Award winning digital station BBC 6Music could be saved from the axe according to sources at the broadcaster.
BBC 6Music was founded in 2002 with the intentions of playing new and lesser known music. The station quickly won acclaim for its diverse playlists, attracting a glittering array of presenters.
However earlier this year the future of the station was placed under review by the BBC. Sparking a hug outcry from music fans, the move led to the formation of a Facebook campaign which has more than a million members.
Protest marches were organised, with even David Bowie getting involved. Via a statement the Thin White Duke paid tribute to the station for keeping true to the freeform tradition of the late John Peel.
Now it seems as if BBC 6Music could be granted a stay execution. In recent months listening figures have sky rocketed, perhaps fuelled by the controversy over the station's proposed closure.
British broadsheet The Times has published a report claiming that BBC 6Music will be kept open while more research is carried out into its worth.
BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons is due to speak at a Voice of the Listener and Viewer seminar in London tonight (July 1st) and he is expected to reveal his timetable for an overall decision on the station's future.
The news has been greeted warmly by fans and presenters. The Times quotes an un-named source at the station as arguing that the mood at the station is picking up. "The optimism is growing," they claimed. "There is a feeling that they will not just kill us straight off."
Fellow digital station The Asian Network is also under threat. There has been no official word on its future.
