April Schedule Changes

[doversoul1]

What is a HUGE shame in all this is that Jess Gillam is a very fine performer and really nice young person too, but already she is lining herself up / BBC are lining her up for detailed evisceration and wholesale judgements on every syllable she utters. Before she has a single minute on air.

So, so sad.

This is nothing whatsoever to do with Jess Gillam as a person although if I am honest, I feel like saying serve her right for jumping on the bandwagon (I know I am being over-harsh). She should concentrate on her own profession until she builds up experience and wider knowledge if she seriously wants to go into presentation. Being a fine performer and a nice person are not the requirements for radio presenters. You could say we should hear her programme before we make any judgement but again, this has nothing to do with judging her programme but it is the matter of principle. We deserves to be offered programmes presented by professionals who don’t share their personal (private) thoughts and discoveries with us. Instead, s/he presents music with related knowledge and information. But we are not (being offered such a luxury). So sad indeed.

Sorry, Draco. I am not getting at you. I am just very, very angry to think that all those excellent Radio 3 regular presenters are side-lined if used at all.

[jayne lee wilson]

Hey Guys - please go easy on Jess Gillam, she may be able to juggle all the performer/presenter roles easily, such is the media-fluency of young people now.

No, I'm not keen on "performer/interviews" etc anyway, "I really loved working with etc...", often don't tell you much, but young performers trying to promote classical music.... well some of us here (always fighting some ill-defined rearguard) won't bother but who knows? It may do some, or a lot, of good....

Music has to stay alive somehow, and......this too will pass....
But quo vadis...?

[edashtav]

Hey Guys - please go easy on Jess Gillam, she may be able to juggle all the performer/presenter roles easily, such is the media-fluency of young people now.

No, I'm not keen on "performer/interviews" etc anyway, "I really loved working with etc...", often don't tell you much, but young performers trying to promote classical music.... well some of us here (always fighting some ill-defined rearguard) won't bother but who knows? It may do some, or a lot, of good....

Music has to stay alive somehow, and......this too will pass....
But quo vadis...?

[doversoul1]

Hey Guys - please go easy on Jess Gillam, she may be able to juggle all the performer/presenter roles easily, such is the media-fluency of young people now.

No, I'm not keen on "performer/interviews" etc anyway, "I really loved working with etc...", often don't tell you much, but young performers trying to promote classical music.... well some of us here (always fighting some ill-defined rearguard) won't bother but who knows? It may do some, or a lot, of good....

Music has to stay alive somehow, and......this too will pass....
But quo vadis...?

As if they (the BBC/Radio3) had not tried this line.

[Sir Velo]

Hang on! We should hardly expect every programme in the schedule to appeal to us. If I look at the BBC4 schedule (nominally an arts channel) there may be three programmes a week that appeal. Same with any TV or radio channel. You pick and mix these days. If R3 is to have any relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace it clearly has to have programmes aimed at different audiences, and different age groups.

[edashtav]

Hang on! We should hardly expect every programme in the schedule to appeal to us. If I look at the BBC4 schedule (nominally an arts channel) there may be three programmes a week that appeal. Same with any TV or radio channel. You pick and mix these days. If R3 is to have any relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace it clearly has to have programmes aimed at different audiences, and different age groups.

[doversoul1]

Hang on! We should hardly expect every programme in the schedule to appeal to us. If I look at the BBC4 schedule (nominally an arts channel) there may be three programmes a week that appeal. Same with any TV or radio channel. You pick and mix these days. If R3 is to have any relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace it clearly has to have programmes aimed at different audiences, and different age groups.

I expect Radio3’s programmes to appeal to intelligent and serious-minded (on music) people, young and/or old. A broad spectrum is not the same as a mass audience.

[Sir Velo]

I expect Radio3’s programmes to appeal to intelligent and serious-minded (on music) people, young and/or old. A broad spectrum is not the same as a mass audience.

How do you know this won't? Have you attended a pre broadcast run through?

