The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

**Richard Tarleton** · 09-03-13, 08:37

Originally posted by Suffolkcoastal View Post

What I can't come to terms with is why a whole of chunk of R3 is now reduced to Cbeebies level to try and attract a younger audience. I had no problem with the style of R3 when I first started listening to it in the mid 1970's when I was 9/10. Nor did I have any problem with listening to 45 minute long symphonies, R3 was like an extra music teacher introducing me to new composers and works and I wanted to learn and I felt more grown up as a result, if I was the same age now I very much doubt I could have beared to listen at least not in the mornings. I don't believe that I was particularly special, just a normal working class boy who was drawn to classical music.

This is exactly how I regarded the Third when I started listening as a late teenager in the late 1960s.

A sensible approach to market segmentation is to understand the likes and needs of the various segments of your audience, and to ensure your offer appeals to existing customers as well as to new audiences. This should apply to R3 where the average age is 57 (ref ff), an expanding demographic presumably. The approach of RW/R3 seems to be one of being prepared to jettison (or simply p**s off) important sections of the audience (us) in favour of the pursuit of trivial and transient values. You have to find a way of reaching new audiences without doing this.

The organisation I recently retired from

has a highly sophisticated market segmentation model, understanding who likes what (and, importantly, who likes what where), and pitches its offer accordingly. Depending as it does on voluntary subscriptions, alienating sections of its audience is not an option.

**Flay** · 09-03-13, 08:51

Oh no, they're playing Mahler's Adagietto again!!!

Mahler wrote many other fantastic slow movements. If we are going to get chunks then why is it only ever this one, done to death?

How about the two incredible slow movements from the 3rd? Or the slow movement from the 4th?

**antongould** · 09-03-13, 09:36

Originally posted by Flay View Post

Oh no, they're playing Mahler's Adagietto again!!!

Mahler wrote many other fantastic slow movements. If we are going to get chunks then why is it only ever this one, done to death?

How about the two incredible slow movements from the 3rd? Or the slow movement from the 4th?

Context dear boy, as I'm sure you are aware today is GM's 111th wedding anniversary and this was of course written as a love song to Mrs M.

**Flay** · 09-03-13, 09:50

Originally posted by antongould View Post

Context dear boy, as I'm sure you are aware today is GM's 111th wedding anniversary and this was of course written as a love song to Mrs M.

Well it I'd known that... I wasn't listening to the preamble...

**Serial_Apologist** · 09-03-13, 16:11

Originally posted by antongould View Post

Context dear boy, as I'm sure you are aware today is GM's 111th wedding anniversary and this was of course written as a love song to Mrs M.

So then - every time the Adagietto is played it is Mahler's wedding anniversary.

I DON'T THINK SO!

It p****d me off when Visconti extrapolated it for use in $Death in Venice$, such decontextualisation (since you speak of context) making a mockery of Mahler's original meaning.

**Zucchini** · 09-03-13, 19:33

#2012 "On average people listen [to Breakfast programming] for not much more than 30 mins and at about the same time."

Originally posted by Resurrection Man View Post

Can you give the reference to this, please?

Your Leader

**french frank** · 09-03-13, 20:56

Originally posted by Resurrection Man View Post

Can you give the reference to this, please?

Can't be me...I hardly ever listen now to R3! Not had it on all day so far.

Context is all

I was actually told it was 20 mins on average by P Trelawny. As such figures are withheld from the licence fee payers who pay for them, I cannot vouch for them.

But, if true, and given that it's an average, some people would listen for such a short time one wonders why they bothered to tune in at all. And I'm not sure how they can tell because the RAJAR sample fills in a 15-min slot as 'listened to' if they listened for only 5 minutes. So I don't think the RAJAR figures differentiate between 5 minutes and 15 minutes. The BBC's own research can't be verified.

**Frances_iom** · 09-03-13, 21:48

Originally posted by french frank View Post

... So I don't think the RAJAR figures differentiate between 5 minutes and 15 minutes. The BBC's own research can't be verified.

I give it about 5min as my alarm is set for 7 25am and I turn it off 9 times out of 10 immediately after the news + weather - R3 even with the mistress of tweets is somewhat preferable to R4 (but only just).

**Resurrection Man** · 09-03-13, 22:06

Originally posted by Zucchini View Post

#2012 "On average people listen [to Breakfast programming] for not much more than 30 mins and at about the same time."
Your Leader

You ARE Roger Wright and I claim my year's supply of unnecessary Radio 3 tweets.

**antongould** · 09-03-13, 23:07

Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post

So then - every time the Adagietto is played it is Mahler's wedding anniversary.

I DON'T THINK SO!

No I don't think so either it will be back before his 112th.....

**Serial_Apologist** · 09-03-13, 23:30

Originally posted by french frank View Post

Context is all

I was actually told it was 20 mins on average by P Trelawny. As such figures are withheld from the licence fee payers who pay for them, I cannot vouch for them.

But, if true, and given that it's an average, some people would listen for such a short time one wonders why they bothered to tune in at all. And I'm not sure how they can tell because the RAJAR sample fills in a 15-min slot as 'listened to' if they listened for only 5 minutes. So I don't think the RAJAR figures differentiate between 5 minutes and 15 minutes. The BBC's own research can't be verified.

If Radio 3 encourages the idea that classical music is excerpts interspersed with irrelevant chat that will account for listeners bothering to tune in at all.

**Resurrection Man** · 10-03-13, 08:14

Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post

If Radio 3 encourages the idea that classical music is excerpts interspersed with irrelevant chat that will account for listeners bothering to tune in at all.

Well said. I dipped in this morning fleeing the usual Sunday morning fare on R4 and promptly switched off having heard the presenter talking about...well...not really sure...nothing to do with classical music. Something about not looking at the sun to see a comet passing over it. Oh and something on show at the Courtaulds being bought by a private buyer or other.

**Flosshilde** · 10-03-13, 08:47

Originally posted by Sir Velo View Post

That would be a conflict of interest. In the case of a Royal Charter, it is The Crown.

Just imagine it -

Meting between ff & the Queen:
ff - "Your Majesty (or Brenda if it's informal), could you just tell Roger Wright to stop messing about with Radio 3?"

Brenda - "What's Radio 3? Anything about horses?"

**mercia** · 10-03-13, 08:51

so glad I didn't switch off

(IMO) glorious excerpts from Arabella and the Brahms Requiem

**french frank** · 10-03-13, 09:24

Originally posted by Flosshilde View Post

Just imagine it -

Meting between ff & the Queen:
ff - "Your Majesty (or Brenda if it's informal), could you just tell Roger Wright to stop messing about with Radio 3?"

Brenda - "What's Radio 3? Anything about horses?"

I'd tell her to ask her husband ...

[Ignoring the fact that the gift was ear defenders not earphones, at least he'd heard of it

)

The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

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