The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[oddoneout]

I hope the GM fans were listening this morning we had .....

1) more bloody Bagpuss
2) What she referred to as Bernstein’s Summertime “sung” by the Zombies

She eventually corrected herself by saying that it was of course Gershwin’s Summertime “I knew that”, in the best SK schoolmarm manner ....

She seems to be tweeting and responding to tweets all the time she is on air ..... is this wise ..... ..... ?????

I have been concerned to find that the SK effect seems to be catching. There have been a couple of times this week when I thought for a moment Breakfast had become EC as the voice and delivery sounded too much like SK. The contagion is all too evident at the pre 9amm handover 'chat' when the two become as one in terms of vocal over-articulation, hyperbole and emphasis, seasoned with girlish giggles.
Are these GM's natural tendencies coming out or has someone 'higher up' been interfering yet again - which is what the increasing sowshul meejah input seems to suggest?

[cloughie]

I hope the GM fans were listening this morning we had .....

1) more bloody Bagpuss
2) What she referred to as Bernstein’s Summertime “sung” by the Zombies

She eventually corrected herself by saying that it was of course Gershwin’s Summertime “I knew that”, in the best SK schoolmarm manner ....

She seems to be tweeting and responding to tweets all the time she is on air ..... is this wise ..... ..... ?????

I remember that Zombies’ ‘Summertime’from the ‘Begin Here’ album in 1965, Colin Blunstone does quite a good job of it and Rod Argent on keyboards. About the same time the Moody Blues did ‘It ain’t necessarily so’ on the ‘Magnficent Moodies’ album. Gershwin never loses his appeal!

[LMcD]

With comments like that you’ll be starting rumours of Glossop!

Ah - a glossop-monger!

[Stanfordian]

Because Philip G is premiering a new piece in Manchester ( for you southerners a suburb of Salford ) in July .......

Probably around 25-30 years ago I took a friend to a BBC Philharmonic radio broadcast concert at the now demolished Studio 7 at New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester. A new Philip Grange piece was being performed and at the conclusion the friend I took along said how sh*t he thought it was. Unfortunately the composer was sat next to him and I don't know to this day if he heard what was said. A cringeworthy episode!

[cloughie]

Probably around 25-30 years ago I took a friend to a BBC Philharmonic radio broadcast concert at the now demolished Studio 7 at New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester. A new Philip Grange piece was being performed and at the conclusion the friend I took along said who sh*t he thought it was. Unfortunately the composer was sat next to him and I don't know to this day if he heard what was said. A cringeworthy episode!

Constructive criticism Les Dawson style!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The contagion is all too evident at the pre 9amm handover 'chat' when the two become as one in terms of vocal over-articulation, hyperbole and emphasis, seasoned with girlish giggles.

I know. It's pathetic and demeaning to them both, and a good moment to switch off.

[muzzer]

I have been concerned to find that the SK effect seems to be catching. There have been a couple of times this week when I thought for a moment Breakfast had become EC as the voice and delivery sounded too much like SK. The contagion is all too evident at the pre 9amm handover 'chat' when the two become as one in terms of vocal over-articulation, hyperbole and emphasis, seasoned with girlish giggles.
Are these GM's natural tendencies coming out or has someone 'higher up' been interfering yet again - which is what the increasing sowshul meejah input seems to suggest?

I think R3 has an impossible task in trying to please everyone, in particular members of this forum ;) Which is not to say I disagree with you, far from it. But who’d be a presenter stuck between the rock of the Beeb petrified of losing its charter and the hard place of probably the best informed and least populist audience in the British media? Perhaps that’s what lends an increasing air of ennui to GM’s tone? Faod I think she’s infinitely preferably to some. But I was a big fan of SM-P. O tempura o calimares.

[oddoneout]

I think R3 has an impossible task in trying to please everyone, in particular members of this forum ;) Which is not to say I disagree with you, far from it. But who’d be a presenter stuck between the rock of the Beeb petrified of losing its charter and the hard place of probably the best informed and least populist audience in the British media? Perhaps that’s what lends an increasing air of ennui to GM’s tone? Faod I think she’s infinitely preferably to some. But I was a big fan of SM-P. O tempura o calimares.

