Breaking News
BBC Radio 3 is about to ditch "Breakfast" and "Essential Classics". An insider has just leaked this breathtaking news.
It follows a major review by external consultants of the reasons for falling audience numbers for these two "flagship" programmes over the past few years. The review concludes:
A suitable name has yet to be devised for the successor programme that will replace both "Breakfast" and "Essential Classics". One possible name under consideration is "Back To The Classics".
A key feature of the successor programme is that the amount of presenter chat will be strictly limited to no more than 5% of the 5-hour time slot, and will be confined strictly to a short presentation of the music and its composer. The remaining 95% will be dedicated to playing quality recordings of classical music only, selected from a broad cross-section of all the main classical music genres. Full-length works will be given equal prominence to shorter works in the scheduling, and it will be forbidden to play only parts of single works, except for individual songs from song cycles, opera arias and duets, and similar items from oratorios etc.
Accompanying these changes there will be a major re-shuffle of presenters. The BBC has decided to pension off early all of the main presenters of Breakfast and Essential Classical who have been associated with these programmes over the past few years. This is their "reward" for foisting so much irritating commentary to so many of R3's traditional listeners over such a long period. The names of several completely new presenters will be announced soon, and they will all be required to speak only in standard, clear English.
Stand by for further leaks on this important topic.
BBC Radio 3 is about to ditch "Breakfast" and "Essential Classics". An insider has just leaked this breathtaking news.
It follows a major review by external consultants of the reasons for falling audience numbers for these two "flagship" programmes over the past few years. The review concludes:
"… large sections of the traditional R3 audiences of these morning programmes have become increasingly frustrated and annoyed at the insidious adoption of banal quizzes, phone-ins, advertising later programmes, excessive chat by the presenters, irrelevant guest interviews, and other such classic-fm style gimmickry... It's time for a big change …."
A suitable name has yet to be devised for the successor programme that will replace both "Breakfast" and "Essential Classics". One possible name under consideration is "Back To The Classics".
A key feature of the successor programme is that the amount of presenter chat will be strictly limited to no more than 5% of the 5-hour time slot, and will be confined strictly to a short presentation of the music and its composer. The remaining 95% will be dedicated to playing quality recordings of classical music only, selected from a broad cross-section of all the main classical music genres. Full-length works will be given equal prominence to shorter works in the scheduling, and it will be forbidden to play only parts of single works, except for individual songs from song cycles, opera arias and duets, and similar items from oratorios etc.
Accompanying these changes there will be a major re-shuffle of presenters. The BBC has decided to pension off early all of the main presenters of Breakfast and Essential Classical who have been associated with these programmes over the past few years. This is their "reward" for foisting so much irritating commentary to so many of R3's traditional listeners over such a long period. The names of several completely new presenters will be announced soon, and they will all be required to speak only in standard, clear English.
Stand by for further leaks on this important topic.
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