If the powers that be are going to move BBC3 to online only, would it not be an idea to fill the slot with a BBC Music channel.
The BBC has a wealth of music programmes in its archives both popular and classical, coupled together with new programmes it could make for a really good quality music channel. It could be linked in with the radio stations so it could show the radio2 folk awards etc.
It could make sense. A channel showing archived performances, interviews and documentaries mixed in with coverage of live music events, sessions, some radio programmes and second chances for things like Jools Holland. It would help to push the BBC Music brand, and would make a difference to the other music channels.
You've got it the wrong way around - they don't want to close BBC Three because of some perceived lack of demand and will end up with unused spectrum, they want to close it because they think they'll get the least hassle while making space for BBC One + 1.
BBC Three is closing to save money. Moving it online of itself won't save that much, but coupled with the move online is a huge reduction in the commissioning budget, to the point where there wouldn't be enough original content to run a BBC-quality linear channel without ridiculous numbers of repeats. The move to online (and presumably VoD access rather than being a linear IPTV channel) will mask this a bit...
The saving is in making/commissioning/acquiring fewer programmes, as well as the marginal costs involved in reducing the number of people required to schedule and play out the channel. (The bandwidth free-ed up by BBC Three ceasing linear broadcasting will conveniently allow BBC One+1 to exist from 2000 until closedown as well - but I think other solutions could have been found for this)
BBC Music is a bit of a non-starter as a concept - have you seen how low music shows rate on BBC One and BBC Two? That's why music is usually relegated to the red button. The BBC feels it should do it - and it does appeal to an audience that the BBC feels it should serve - but that audience is tiny these days. It's odd - but music TV really doesn't seem to work any more.
Last edited by noggin on 29 October 2014 10:10am - 2 times in total
The BBC has a wealth of music programmes in its archives both popular and classical, coupled together with new programmes it could make for a really good quality music channel. It could be linked in with the radio stations so it could show the radio2 folk awards etc.
That's not a cheap thing to do. Broadcasting music, especially 'live' can be quite expensive. It's not a case of just picking up an old tape of Whistle Test and putting it in air... there are usually royalties to pay to the musicians.
^Funny how BBC Four can manage it, with both Whistle Test and TOTP.
The budget for repeats of Top of the Pops is so low that they had to take out every instance of clips from Grease and could only show sixty seconds of Watership Down to accompany Bright Eyes because they couldn't afford to licence the footage. They also show compilations of Whistle Test where they can be sure they have the rights to the footage, and only very, very rarely have they shown any regular episodes of Whistle Test (I think only once) with clips from various sources. So they can only manage it with a lot of jiggery-pokery. And that wouldn't even fill ninety minutes a week.
^Funny how BBC Four can manage it, with both Whistle Test and TOTP.
The budget for repeats of Top of the Pops is so low that they had to take out every instance of clips from Grease and could only show sixty seconds of Watership Down to accompany Bright Eyes because they couldn't afford to licence the footage.
The budget for repeats of Top of the Pops is so low that they had to take out every instance of clips from Grease and could only show sixty seconds of Watership Down to accompany Bright Eyes because they couldn't afford to licence the footage. They also show compilations of Whistle Test where they can be sure they have the rights to the footage, and only very, very rarely have they shown any regular episodes of Whistle Test (I think only once) with clips from various sources. So they can only manage it with a lot of jiggery-pokery. And that wouldn't even fill ninety minutes a week.
Film clips are rare, the main problem with royalties is live performance - the musicians have a good union and all need paying. Of course I suspect this isn't really a problem with 70's Top of The Pops as either the bands didn't appear in the studio or if they did they were miming! Whistle Test on the other hand is all live hence I suppose why repeats are rare. You don't see many repeats of Jools Holland either
As others have said BBC3 becoming BBC Music isn't going to happen. There wouldn't be much if any savings made if that was the plan I suspect.
However as I said in another thread, I wouldn't be surprised if BBC4 becomes BBC Arts which would of course incorporate Music. You could even place some of BBC3's comedy in there (maybe on Saturday night) or send it along with other non-Art programming to BBC2.
