R3 hates jazz and is trying to kill off jazz on the radio

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Wright's blog is closed for comment so i will say it here; moving Jazz Library to the graveyard and halving its output is another blow to the future of jazz on R3 ... all after 11pm, as cheap and quick as possible until no one listens and it can be dropped ...

Wright is acting under orders, Thompson and his men are behind this ... they all hate jazz ... it is a minority taste, does not pull punters ...

at least John Birt likes jazz, i saw him at the Pete King gig at the Cadogan Hall last week ...

what levels of activity can we muster to complain and lobby AUNT that she is failing Jazz ...?

[Lateralthinking1]

Calum - Just a short note to say that you have my full support. I support the standards everyone wants. There are all sorts of rational approaches - standing united, pointing out the inconsistency, referring to the charter, asking them specifically what they do and will do to please existing listeners - but they only listen to the markets, don't they. Barrow boys with acquired baloney. Just keep going at it, I think. What else to do? But never, ever, independently. I have discovered to my cost in other spheres that trying alone can lead to such great stress that you end up wearing their insanity. And they love that! - Lat.

[hackneyvi]

I always understood that (cogent) letters were regarded as serious by the BBC because the listener has taken trouble to communicate something. I'm not much in favour of petitions / mass action because that's easy and essentially reduces a group to a single entity.

My way would be this: write letters to the individual programmes about how positively you are rewarded by the jazz output, how concerned you are by its marginalisation in the schedules and how clearly this suggests to you a lack of real interest in retaining jazz on R3 and promulgating the music to new and continuing audiences.

The educational role of the BBC in this form of music is close enough to being extinxt by the scheduling and reduction in output. Send copies to the programmes, head of the station and DG and let each one know you've copied in the other. Explicitly expect 3 responses.

I also think that the musicians we might meet at gigs should be canvassed and be encouraged to raise their voices.

Above all, listen to and comment on the shows each week to the programme makers and to the station itself. Let the station controller know when a good show's gone out. Let him know that you are concered about misplacement and shortening of programmes. Let the shows themselves know what you felt, whether it's to say you didn't like it or what you like more of, but just blogging or posting about how good/bad/indifferent JLU or Jo3 or JRR are pn for3 is not enough.

All the shows have email addresses on their schedule page and as indidviduals we could more effectively use our time in trying positively to contribute and comment directly to show makers and support and shape the shows that way.

[french frank]

Can I draw attention again to AS's post which reveals that Jazz Library, now with a single slot (at midnight), is also down to two new programmes per month, the other two being repeats. I'm trying to do the mathematical calculation of what the reduction is, from a programme per week and with late night repeats alternating with the Early Music repeats to the new schedule.

"Herman has not yet featured in Jazz Library, but now we are down to two new programmes a month in the midnight slot, (the other two will be repeats from October onwards) the chances to cover as many subjects as before are halved. If you wish to make any observations about this to Radio 3, then please do so, and copy it to the programme's email address. "

[Serial_Apologist]

Can I draw attention again to AS's post which reveals that Jazz Library, now with a single slot (at midnight), is also down to two new programmes per month, the other two being repeats. I'm trying to do the mathematical calculation of what the reduction is, from a programme per week and with late night repeats alternating with the Early Music repeats to the new schedule.

"Herman has not yet featured in Jazz Library, but now we are down to two new programmes a month in the midnight slot, (the other two will be repeats from October onwards) the chances to cover as many subjects as before are halved. If you wish to make any observations about this to Radio 3, then please do so, and copy it to the programme's email address. "

Really appreciated, FF!

[Ian Thumwood]

E-mail sent - awaiting response.

I would urge everyone else on this board to do the same.
Cheers

Ian

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I hadn't realised that Jazz Library was being cut back? A superb program (despite my sometimes grumpy moans) and a really good later stimulus for comments you don't pick up on first time around. I was replaying my C90 high-tech tape of the Dolphy prog over the weekend. Wonderful. Given the amount of tepid junk (lawns, acres, fields) that now constitutes R3's core output and spoken "critical, nice cup of tea" w/nk, surely there is no budget reason? The fekin BBC lost the plot years ago, it's "driftin' like a ship out in the sea" (Charles Brown).


BN.

"John Birt likes jazz"? REALLY? I thought Birt only "liked" his Chesire cat reflection.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

GUARDIAN WEBSITE 28/8/2011 ~

"Around half the savings being made as part of the BBC's Delivering Quality First cost-cutting exercise will come from budgets for programming and other content.

With just a few weeks to go until the final proposals from the long-running DQF initiative is made public to staff, BBC Vision chief creative officer, Pat Younge, said the corporation is still looking to make about half of the 16% cut to operating costs from "scope" – content budgets.


Speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival on Sunday, Younge said: "We have to take 16% out of operating costs. "Mark Thompson said from the outset we're looking to take out 16% and about 8% of that from scope, meaning content and the rest coming out of how we do things and how we organise ourselves." Younge admitted the uncertainty surrounding DQF, which has involved senior executives sifting through numerous cost-cutting options, many proposed by staff, over the past few months, is "hurting us" but said "we want to get it right".

I FEEL YOUR PAIN.

GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK BABY.

BN.

[Jazzrook]

The powers that be at Radio 3 must have an utter contempt for jazz. Not satisfied with shifting the excellent 'Jazz Library'(one of the best jazz programmes since Charles Fox's 'Jazz Today') to the graveyard slot they also cut its content by half! PROTEST & SURVIVE!

[barber olly]

The powers that be at Radio 3 must have an utter contempt for jazz. Not satisfied with shifting the excellent 'Jazz Library'(one of the best jazz programmes since Charles Fox's 'Jazz Today') to the graveyard slot they also cut its content by half! PROTEST & SURVIVE!

As someone who has over a lifetime tried gradually to get into jazz I used to find 'Jazz Legends' a fascinating and informative programme - no doubt someone in R3 Towers decided that a Jazz programme at 4pm on a Friday was not what was wanted. Well I wanted it.

[Lateralthinking1]

It is entirely typical that one of the very few presenters who bothers to read the comments of listeners and write to them on a forum has his programme cut. It makes such a difference when they do and from personal experience this happens rarely. The late Charlie Gillett, Anne Nightingale and Michael Rosen were all good enough to respond to me on the BBC boards. I am guessing that some people have had a similar experience with Rob Cowan. I am also in a similar boat to barber olly and find AS's programme the most accessible and informative of the jazz programmes. I would like to write a note to R3 on this matter but don't know how to do it. Can someone advise?

(Update - Many thanks to GT for the contact details. I have now sent my e-mail).

[Globaltruth]

It is entirely typical that one of the very few presenters who bothers to read the comments of listeners and write to them on a forum has his programme cut. It makes such a difference when they do and from personal experience this happens rarely. The late Charlie Gillett, Anne Nightingale and Michael Rosen were all good enough to respond to me on the BBC boards. I am guessing that some people have had a similar experience with Rob Cowan. I am also in a similar boat to barber olly and find AS's programme the most accessible and informative of the jazz programmes. I would like to write a note to R3 on this matter but don't know how to do it. Can someone advise? Thanks.

I think you'll find an email to :
roger.wright@bbc.co.uk

will be read, or the formal complaints process is initiated here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

"John Birt likes jazz"? REALLY?

... an assumption granted, based on his enthusiastic applause at the gig tho ..... [which was only moderately good ...]

[Lateralthinking1]

Funny.....still haven't received a reply to my e-mail. Must have been an oversight.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...thanks for the effort Lat but the lack of a reply is to be expected from this lot ...