The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Radio64]

The usual drivel, I'm sorry to say. Just a different clone.

I wouldn't know. I'm listening to Clemmy's Friday 14th Feb show. Again.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

You'd be better listening to Though the Night.

[Radio64]

You'd be better listening to Though the Night.

Actually I never have so might just do it later.

[french frank]

I listened through the whole of yesterday's prog and my own view was: given the format, a pretty good effort.

Rotten format: the 15 minute headlines/weather - poor Louise must have got fed up with reading out the temperatures in Glasgow, Liverpool and London: I may not have noted one, otherwise they came regularly at each designated 'news point'

There were 22 pieces, which, allowing for the 30+ mins speech element, works out at just over 5 minutes per piece. This is actually too long for the hasty breakfaster who has to leave at 7.20, a minute after a piece has begun: each piece would ideally need to be about 1 minute long if you are going to try to cope with everyone's transport-to-work routines. Clearly silly, so why not double the average length to 10 minutes - or say 12 pieces? That would still preclude the Bruckner symphonies that some people constantly insist the critics are demanding to hear every morning (they aren't). There were 5 single movements (from symphonies/concertos/chamber works), not counting some (acceptable?) chunks from other long works.

Good points: it was 'Charts day' but the excitement factor was kept down to a reasonable level; there were no 'light' pieces at all, and the scattering of well-known works was also (in my view) about acceptable. The phone-in was sensible, but not really necessary: its presence 'justifies' the times when it's awful. Again, the MacMillan piece was a listener request that was read out - but a good one. There were only two(?) references to tweets &c, once to invite them in a general way, once to thank people for sending them. I don't think any were read out. [Correction - an email for the Debussy, Fille aux cheveux de lin] In fact, given the Guardian quote above (or below, depending on which view you have), full marks, Louise, for simply, thanking people and adding 'So good to know you're listening'. There were five trails but, if I noted this correctly, in all but one case they had reverted to the old custom of including them just before the break for the news headlines - preferable, if we have to have them.

It was good to hear two well-modulated 'mature' voices - NB that doesn't indicate age but attitude. Neither of the women was trying to sound too young to be a presenter/newsreader on a radio station which has a certain proportion of 'mature' (age!) listeners.

I felt that production and presenter were attempting to rein back on the sillier excesses of the imposed format. That's a private view: in public I'd better say, Oh, how awful, why, oh, why, what on earth is R3 coming to with this modernisation and ... things!

[Radio64]

You'd be better listening to Though the Night.

Goes on for hours innit!

[Honoured Guest]

You'd be better listening to Though the Night.

Though the Night be long and cold,
Breakfast beckons with AlpenBowl.

[Old Grumpy]

Goes on for hours innit!

And the pieces of music go on for ever, with very little talk - dreadful!

[Radio64]

And the pieces of music go on for ever, with very little talk - dreadful!

I wonder if the DJ gets any tweets.

[antongould]

I listened through the whole of yesterday's prog and my own view was: given the format, a pretty good effort.

Rotten format: the 15 minute headlines/weather - poor Louise must have got fed up with reading out the temperatures in Glasgow, Liverpool and London: I may not have noted one, otherwise they came regularly at each designated 'news point'

There were 22 pieces, which, allowing for the 30+ mins speech element, works out at just over 5 minutes per piece. This is actually too long for the hasty breakfaster who has to leave at 7.20, a minute after a piece has begun: each piece would ideally need to be about 1 minute long if you are going to try to cope with everyone's transport-to-work routines. Clearly silly, so why not double the average length to 10 minutes - or say 12 pieces? That would still preclude the Bruckner symphonies that some people constantly insist the critics are demanding to hear every morning (they aren't). There were 5 single movements (from symphonies/concertos/chamber works), not counting some (acceptable?) chunks from other long works.

Good points: it was 'Charts day' but the excitement factor was kept down to a reasonable level; there were no 'light' pieces at all, and the scattering of well-known works was also (in my view) about acceptable. The phone-in was sensible, but not really necessary: its presence 'justifies' the times when it's awful. Again, the MacMillan piece was a listener request that was read out - but a good one. There were only two(?) references to tweets &c, once to invite them in a general way, once to thank people for sending them. I don't think any were read out. [Correction - an email for the Debussy, Fille aux cheveux de lin] In fact, given the Guardian quote above (or below, depending on which view you have), full marks, Louise, for simply, thanking people and adding 'So good to know you're listening'. There were five trails but, if I noted this correctly, in all but one case they had reverted to the old custom of including them just before the break for the news headlines - preferable, if we have to have them.

It was good to hear two well-modulated 'mature' voices - NB that doesn't indicate age but attitude. Neither of the women was trying to sound too young to be a presenter/newsreader on a radio station which has a certain proportion of 'mature' (age!) listeners.

I felt that production and presenter were attempting to rein back on the sillier excesses of the imposed format. That's a private view: in public I'd better say, Oh, how awful, why, oh, why, what on earth is R3 coming to with this modernisation and ... things!

.....IMHO a very fair assessment and again this morning we had much of the same with the bit of Skellers I heard including a John Ogden train story! If I was to take issue I would say the phone ins are usually much the same of the one you heard here.... Didn't we once have BBM ?

[kernelbogey]

Hurrah for the gentle, civilised tones of Ian Skelly first thing!

[Radio64]

Hrmph ...


mornin'!

[mercia]

Neither of the women was trying to sound too young to be a presenter/newsreader on a radio station

how does one go about "trying to sound too young" ? - sounds like a rather pointless vocal exercise

[HARRIET HAVARD]

I wouldn't know. I'm listening to Clemmy's Friday 14th Feb show. Again.

Listening to Clemmy AGAIN. You sure are a glutton for punishment.

[Radio64]

Listening to Clemmy AGAIN. You sure are a glutton for punishment.

Punishment from Clemmy, yes.

[MLF]

Is it just me or is Mr Skelly not the answer to the great breakfast conundrum? Even in the current breakfast show format this morning was a pleasant experience.