Coming to you live from "Southbank Centre"

[David-G]

Honestly ff, that does sound so joyless. I think it all adds to the gaiety of the nation, & they should do more of it. I'm not sure if I can explain it, but knowing that the presenters are getting up close to the audience adds an extra layer to listening. It's rather like the live concert broadcasts - if your not in the hall, does it matter? Well, yes, because you are sharing an experience with those who are there.

Yes, I agree with you.

[Sir Velo]

Will probably be hounded out of the Forum for saying this but I loved being in the Riverside Cafe for the live broadcasts; listening to the music, meeting other listeners and chatting to the presenters who were courteous and very generous with their time. None was looking forward to going back to the broadcasting house bunker next week. Had quite a long talk with Roger Wright too. Have been a R3 listener for 50+ years and have seen many changes in that time but as one who now lives alone, I enjoy some of the interactive elements in the broadcasts and have particularly enjoyed the Southbank residency.

Oh dear! You do realise that you have given Wright carte blanche to go on for years now about how the public has been "overwhelmingly" in favour of the new interactive Radio 3; and how he has had "incredibly positive" feedback from listeners about the residency? Given Wright seems only to listen selectively to comments about his premiership I'm afraid we're in for a new era of tub thumping populism based on the "evidence" of a few wandering souls with nothing better to do with their free time.

And FF, you're right, your view isn't joyless for anyone who cares for quality broadcasting; the presentation sounds like even more of a rabble than ever.

[teamsaint]

It all sounds a bit like the Radio 1 Roadshow.

Now I am prepared to admit to having seen the R1RS live, and it was jolly holiday fun, and even on the radio was probably less bad than the usual mid morning R1 fodder, in a trashy way.

But It really didn't have anything in the way of broadcasting quality to add.

Now if the R3 Pop up producer could just persuade Smiley Miley to come out of retirement............

[french frank]

I like the idea of a pop-up studio public residency, giving people the opportunity to observe and to converse or discuss, off-air.

And I don't have anything to 'nay-say' about that. The cynical reply (which is not one that is worth pursuing) is that it doesn't matter what any of the stations do, there will be those who like it, those who don't. That is the 'You can't please all the people' &c mantra which states the obvious. And (not to you HG) it serves even less purpose for one side to slag off the other for feeling differently. There is a constituency for 'interactivity' in general, as demonstrated by other BBC services.

But this sounds like an expensive operation for the public in the South East (and others who happen to be visiting the Southbank, possibly for quite other reasons). I can't really see what's 'joyless' about pointing out that what happens off air isn't necessarily much of a contribution to the routine schedule that one hears on air. And certainly that the on air experience for those who listen is nothing compared with the off air experience for those who attend.

But, for the benefit of those who don't like 'interactivity' it seems only fair that they should be given the more serious programming which Radio 3 has almost entirely dropped. Discovering Music on Radio 3 was nothing like Discovering Music at the Southbank. The Choir is nothing like the old Choirworks programme (looking at the playlist for the last edition of The Choir it looked like another sequence of CDs).

The world of Facebook, Twitter and, increasingly, the BBC/Radio 3 is one of self-promotion, by individuals and organisations with something to 'sell': tickets to their local concerts or radio programmes. It doesn't leave a lot of room for serious thought, discussion and education.

Though I can well understand that serious thought, discussion and education sounds very 'joyless' to those who aren't interested in any of it.

One comment (that is for HG this time): just to show that there are alternative views: I gave up listening to Discovering Music after two weeks of listening to the Charles Hazlewood version. It put me off for some while after his programmes ended.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It all sounds a bit like the Radio 1 Roadshow.

... but without the intellectual or cultural confidence of R1RS? (Did Noel Edmunds [for example - and did the Roadshow ever go to Deal?] ever apologize for playing a Status Quo [for example] track on the Roadshow?)

[Flosshilde]

Perhaps an evening of it. But, if two weeks solid, why not all the time?

Why not? Perhaps not all the time, but as a regular one week a month, or even a weekend.

I don't think it makes me a bad person

I don't think so either ; just sometimes a bit, well, intense?

[MrGongGong]

But I honestly don't go to a live performance to 'share' it with a hallful of people I don't know

Surely that IS one if the most motivating factors to do to a live performance ?
The essence of which is being in the same room as other people while listening ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

and that the likes of SR are even more manic than usual in their desperation to play to the gallery.

