Did you watch any of the BBC\'s Young Musician of the Year competition on television recently If you did, and had watched it in previous years, what were your reactions to the decision to exclude much of the music from the television broadcasts by relegating it to an online domain, and concentrating instead on personalities and trivia It is plain from comments in the broadsheets, Radio Times, Points of View and BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four websites that many existing viewers of this important biennial competition were totally alienated by the decision to push the actual music-making into the background. So far the BBC have barely acknowledged the concern and complaints about this major change in presentation, nor have they made any comments or committments regarding how the programme might be presented in the future. There is a danger that any audience criticism will be brushed aside because it is so fragmented. To this end, we have decided to make our feelings felt in a more unified way, and to ask the BBC questions regarding this coverage which are still unanswered, and furthermore to seek assurances that their treatment of classical music will be given more serious consideration in the future. Questions that we want to ask include: Why was the decision made to exclude music performance from the television coverage Who made that decision Why does the BBC believe that presenting the performances exclusively online - with inferior sound and picture, as well as excluding those without decent internet access - was a satisfactory alternative to the traditional coverage on TV Why was the concerto final not shown on television Who made that decision Who does the BBC believe is the audience for the programmes Have they succeeded in reaching that audience Do the BBC Trust and the DCMS committee members believe that the BBC\'s coverage of the competition met the promises made in the Charter review What assurances do we have that this production approach will not be repeated in 2010 If you care about maintaining standards of music broadcasting and regret the decision to move such an important event into the incompatible realm of reality television, then we urge you to help us make the public\'s feelings clear by adding your name to the petition below. We will present the completed petition to the BBC Trust, the BBC\'s Chairman Sir Michael Lyons, relevant department heads and members of the government\'s Culture, Media and Sport committee. Thank you. IMPORTANT NOTE : You do not have to donate any money in order to sign the petition. This petition is hosted for free by iPetitions and they will appeal for donations in order to survive. But you are under no obligation to do so. Your signature will always count.

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