According to John Plunkett from Guardian.co.uk, the BBC will close its national digital radio stations BBC 6 Music and Asian Network and rebrand its archive comedy and drama station BBC Radio 7 as "Radio 4 Extra", under proposals published today.

BBC 6 Music airs IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson's Friday Rock Show.

BBC director general Mark Thompson's strategy review confirmed 6 Music listeners' worst fears by recommending that the station should be closed at the end of 2011.

The review said 6 Music delivered "relatively few unique listeners to BBC radio."

"Given the strength of its popular music radio offering from Radio 1 and 2 and the opportunity to increase the distinctiveness of Radio 2, the BBC has concluded that the most effective and efficient way to deliver popular music on radio is to focus investment on these core networks," it said.

The BBC would review how some of 6 Music's "most distinctive programs" can be successfully transferred to other BBC radio stations, and how its support for new and specialist music can be sustained across the BBC".