In Tune

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

When I heard that James May was to be Breakfast's guest this week (a repeated guest slot) my eyebrows went into orbit. I was rather surprised - & had to revise my prejudices - when he enthused about Scarlatti this morning.

He has a music degree. His Top Gear chums used to taunt him. One their pranks was to jam his car radio on a pop station at a high volume, and couldn't be turned off.j

[Flosshilde]

Presumably a person has to be fairly intelligent to get a music degree. One wonders, then, how he comes to be in the company of Clarkson - money?


(now somebody will tell me that Clarkson has a philosophy degree )

[Old Grumpy]

One wonders, then, how he comes to be in the company of Clarkson - money?

He likes cars - he applied for the job - he got it!

I'm sure the money is good as well.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In Tune - the general dumping ground

I switched on my FM tuner a few minutes ago only to hear a crooooooner who sounded as though she only a few microns away from her microphone. Naturally I assumed the tuner had been tampered with as I don't normally listen to Radio 2, so I retuned to Radio 3, only to find that it WAS Radio 3. When the sickly slippery voice stopped, Sean Rafferty then issued some soppy patronising platitudes, presumably to show how broad-minded and "cool" he is.

We get upset about Breakfast, but In Tune really is no better. Perhaps it should be renamed Afternoon Tea, or Afternoon Snack.

[french frank]

We get upset about Breakfast, but In Tune really is no better.

Both programmes are 'primary entry points for new listeners'. They are Radio 3's two chief shop windows designed to engage the 'floating listener'.

[Mary Chambers]

I listened to In Tune yesterday for the first time for a while, because I wanted to hear Michael Church and Alice Coote talk about the Rosenkavalier business. That came more or less at the end. Before that it seemed very Classic FM, with a harpist who played Einaudi, Philip Glass and Peter Maxwell Davies's most boring piece, Farewell to Stromness.

I have heard some more interesting editions sometimes, to be fair.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I have heard some more interesting editions sometimes, to be fair.

Were those with Suzy Klein? She is generally better, I think.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Both programmes are 'primary entry points for new listeners'. They are Radio 3's two chief shop windows designed to engage the 'floating listener'.

Along with nearly everything else on Radio 3.

[James Wonnacott]

I switched on my FM tuner a few minutes ago only to hear a crooooooner who sounded as though she only a few microns away from her microphone.

Was that the one singing "Smile"???
Had the opposite effect on me!

[MLF]

Were those with Suzy Klein? She is generally better, I think.

Fully agree, EA. It helps that she actually seems to do some research, a discipline in respect of which SR seems blissfully unburdened.

[James Wonnacott]

If one could remove "thank you very much indeed" "sublime" "um" "er" "mm" and "ahh" from SR's vocabulary the programme would be much better- no talkng!

[DracoM]

And as for that trail asking us to follow the 'A - List' on In Tune?
......................More like the 'A -Lost'. Any show with Rafferty on it automatically gets erased from my schedule.

I bet the participants have to go home and have a good shower to get the OTT gushing superlatives and sugary bluster out of their hair.

[Suffolkcoastal]

'A dumping ground' sounds a good summing up of the current In-Tune. It isn't an easy format and it tries to cater for too many tastes, ending up not really satisfying many people. Classical wise if the warhorses don't end up on Breakfast or Inessential Classics they end up on in-tune. From the few times I've dipped in to the programme (normally when playlists are missing or incomplete or there is something I want to query) Suzy is certainly a bit more comfortable than old Gafferty. It was occasionally amusing, listening waiting for the next inevitable gaffe from him, but I'm afraid now he just makes me cringe and feel ill. Perhaps a different presenter and trying not to cater for too many different genres in one programme might help improve it a bit.

[teamsaint]

It just isnt that difficult to put together an interesting, informative magazine programme, with some decent live and recorded music, and a presenter who actually does research, and makes sense.

It just cant be.

In my world, this process would not include Ron.

[french frank]

It just isnt that difficult to put together an interesting, informative magazine programme, with some decent live and recorded music, and a presenter who actually does research, and makes sense.

It just cant be.

Haven't listened to the programme for years so can't comment on the present format. It might be good to hear from people who do listen and like it what they're doing at the same time - driving/travelling home from work? getting the evening meal? Why do they enjoy it as it is? Should the scope just be (classical) music? Could the live (perf & interview) element not be on earlier in the afternoon, in a separate programme? If not a 'dumping ground' is it too much of a mixed bag to satisfy the usual, only partially attentive, audience?