The colour of 'presenter beige'

[kernelbogey]

That's interesting, but is being part of an "audience soup" always such a bad thing? Might it sometimes make sense to create the illusion of a community of listeners? People really seemed to respond to that sappy late-night Mozart requests programme...lots of lonely people out there, and if radio can help fill a need, it might be an approach worth considering. Just a thought.

Hi Eudaimonia

As you often say, 'just a thought' - though yours are usually interesting too.

My personal preference is the one-to-one illusion and at night-time that is certainly utterly superior - for me. I recognise that for others that may not be the case. For example, on Radio 2 there's a lot of texting-in to the presenter from people like lorry drivers on all-night runs, and I dare say that helps them feel less lonely. I think Geoffrey Smith is adept at creating a kind on-air jazz club in JRR; there's that feel, too, to Late Night Junction (though having said that, Fiona and Verity were very skilled at that husky smoky late-night voice thing). Personally, that doesn't work for me in the Breakfast and similar slots. And I guess if the station is trying to woo a non-traditional audience for 'classical' music, that's a strategy that makes sense, though I happen not to welcome it.

Incidentally, I at last learned, serendipitously, the meaning of your nom-de-Board, having failed to research it very thoroughly, though I guessed it must be from the classical Greek/philosophy. There is a lot of brouhaha (as the fifth century Athenians called it) about Happiness here, how to increase it, how to measure it. Eudaimonia was referred to in an article in (of course) the Guardian. Well, long may you flourish.

Philosophically yours,
kb

[french frank]

People really seemed to respond to that sappy late-night Mozart requests programme...

Do we know this? I mean, do we know how many people responded? Would more people have appreciated a 'Radio 3' programme on R3 rather than a local radio programme?

[amateur51]

So how did you like your time with Auntie? Did you have people working with you, or did they leave you to wing it? Did you play what you wanted, or was an agenda shoved down your throat? Were you nervous? Any mishaps or memorable moments? Let’s have it! Don't be afraid to spill the beans, now...

Well then, why don’t the three of you put your enormously-oversized egg heads together and collaborate on something? Put the music in a historical context; intersperse great works with literature and poetry from the time...Come on! You know you want to Third-Programme it up a little. Seriously, I’ll bet it would be a lot of fun, and we’d all love to hear it. You’d have a listenership of...er...dozens.

I was the 'expert' on an international show that Nicky Campbell did during International Year for Young People (IYY) and this show was all about housing, homelessness and young people from all over. It was one of the first things that Paul Kobrak produced for BBC radio. You may have heard of Paul more recently in his capacity as producer of the wonderful recent Radio 4 series featuring "The World in 100 Objects", fronted superbly by British Museum's Neil McGregor

I was not nervous at all because I had a rotten cold and so I was off my t*ts on Benylin which I kept necking & I sailed through the night blissfully unaware of most of it

The best bit of all was the handover at around 01:00 between Nicky and the truly wonderful Alan 'Fluff' Freeman who was amazing - what a thrill

[Stillhomewardbound]

<<For example, on Radio 2 there's a lot of texting-in to the presenter from people like lorry drivers on all-night runs ....>>


Oh, well let's have Truckers Hour back on again. I'm sure Shiela Tracy is still around. Yes, lorry drivers loved that show because it was ages before the BBC cottoned on to the fact that half the messages she was been sent featured obscenities in CB speak!

[doversoul1]

This may not be quite the right place but as it’s about a presenter, I’ll post it here.

I never used to be too keen on Catherine Bott, as I thought she was too self conscious. However, listening to her tonight, I realised how much I enjoyed her presentation and had been enjoying for some time. It’s interesting because in general, I prefer an announcer type, i.e. Penny Gore, Fiona Talkington or Susan Sharp. I wouldn’t describe CB as unobtrusive but it doesn’t bother me in the least. She sounds so perfectly at home in what she is doing.

I heard a very good, fresh-voiced female presenter on a concert broadcast from Wales some while ago. I thought the announcer said it was presented by Elin Manahan Thomas. Or did I misheard it?

[french frank]

I heard a very good, fresh-voiced female presenter on a concert broadcast from Wales some while ago. I thought the announcer said it was presented by Elin Manahan Thomas. Or did I misheard it?

Difficult to say what you heard, ds. It doesn't sound unreasonable. The 'regular' Welsh concert presenter a few years back was Nicola Heywood Thomas, of BBC Wales, but that's not to say she was the one you heard.

[subcontrabass]

I heard a very good, fresh-voiced female presenter on a concert broadcast from Wales some while ago. I thought the announcer said it was presented by Elin Manahan Thomas. Or did I misheard it?

