The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[Serial_Apologist]

It's the way he types 'em!!

Hmmm - then I must be one of nature's funny types.

[antongould]

Pretty much Sidcup's perfect Breakfast this morning lots of the Old Scoundrel, Donna Diana and a BC of a Haydn Symphony

[salymap]

Pretty much Sidcup's perfect Breakfast this morning lots of the Old Scoundrel, Donna Diana and a BC of a Haydn Symphony

Sidcup is thankful it missed it, ta very much. Too much talking for me.

[EdgeleyRob]

a BC of a Haydn Symphony

[french frank]

Review:

I listened to Ian Skelly on Saturday as I hadn't heard a weekend Breakfast, possibly ever . Thought I would give it a good chance by choosing Martin or Ian (no point in adding to the irritation)... Bit surprised to see that even in a 2-hour programme the speech element was almost 30 mins (the same as on weekdays). I'll check that again: it didn't seem that much. It might have seemed more with other presenters, though.

The overall musical concept is still not to my taste: 15 assorted pieces, average length 6 minutes (nb playlist not yet updated), including the Allegretto scherzando from Beethoven Symph. 8, another Dvořák Slavonic Dance, Schumann's Träumerei, the opening movement of ... Tchaik. PC 1 (the phone-in request): not much that grabbed my attention to compensate, though Lang Lang's Albéniz was okay .

Irritations were the reference to THE SPECIALIST CHARTS (A. Balsom at No 3 - I would accept this intrusion if Radio 3 was being paid handsomely for continually plugging it, but in that case we should be told), the texts and tweets, the trails (at least six) - including the one where the presenter talks over snatches of different music - awful - never heard that before. TV trail (Palin's Brazil) was followed by a typical IS dry one-liner which partially made up for the trail. The news snippets didn't seem as intrusive as during the week - no newspaper headlines. I can take bits about Sydney Opera House and the use of the Basque language. Repeated regional weather details tiresome since they never mentioned where I live.

Pluses: the Skelly SoH (do they really call the natural trumpet a catastrophone because 'it's always such a risk playing it'? )

Shall I revisit in the near future? - No.

[AndyJW]

Well, I prefer his presentation style to the weekday presenters - he sounds very much at ease and natural, unlike SMP who sounds as if she's reading froma script.

If you'd listened on Sunday you would have heard the 2nd movement of a rediscovered Beethoven piano sonata. Today (Monday) SMP played the 1st movement of this and at the end said "what a cliff-hanger - if you want to hear what comes next go to the i-player and listen to yesterday's breakfast"

Oh, and today, we're back to earworms!! I had to switch off.

Unfortunately I can't get internet radio in the bathroom or in the car!

Andy

[salymap]

It seems to me that the Breakfast playlist is getting later and later to appear in print. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week I found only two or three items when I looked at about 6.30. Today an announcement that it will appear 'during tranmission'. I, and probably many others, can't spend my time hoping for a piece of music I wish to hear to turn up. As I'm having trouble with iPlayer it's all too much bother.
And, sorry antongould, I really can't stand SMP's constant talking. RT should do its job and detail the music to be played.

[gingerjon]

I wonder if the lateness of the playlist is because they are canvassing during transmission for pieces to be played. They can't do that if they've already filled the schedule.

[antongould]

It seems to me that the Breakfast playlist is getting later and later to appear in print. On Tuesday and Wednesday this week I found only two or three items when I looked at about 6.30. Today an announcement that it will appear 'during tranmission'. I, and probably many others, can't spend my time hoping for a piece of music I wish to hear to turn up. As I'm having trouble with iPlayer it's all too much bother.
And, sorry antongould, I really can't stand SMP's constant talking. RT should do its job and detail the music to be played.

Morning
Friends of R3, countrymen, I come to bury SMP not to praise her........

To incur further angst, as probably the only or maybe most constant listener hereabouts, my guess on the playlist is that Breakfast seems to be turning, in part,into an instant request programme take the "what music would you suggest for a Bond villain" the other morning. It seems, or maybe we are being conned, to generate responses from all sorts of people...but yes it is all very CFM. We have debated this issue many times and I can see why they are doing this the world we knew is changing at a scary pace and they must find new listeners.
The jury is still out on whether it does or not - but does anybody believe going back to the Breakfast format of the 70s/80s would bring in new listeners - I accept it might bring back some!
As to SMP yes I still like her - she cheers me up in the morning but as she upsets everyone else and I am a Democrat perhaps we should bury her!!

[aeolium]

To incur further angst, as probably the only or maybe most constant listener hereabouts, my guess on the playlist is that Breakfast seems to be turning, in part,into an instant request programme take the "what music would you suggest for a Bond villain" the other morning. It seems, or maybe we are being conned, to generate responses from all sorts of people...but yes it is all very CFM. We have debated this issue many times and I can see why they are doing this the world we knew is changing at a scary pace and they must find new listeners.
The jury is still out on whether it does or not - but does anybody believe going back to the Breakfast format of the 70s/80s would bring in new listeners - I accept it might bring back some!

But, antongould, what's the point of finding new listeners when you are also losing old ones? What has radically changed in the world to bring about the Breakfast style of broadcasting? Have people become more stupid, more inattentive, less willing to listen to any item longer than a few minutes, desperate for interaction and celebrity guests?

Actually the RT schedule from IIRC 1978 posted recently by Andrew Salter seemed quite interesting to me and if programmes were regularly of that quality (and lacking in inane interaction, trailers, celebrity guests etc) I might well listen and since I have not listened to Breakfast for years and years, that would count me as a new listener. So the answer to your last question is "Yes - I do!"

[Osborn]

Anyway Rajar reports total R3 listening hours up by 13% year on year for quarter to Sept 2012. Poor ff.

Leave it at that - this is the wrong place. There's a separate thread somewhere.

[french frank]

I wonder if the lateness of the playlist is because they are canvassing during transmission for pieces to be played. They can't do that if they've already filled the schedule.

It now has a note beneath the playlist:

"The playlist will appear on the website during transmission of the programme. The final playlist with full recording details will be put up by noon on the day of broadcast."

Do you think they respond to requests on the same day? They had 19 items posted before the programme ended, albeit many lacking details.
Another stunning collection this morning, including:

Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
The Planets - Jupiter
Scherzo - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Overture - Candide
When I am Laid in Earth
Prelude Op 3 No.2 in C Sharp Minor
Overture - The Magic Flute
plus five BCs

[gingerjon]

Do you think they respond to requests on the same day?

I think they must respond to some - presumably you leave a 4'33" sized hole in the programme and when someone asks for "a bit of Mozart on this grey morning" or somesuch you locate a piece that fits the slot.

I'm sure I could go on Twitter and check when the mentioned requests were made but there is definite interaction going on there during the programme.

(It's probably obvious but my brain isn't working: what's a BC?)

[Northender]

What's wrong with asking people to email/text in suggestions for music they would choose if they were a supervillain in a Bond film? (Please limit your answer to 3,500 words and use asterisks at appropriate points in particularly strong phrases).

[antongould]

But, antongould, what's the point of finding new listeners when you are also losing old ones? What has radically changed in the world to bring about the Breakfast style of broadcasting? Have people become more stupid, more inattentive, less willing to listen to any item longer than a few minutes, desperate for interaction and celebrity guests?

Sadly - and I draw from a large sample of little Goulds - YES!!