How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Six Music

Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? No, sorry, neither of these feature on a list of my favourite things - not that I'd want to see any unwhiskered kittens- but BBC 6Music is on there however, and I've been worried about it.

What's to like about 6Music? Obviously Adam and Joe, though they're currently on hiatus, getting on with their careers, damn them- but the holiday cover is Collins and Herring, so that's okay. Then there's Lauren Laverne's weekday show; which is just cracking, and dry wit on a Sunday courtesy of Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis Cocker! Soon Cerys Matthews will be back too, and of course there's the ever reliable stints from both Steve Lamaqc at drive time, and Stuart Marconi's 'Freak Zone'.

All in all (in case you hadn't worked it out) there's plenty of good music, both new and old, without too much filler or any irritation - at least not now George Lamb's been relegated. 6Music is tackling remit no other mainstream station wants to fulfill: y'know, being interesting, diverse and...  consistently listenable. I just wish it still had Phil Jupitus on breakfasts.

So what's up? Well the BBC as a whole is facing mounting pressure- resources are tight, the Daily Mail is still stalking about in a rabid fashion ready to froth and scream about any mishap, and of course there's general concerns that the Tories will do something atrocious to the licence fee when they get in- probably bathe in it like sour faced, pasty Scrooge McDucks.

6Music's faced a bit of criticism in its own right too: whilst some has been justified (bloody George Lamb) other moans and groans have been petty and unfair. Radio Centre (independent radio's mouthpiece) had a pop back last August, complaining about the station's cost, how dare the fee paying alternative music lovers want/need their own service!

These past few months I've been afraid that 6Music - ray of sunshine though that it might be to me - would be pilloried by the upcoming service review. Or  worse, that maybe the BBC Trust wouldn't feel it was worth the hassle to its tiny listenership (though the listening figures have risen by 11.% this quarter). Worst of all I've been dreading the day that I'd be tearfully saying goodbye to all the live sessions, the interesting presenters and 6Music's distinctiveness.

Joy of joys, all seems to be healthy: the recent trust report says 6Music is doing just fine- apart from managing to successfully  retain its anonymity. Yes it does cost a lot, and some of those costs can be trimmed, and maybe there are improvements to be made in some areas (like documentaries), but the Trust also recognises that  it offers higher quality services  than most other independent competitors -i.e. the live shows, and that it needs to continue to ensure that its DJs are be credible guides to alternative tunes.

So, today, on St Skeletor's Day, I'm raising a glass to 6Music: a wonky little digital station, that really is doing quite a fantastic job.

Go on, give it a listen.