Congratulations Falling Tree!

[french frank]

The indy production company Falling Tree has saved Radio 3's face by winning a Sony Gold for the Between the Ears feature Child of Ardoyne - in the category 'Best news feature/documentary/special'. And a silver for the Between the Ears 'Use it or lose it' in the drama section.

In Tune got a Bronze, which, following the scutter of excitement at the news of the nomination, seems to get no mention on the R3 Facebook and Twitter pages. Our Tom got a nomination but sadly no final award.

So, as usual, the classical output comes away with little. Perhaps R3 management could put their heads together to work out why. A bit more chat and banter, and Breakfast might even win the Breakfast Show category in a year or two ...

Meanwhile, Radio 4 seems to be making all the running with the music talks programmes (two this week) and Radio 3 has given up on them apparently, replacing intelligent talk with chat about this-and-that

[Lateralthinking1]

Yes, in some ways this is good news because daft awards matter to radio managers. There just might be a thought or two about the direction of R3 although that phrase "as usual, the classical output comes away with little" looks like a useful excuse.

I was quite amused by the silver given to Milton Jones following the decision by R4 to drop him. I can guess the conversation - "he is too clever clever, too tame, a Christian comedian for goodness sake". As it happens, he is a unique talent, selling huge numbers of tickets for his live show and counter-intuitively very popular with the young. This though is clearly not enough to overcome fixed 1960s-1980s attitudes among the middle aged decision makers about what is "right on". To be fair, R4 comedy has been improving and there is a growing appreciation of precedent there, possibly because of the existence of R4X. There are still too many in positions of influence with too narrow a historical reference. Much of their modernism looks more old fashioned by the day.

[Russ]

Child of Ardoyne was definitely a worthy winner in its category - I commended here at the time. Btw, you can hear the programme at the Falling Tree website (look under the 'Listen' header).

In the drama section, the candidates this year were a distinctly odd bunch to say the least. The high-profile R4 productions (Life & Fate, Plantagenet, Heat of the Day, Rattigan etc) didn't even make the nomination list. I've always been a bit sceptical about the Sony process (the judges cannot have listened to a fraction of the nominations list), and many of the winning entries seems to have confirmed the event as a backslapping pissup buggins-turn awards show. But at least it keeps the overall profile of radio up there in the public view, so I'm not knocking it too much!

My faith was restored however at David Rodigan's well-deserved Gold for Best Specialist Music Programme.

Russ

[french frank]

In the drama section, the candidates this year were a distinctly odd bunch to say the least.

And distinctly odder that Radio 3's drama silver was an edition of Between the Ears, rather than one of the regular drama productions.

Among this year's jury I counted at least three with CFM connections (and CFM won two awards - for its classical music contributions) but none that I recognised from Radio 3.

I am absolutely NOT suggesting that the presence of CFM people (including two high profile managing directors, Roger Lewis and Darren Henley) explained the awards; but the profile of CFM is much higher among the general public - and the generality among the members of the jury - than Radio 3 is because it's a popular/populist station. That's the 'stranglehold' that Radio 3 is aiming to challenge; hence all the latest nonsense ...

[aeolium]

And distinctly odder that Radio 3's drama silver was an edition of Between the Ears, rather than one of the regular drama productions.

Though I can't think of many (if any) that were deserving of any award. There have been a lot of repeats of late. I did like the O'Casey play that was done a couple of months back but nothing has stood out in the memory this year.

[french frank]

Though I can't think of many (if any) that were deserving of any award. There have been a lot of repeats of late. I did like the O'Casey play that was done a couple of months back but nothing has stood out in the memory this year.

I can't remember which they were. The year in question, I believe (Russ?), was 2011. They wouldn't have had time to consider much from 2012. (That may not make a difference to your comment.)

[Russ]

The year in question, I believe (Russ?), was 2011.

Yes. Sony entries have to be made by the beginning of February, so it's possible that a Jan 2012 production might just squeeze in, but generally it is for the previous calendar year. I'm inclined to agree with aeolium's view that there wasn't anything particularly award-worthy or even nomination-worthy amongst the R3 2011 drama, with maybe the exception of The Chalk Garden.

2012 isn't shaping up much better either, but 'Things Might Change or Cease' and 'Sunset' have been goodies IMO, although it is highly unlikely that the latter would commend itself to the Sony arena, being something of a ideas talkpiece. (Do3s are generally not big 'sound' production affairs, which is why they do not feature much in the Sonys.)

