First service

[AuntDaisy]

I find it hard to escape my belief that he invariably sounds as though the subtext is 'Listen - how clever am I?'

On Twitter, R3 have put a video of TS & LL advertising "Saturday Morning".

The responses are mainly anti, plenty bemoaning the loss / moving of Record Review.
A new word - "self-puffery" (reminds me of Sheridan's The Critic).`

Susan Wedlake @Werblake
I've had the opinion for a while that Tom Service is, first & foremost, an ardent self-publicist. This post does nothing to dispel my view. Who cares if he can play the piano? No need for self-puffery on @BBCRadio3

Sandy Adam @SandyAd00531894
Yeah. All very well and good - but where's Record Review? It's been my Saturday morning since Herbage and Instone. If it ain't broke - DON'T FIX IT! I'll just listen to this afternoon's podcast next Saturday morning and continue one week behind.

Simon Cherry @authorscherry
This is awful. Lightweight disposable chat, and random almost entirely unsurprising choice of tracks. Drivetime pap on a Saturday morning instead of a intelligent, analytical and varied review programme. Please rethink this.

David Willie @DavidLa66738679
Who on earth thought that replacing Record Review by 3 hours of Tom Service would be a good idea?! I’ll switch off and dip into my own library from now on until someone rethinks this. Thanks for ruining my Saturday mornings Radio 3!!

designthinker @designthinker4
Andrew has a fascinating backgound of how he came to music but he never imposed it on us - contrast TomaboutTom who has ruined Saturday mornings - can't waith for Tom talks to #CliveMyrie followed by Clive talks to #TomService

Footprintsofagigantichound @Footprintsofag1
I was very willing to give the new Saturday morning schedule the benefit of the doubt,( I like the other changes), but I'm afraid it's a flop, ( for me anyway). I just switched off not in disgust but because it's just dull and structureless.

Mark Pringle @markopringbat
Absolutely agree. The entire reworking of Radio 3 Saturday mornings is threatening to lose me entirely. I could really do without Jools Holland at any time, let alone midday Saturday on R3

[Ein Heldenleben]

On Twitter, R3 have put a video of TS & LL advertising "Saturday Morning".

The responses are mainly anti, plenty bemoaning the loss / moving of Record Review.
A new word - "self-puffery" (reminds me of Sheridan's The Critic).`

Interesting Twitter strand, Simon Cherry is a very distinguished ITV arts documentary maker, I started losing patience when the superficial chat with Hilary Hahn and Andreas Halfiiger went on and in about the latter buying red wine. Bit too much like Graham Norton . And now a chat about musical goosebumps with an academic Who cares? It’s such over worked territory.

[french frank]

As usual, I comment on what other people have commented on (IOW I comment on what they think, not what I think ), but who on earth is this aimed at?

[AuntDaisy]

Interesting Twitter strand, Simon Cherry is a very distinguished ITV arts documentary maker, I started losing patience when the superficial chat with Hilary Hahn and Andreas Halfiiger went on and in about the latter buying red wine. Bit too much like Graham Norton . And now a chat about musical goosebumps with an academic Who cares? It’s such over worked territory.

Thanks, for enlightening me on Simon Cherry.

BTW, he's had two replies...

Olly Hatch Esq,. @OllyHatch
I agree - if I wanted to listen to classic FM, I could, but I don't. This is dumbing down of the worst order. The programme has no structure and is an aimless stagger from one track to the unrelated next one. bbc is throwing away what makes it distinctive - sad, mad and bad.

John Williams @JswillJohn
I agree with both the comments. An elevator music program. But I believe this is what the BBC want. They want to dumb down programs... God not, Walking the Dog, again....

I'll try listening to parts of it later - but I'm not hopeful. The TS LL video was pretty dire.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Thanks, for enlightening me on Simon Cherry.

I'll try listening to parts of it later - but I'm not hopeful. The TS LL video was pretty dire.

I should have said “was “. Needless to say ITV don’t make his sort of arts docs anymore ..or indeed any really.

