Night Tracks

[Baronvonzubb]

Well before I found a way to contact & compliment the presenters directly I was going to do it here.
Now no need.
But suffice to say seeing as I joined this forum only to do that I will .
Night tracks -
It's a great show.
Brilliant.
The best mix of ambient music I found on the radio & I've looked.
Came across it by chance last year whilst abroad & have been listen & subscribing ever since.
It's fantastic.
Varied , interesting , well chosen , experimental & accessable.
Presenters are both genuine , knowledgeable & - trendy term spoiler alert - keeping it real.
I'm not a musician but a layman & have been into music of many genres for 45 years.
Anyone at R3 reads this - great stuff , keep it up.
Thanks.

[french frank]

Good evening, baron, and welcome to the show.

I don't believe there has been, or is, any dispute that there is an enthusiastic audience for a programme of this type. It has been given its slot of Radio 3 in the hope that it would lure listeners in who otherwise wouldn't listen to the station. In that I think it has been successful, particularly in clocking up the downloads and On Demand listening. If you "came across it by chance last year", that suggests that you are the kind of listener (i.e. as regards your musical preferences) that the programme was designed to attract, rather than a regular Radio 3 listener.

The criticism is more that the programme has been strategically designed to attract non-Radio 3 listeners rather than catering for existing Radio 3 listeners. Some Radio 3 listeners will enjoy, many think it would say that it would find even more enthusiasts on one of the BBC's other stations. There argument is that it is a mismatch as far as Radio 3 is concerned.

[Baronvonzubb]

But because of it we've now chosen R3 as our station of choice.

In that sense it has worked by attracting us to the station by broadening our musical inputs.
Or as I see it by making a connection in our minds between say Ragas via Bulgarian open throat to choral to Debussy or Messian to piano flow.

There's really aren't shows
out there that have such a range of acoustic ambient music.
And if that's what you like , as I do, then its a peach.
Very clever programming & high quality musical choices.
Different strokes.
Off into NT land right now.
Enjoy

[antongould]

But because of it we've now chosen R3 as our station of choice.

In that sense it has worked by attracting us to the station by broadening our musical inputs.
Or as I see it by making a connection in our minds between say Ragas via Bulgarian open throat to choral to Debussy or Messian to piano flow.

There's really aren't shows
out there that have such a range of acoustic ambient music.
And if that's what you like , as I do, then its a peach.
Very clever programming & high quality musical choices.
Different strokes.
Off into NT land right now.
Enjoy

I too enjoy Night Tracks and think it has a part to play in bringing listeners to Radio 3 ….. welcome both to R3 and this forum …..

[Baronvonzubb]

To add briefly.
I get that it might be difficult for traditional R3 listeners , possibly Western Classical purists.
But J to Z is also on R3.
Should it be moved ?
Which station would suit NT better ?
It's ' highbrow ' (sic) music.
Obviously not to everyones taste but in the absence of say a jazz or WOMAD based equivalent to R3 I can't really see a better place for it.

Qué se ra.

[Old Grumpy]

I would enjoy Night Tracks...

...but I find I fall asleep!*





*And yes, before anyone asks, I have heard of downloads

[french frank]

But because of it we've now chosen R3 as our station of choice.

In that sense it has worked by attracting us to the station by broadening our musical inputs.

But there is a sense in which 'More' is self evidently 'Less'. Expanding such genres given regular slots on Radio 3 means less classical music. And if you had been a Radio 3 listener for longer, you would know that the regular slots for predominantly non-classical music have been expanding beyond Night Tracks for many years now (and I'm not talking of jazz which has been a regular part of Radio 3's output for years). Did you ever find Unclassified? Late Junction? Tearjerkers? Downtime Symphony? Sound of gaming? Furthermore, programmes of classical 'music documentary' are now very few.