Russ

[Russ]

Another little gem from Falling Tree Productions: 'Suspended in Air', neuroscientist David Eagleman's exploration of the work of Italo Calvino, beautifully narrated by Simon Russell Beale.

It gets a citation in Elizabeth Mahoney's weekly Guardian radio column, Radio 3's arts coverage described as being "a quiet treasure, with dedicated time and depth for really rich listens, and a rather marvellous eclecticism". Good to see R3 getting some positive press for a change.

Russ

[aeolium]

Radio 3's arts coverage described as being "a quiet treasure, with dedicated time and depth for really rich listens, and a rather marvellous eclecticism".

If only....

(When I saw the title of this thread again I thought it was from the Stormy Weather one - some rather wild weather round here yesterday )

[french frank]

I agree with Russ that when there is a good programme (and Falling Tree do very well here) it deserves to be mentioned. But the hourly cost of producing such programmes, compared with sticking a staff presenter in a studio playing CD tracks on a play-out system, doesn't bear thinking about.

Radio critics aren't 'Radio 3 listeners': they can cherry pick the programmes that appeal to them, then the next night they're listening to Heart FM. Nature of the job.

[aeolium]

But the hourly cost of producing such programmes, compared with sticking a staff presenter in a studio playing CD tracks on a play-out system, doesn't bear thinking about.

But how was it that many more such programmes (I mean for the arts) used to be provided in the 1980s R3 than now? I realise that we are in a time of cutbacks, especially to R3 expenditure, but at least up to 2008 the BBC was well-off compared with the 1980s. I'm not sure it is a matter of money so much as of will, which wasn't there even in the good times.

[french frank]

But how was it that many more such programmes (I mean for the arts) used to be provided in the 1980s R3 than now? I realise that we are in a time of cutbacks, especially to R3 expenditure, but at least up to 2008 the BBC was well-off compared with the 1980s. I'm not sure it is a matter of money so much as of will, which wasn't there even in the good times.

Partly, I think it's that as the BBC expanded, money was diverted elsewhere. Now it's priorities, and a 'high cost'-low audience station doesn't make sense to an increasingly commercially-minded BBC. The money goes where it's seen as giving, by their criteria, 'the best public value'. In terms of the radio arts programming that means to Radio 4, and for music programmes to Radio 1 and Radio 2.

I think Drummond's schedules had better speech/arts programming. I must look up some examples.

[Russ]

I'm not convinced the reported theme of R4's 'refocus on arts and culture' is much more than a news-bite wrapper for a few new commissions for next year. The R4 schedule is very inflexible, and there is a danger of of overestimating what is being proposed: notwithstanding the Ulysses-thon, if you look at the BBC blog, most of it is simply an emphasis being placed on existing programmes, not radical changes. It's not as though You and Yours is being swept away in favour of a mid-day philosophical discussion programme. The R3 schedule is probably a bit more flexible, and I agree with aeolium that it is more a matter of will than money if R3 wanted to put a bigger stake in the area of arts coverage, whatever yardstick of 'the best public value' is used. (I'm still struggling with the conundrum of R3 spending an average of £120k per listener hour, which is an order of magnitude greater than any good arts speech programme will demand.) As for radio critics not being 'listeners to a particular station', well yes, that is of course true, but as a blatant cherry-picker myself, I have never felt myself to be so aligned. All I'm saying is that it's good to see R3's arts coverage, which rarely features in the mainstream press, getting a positive mention.

Russ

[aeolium]

All I'm saying is that it's good to see R3's arts coverage, which rarely features in the mainstream press, getting a positive mention.

I agree, for the productions that deserve it. The problem is that the occasional plaudit from journalists who, as ff suggests, are no more than infrequent listeners to the station, provides a reassuring pat on the back which R3's patchy and limited arts coverage really doesn't deserve. It needs someone with a serious interest in radio arts broadcasting to bang the drum for better and more extensive coverage.

[french frank]

(I'm still struggling with the conundrum of R3 spending an average of £120k per listener hour, which is an order of magnitude greater than any good arts speech programme will demand.)

That comes back once again to the size of the audience.

An hour of excellent broadcasting will cost the same to produce, whether one person is listening to it (one listener hour) or 1 million (one million listener hours).