The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Sir Velo]

Personally I hanker after the days when Radio 3 was a completely news free zone!

[Leinster Lass]

This happened during the first lockdown and was re-introduced in December, I think when London went into Tier 4. Petroc Trelawny made it clear at the time that it was again a temporary measure, as did Paul Guinery when he played the piano in the studio on Christmas Day (when two of the other Radio 3 regulars Viji Alles and Susan Rae also submitted party pieces). The only morning bulletin is at 8 am, nothing earlier. It's a longer bulletin than I would like (possibly as long as 5 minutes), and the 1 pm bulletin delayed the start of the Wigmore Hall lunchtime concerts, resulting in them frequently spilling over beyond 2 pm. The voices of the newsreaders are often not to my snobbish taste either (very Radio 2-ish). But it's easy to see why they have felt the need to do it.

I haven't been aware of this resulting in more adverts or trailers - as far as I recall they have for a long time not been linked to the news summary slot.

I have a friend who does what I'm told is a really good impression of Alvar Lidell, and another does Wilfrid Pickles, who - I'm told - read the news during WWII before complaints - probably from the Home Counties - about his accent led to his removal. Thank Heavens we live in more enlightened times.
I would suggest that you ask Lyric fm to consider lending you one of their honey-toned presenters but get the impression that he or she probably wouldn't be to everyone's taste! As for the shame of having to share news bulletins with BBC Radio 2 - well ...!

[cloughie]

I have a friend who does what I'm told is a really good impression of Alvar Lidell, and another does Wilfred Pickles, who - I'm told - read the news during WWII before complaints - probably from the Home Counties - about his accent led to his removal. Thank Heavens we live in more enlightened times.
I would suggest that you ask Lyric fm to consider lending you one of their honey-toned presenters but get the impression that he or she probably wouldn't be to everyone's taste! As for the shame of having to share news bulletins with BBC Radio 2 - well ...!

Well he had to Have a Go!
Jill Anderson has the perfect voice for newsreading - they should have sacked the R2 loudmouth and given her the job.
R2 newsreading has not been the same since Fran Godfrey and Fenella Hadingham, similarly R4 Harriet Cass and Charlotte Green, though the latter reads Cowdenbeath and Stenhousemuir more seductively than was ever done in the past.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I have a friend who does what I'm told is a really good impression of Alvar Lidell, and another does Wilfrid Pickles, who - I'm told - read the news during WWII before complaints - probably from the Home Counties - about his accent led to his removal. Thank Heavens we live in more enlightened times.
I would suggest that you ask Lyric fm to consider lending you one of their honey-toned presenters but get the impression that he or she probably wouldn't be to everyone's taste! As for the shame of having to share news bulletins with BBC Radio 2 - well ...!

I am sorry to have to correct you but in the interests of historical accuracy I am not sure it is true to say that Wilfrid Pickles was removed from news duties following complaints . In fact he was recruited as a news reader because the BBC thought he would be difficult for the Nazis to impersonate from a station pretending to be the BBC . Although there were complaints he went on reading the news and at one stage hosted one of the BBC’s most popular programmes ‘Have A Go which commanded audiences over 20 million or so.

[Nick Armstrong]

Personally I hanker after the days when Radio 3 was a completely news free zone!

May I co-hanker with you? (Although I don’t remember those days! ).

I take the view that if I want news, there are plenty of places to get it. I don’t want pandemic and murder and orange man-babies in the White House squashed up against Bach and Fauré, really

[kernelbogey]

The voices of the newsreaders are often not to my snobbish taste either (very Radio 2-ish).

It's more the rather aggressive style of presenting the news that jars - as though tone of voice has to be used to convey 'alarming' or 'sad', for example. Interesting that someone has made the decision that R3 listeners can (must) put up with the R2 style of delivery, rather than R2 listeners having to accept the more measured tones of Viji Alles, Paul Guinery et al.

I assume that the reasons for presenters not reading the news may be to do with the importance of the newsreader being available to accommodate late changes to the bulletin with breaking news, including how to deal with unusual names and other proper nouns.

There may also be some territorial issue here: I've been curious why who reads the weather on R3 has chopped and changed in recent times.

[antongould]

IIRC in my early days as a frequent listener SMP used to read the news - very well IMVVHO - as well as presenting Breakfast ..... but I don’t think Rob C did on his shifts .......