This merely exacerbates a situation where most of the classical music 'shows' have themselves become popularised, presenter-led, and have been adapted primarily in the hope that they will appeal to the new listeners who haven't previously listened to classical music. That leaves few remaining programmes where you are going to hear a full-length piece of music or any musical insights.

But long experience has shown that one is banging one's head against a brick wall explaining this to people who 'like' what they're getting (the winners) and will take all they can get.

[Baronvonzubb]

Unclassified & late junction are ok but bit too self consciously avant-garde syncopated for my taste. Also there's much similar content elsewhere outside of Auntie.

Couldn't find the others.
Blimey -
Sound of Gaming should be made illegal.
Or on R6.


I get that if one has loved R3's output of western classic sometimes uninterrupted by presenters what's changing will be tough to take.

[french frank]

I get that if one has loved R3's output of western classic sometimes uninterrupted by presenters what's changing will be tough to take.

You appreciate that R3 listeners who listened to western classical music (because there was no other UK radio station where it was to be found treated in depth and with erudition) will find it tough. But the principle that is changing is that Radio 3 was intended for those very listeners, and all the other BBC music stations (a steadily increasing number with online spin-offs) catered for a variety of different tastes. The change is going in one direction resulting in: a reduction in the amount of classical music on Radio 3, together with a reduction in the amount aimed at the knowledgeable listeners who want to discover more.

More and more is now aimed at potential listeners, who have no particular interest in or knowledge of classical music.

[Baronvonzubb]

Yep I get it.
In principle & in actuality.
It's tough.

I can only say that if you listen to Sound of Gaming enough then Night Tracks will appear as sweet to you as it does to me.

I've no idea of your age
I'm water- tiger.( My year now)
But media across the board is changing in ways I/ we don't like.
Auntie has to address that.
Young classical & jazz listeners don't use radio in the same way.

[DracoM]

'Night Tracks' has been over various Lockdowns one of the great discoveries.
BUT
is it just my incompetence, or can they NOT be contacted by email / online??

[french frank]

is it just my incompetence, or can they NOT be contacted by email / online??

essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk checks out; so does 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk. On that basis nighttracks@bbc.co.uk ought to - but doesn't seem to. Message is probably that contact by listeners is not required.

[AuntDaisy]

essentialclassics@bbc.co.uk checks out; so does 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk. On that basis nighttracks@bbc.co.uk ought to - but doesn't seem to. Message is probably that contact by listeners is not required.

Ah, but it looks to be late.junction@bbc.co.uk (and desperately.seeking.younger.listeners@bbc.co.uk)
(LJ e-mail https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/art...-late-junction)

My test e-mail to night.tracks@bbc.co.uk gave this response:

From: Night Tracks [mailto:night.tracks@bbc.co.uk]
Sent: 09 February 2022 13:43
To:
Subject: Automatic reply: How do we contact Radio 3 Night Tracks?

Thank you for getting in touch with Night Tracks. We take note of all listeners' comments, however, the volume of correspondence means that we're not always able to send personal replies.
For answers to some frequently asked questions and information on how to contact the network with different types of feedback and comments, you might like to look at this site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/help/.
The BBC is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information.
It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we use such information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information about you during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.
You can find out more about your information and privacy here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/privacy/

Night Tracks team, BBC Radio 3

From:
Sent: 09 February 2022 13:42
To: 'night.tracks@bbc.co.uk' <night.tracks@bbc.co.uk>
Subject: How do we contact Radio 3 Night Tracks?

Dear Radio 3 Night Tracks,
How do we contact you with praise, requests, complaints…
All the best,

[french frank]

My test e-mail to night.tracks@bbc.co.uk gave this response:

But verify-email gives the message night.tracks@bbc.co.uk is BAD. What on earth does that mean? Is it an opinion?

[Serial_Apologist]

But verify-email gives the message night.tracks@bbc.co.uk is BAD. What on earth does that mean? Is it an opinion?

Bad gateway? - (in more than one sense? )