You seem to have heard correctly. A quick search of the BBC shows several recent references to her as singer (soprano) and presenter.

[MickyD]

This may not be quite the right place but as it’s about a presenter, I’ll post it here.

I never used to be too keen on Catherine Bott, as I thought she was too self conscious. However, listening to her tonight, I realised how much I enjoyed her presentation and had been enjoying for some time. It’s interesting because in general, I prefer an announcer type, i.e. Penny Gore, Fiona Talkington or Susan Sharp. I wouldn’t describe CB as unobtrusive but it doesn’t bother me in the least. She sounds so perfectly at home in what she is doing.

I heard a very good, fresh-voiced female presenter on a concert broadcast from Wales some while ago. I thought the announcer said it was presented by Elin Manahan Thomas. Or did I misheard it?

I do so agree with you about La Bott, doversoul - she has a very natural and engaging microphone technique and I'm sure that's because she is passionate about her subject matter.

[Ship Man]

Ship Man

Is she related to Carol Klein? I think its the awful accent that puts me off - more than her choice of music

[Lateralthinking1]

How dare you sir. Carol Klein is my gardening guru and the person who should have been my art school teacher. She is also an essential regular reference point for how normal people - what used to seem like 50% of folk but may now be 0.5% - express natural emotions like wanting to enthuse others, convey an understanding of beauty and unashamedly display sheer joy.

Suzy Klein - I don't dislike her intensely - but she is 3Music's answer to Fi Glover, isn't she? She may well have the background that ff describes. She also has the air of someone who won Businesswoman of the Year. I find her very modern in attitude. I also tend to think of a younger Edwina Currie - the only thing I have ever had in common with John Major, thank the Lord.

[ahinton]

At the risk of sounding chauvinist: she's got an alluring voice and a body to match. Sorry, but you did ask. Oh yes, and she has a very good microphone techqnique.

I have to admit that I've never seen her body; do I have to in order to appreciate how well or otherwise she presents that programme?

[ahinton]

I have to admit that I've never seen her body; do I have to in order to appreciate how well or otherwise she presents that programme?

In the absence of responses over the past fortnight to this question following Ofcachap's post that runs "at the risk of sounding chauvinist: she's got an alluring voice and a body to match", I can only assume (as I happened to have done in the first place, actually) that the answer thereto is in the negative...

[teamsaint]

Someone with a first in music from Oxford has, I would suggest, a presenter's palette of all the colours of the rainbow from which to choose. Appearing beige to a listener might therefore be considered a failing. I've stopped listening to her programmes, for similar reasons. I imagine that she's more than capable of being more colourful in tone and varied in content, and is following (as ff implies) some form of management prescription. That's modern corporate culture for you, I fear.

Can't really see your point about a first from Oxford.
I suggest to you that a wide palette to choose from comes from a long time listening to and appreciating music , not from 3 years undergraduate study in a rather unusual place.
The two best music presenters I have heard (by miles) are Rob Cowan and John Peel...not sure if RC has the requisite first, but John Peel certainly didn't.

tHe culture of a station may stifle creativity, but its not a complete excuse for mediocrity.

[Ariosto]

I think all Suzi K needs to do is spend a couple of weeks in a Brighton Hotel with me (as long as she's paying) and I'll put her right about the classical music scene and give her lots of advice about how it should be and get her to forget all that Oxford rubbish. She will soon be able to sort out her A string from her G string, and will learn all there is to know about conductors (sorry, I mean stick wavers), and I can give her tips about super fast score reading, and all that musicalogical-ist stuff. Perhaps Syd could bring his dictionary and we could really go to town. After an intensive two weeks in Brighton no one will recognise the old Suzy.

[ahinton]

I think all Suzi K needs to do is spend a couple of weeks in a Brighton Hotel with me (as long as she's paying) and I'll put her right about the classical music scene and give her lots of advice about how it should be and get her to forget all that Oxford rubbish. She will soon be able to sort out her A string from her G string, and will learn all there is to know about conductors (sorry, I mean stick wavers), and I can give her tips about super fast score reading, and all that musicalogical-ist stuff. Perhaps Syd could bring his dictionary and we could really go to town. After an intensive two weeks in Brighton no one will recognise the old Suzy.

Why would you set "a couple of weeks" for this exercise rather than more or less time? Presumably the bill would be picked up by the licence payers in any case (and put down to research, I suppose). But please don't invite Syd, lest you wish to (a) put Ms Klein off completely, (b) risk her being addressed as "Su-zy Cleyne", (c) have her prowess as a wire-less pre-senter questioned in bizarre ways, (d) encourage her to pronounce certain Russian composers is uniquely bizarre ways or any combination of the four.

Why Brighton?

Have you invited her and has she accepted the invitiation?