[kernelbogey]

IIRC in my early days as a frequent listener SMP used to read the news - very well IMVVHO - as well as presenting Breakfast ..... but I don’t think Rob C did on his shifts .......

I'm can't be sure, but have a half-memory that David Owen Norris, in a spell presenting the teatime programme, circa 1996, read the news.

[french frank]

I assume that the reasons for presenters not reading the news may be to do with the importance of the newsreader being available to accommodate late changes to the bulletin with breaking news, including how to deal with unusual names and other proper nouns.

Theoretically, that would (once) have been a good reason for R3 announcers and presenters to read the news, as they were capable of handling pronunciation. Andrew used to read the news when he was on the breakfast shift because (as I've mentioned before) I remember him losing his news sheets, apologising, and saying he'd read the headlines when/if he found them.

Among some in authority, there is an automatic acceptance that every member of the population needs to know the latest breaking news as soon as possible after it starts to break. If one is that much of a news junkie, is R3 the station to be listening to? People may be quite happy to hear it on the evening TV news.

[oddoneout]

Theoretically, that would (once) have been a good reason for R3 announcers and presenters to read the news, as they were capable of handling pronunciation. Andrew used to read the news when he was on the breakfast shift because (as I've mentioned before) I remember him losing his news sheets, apologising, and saying he'd read the headlines when/if he found them.

Among some in authority, there is an automatic acceptance that every member of the population needs to know the latest breaking news as soon as possible after it starts to break. If one is that much of a news junkie, is R3 the station to be listening to? People may be quite happy to hear it on the evening TV news.

It's not as if the R3 bulletins are the same each time, they change slightly as events develop through the morning;that's quite useful and suits my needs , but I agree the continued need for engagement and faux anxiety/concern/outrage is not for me - just getting through the day is a major drain sometimes.
As I discovered this morning at 8am(not intentionally) it's not just 'over to our xyz correspondent' but also vox pops. FCOL as they say - obviously I am sorry that a mother and child were evacuated from their house with only the nightclothes they stood up in, but do I really need to know that, right then, and hear her opinions? NO! Give me the headlines and let me get back to the music and Petroc and talking that, even if considered unnecessary by many, at least makes sense and isn't delivered with a blunt weapon round the ears.

[kernelbogey]

....do I really need to know that, right then, and hear her opinions? NO!

[Leinster Lass]

I am sorry to have to correct you but in the interests of historical accuracy I am not sure it is true to say that Wilfrid Pickles was removed from news duties following complaints . In fact he was recruited as a news reader because the BBC thought he would be difficult for the Nazis to impersonate from a station pretending to be the BBC . Although there were complaints he went on reading the news and at one stage hosted one of the BBC’s most popular programmes ‘Have A Go which commanded audiences over 20 million or so.

Just goes to show you can't believe everything that family members claim to have been told!
Just out of interest - what it is it that is aggressive about the 0800 and 1300 bulletins?

[Ein Heldenleben]

Just goes to show you can't believe everything that family members claim to have been told!
Just out of interest - what it is it that is aggressive about the 0800 and 1300 bulletins?

Radio Three bulletins used to be what is called straight reads i.e 2 to 3 minutes worth of news headlines read by one announcer usually drawn from a small pool of announcers who work largely for Radio 3 and Radio 4 . Because of COVID and the need to cut to the bare minimum the number of people travelling into central London and working in offices I guess the decision was made to pool all the radio network bulletins and create a sustaining service . I am just guessing that the Radio 2 news service was made the sustaining service - I don’t have any inside knowledge . Back in prehistory I worked in Radio News and I am pretty sure There are still separate writing styles for each of the four main networks , different stories are selected and different production techniques employed e.g the use of clips in Radio 2 bulletins. Whether this creates a more ‘aggressive’ feel is in the ear of the listener. Another difference will be that those audio clips will be compressed- creating arguably an “in your face “ feel. The writing style will also be more urgent and punchy than that of traditional Radio 3 bulletins.
I could be completely wrong but I have listened to thousands of hours of both R2 and R3 bulls over the years...

[french frank]

I could be completely wrong but I have listened to thousands of hours of both R2 and R3 bulls over the years...

Oh, dear. Poor you!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Oh, dear. Poor you!

Yes but at one stage I got paid for it !
(To be honest I cannot listen to radio news at all - all I hear are duff edits.)