[south west ear]

I am doing so, out of a sense of duty to find out what the new R3 will be and a faint hope that with TS at the helm it would have some serious content, but it has proved indeed to be yet more snippets and chat, totally publicity and marketing-led - there was a valiant attempt to impose a 'spring' theme to give it some structure, but that couldn't last long and he's had to say things I'm sure he can't believe, such as his enthusiasm for the Mäkelä Petrushka. I was already shocked when Andrew McGregor professed enthusiasm for it before playing a section in which the musicians didn't seem to have any idea what they were supposed to be doing; today's mercifully brief extract once again demonstrated how bad it is: trudge trudge trudge at this fair. Sure there is a big story about Mâkelä this week, which is how on earth has he been appointed in Chicago, but the BBC can't say that. smittims raised the question of attracting young people but the changes seem to me to be aimed squarely in the opposite direction - people who like 'safe, middle of the road' stuff, providing their interest in music does not go too deep, because those will find the succession of short works and single movements from longer ones intolerable. (I have marking to do, otherwise I would have asked myself after ten minutes 'why am I wasting my time listening to this stuff?'. Indeed, should this not perhaps become the Radio Two and a Half Forum?) I feel it's all very sad - good people are having to put a brave face on it, it may be all driven by budget cuts, but it's heading towards a situation where it will be very hard to argue for R3 receiving any public funding. CFM has already proved that it can survive on a commercial basis; if R3 imitates it in an attempt to capture its audience it will be (a) superfluous, (b) a misuse of public money - an example of public disservice broadcasting (no pun intended Tom) when CFM has already proved that none is needed.

[DoctorT]

After about half a century of listening to Record Review in its various guises I am appalled at its banishment to Saturday afternoons. This morning’s replacement is difficult to differentiate from CFM. R3 pretends to take music seriously but really doesn’t…

[Nick Armstrong]

Will you be listening 9.00 Saturday?

[Alison]

I did listen out of curiosity and enjoyed the camaraderie of exchanging messages here. You do really wonder whether the real Tom Service would approve of a CFM type show were he not presenting it himself. Were this programmed on Saturday afternoon I might not have any strong objection though it’s far from an essential listen.

[french frank]

Indeed, should this not perhaps become the Radio Two and a Half Forum?

At that point it gets closed down.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I am doing so, out of a sense of duty to find out what the new R3 will be and a faint hope that with TS at the helm it would have some serious content, but it has proved indeed to be yet more snippets and chat, totally publicity and marketing-led - there was a valiant attempt to impose a 'spring' theme to give it some structure, but that couldn't last long and he's had to say things I'm sure he can't believe, such as his enthusiasm for the Mäkelä Petrushka. I was already shocked when Andrew McGregor professed enthusiasm for it before playing a section in which the musicians didn't seem to have any idea what they were supposed to be doing; today's mercifully brief extract once again demonstrated how bad it is: trudge trudge trudge at this fair. Sure there is a big story about Mâkelä this week, which is how on earth has he been appointed in Chicago, but the BBC can't say that. smittims raised the question of attracting young people but the changes seem to me to be aimed squarely in the opposite direction - people who like 'safe, middle of the road' stuff, providing their interest in music does not go too deep, because those will find the succession of short works and single movements from longer ones intolerable. (I have marking to do, otherwise I would have asked myself after ten minutes 'why am I wasting my time listening to this stuff?'. Indeed, should this not perhaps become the Radio Two and a Half Forum?) I feel it's all very sad - good people are having to put a brave face on it, it may be all driven by budget cuts, but it's heading towards a situation where it will be very hard to argue for R3 receiving any public funding. CFM has already proved that it can survive on a commercial basis; if R3 imitates it in an attempt to capture its audience it will be (a) superfluous, (b) a misuse of public money - an example of public disservice broadcasting (no pun intended Tom) when CFM has already proved that none is needed.

As a point of perhaps interesting fact I would estimate First Service to be a considerably more expensive production than Record Review . It had a prerecorded interview and recording with Lang Lang in the Steinway piano shop (plugged as they always seem to be ) , prerecord interview with Sheku K-M , and a live performance from Hilary H and Andreas H . That is more expensive to do than a clip show and a couple of studio guests.

[french frank]

As a point of perhaps interesting fact I would estimate First Service to be a considerably more expensive production than Record Review .

I would seriously doubt that. If true, it would suggest R3 was throwing money at increasing the station reach rather than providing listeners with quality programming.

[Alison]

I would seriously doubt that. If true, it would suggest R3 was throwing money at increasing the station reach rather than providing listeners with quality programming.

But lots of savings made elsewhere Frenchie

[Forget It (U2079353)]

The reactions here remind me of the time Radio 4 went for an unstructured weekday morning.
With Richard Baker
It was called Rollercoaster. https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/46c7607e...0542e32b67821f
It didn't last long.

[south west ear]

I wasn't thinking specifically about the relative costs of RR and Saturday Morning, rather the whole suite of changes. You may be right about this, but both the Lang Lang and Hahn/Haefliger items were publicity - for the CD set and a concert/tour - and may well have been low or even zero cost as a result. In the event I can't think the Eurostar tickets were money well spent. LL came across as a lovely, charming guy, but did he say anything very interesting? And Hahn/Haefliger was just a typical In Tune item on a Saturday.