Originally posted by MrGongGong
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But as you point out, you don't have to 'sack' people who are on short-term contracts.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world. -
Anyone seen today's [Sunday] Times? Echoes of my "pessimism" noted above. People like Dawn Aerey [CH5] and David Elstein among others having a go at their erstwhile mentor. Here's a link but you'll have to register/pay to see the whole aticle. See also today's paper itself - 2 links at bottom of page linked here:
Demand for BBC to "stop chasing viewers" [and by implication, listeners!!]!!
Green paper [open to comment, unlike a White one that isn't] due Thursday.Comment
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I read the BBC's news story about it. Watch and Listen here has several clips of various people commenting on it.
Not sure that the Tories' apparent aim to see the BBC focusing on 'Public Service' broadcasting will necessarily help Radio 3 ...
It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Hmm, that news story reports that the usual great and good and some of Whittingdale's pals will form the "panel". Where's a listener/viewer?
Collette Bowe should be OK [ex OfCom and IBA so lots of experience] as should Stewart Purvis but I would not trust Airey. I don't think OfCom is currently equipped to replace the Trust, it's not that type of outfit - it can do some of the job but not the content regulation even though it still has Patricia Hodgson on board - those licences are still at DCMS.
My suspicion is that the government will not make any specific decisions vav BBC ops, they will impose financial limits and some broad guidelines and leave the BBC to decide what to keep and what not so that if all goes pear shaped it'll be the BBC's fault.
PS Just noticed that the MD of Classic FM is on the panel - is this a good thing for getting R3 off ratings chasing?Last edited by Gordon; 13-07-15, 11:33.Comment
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Yes, I meant to flag that up. So it might have been Alan Davey if he hadn't moved on to R3!Originally posted by Gordon View Post
Not a bad thing, I would imagine …It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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I see one of Whittingdale's pals says the Beeb should only have two radio stations - has she said which two?Originally posted by Gordon View PostComment
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my guess is R2 + R4 - the latter being sacrosanct and the former probably less attractive commercially - R3 + its baggage of the orchestras is an obvious one for any chop given that the medjah have for years pushed that classical music is elitist, as well being as no longer supported in most state schoolsOriginally posted by antongould View PostComment
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I would not disagree but I might suggest that R3 [remit altered] and R4 [unique] might remain - there are hints in Tory statements that "public service" has value and could be a kind of sweetening of other bitter pills - R3 also hard to commercialise as is - but I shall not hold my breath or put any serious money on it. R2 could just close given that a lot of what it does is already out there - some of it on Classic FM. Remember that R1 and to some extent R2 were the BBC response to the pirates in the 60s who demonstrated that there was a public appetite for their offerings. Ergo the commercial sector can do that sort of thing with the ready support of the listening public but at no cost to them.
Anyway I think that decision will be left to the BBC management - it won't be a politically accountable decision by government. There may be hints in the GP out Thursday and a certain amount of speculation and stalking of horses will set the presses humming. No doubt it will be leaked to the press early so expect "comment" on Wednesday if not before. One well used technique is to get a few scurrilous ideas leaked so that when the real thing comes along it doesn't seem too bad!!Last edited by Gordon; 13-07-15, 14:50.Comment
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Not sure why R2 would be considered less attractive 'commercially' - with 15m listeners?Originally posted by Frances_iom View PostIt isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Quite, but to privatise it [AND R1?] could send shock waves through the commercial sector - 15 million + R1's audience very attractive to advertisers but is there room for such a couple of gorillas to turn up in the forest and divert ad and sponsorship revenues which are not that elastic?? If not by the LF where does the funding come from? OTOH some kind of merger with a national commercial MoR/Contemporary Pop channel? Is there one, even a digital one on D1? Treasury would like a windfall from an auction I'm sure but then the BBC might claim it too!!! Who actually owns it to sell off anyway? Other options would be to leave them with the BBC but require that the content is wholly provided by commercial players [sort of mixed economy with a bit of top slicing] and just published via the BBC FM and DAB distribution channels. Currently the BBC spends just over £1B of its £3.6B LF budget buying from the private sector anyway. The publisher model [eg Sky] has a lot to commend it.Originally posted by french frank View Post
There may be a choice for some services between drop completely, or perhaps merge somehow, and/or privatise . One reduces costs [after due process] and the other gets a one off gain.
In all this speculation where are the listener's interests taken account of? Will there be a public consultation or will that get subsumed into parliamentary debate on the GP in the various readings in both houses? The Lords have a good record in supervising some media related moves from the lower house. As I've been saying, whatever happens, any radical and potentially unpopular moves will be for the BBC to handle.Comment
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the yoof market is (or was) seen as the most free spending and R1 seems to me more easily assimilated into a commercial activity - there was some interesting comment on last week's feedback program that the digital age youth didn't listen to the 'wireless' but that Apple's" Beats" (? name) being live dj led with immediate listener feedback seemed to be educating them towards a radio-like presentation and this might well be future for R1.Originally posted by french frank View Post
No sane commercial entity would take R3Comment
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I think there are a couple of assumptions in all of this
People who listen to R1 who assume that R3 is a taxpayer funded version of CFM
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People who listen to R3 who assume that R1 is a taxpayer funded version of Capital / Kiss FM
Both are wrong IMVComment
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Totally agree Mr. GG - also there often seems a lack of appreciation of what R2 plays in 2015 .......Originally posted by MrGongGong View PostComment
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That's certainly true. But the R2 audience is not unlike the Classic FM listener in terms of demographic.Originally posted by Frances_iom View Post
If the govt only wants two radio stations, I would guess R3 and R4 would survive. Though Whittingdale might push for 6Music. But the amount the BBC will have to lose by funding over 75s licences would pay for the whole of BBC radio.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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You sure the government would close a station with 15m reasonably ardent listeners? A vote winner??Originally posted by french frank View PostComment
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