I accept that pleasing all the people etc isn't realistic, and also that the programme format and style isn't necessarily the choice of the presenter. However, attempting to copy ideas from other stations - badly - isn't the answer. If there is to be listener input - and I'm not inherently against that - then it needs to be of quality, ditto presenter comment, and support/enhance the programme not dominate or trivialise it. As I keep saying, there is much that could be done in the morning hours which I believe wouldn't frighten the horses, would satisfy a broad range of listeners, and might fulfill some of the Beebs supposed remit to educate. For some time I have been hearing and reading stray comments from listeners who've migrated from CFM/R4 in the mornings and are not overly happy finding presenter heavy style, social media content, and trailers(aka adverts, which CFM listeners will be wanting to avoid) in a place they thought might be free of such things. They are listeners who may well not stay, and won't necessarily go back to their original choice either - so a loss all round, especially if they tell others looking for alternatives not to bother with R3.
The Beeb could do worse than implement this.

Sarah Walker with a programme of music interspersed with intelligent comment.

(from the R3 schedules page, my bold)
Just a thought...

[Pulcinella]

I accept that pleasing all the people etc isn't realistic, and also that the programme format and style isn't necessarily the choice of the presenter. However, attempting to copy ideas from other stations - badly - isn't the answer. If there is to be listener input - and I'm not inherently against that - then it needs to be of quality, ditto presenter comment, and support/enhance the programme not dominate or trivialise it. As I keep saying, there is much that could be done in the morning hours which I believe wouldn't frighten the horses, would satisfy a broad range of listeners, and might fulfill some of the Beebs supposed remit to educate. For some time I have been hearing and reading stray comments from listeners who've migrated from CFM/R4 in the mornings and are not overly happy finding presenter heavy style, social media content, and trailers(aka adverts, which CFM listeners will be wanting to avoid) in a place they thought might be free of such things. They are listeners who may well not stay, and won't necessarily go back to their original choice either - so a loss all round, especially if they tell others looking for alternatives not to bother with R3.
The Beeb could do worse than implement this.

(from the R3 schedules page, my bold)
Just a thought...

Or they could try reverting to the type of intelligent programming we see evidence of at the end of each of ferney's Today's the Day posts?

[oddoneout]

Or they could try reverting to the type of intelligent programming we see evidence of at the end of each of ferney's Today's the Day posts?

Except that isn't going to happen, and there is now at least the opportunity thanks to online resources to construct one's own schedules a la good old days.
Significantly improving the morning schedule probably isn't going to happen either but it feels like a more achievable exercise. Changes have been made and some contentious items have been removed, possibly in response to negative feedback from somewhere, so perhaps continuing with constructive criticism might, if nothing else, prevent a further downward slide.

[Kernow Malc]

It's pretty ironic that at the very point I started getting really into classical music the BBC have been doing their very best to drive me away from Radio 3 - very successfully I may say. If I hear the words "new generation" again.....

[DracoM]

BUT many of those 'new generation' artists are playing very much the same classical repertoire, aren't they? They have to make their names, and realistically they will mostly do it by playing standard repertoire! Ironic, eh?

[Kernow Malc]

Nothing against young artists - I just meant that as an example of the repetitive, gimmick ridden presentation that is ruining so many programmes.

[oddoneout]

Nothing against young artists - I just meant that as an example of the repetitive, gimmick ridden presentation that is ruining so many programmes.

Do you mean the New Generation Artists scheme, or the recent Jess Gillam experiment?
The former I suggest is a perfectly worthwhile and appropriate endeavour for R3, many of the early participants now being familiar names in regular concert and recital broadcasts. The latter type ventures I'm not convinced by and yes they could perhaps be regarded as gimmicks. They also seem to me to be an attempt to push through an agenda which is in any case open to question, and in a way not best suited either to R3 or to achieving the stated aims.

[underthecountertenor]

I hope the GM fans were listening this morning we had .....

1) more bloody Bagpuss
2) What she referred to as Bernstein’s Summertime “sung” by the Zombies

She eventually corrected herself by saying that it was of course Gershwin’s Summertime “I knew that”, in the best SK schoolmarm manner ....

She seems to be tweeting and responding to tweets all the time she is on air ..... is this wise ..... ..... ?????

Last week GM referred to the composer of 'Blest Pair of Sirens' as Edward Elgar. This morning she attributed the Clog Dance from La Fille Mal Gardée to Hertel (whom she pronounced 'Hurtle') when it was clearly the well-known Hérold (the reference to Hertel could only possibly have resulted from a too-cursory glance at the Wikipedia entry for LFMG). The Clog Dance was introduced as the theme tune to a children's TV programme, which GM went on to describe in breathless detail, before remarking, all-too-accurately in my view, that she had missed her vocation as a children's television presenter.

I had reasonably high hopes for her as a worthy counterpart to Petroc Trelawny when she first appeared (standing in for Clemency Burton-Hill, as I recall). My disappointment and disillusion with her seems to increase by the week.