As suggested by some messageboarders from my comments on the Breakfast messageboard below are some of my thoughts and suggestions from the Breakfast messageboard (slightly amended) for possible revitalising/improving R3 and ideas for directions it could take in the future. Please feel free to discuss these and add further suggestions. I would be particularly interested in feedback on point 3.
1. Anniversary composers, a greater focus on the less known ones, after all the better known ones get plenty of exposure anyway at all times. Let's learn more about them composers such as Krommer, Holmboe, W Schuman, Cherubini have hardly had a look in. With the better known composers lets hear more of the lesser known works in these anniversary years. The coverage of Barber this year for example has been very slanted, four key works the Piano & Cello Concertos, Prayer of Kiekegaard and The Lovers haven't featured once the operas all but ignored and even the masterly Piano Sonata has only featured once I believe, but the Violin Concerto has been considerably overplayed!
2. Bring back the educational programmes, discovering music is OK but I can remember and have recorded interesting programmes on composers such as Moeran, Harris, Copland and the Russian Symphony as well as some interesting interval programmes about the composers and works in the various concerts, something that has tended to disappear with the decline in live evening concerts. Some of these were programmes and interval features were excellent and contributed greatly to my appreciation of music.
3. Greater cooperation with networks from other countries, after all we have the occasional EBU broadcasts, live from the Met, and recordings of concerts on TTN. Lets expand that, have some live or (prerecorded from the day before) concerts from around the world and invite presenters and experts from other international networks to make and present programmes and join in with R3 programmes and concerts from the UK. We all know costs are tight at the moment but some sharing of programming and pooling resources and imagination could help stimulate listening and also possibly support some struggling ensembles. Let us not forget that there is a huge amont of scope in this fast moving digital age for working with other musical stations, building and creating new and expanding existing relationships with orchestras artists composers musicologists etc. Radio 3 is still I believe highly respected internationally and should utilise this much more effectively internationally than it appears to do.
4. Proper schedule planning, do we really need the same work played several times in one week? Accurate playlists that are carefully proof read before publication.
5. GET RID OF THE STUPID CHARTS! and other ill planned copies of something that Classic FM actually does better.
6. Breakfast, no problem with shorter pieces and extracts here, but the current tendency to play 3 or 4 works by Mozart and Bach every morning and fall back on Hungarian and Slavonic Dances and the inevitable Debussy and/or Ravel along with inane chatter, endless trailers and silly texting invites smacks of cheap commercial radio. No harm with a little bit of introduction to each piece but keep it simple and informative if necessary.
7. More programmes on historical recordings, the history of recording and general informed discussion in this field. The BBC has such a wealth of recordings and there are many broadcasters and writers with outstanding knowledge that could be utilised as well as bringing in other experts in relation to point 3 above. This used to play a bigger role in R3 programming and its decline seems to be lamented by a number of MB’s.
8. General presentation: the website is rather dull and needs regular updating. Advertisements sometimes remain well after the event has happened, the schedules are sometimes incomplete or contain inaccurate information. Do we need big pictures of the presenters above the concert listings? The webiste needs a good overhaul, careful and regular updating and perhaps more information on works, concerts. Regarding presenters, most are at least passable though one or two are not suitable, and some need to do their homework before presenting concerts. Professional image is very important for a station like R3 and standards should never have been allowed to slip as they have.
Hope this provides a launching pad for some informative discussion and the development of ideas!
1. Anniversary composers, a greater focus on the less known ones, after all the better known ones get plenty of exposure anyway at all times. Let's learn more about them composers such as Krommer, Holmboe, W Schuman, Cherubini have hardly had a look in. With the better known composers lets hear more of the lesser known works in these anniversary years. The coverage of Barber this year for example has been very slanted, four key works the Piano & Cello Concertos, Prayer of Kiekegaard and The Lovers haven't featured once the operas all but ignored and even the masterly Piano Sonata has only featured once I believe, but the Violin Concerto has been considerably overplayed!
2. Bring back the educational programmes, discovering music is OK but I can remember and have recorded interesting programmes on composers such as Moeran, Harris, Copland and the Russian Symphony as well as some interesting interval programmes about the composers and works in the various concerts, something that has tended to disappear with the decline in live evening concerts. Some of these were programmes and interval features were excellent and contributed greatly to my appreciation of music.
3. Greater cooperation with networks from other countries, after all we have the occasional EBU broadcasts, live from the Met, and recordings of concerts on TTN. Lets expand that, have some live or (prerecorded from the day before) concerts from around the world and invite presenters and experts from other international networks to make and present programmes and join in with R3 programmes and concerts from the UK. We all know costs are tight at the moment but some sharing of programming and pooling resources and imagination could help stimulate listening and also possibly support some struggling ensembles. Let us not forget that there is a huge amont of scope in this fast moving digital age for working with other musical stations, building and creating new and expanding existing relationships with orchestras artists composers musicologists etc. Radio 3 is still I believe highly respected internationally and should utilise this much more effectively internationally than it appears to do.
4. Proper schedule planning, do we really need the same work played several times in one week? Accurate playlists that are carefully proof read before publication.
5. GET RID OF THE STUPID CHARTS! and other ill planned copies of something that Classic FM actually does better.
6. Breakfast, no problem with shorter pieces and extracts here, but the current tendency to play 3 or 4 works by Mozart and Bach every morning and fall back on Hungarian and Slavonic Dances and the inevitable Debussy and/or Ravel along with inane chatter, endless trailers and silly texting invites smacks of cheap commercial radio. No harm with a little bit of introduction to each piece but keep it simple and informative if necessary.
7. More programmes on historical recordings, the history of recording and general informed discussion in this field. The BBC has such a wealth of recordings and there are many broadcasters and writers with outstanding knowledge that could be utilised as well as bringing in other experts in relation to point 3 above. This used to play a bigger role in R3 programming and its decline seems to be lamented by a number of MB’s.
8. General presentation: the website is rather dull and needs regular updating. Advertisements sometimes remain well after the event has happened, the schedules are sometimes incomplete or contain inaccurate information. Do we need big pictures of the presenters above the concert listings? The webiste needs a good overhaul, careful and regular updating and perhaps more information on works, concerts. Regarding presenters, most are at least passable though one or two are not suitable, and some need to do their homework before presenting concerts. Professional image is very important for a station like R3 and standards should never have been allowed to slip as they have.
Hope this provides a launching pad for some informative discussion and the development of ideas!
I think one of the very worst shifts was to replace CD Masters with Classical Collection. It is almost inexplicable in terms of replacing real quality with the humdrum and might lead one to think that CD Masters was perceived as somehow too 'highbrow' for the market that R3 now thinks is where it should be hovering. For example, today, I have been working in one room with the radio on in another and faint strains of extremely familiar music has been wafting through:
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