Tearjerker, Downtown Symphony, Piano Flow, Happy Harmonies and other Saturday padding

[french frank]

Apologies for the confusing username, I think Auntie (BBC) may have priority on it

I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried the Swedish radio links & player...

I overlooked that! (Though I have to say, Daisy, I always smile when I read your name …

[Quarky]

I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried the Swedish radio links & player...

I find a heavy dose of Palestrina via You Tube is a great antidote.....

[cloughie]

I do wish the BBC would stop believing that young people as a whole are a bunch of moody teenagers.

When they say they’re seeking a younger audience they’re actually meaning under 45s and in their quest their ‘let us really annoy’ target is the over 70s who they think are too old to matter significantly.

[Roslynmuse]

When they say they’re seeking a younger audience they’re actually meaning under 45s and in their quest their ‘let us really annoy’ target is the over 70s who they think are too old to matter significantly.

I'm "only" in my mid-fifties and am really annoyed by it...

[Jonathan]

It annoys me too and I'm only 47!

[french frank]

One of those things that I've grown philosophical about. At extremes, there ARE two distinct 'classical' audiences, let's just call them A and B. There is an intermediate band (C) who can join one or the other with equal ease. But Radio 3 has for at least 30 years aimed [almost] exclusively at Audience A. I can still only think of one new programme during that 30 years that bucked the trend - CD Masters which was successful and dropped.

How do you 'define' audience A and that content? 'If you like that kind of thing, that is the kind of thing you like.' And that's it. But if Audience B complains, they have good reason.

[Nick Armstrong]

I do wish the BBC would stop believing that young people as a whole are a bunch of moody teenagers.

And that any of them are listening to the radio at that time (or will subsequently seek it out)

[french frank]

And that any of them are listening to the radio at that time (or will subsequently seek it out)

At the moment, we have had no RAJAR figures since lockdown began, so no PR reporting how exceptionally well it's doing. Given that it's late night listening, they may feel that in my "Audiences A & C" the audience is as big as they need.

Just another segment of Radio 3 that ignores the tastes/musical requirements of Audience B. There may be an Audience D which is perfectly satisfied with the "as live" recorded music output, plus the odd miraculous survival like Record Review. Then they toddle off to their CD collections - even in some way convincing themselves that R3 is as good as it's always been.

[Aotearoa]

I do wish most organisations and companies realised that youth is not a growth demographic in most countries

[Ein Heldenleben]

Great summation of Tearjerker from Ivan Hewett. Apologies if you can’t get past the paywall . I think the Telegraph allows three free articles a month. But the headline says it all really .

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/what-to-listen-to/radio-3-downgrading-classical-music-trendy-form-therapy/

[french frank]

Great summation of Tearjerker from Ivan Hewett. Apologies if you can’t get past the paywall . I think the Telegraph allows three free articles a month. But the headline says it all really .

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/wh...-form-therapy/

I can just see the expression "mindfulness music" before I'm cut off. Yes, mindfulness has now become a concern of the caring, sharing Radio 3. I have to keep saying, in small quantities I have no objection (although no inclination to listen to) slow, mindful, easy listening programming, background programming. But so much of Radio 3 seldom seems to rise above this

PS There's a similar article about Radio 2 (which I also can't access), but:

"BBC Radio 2's 'Mood Mum' policy is patronising and baffling - and it's losing them listeners

Attempting to compete with commercial radio is wrongheaded of the BBC. No wonder listeners, and presenters, are fleeing in droves

What’s a “Mood Mum”? BBC documents have revealed that, since 2018, Radio 2 executives have been trying to attract a specific type of listener to the station: women aged 35-44, dubbed “Mood Mums” by the BBC and defined as “time-poor, family orientated, put children first and are tight for money… They are big listeners of commercial stations ………"

All examples of BBC radio content driven by marketing.

[kernelbogey]

Yes, mindfulness has now become a concern of the caring, sharing Radio 3.

But this is in turn a wilfully self-interested interpretation of mindfulness, which is not per se about relaxation, but about becoming familiar with the tumble-dryer of the mind.

[Nick Armstrong]

But the headline says it all really .

“Dismal fad” was the phrase that resonated for me....

[Ein Heldenleben]

But this is in turn a wilfully self-interested interpretation of mindfulness, which is not per se about relaxation, but about becoming familiar with the tumble-dryer of the mind.

Yes mindfulness is not about relaxation. You are right . I did quite a bit of it at the beginning of lockdown one and found it very useful.

[Frances_iom]

...
All examples of BBC radio content driven by marketing.

I guess it is vastly easier to find such drop outs from the highly competitive world of marketing who think a bit of soft sell to tired mums should be a doodle than to find musically literate producers who would also I suspect demonstrate the illiteracy of their superiors brought from from the marketing dept with no doubt their 'commercial salaries'.