The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[JFLL]

no, I don't think we should be encouraging children to listen to classical music

a very bad influence

Oh, I don’t agree at all. In fact I think Breakfast should have a daily serial, Rupert and the Evil Dwarf Alberich. Should I tweet the idea?

[Nick Armstrong]

no, I don't think we should be encouraging children to listen to classical music

a very bad influence

Methinks mercs is being a ....

Children should learn about current affairs and culture, too, but that doesn't mean that there should be 2½ hours of Newsround or Blue Peter on BBC1 or BBC2 at peak viewing time, does it?

[Thropplenoggin]

I'd be interested in hearing what people here would like in place of Breakfast? What did they use to have? Was it better? What sort of programme are people wanting at that time?

[french frank]

I'd be interested in hearing what people here would like in place of Breakfast? What did they use to have? Was it better? What sort of programme are people wanting at that time?

It had presenters who were there to 'present' the music. No interacting with the audience. No phone-ins, nor requests, no emails, no tweets, no texts. When one piece of music ended we were told the various details about it, then about the next piece - which was then played. There were fewer pieces per hour, perhaps five or six rather than ten. News would be on the hour - a brief headline bulletin. No programme trails. No single movements, though on the whole no lengthy symphonies either.

Now, there are some who would jeer at that and say it's boring and NOT a breakfast show, but they clearly don't think of the music as being the primary interest of the programme. But R3 used to.

The music would be from the core classical repertoire, including some well-known pieces. It was a simple formula.

[Roehre]

It had presenters who were there to 'present' the music. No interacting with the audience. No phone-ins, nor requests, no emails, no tweets, no texts. When one piece of music ended we were told the various details about it, then about the next piece - which was then played. There were fewer pieces per hour, perhaps five or six rather than ten. News would be on the hour - a brief headline bulletin. No programme trails. No single movements, though on the whole no lengthy symphonies either.

Now, there are some who would jeer at that and say it's boring and NOT a breakfast show, but they clearly don't think of the music as being the primary interest of the programme. But R3 used to.

The music would be from the core classical repertoire, including some well-known pieces. It was a simple formula.

With this simple formula restored I might return to it

[french frank]

Actually, I say 'no trails' but I think they were just tucked in before the news breaks so they didn't have the effect of constantly butting in on the music. Breakfast was the first programme to use inter programme trails and it was scarcely credited when CD Masters introduced them. Now trails seem to come on at regular intervals throughout the day (except the late night progs?).

[EdgeleyRob]

With this simple formula restored I might return to it

Me too.
Just imagine,full works on the radio in the morning.

[teamsaint]

Me too.
Just imagine,full works on the radio in the morning.

[[/I]

I think its a conspricay set up by the box sets guys.
Nothing like a few Myaskovsky symphonies to ease you through the rush hour traffic !!

[french frank]

The other point was that back in the rather older days, they didn't have such long programmes. Nothing like the Breakfast prog, then Essential Classics and bingo! five and a half hours later we've just had two programmes, two presenters and a lot of bitty pieces of music with inconsequential chat in between.

Mid-morning and we'd have been down to the serious stuff.

It's now done like it is because 'that's what radio programmes are like nowadays'.

[teamsaint]

Apologies teamsaint, and all; couldn't resist my off topic hilarious answer to your question.
I don't listen to Breakfast - not that I don't have some thoughts anyway! - but it's far far too early for me.

er, your anagram (or is it real name) was
Better than mine.

[teamsaint]

actually,with all these folk still slumbering at 9 AM, it's no wonder the philistines have taken over. It's been made easy. Remember mrs Thatch ...she used to get up early and do something nasty while Geoffrey Howe was still counting sheep !
Only got yourselves to blame . !

[salymap]

And R4 has gone the same way. I've switched over in despair after the third Zadok, etc, and R4 sounds a complete mess. It surely used to have more gravitas in the mornings.

[EdgeleyRob]

The BBC is going to hell in a handcart.

[Thropplenoggin]

And R4 has gone the same way. I've switched over in despair after the third Zadok, etc, and R4 sounds a complete mess. It surely used to have more gravitas in the mornings.

So true! John Humphrys has a new habit of trying to engage in badinage with the other presenters (finance, sports, weather). He ends up talking all over them, so what the listener hears is a garbled mess. Appalling, unprofessional, sloppy, irksome...the potential for serious journalism on Today has been replaced with bite-sized "snappy" six-minute segments of utter ephemera (and far too much trivia!).

[Frances_iom]

....the potential for serious journalism on Today has been replaced with bite-sized "snappy" six-minute segments of utter ephemera (and far too much trivia!).

what do you expect - some presenters are in their anecdotage with 30yr producers brought up with the attention span of a gnat (and very little more education)