June 30, 2010 11:21

BBC 6 Music to be granted stay of execution?

According to reports 'the optimism is growing'

BBC 6 Music could yet be saved from closure, according to reports.

The station, which in March was threatened with closure as part of the BBC's strategic review, is rumoured to be granted an extended stay of execution while more research into its worth is carried out, reports The Times.

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons is expected to announce his timetable for the overall decision regarding the future of the station at a speech tonight at a Voice of the Listener and Viewer seminar in London.

According to the paper's story, the Trust has been overwhelmed by the public response to the perceived closure of the station.

Fans launched protests about the closure via online social networks including Facebook. Since plans to close the station were announced, listening figures have reached one million per week, a new record for the station.

An unnamed DJ at BBC 6 Music yesterday told The Times that the mood at the station was picking up. "The optimism is growing," they claimed. "There is a feeling that they will not just kill us straight off."

There is no word on the future of the BBC's Asian Network which is also threatened with closure.