BBC 6 Music to launch interactive show

BBC 6 Music has teamed up with independent production company Somethin' Else to launch a new interactive programme designed to bring online discussion to the airwaves.

The show, titled Now Playing @ 6 Music, will provide 6 Music listeners and the online music community with a "weekly on-air outlet to recommend, curate and share the music they are passionate about".

Launching on April 8 at 7pm, the show will tap into personal music recommendations from listeners drawn from social networks, forums and the web at large.

Programme host Tom Robinson will collate all the opinions and recommendations from music fans to create a weekly topical playlist for the show.

Now Playing @ 6 Music is a co-commission from BBC 6 Music and BBC Audio and Music Interactive, and a first of its kind for the Interactive team. It also represents part of the BBC's renewed commitment to commissioning more radio programming from the independent sector.

Steve Ackerman, managing director of Somethin' Else, said: "We're delighted to be producing the show for 6 Music. It combines our expertise in social media with our heritage in radio, creating innovative content sourced from music fans in their online communities for the first time."

Paul Rodgers, editor of BBC Radio 6 Music, added: "This show will build on a dialogue 6 Music already has with its audience and further develop the station as a digital destination."

Now Playing @ 6 Music forms part of a revamped schedule for 6 Music, including a new weekday lunchtime show for Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie, and the return of Adam and Joe to Saturday mornings.