R4 'How to Play' series

[DracoM]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l6mv

This week Mendelssohn Octet.
Series well worth investigating [and why the HECK this is not on R3 as well beats me.]

[Flay]

I've just finished listening to it, and those were my very thoughts.

R3 ought to do similar, but rather than filling it with trivial anecdotes and comments from the musicians involved, get them to explore more technical details of the works and their performance. The programme should live up to its title.

Benedetti was lovely last week.

[french frank]

why the HECK this is not on R3 as well beats me.

Probably because R4 has something like twice as much money to play around with than R3, but still only 24 hours of airtime to fill? Second thoughts, yes, could be on both.

[cloughie]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l6mv

This week Mendelssohn Octet.
Series well worth investigating [and why the HECK this is not on R3 as well beats me.]

Far too intellectual for morning listening on the R3 of 2020, though thinking about it - it would make for an excellent section of the Essential Classics 3 hour programme - subtitle it Suzi’s coffee break!

[DracoM]

[oddoneout]

Far too intellectual for morning listening on the R3 of 2020, though thinking about it - it would make for an excellent section of the Essential Classics 3 hour programme - subtitle it Suzi’s coffee break!

I doubt I am the only morning listener who would like such an item in the EC schedule - it would make a good run up to COTW. Many of us have suggested/requested that the format of EC be adjusted to accommodate listeners who are able and willing to cope with something closer to 'proper' R3 output, by changing the 3 hour 'all the same' format to provide a transition towards the lunchtime and afternoon schedules.
This isn't the only R4 offering in recent times that has drawn the question 'why not on R3' I believe?

[gurnemanz]

I doubt I am the only morning listener who would like such an item in the EC schedule

If it was on Essential Classics I would probably miss it because I don't usually listen. Anyway, I don't see why it shouldn't be on R4 in that slot. A documentary about the inner workings of a string quartet can be seen as being of general as well as specialist interest.

[Bryn]

If it was on Essential Classics I would probably miss it because I don't usually listen. Anyway, I don't see why it shouldn't be on R4 in that slot. A documentary about the inner workings of a string quartet can be seen as being of general as well as specialist interest.

Agreed. The only benefit I feel it might gain from transfer to Radio 3 is that Radio 4's dynamic tinkering would be avoided. Remember, only Radio 3 gets to use the label "HD Sound" due to its lack of the dynamic compression used on the other BBC Radio channels, even when accessed in their 320kbps Sounds version.

[oddoneout]

If it was on Essential Classics I would probably miss it because I don't usually listen. Anyway, I don't see why it shouldn't be on R4 in that slot. A documentary about the inner workings of a string quartet can be seen as being of general as well as specialist interest.

So have it on both - good financial sense as well?

[LMcD]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l6mv

This week Mendelssohn Octet.
Series well worth investigating [and why the HECK this is not on R3 as well beats me.]

You could say the same thing about 'Tales From The Stave'.

[french frank]

So have it on both - good financial sense as well?

From my experience, there isn't much cooperation between the networks. Radio 4 wants Radio 3 listeners to listen to it on Radio 4. Radio 3 would prefer Radio 3 and Radio 4 listeners to listen on Radio 3. But in terms of making the content more widely available, getting new audiences interested, it makes sense for it to be on Radio 4 where it will get a bigger audience. Radio 4 listeners may or may not be attracted to Radio 3 though more likely they'd just give the programme a miss and listen to something else.

What wonderful programme do people miss on Radio 3 if they have to change stations? I think the problem is not that Radio 4 has a good programme that Radio 3 listeners would love to have on "their" station: it's that Radio 3 is playing such rubbish