[Honoured Guest]

One comment (that is for HG this time): just to show that there are alternative views: I gave up listening to Discovering Music after two weeks of listening to the Charles Hazlewood version. It put me off for some while after his programmes ended.

Yes, this is probably different from your own reason, but I've always found Charles Hazlewood to appear to be very patronising. What he speaks is very clear, conveying useful information, but his tone seems to me to sneer at the people he's addressing - giving off the attitude that he despises anyone who doesn't already know what he's simplistically explaining. And, when he conducted a BBC NOW concert, he introduced Charlie Barber's premiere in celebration of the Newport Transporter Bridge, part of our industrial heritage and of world interest, as a "transport bridge" which he uttered contemptuously.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We need broadcasters of the quality of Antony Hopkins.

[Flosshilde]

the likes of SR are even more manic than usual in their desperation to play to the gallery.

I've 'experienced' a live In Tune - when R3 had a residency (except they didn't call it that) in Glasgow a few years ago. SR was warm & engaging - not in the least 'manic' or 'desperate'. & I was in the gallery.

I do feel that some of the discussion on this thread & the 'Breakfast debate' thread is desperate & manic - as if, having decided that some things are not quite as you'd like everything is to be condemned - everything is for the worst in the worst of all possible worlds, or, it's being so miserable that keeps me going.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

I've 'experienced' a live In Tune - when R3 had a residency (except they didn't call it that) in Glasgow a few years ago. SR was warm & engaging - not in the least 'manic' or 'desperate'. & I was in the gallery.

I do feel that some of the discussion on this thread & the 'Breakfast debate' thread is desperate & manic - as if, having decided that some things are not quite as you'd like everything is to be condemned - everything is for the worst in the worst of all possible worlds, or, it's being so miserable that keeps me going.

hmmm yes well ....i used to have R3 on all morning ... now i occasionally allow hope to triumph over experience and turn it on, only to quickly snap it off again .... ... i find that i feel betrayed by the invasion of an unwanted, and clearly very unwelcome, personality .....

on the other hand the pop up residency at the South Bank is an interesting ploy to raise awareness and access, and not least demonstrate to the plonkers in the Trust and Executive Mansions that no stone is being left unturned in pursuit of these objectives

but it entirely defeats the national purpose of R3, one might ask where is all the classical music and activity on BBC Local Radio? [i never listen to it but if it highlighted local activities i might very well do so] ... so yet again idle Londoners, already spoilt for choice, are offered more treats ... while us rustic oiks will just have to settle for clean air, open skies, bird songs and the wind in our faces ....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

We need broadcasters of the quality of Antony Hopkins.

The sad thing is that I think we do, Alpie: the evidence suggests that SM-P, CB-H, Tom Service and others are quite capable of producing material which is both highly informative and "reasonably" presented. It's the desperation amongst the senior management at the Beeb (that doesn't really know what to do with "serious" progarmming and can only imagine that it should merely ape success in Light Entertainment) that demands the current, manic twittering machine* presentation style.

"Broadcasters of the quality of Antony Hopkins" wouldn't get much of a look-in today, unless they were prepared to adopt the "matey" manner: I have visions of Hans Keller in a bathtub which is being filled with baked beans by Robert Simpson during a discussion of Beethoven as part of a Comic Relief charity fundraiser.

* + "Manic Twittering Machine" would be a great name for an "Indie" band from Manchester.

[aeolium]

I do feel that some of the discussion on this thread & the 'Breakfast debate' thread is desperate & manic - as if, having decided that some things are not quite as you'd like everything is to be condemned - everything is for the worst in the worst of all possible worlds, or, it's being so miserable that keeps me going.

I don't think that's the case. I think people are simply responding to what they hear. In the case of the Breakfast debate, many appear to be hearing a lot of short works, often well-known ones repeated quite frequently, mixed in with trails, interactivity and chat. What surprises me with the Breakfast programme is how many people continue to listen even though they dislike its content and presentational style - I stopped listening years ago. But people are quite prepared to praise programmes like TtN, the Early Music Show, CotW or Performance on 3 when there is interesting content and informative presentation. Some programmes don't invariably have the sort of content and presentational style which people find annoying in Breakfast.

[DracoM]

And talk about TRAILS, invitations to tweet, email, text.............FGS!!!!
Constant invitations to tell them how different it all sounds etc..............I mean, come on Beeb, it's 2014, not ally Pally in 1920.
Manic, self-referential bolleaux.

And as Aeolium says, acres of tiny bits and pieces. So worrying if they see this as a blueprint for the future. Truly scary.