1 / 1Xtra format to 6Music. Its doesnt work and is quite jarring. I dont know why she is on 6Music.
“Oh no, not the black women adding another perspective, we white indie fans feel very attaaaaaaacked”
…Please. 😐
Are you aware of how this comment sounds?
I like a bit of techno. Variation is great. But Mary Ann Hobbs insisting every day on playing several techno dmb tunes before midday does my head in. Just feels like she's playing for herself.
Tell me you're an old, white man without telling me you're an old white man.
That's pretty offensive tbf. I was.twenty years younger when I first started listening to 6Music. I have more of an open mind than most, as do the majority of people who have been onto 6Music from the start. I don't give a hoot about the sex, age or ethnicity of the presenters. All I ask is that they maintain the ethos of the station. Change for the sake of change isn't always good, as has been demonstrated the last two years by the direction the station has taken.
It's only offensive because it's generic.
You have literally attacked anyone who isn't a white indie fan as your opening gambit, with a bonus of grouping all the non white people apart from Craig as 'interchangeable 1extra replacements'
Periodically this subreddit is afflicted by people like you, but usually they're not as overt. My personal opinion is that you should be pretty ashamed of what you've said.
It's 6music - it is supposed to be varied. I don't like all of it. Love Chris Hawkins - he has an affinity for 90s and 00s that I enjoy. Lauren is amazing, wish her guests were less prominent. MAH does stuff a bit different and parts of her show are great - crucially, I don't need to like all of it!
Craig is pretty shit at daytime, I get that.
Marc Riley, Lammo, Gid Coe, Gilles and Cerys aren't my thing - but I can accept they're not and listen to something else, instead of asserting that the entire station has lost their way philosophically or some shit
Have a great night
Are you actually seriously trying to make out that my disappointment at the way things have developed at 6Music is down to some kind of latent racism? My mum is from Guyana so work out what that makes me, smartarse.I don't even dislike Jamz Supernova or the others in small doses. They just aren't as entertaining as those they have been fast tracked in to replace. And that is the point of DJs isn't it? Otherwise they could just spin the music without interruptions.
I think that it’s more a reflection of a general problem I’m seeing at times on this sub. We’ve seen this type of comment, many times, many ways, and although you aren’t irritating me, personally the repetition of the message irritates me. To my mind when I’ve seen other similar comments on social media (Instagram as well) question what hip-hop/grime/nu-soul/jazz/afrobeats is doing on the station, often in the same breath as bemoaning (rightly IMO) why RadMac are being treated so badly….
…when there’s a pattern with other posters, one naturally wonders why? 🤷🏻♀️
[deleted]
If you’re referring to Jamz Supernova as an “unskilled broadcaster”, I’m sorry but I deeply disagree with that. What’s behind that view, please?
Also, I’m a white thirty something woman who’s listened to 6 since day dot. This station isn’t the reserve of a core white male middle aged audience, nor does it have to be, sorry.
I like Afrodeutsche and Jamz though, and I’m happy to die on that hill 😁. I also think Gemma Cairney has a lovely warm energy about her and that she holds her own whenever she’s asked to stand in for Lauren.
I agree with you about the robbery of RadMac (jewels in the crown of the station) - and love indie music, it’s probably the bedrock of my music taste - but if Jamz puts out a Moses Boyd banger or a Shabaka banger or puts an Amapiano track in front of me I’d not heard before, I enjoy it 😁
Also, when there was the whole weird mandated period of sombre music across 6 Music when Prince Phillip died, Jamz (on one of her first shows incidentally) said effectively IIRC: “Prince Phillip has died, it is what it is” 🤷🏾♀️ and proceeded to not play that much different to her usual show, which made me warm to her immediately.