Keep Rock'n'Roll on the BBC...

Join the campaign to save "Shake Rattle & Roll on the BBC".

Visit the site here : www.myspace.com/saveshakerattlenroll

The text below is taken from the site. Please show your support and let the BBC know that 50's Rock 'n' Roll has a place on national radio.

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BBC Radio 2 is a national institution. As the successor to the old Light Programme, it is a station that holds a special place in British hearts.

There are programmes on the channel, aimed squarely at senior citizens, that belong to a bygone age. As the older listeners fade away, the station needs to keep pace with the shift in demographic taste. Seventy-year olds no longer want to hear 'Sing Something Simple' or '100 Favourite Tunes', that is now the preserve of those aged 80+. However, with the recent changes at the top of Radio Two, this transition is not being effected as well as it might.

One of the prime tactics that R2 used until recently to maintain its unassailable ratings was using specialist music programmes. It was possible to tune in each evening during the week and hear fascinating, diverse music from 7pm up til near midnight. Music that wasn't played anywhere else, and covering an incredibly wide range.

Knowing this made the station fascinating listening for music lovers. And this vertical programming was immensely successful. Listening figures went stratospheric as the country, blues, rock'n'roll and other genre shows proved to be powerful magnets for fiercely dedicated devotees. Rather than just being background for people driving, doing household tasks or working, these shows were also 'destination radio'. Loyal listeners would stop whatever they were doing and retune their radios specifically to hear what the expert DJs played.

This all changed with the arrival of Bob Shennan as controller of Radio 2 in the wake of the Brand / Ross - Andrew Sachs scandal last year.

Shennan has a background in talk radio such as Radio 5 live, and Asian Network. He joined Channel 4 Radio in April 2008, and the station promptly folded within 6 months. Now this Chief of Chat is presiding over Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. And therein lies the problem.

It seems that the Controller has not grasped the significance of these specialist shows, and has fundamentally misunderstood what makes them attractive. In talk radio, the appeal is all about the personality in front of the microphone. A lively and entertaining presenter will bring in the listeners. If there is any music played, it is secondary to the interviews, phone-ins and jokes. There is definitely a place for shows like this during the daytime on Radio Two. Jonathon Ross's show on Saturday mornings fits this pattern perfectly, and is hugely popular. This is why Ross has kept his lucrative job, despite behaviour that would have had the rest of us fired and prosecuted, if we had done it. And Mark Lamarr can turn his hand to this type of show on occasion, which is why he has been the obvious choice to stand in when Ross is away.

But the specialist shows are presented by people who are more than just presenters and broadcasters, they are also DISC JOCKEYs. Far from the Smashy and Nicey style, people like Mark Lamarr put the music first. Mark expends a vast amount of time and effort hunting down music that is not heard anywhere else. This surely upholds Reithian concepts of public broadcasting in its purest form. Such an approach is diametrically opposed to everything in Bob Shennan's experience of radio, and therefore he despises it.

The schedule changes to specialist shows in the last year or so have been appalling. For example, Mark Lamarr's Thursday slot was first shoved out of way to a later slot by a bland show (which was better suited to daytime) presented by a pair of dullards. Then, the reggae/60s/rock'n'roll strands where shuffled into a confusing 3 week pattern, discouraging the regular listeners from tuning in. Now it appears to have been cancelled altogether. This is a cretinous waste of the station's best DJ. It's been a similar story for Paul Jones, Bob Harris, country etc etc. Meanwhile the homogenous general music that is played on every other channel is becoming more prevalent, and overrunning the evening schedules.

The radio listings that the BBC send out for publication showed Mark's Thursday night slot as "Mark Lamarr". No mention of whether it would be reggae, sixties or Rock'n'Roll music that week. As far as the station was concerned, it didn't matter - "top TV personality Mark Lamarr" was the draw, who could care what music he played? Nobody at the station seemed to understand that the MUSIC was the focus, the whole point of the show. If the presenter was a knowledgeable nobody that spoke in a monotone, these shows would still have a large loyal audience. The fact that Mark is an experienced, popular broadcaster with a lively, funny and likeable style is a huge layer of icing on the cake. If the BBC were looking for a way to undermine Mark's Thursday night show, they couldn't have chosen better than to chop those different genre threads into three-week pieces without publicity.

And now, Shake Rattle & Roll has been cancelled. Oh yes, there is a token few episodes scheduled for the end of the year, but that is just a holding tactic to placate the wave of protest when the program is surreptitiously axed. And you can bet that the last shows will be buried in the small hours of the morning without fanfare. Shake Rattle & Roll is for the chopping block.

Even if you aren't a fan of 1950s Rock'n'Roll, if you care about the future of music radio in this country then you need to campaign with us to save Shake Rattle & Roll. Mark Lamarr is a true music-loving DJ in the style of the late and lamented John Peel. (Peel often spoke of his admiration for Mark). The passion and commitment he has shown for playing fantastic music that is not heard anywhere else is a unique asset that the BBC is squandering. Rocking music is not a dead genre, quite the opposite. Every month there is a rocking festival somewhere in the world that draws many thousands of fans. The listening figures for SR&R remain incredibly strong despite the BBC's best efforts to undermine it. And Mark's shows are among the most popular 'Listen Again' choices on the Radio 2 website.

Let the BBC know how you feel about this subject. Fill out the BBC Trust survey at their website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/

and keep checking back here for more tips on how you can help.

Together, we can keep Rock'n'Roll & Rockabilly on the BBC. LET'S DO IT!