Sarah Mohr Pietsch

[Guest]

Question - does she select the music for the breakfast programme or is this the producer/editor? I have just listened to a redition of Yankee Doodle whose only connection to serious music is that it was played on a violin, and now we have the Star Wars theme. Between these selections I am force fed a diet of irrelevant news stories and equally irrelevant non sequiters from people I have never heard of. All this material is fed in the false cheeriness and condescending way a carer speaks to the resident of an old people's home.
Now for the question. When I complained about the style of BBC breakfast I was told by the programme editor Adam Gatehouse that changes to BBC breakfast are only in response "to comments from some listeners that they want to feel more connected to Radio 3".
I do not know how many listeners constitutes "some" but I am sure there are more on this forum who are clearly NOT satisfied - either with the silly musical selections or with the Blue Peter style of Pietsch's presentation.
Perhaps if others send their thoughts to Mr Gatehouse it may have some effect - it would be good to put this to the test. Has anyone else done so and had a reply?

[cloughie]

When I complained about the style of BBC breakfast I was told by the programme editor Adam Gatehouse that changes to BBC breakfast are only in response "to comments from some listeners that they want to feel more connected to Radio 3".

Many of us would like to feel more connected to Radio 3 - feeling that the content is worth switching on to would be a good start!

[Stanfordian]

Question - does she select the music for the breakfast programme or is this the producer/editor? I have just listened to a redition of Yankee Doodle whose only connection to serious music is that it was played on a violin, and now we have the Star Wars theme. Between these selections I am force fed a diet of irrelevant news stories and equally irrelevant non sequiters from people I have never heard of. All this material is fed in the false cheeriness and condescending way a carer speaks to the resident of an old people's home.
Now for the question. When I complained about the style of BBC breakfast I was told by the programme editor Adam Gatehouse that changes to BBC breakfast are only in response "to comments from some listeners that they want to feel more connected to Radio 3".
I do not know how many listeners constitutes "some" but I am sure there are more on this forum who are clearly NOT satisfied - either with the silly musical selections or with the Blue Peter style of Pietsch's presentation.
Perhaps if others send their thoughts to Mr Gatehouse it may have some effect - it would be good to put this to the test. Has anyone else done so and had a reply?

I am in full accord with your opinion. Listening to Pietsch at times feels like a child being talked down to. I wonder who is it at R3 that seems to think listeners are interested in pieces of music chosen by people such as illusionist Derren Brown and "weathergirl" Siân Lloyd et al. Many of these celebs are clearly at the limit of their knowledge of Classical music to even talk a few words about their classical music picks. Truly awful.

[Ferretfancy]

Stanfordian,

Strictly speaking, the interviews you refer to were done by the other Sarah on Essential Classics, but your argument still applies. Both Derren Brown and Sian Lloyd would be interesting talking on their own patch, indeed Mr Brown is a sceptic who I quite admire, but doing a watered down Desert Island discs on Radio 3 is pointless, and demeans the intelligence of its participants.

[french frank]

Well, leaving aside the personalities, the response of the kind that Adam Gatehouse makes (and RW has said similar things), is something I'm pursuing.

How many people does it take to effect a change by writing in and saying they 'want to feel more connected to Radio 3'? And how many does it need to change it back?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

i do think it is an error of tactics to ask for it 'back', as if there was a golden period destroyed by philistines [true as this assertion is] .... nostalgia and age will cut no ice

our challenge is what it is that we want and how to define it without historic reference

eg NPR does wonderful jazz programming .... are there European examples of classical radio we can use to demonstrate both what we feel to be desirable and the lack of it on r3 presently?

we will lose any argument if we argue from tradition because we just sound old die hards etc .... how r3 fails in international comparison will be more potent i suggest .... and if we acknowledge that r3 does already do much that is greatly appreciated ...

[french frank]

i do think it is an error of tactics to ask for it 'back', as if there was a golden period destroyed by philistines [true as this assertion is] .... nostalgia and age will cut no ice

our challenge is what it is that we want and how to define it without historic reference

Yes, I agree with that. But at the same time there's no point in re-inventing the wheel.

I don't want to say much more here now because I have a lot to do and want to take the rest of the day off. I will say that there are some aspects which are 'under review'.

[amateur51]

Two great posts, french frank & calum! (#5 & 6)

[DracoM]

What Adam Gatehouse can never know, because AFAIK, the BBC never asks to find out, is not those who phone in to ask to be better connected, but why people don't complain, just opt out of R3 altogether, switch off and keep quiet about it.

Far more devastating indictment of his and the BBC's editorial judgement and custodianship of R3 in my view. Maybe more editors / producers / planners should read these threads to educate themselves.

Sorry - that was a lame joke.

[Bryn]

Stanfordian,

Strictly speaking, the interviews you refer to were done by the other Sarah on Essential Classics,

Except that the former has the name "Sara", and only the latter, "Sarah". My understanding is that each contributes to the teamwork of choosing what is to be spun.

[pastoralguy]

All this material is fed in the false cheeriness and condescending way a carer speaks to the resident of an old people's home.

Writing as someone who works with the elderly in a care setting, I find the assertion that carers treat the 'elderly' (whatever that means) with disrespect, offensive.

At least Sara Mohr-Pietsch treats her audience with courtesy.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Which Sara Mohr Pietsch?

The intelligent, engaged and engaging writer and presenter of the Discovering Music programmes on the Brandenburg Concerti and Hear & Now?

Or the failed auditionee for Play School who presents the Breakfast shows?

This "split presenter personality syndrome" is something I've noticed in other presenters: it's almost as if there is a curse on the studio between 6.00 am and Noon, with Daemons waiting to pounce on anyone who makes an "ane" remark in those hours.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

.... yep there is a schizogenic imperative on the breakfast show

despite what i have only just posted this discovery brought great joy



from

[Ferretfancy]

Except that the former has the name "Sara", and only the latter, "Sarah". My understanding is that each contributes to the teamwork of choosing what is to be spun.

True, but hardly my point, Bryn

[Panjandrum]

When I complained about the style of BBC breakfast I was told by the programme editor Adam Gatehouse that changes to BBC breakfast are only in response "to comments from some listeners that they want to feel more connected to Radio 3".
I

This sounds totally disingenuous to me, as well as highly ambiguous. By saying that Breakfast has changed its style to accommodate "some" listeners, the implication is that they receive just as many comments opposing this stance, but are consciously choosing to ignore this viewpoint. We all know from here and the old messageboards, facebook and the response last year to RW's blog that the overwhelming majority of R3 listeners who bother to comment are opposed to the current strategy of positioning R3 in the battle with Classic FM for the middle brow easy listening marketb.

However, while it is disheartening to see our views ridden roughshod over, to cease challenging RW at every available opportunity plays into the R3 apologists hands: "See, complaints are down 50%. Therefore, we have the audience on our side." Don't let them get away with it. Keep up the fight!