[french frank]

If R3 is to have any relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace

Why should it? Does, for instance, Radio 1 have relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace? It is targeted on an age group with particular musical interests; and that is 'what it does'. It has no programmes with an appeal to people (of any age - even the target age) interested in classical music, or classic jazz. Radio 3's breadth of appeal is based on the range of content, rather than a wide range of listeners: what's wrong with it targeting people with a particular interest in that content? For Radio 1, read the Asian Network or 6Music or Radio 1 Xtra.

[Sir Velo]

Why should it? Does, for instance, Radio 1 have relevance to the broad spectrum of the populace? It is targeted on an age group with particular musical interests; and that is 'what it does'. It has no programmes with an appeal to people (of any age - even the target age) interested in classical music, or classic jazz. Radio 3's breadth of appeal is based on the range of content, rather than a wide range of listeners: what's wrong with it targeting people with a particular interest in that content? For Radio 1, read the Asian Network or 6Music or Radio 1 Xtra.

I didn't make myself sufficiently clear but what I intended to convey was that not all programmes on Radio 3 are going to appeal to all listeners. Somewhere in the schedules there has to be room for programmes aimed at different age groups while clearly within the classical/jazz/world music remit of the station.

[french frank]

Somewhere in the schedules there has to be room for programmes aimed at different age groups

Even that could be queried (NB 'could be'). It applies more to pop music because people tend to enjoy the music 'contemporary' to them e.g. young listeners enjoy the music of 'now', older listeners appreciate the music which they enjoyed when it first appeared. It's not at all clear that classical music has a particular age appeal.

If I were to say that 80% of the programmes were unappealing to me personally because the music played was not to my taste, I would have no difficulty with that. So be it. But Radio 3 (possibly uniquely) feels that the presentation should appeal to younger audiences (and/or newbie audiences), even though the music might be more widely appealing. This is where the cunning strategies of the BBC break down.

Radio 3 doesn't have a target audience in mind. And this only seems to apply to the classical music programmes - not to jazz or world music which are targeted on people who enjoy those (many) styles of music and have appropriate presentation.

The tragedy is that listeners like me who are interested in classical music can't stand so much of Radio 3's classical music programming. Something wrong there.

[doversoul1]

How do you know this won't? Have you attended a pre broadcast run through?

Serious listeners to me are those who are interested in music and not the presenter’s or her guests’ personal interest as the programme is publicised.

If gaining younger or less knowledgeable audience is the aim, Radio3 should offer programmes that these listeners can grow into and not grow out of. It is a job for professionals.

[Constantbee]

Hey Guys - please go easy on Jess Gillam, she may be able to juggle all the performer/presenter roles easily, such is the media-fluency of young people now.

No, I'm not keen on "performer/interviews" etc anyway, "I really loved working with etc...", often don't tell you much, but young performers trying to promote classical music.... well some of us here (always fighting some ill-defined rearguard) won't bother but who knows? It may do some, or a lot, of good....

Music has to stay alive somehow, and......this too will pass....
But quo vadis...?

Give the girl a chance. I think she'll be fine, and she could be just what the station needs to attract more younger listeners

[french frank]

Give the girl a chance. I think she'll be fine, and she could be just what the station needs to attract more younger listeners

Yes, give her a chance. But on the face of it, what sort of 'younger listener' would be attracted to a programme because of Jess Gillam? A pop fan? A classical fan? A jazz fan? Aren't the classical or jazz fans most likely to be listening to Radio 3 already?

And how will they, in any numbers, hear about her programme on Radio 3 if they don't listen to the station?

This is exactly why such programmes ought to be (but aren't) on the services to which young people already listen - not on Radio 3 which most of them have never heard of.

[Sir Velo]

If gaining younger or less knowledgeable audience is the aim, Radio3 should offer programmes that these listeners can grow into and not grow out of. It is a job for professionals.

Let's be honest: quite a few of the so-called "professionals" don't do a particularly good job at present, anyway! There are quite a few well known programmes in the schedule which have gone way past their sell by date. Apart from the obvious offenders (ie the weekday morning schedule) Private Passions is one that no serious lover of classical music would miss, I opine. Can anyone remember the last time any of the guests exhibited a real appreciation of serious music? They're almost all chosen thanks to the cushy relationship between their agents and the show's producers.