The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[muzzer]

Plainly not. The problem is that it's adopting - hamfistedly - the tactics used by popular radio to get listeners. News headlines on the quarter hour ffs. "Your Call"..........If it wants to draw people in who wouldn't otherwise find it, it needs spots elsewhere on the beeb - maybe bite-size sound files of catchy pieces on the website. Yes, the very thought makes me vomit, but the reality is that people like tunes they know. "Pop" - catch all term, scuse me - music's repetitive structures are engrained in most people's psyche. R3 needs to hook listeners with the nearest 'classical' music has to crack cocaine, and then feed them an expanded diet. Get Jonny Greenwood in to talk about his fave pieces. But without being "with it". The 6 Music hookup - I assume discussed here elsewhere, sorry, i haven't searched - was stomach-churning in its banality. I nearly cancelled my licence......

[Zucchini]

Hey bb - are you by chance the little boy in green corduroy trousers who sat on Baron Rees-Mogg's lap at the ROH to get a better view?

[Stan Drews]

I tend to have fewer problems with Petroc than with Sara. However (and I can't see a reference further up the thread) CB-H is Humphrey Burton's daughter. Would anyone care to confirm that she has this position purely on merit? No doubt other candidates may have been available. (And we won't even go anywhere near the Dimblebums.)

[muzzer]

CB-H easily deserves this job on merit and I can't think of a more obvious or better choice, all things considered. But yes, she is HB's daughter. We can't help who our parents are. Nor in most situations should we have to.

[teamsaint]

Muzzer, so you don't think there is rather too much of what looks like nepotism in the media?

From what I have heard of CBH she is no more qualified , in terms of ability, than an awful lot of other people.

The BBC ought to be seen to be giving opportunities to people who didn't have such a spectacularly privileged background.

Just in my opinion of course.
( I see SO many kids who have put heart and soul into their education and building their experience,and indebted themselves hugely, desperate for any chance to get on the bottom rung of the ladder in careers in areas such as the arts, broadcasting etc).

[muzzer]

There's definitely alot of what looks like nepotism in the media, I certainly agree. I'm not a big fan of the BBC as an organisation at all, but I don't think it should be over-correcting in who it appoints to jobs like this. It's a large and intractable issue, absolutely. I'd start further down the ladder, for sure, with trying to even up the opportunities at entry level.

[teamsaint]

There's definitely alot of what looks like nepotism in the media, I certainly agree. I'm not a big fan of the BBC as an organisation at all, but I don't think it should be over-correcting in who it appoints to jobs like this. It's a large and intractable issue, absolutely. I'd start further down the ladder, for sure, with trying to even up the opportunities at entry level.

well I agree. Interesting though that jobs lower down (in various organisations) would be openly competitive, but higher up the scale....was the " Breakfast" job advertised, for instance?

[muzzer]

Quite. Not the sort of job you see advertised.......but I fail to see why it shouldn't be.

[PaulT]

Is Jonathan Swayne out of favour these days? He only seems to pop up daytimes as a continuity announcer and makes a damn fine job of it. He brings huge breadth of knowledge to everything he does. Why no regular programme slot for him? A huge talent ignored, or am I in the minority.

[Don Petter]

Is Jonathan Swayne out of favour these days? He only seems to pop up daytimes as a continuity announcer and makes a damn fine job of it. He brings huge breadth of knowledge to everything he does. Why no regular programme slot for him? A huge talent ignored, or am I in the minority.

You aren't, but he is.

[kernelbogey]

Is Jonathan Swayne out of favour these days? He only seems to pop up daytimes as a continuity announcer and makes a damn fine job of it. He brings huge breadth of knowledge to everything he does. Why no regular programme slot for him? A huge talent ignored, or am I in the minority.

I totally agree about Jonathan's breadth of knowledge. He also has a fine microphone technique. I like his hosting of TTN, but see that Catriona Young has now appeared as a TTN continuity person - and does a fine job - so perhaps less room for JS....

[french frank]

II like his hosting of TTN, but see that Catriona Young has now appeared as a TTN continuity person - and does a fine job - so perhaps less room for JS....

I thought perhaps CY had replaced Susan Sharpe - possibly retired?

[ardcarp]

I just wonder if our 'liking' someone (such as Jonathan Swayne) with a depth of knowledge and a clear, fluent delivery might just be a kiss of death? Scenario: R3 management has a peek at this forum - My God, they admire his professionalism - he'll be a turn-off for our new putative listener - let's find someone young, lightly informed, hesitant of speech...but cool - quick.

[Bax-of-Delights]

I may have raised this before but am I alone in thinking that it is very odd that Martin Handley is dragged up from his Kentish home on a Friday afternoon to be available in Salford to do Weekend Breakfast on Saturday on Sunday? Meanwhile "down the line" ('what's on your programme Rob?') is Rob Cowan sitting in his regular London studio.

'Interesting' conjunction in the last minutes of MH's show - a poignant and beautiful song by a composer killed in WW1 (name not caught and not on line yet) and er...a James Bond theme tune. MH, if you're reading this - that was crass.

[HARRIET HAVARD]

First the good news. Sarah M-P is leaving Breakfast ( unless, of course, you are a fan of The Choir- because that is where she is going). And now the bad news. Clemency BH is to replace her. Pet Rock, M-P, Burton Hill! And all over the network. Seems the invasion of the Philisines is now complete.