The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Old Grumpy]

Music is often played in doctors' surgeries to reduce the likelihood of patients who are waiting overhearing consultations or what is being discussed with the reception staff.

OG

[LMcD]

Music is often played in doctors' surgeries to reduce the likelihood of patients who are waiting overhearing consultations or what is being discussed with the reception staff.

OG

Apparently slow (downtempo) music leads people to walk more slowly, linger longer, and consequently spend more money. However, any 'background' music in shops has precisely the opposite effect on yours truly, especially if, as is the case in our local Spar shop, it's accompanied by messages urging me to check out the latest 'specials'.

[Pulcinella]

Music is often played in doctors' surgeries to reduce the likelihood of patients who are waiting overhearing consultations or what is being discussed with the reception staff.

OG

Indeed, but that can be down to poor reception facilities and arrangements.
I complained at a previous surgery, and was given a quiet room to wait in instead.
The downside was, of course, that I missed my name being called (despite an assurance that someone would come and collect me!).

[Stanfordian]

Indeed, but that can be down to poor reception facilities and arrangements.
I complained at a previous surgery, and was given a quiet room to wait in instead.
The downside was, of course, that I missed my name being called (despite an assurance that someone would come and collect me!).

In The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester they play I think Radio Heart or some other similar commercial pop station in most of the waiting rooms. With all the pain and suffering going on in there it seems inappropriate to start making a fuss.

[Judith Robbyns]

"Indeed, but that can be down to poor reception facilities and arrangements."

Even worse than music is spending ten minutes in the waiting room while one or two small children noisily open and shut the Wendy house door or race in and out of the 'telephone kiosk' picking up the receiver and banging it down again, shouting Hello, Hello. Then you get called to have your blood pressure taken and it's 160. Listening to the breakfast programme used to get me similarly agitated but I don't listen now.

[Pulcinella]

"Indeed, but that can be down to poor reception facilities and arrangements."

Even worse than music is spending ten minutes in the waiting room while one or two small children noisily open and shut the Wendy house door or race in and out of the 'telephone kiosk' picking up the receiver and banging it down again, shouting Hello, Hello. Then you get called to have your blood pressure taken and it's 160. Listening to the breakfast programme used to get me similarly agitated but I don't listen now.

Exactly so!

[Serial_Apologist]

Exactly so!

They don't have toys or other distractions to keep small people occupied in our local surgery, or even music - just two screens facing the rows of screwed down plastic chairs showing advice on how to cope with piles, HIV, smoking, obesity or impotence!

[hmvman]

... just two screens facing the rows of screwed down plastic chairs showing advice on how to cope with piles, HIV, smoking, obesity or impotence!

....and Suzy Klein on Essential Classics?

[cloughie]

I'm not a great fan of Tony Blackburn as such, but at least he treats his listeners as recycled adolescents rather than not particularly bright primary-school children. And he's been around long enough to know his audience - which cannot perhaps be said of Ms/Miss Alker. Whether she'll improve with time I can't say. I agree about the timing of 'Sounds Of the Sixties' - and the repeat is buried in the small hours. Still, there'a always 'Gambo', who doesn't get in the way of the music on those occasions when 'Pick Of the Pops' revisits the 60s. (He's also a capable host of 'Counterpoint', which I'm pleased to see has barely changed its format over the years).

Tried listening to ‘Sounds of the Sixties’ but the combination of Blackburn’s dreadful jokes, most of which I haeard back in the 60s, then John Rowles, Humperdinck-style awful delivery and Shirley Bassey slurring up to the notes was enough. Hardly the cutting edge music I remember!

[LMcD]

I haven't carried out an in-depth analysis, but, unless I'm mistaken, there have been quite a lot of what one might call 'lollipops' or 'potboilers' in the last few days, including one movement each from two of the most popular piano concertos (1 Norwegian and 1 Russian). It's probably a complete coincidence, but I've just seen my first TV advertisement for Scala.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I dear. It’s Saturday again. Did I need to switch the radio on to hear Elizabeth A repeated yelping on about someone’s garden shed and inviting them to get in touch again. This is beyond dreadful. Surely there’s a clause in the Geneva Convention that outlaws this kind of thing?

[Pulcinella]

I dear. It’s Saturday again. Did I need to switch the radio on to hear Elizabeth A repeated yelping on about someone’s garden shed and inviting them to get in touch again. This is beyond dreadful. Surely there’s a clause in the Geneva Convention that outlaws this kind of thing?

You could always switch to Scala Radio and double their market share.
It can't be any worse, can it?
I prefer to have nothing on when I wake up these days!

[cloughie]

I dear. It’s Saturday again. Did I need to switch the radio on to hear Elizabeth A repeated yelping on about someone’s garden shed and inviting them to get in touch again. This is beyond dreadful. Surely there’s a clause in the Geneva Convention that outlaws this kind of thing?

Was that connected to playing Debussy ‘Jardins sous la pluie’ as many will be this matin?

[Stanfordian]

I dear. It’s Saturday again. Did I need to switch the radio on to hear Elizabeth A repeated yelping on about someone’s garden shed and inviting them to get in touch again. This is beyond dreadful. Surely there’s a clause in the Geneva Convention that outlaws this kind of thing?

It's dire! Who's idea is it to produce a programme in this manner?

[doversoul1]

I heard a trailer for the new programme about video game music on this morning’s Record Review. I thought it was Elizabeth A reading the script until the voice said ‘I am a composer...’. It was that particular way of speaking as if their tongues were too long and getting in the way of speaking. The similarity was uncanny. Is this a new trend of speaking among young women?