You're Controller R3: what are the first and last things you'd do?

[DracoM]

Prompted by wobbly RAJAR, and anticipating a frosty-ish meeting between Controller R3, DG, and Chairman of Trust, I wondered what listeners to R3 would do if they were in the hot seat.

My own starter gestures would be to restore CD Masters, lengthen Late Junction by half an hour, put Music Matters on Sunday a.m. 10-12, anddeliver a short 'in pectore' list of people for the 'gentle encouragement to move on' letter.

The last thing I would do is sanction playlists that were predicated almost entirely on what / who was coming up later in the day / week etc.

[3rd Viennese School]

I would reinstate Discovering Music.

I would repeat Hear and Now so that pub goes like me can actually hear the show (probably have several of these)
Some more contemporary type composers in composer of the week

I would ban screechy or boring songs/operas, Wagner, Elgar, Brahms chamber music and Britten.

I got some more ideas. Watch this space.

3VS

[3rd Viennese School]

Or should that be listen to this space?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I would ban screechy or boring songs/operas, Wagner, Elgar, Brahms chamber music and Britten.

With a single sentence 3VS has made me feel more grateful for RW than I have since his programming Dum Transisset at last year's Proms!

[Stillhomewardbound]

Agree with all of the first post:

DracoM for new R3 Controller. Rah, rah, rah!!!

[teamsaint]

some things i would do.

Introduce a feature on a couple of afternoons such as

1 a week C20 violin concertos

1 a week. Symphonies from outside the the regular concert rep.

Make thursday pm opera once a fortnight at most

Give RC carte blanche on Essential Classics. (but insist on some C20 content)

As suggested, repeat late Junction, maybe at lunchtime.(swap with COTW), just cannto understand why this gets two prime slots.

Move cd review to later on a saturday. Can't do the housework to in depth chat, sorry!


Last thing would do...........let SR interview anybody.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

DracoM for new R3 Controller. Rah, rah, rah!!!

I'd set up a committee of intelligent people such as the aforementioned and several other forum contributors.

[3rd Viennese School]

Quote. "1 a week. Symphonies from outside the the regular concert rep."





"Quote. Make thursday pm opera once a fortnight at most"

Wot about no opera?




Friday night is 12 note pop tunes night.



3VS

(wouldnt it be ironic if I got the job as the new controller)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

My "first thing" would be to insist on a reduction of the Controller's salary by 2/3 (this will still pay me considerably more than my present salary).

The "last thing" I would do would be to decline the Knighthood that is obligatory for departing Controllers: the Pension would do me fine.

(In between these two "things" I would replace the 6.00am - Noon programmes with a straight repeat of Through the Night [more money saved?]; replace Out of Tune with a repeat of the previous week's The Essay followed by a Homeward Bound-like feature; replace the evening repeats of This Week's Composer with a variety of different programmes such as an Arts Discussion feature, anInterpretations on Record-type feature, a performance of the "chosen" BaL recording, a Jazz performance, a World Music performance, and a Musician's Question Time [like GQT but amateur Music-makers and Students pose questions to a panel of professional practitioners]. I'd also reinstate Discovering Music and ensure greater exposure to discoveries and developments in New and Early Music. I'd also establish communications with other "Classical" Radio Stations throughout the world to create an international "pool" of performances: far wider and more adventurous than the Live from the Met events.)



Then on Tuesday ....

[Serial_Apologist]

One idea might be to have one contemporary composer on per week, talking about his or her music, its inspirations and influences, what he or she feels about the condition of contemporary music today, of music education, and of what the future for new music might hold. This could be held with an interviewer, and possibly in front of an audience of critics, journalists, and music students. My first invitee would be Alexander Goehr.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Splendid idea, S_A, but perhaps limited to English-speaking guests? What's annoying is that the materials for just such a programme already exists: for the past three or four years, composers at Huddersfield Festival have given recorded interviews to BBC presenters (Robert Worby, Sara Mohr-Pietsch) in front of audiences with "questions from the floor". Only a third of these (to my knowledge) have been broadcast, and then often in edited clips.

Best Wishes.

[Serial_Apologist]

Splendid idea, S_A, but perhaps limited to English-speaking guests? What's annoying is that the materials for just such a programme already exists: for the past three or four years, composers at Huddersfield Festival have given recorded interviews to BBC presenters (Robert Worby, Sara Mohr-Pietsch) in front of audiences with "questions from the floor". Only a third of these (to my knowledge) have been broadcast, and then often in edited clips.

Best Wishes.

And to you, Ferney

[Stanfordian]

I pretty much like most things about Radio 3. With two exceptions:
a) Late Junction
b) Using celebrities to talk about their music choices.

[Alison]

I'd introduce a weekly programme, at least two hours in duration, FROM THE ARCHIVES.
Presenter Jonathan Swain.

Rob Cowan and Sean Rafferty have got a bit boring now and would have lesser roles on my station.

[ahinton]

First thing: ask Andrew McGregor if he'd like the job, because he'd do it a lot better than I could.
Last thing: resign as soon as AMcG had assumed that hallowed position (as surely he would if handed it on a plate), leave the building with a (hopefully) a nice fat pension / golden handshake and then wonder who'd be taking on CD Review...