Dumbing Down

[french frank]

how is it that you have the ear of CR3?

Well, we don't have tea every day - it's just a coincidence that you arrived on the scene just after the latest meeting (I think the previous one was about two years ago, or more).

Historically, this forum was set up when the BBC closed the Radio 3 messageboards just over a year ago. It sits on the Friends of Radio 3 website, 'on it but not of it', perhaps. I suspect there is a bias in the forum membership against the changes because anyone on the old BBC boards who didn't approve of FoR3 would have been reluctant to join this forum in the first place (I run FoR3 and the forum). That said, I would estimate that at least 90% of the members here are not official, signed-up, FoR3 supporters and there's no necessity for them to be so. Membership here is free to anyone with an interest in Radio 3, whatever their views.

But FoR3 being notoriously whingey towards the recent changes, that would be my explanation why people seem to be agreeing with you

[Don Petter]

It is liked by:
The Controller of Radio 3
At least one member of the Forum (not me!)
(Reportedly) a Bedlington Terrier who lives just outside Northallerton.

And it's still possible that the last two are one and the same ...

[Don Petter]

I don't know about you, BUT here, I'm really noticing a trend of sloppiness.

Like Suzy Klein telling us today that 'Sospiri' means 'A sigh'!

[Wallace]

Hello Eric
I agree that parts of the schedule are pretty dire. The main problem is with the morning DJs from Mon-Fri, 0630 to 1200. However there are still some excellent programmes being made by the BBC for Radio 3 and we now have the ability to listen to them in different ways. There is no longer a need to listen live to the radio as it is broadcast. The iplayer has changed that. Instead I can be selective and listen to what I want to hear and listen to it when I want. I find this liberating. I am stating to see it as the complete opposite of dumbing down. I can listen to what I perceive to be the best, and there is still enough good stuff in the schedules to more than fill my listening day. Radio is 3 is now never turned on weekday mornings but I am still listening to Radio 3 programmes. There might be a need to invest in some new bits of equipment to be able to change listening habits in this way but it is money well spent. The future is a foreign country. They do things differently there. Let's go native.

[Flosshilde]

FF, or anyone, are the listening figures recorded for different times of day? The style of presentation is different for mornings, afternoons & evenings (although some of the problems with the morning style are starting to infect the afternoons).

[JFLL]

Like Suzy Klein telling us today that 'Sospiri' means 'A sigh'!

Perhaps, like a lot of others, she has a panini for lunch and is amused by a witty graffiti.

[Pabmusic]

It is liked by:
The Controller of Radio 3
At least one member of the Forum (not me!)
(Reportedly) a Bedlington Terrier who lives just outside Northallerton.

Please do not disparage Bedlington terriers unless you are sure.

[antongould]

All these gushing “14-going-on-40” female presenters are really driving me nuts.

Eric

......welcome Eric, any names you'd like to share?

[Norfolk Born]

Re. Bedlington Terriers: I am pleased to see that they won their last home game, 2-1, against Shildon. (Mind you, a week later they were thrashed 5-1 by Newcastle United Reserves).
Away from the Northern League, I seem to recall that the lady wife of Peter Tinniswood's Brigadier had an unspecified number of Bedlington Terriers.

[cloughie]

When I was a small child someone who lived not far away from us, have a couple of Bedlington Terriers and I clocked what strange looking animals they were, maybe their tastes in music are mirrored by their appearance or maybe just Offenbach.

[french frank]

FF, or anyone, are the listening figures recorded for different times of day? The style of presentation is different for mornings, afternoons & evenings (although some of the problems with the morning style are starting to infect the afternoons).

They most certainly are, but to date the BBC has refused to divulge any of the RAJAR figures which are not published anyway.

At least, one person - the then Head of Audience Measurement who had responsibility for radio - did, and said she would be happy to let me have any figures 'off the shelf' i.e. that they didn't have to do any extra work to collect. That was a while ago. New regime, new policy. Not even under FOI. The information is exempt and the BBC has taken the stance that 'we don't have to disclose it and we're not going to'.

RW was kind enough to say that he read my analyses and often learned something. I think he probably would facilitate the disclosure of anything I wanted, but as in the last nine years I've probably wasted more of his time than anyone else since the universe began I prefer to ration my requests to things I really think will help the cause

[salymap]

Thanks ff, you are dealing with a difficult situation wonderfully, as always. saly

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks ff, you are dealing with a difficult situation wonderfully, as always. saly

[kernelbogey]

An interesting (albeit partisan) letter from Andrew Harrison of Radio Centre, the trade body for commercial radio in today’s Guardian:

Over the past 10 years, BBC Radio has gradually poured more money into competing for commercial radio's heartland audience of 25- to 44-year-olds (the listeners most important to our advertisers), and it's hard to avoid the conclusion that this deliberate strategy has meant growth in BBC audience at the expense of the commercial sector.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/10/radio-1-commercial-sector

If it is indeed a 'deliberate strategy' on the part of the BBC, then it impinges on the discussions on these boards about the 'CFM-isation' :ugh: of Radio Three.

[cloughie]

An interesting (albeit partisan) letter from Andrew Harrison of Radio Centre, the trade body for commercial radio in today’s Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/10/radio-1-commercial-sector

If it is indeed a 'deliberate strategy' on the part of the BBC, then it impinges on the discussions on these boards about the 'CFM-isation' :ugh: of Radio Three.

...and it also gives a pointer as to why the BBC is trying to lower its target age for Radio 2 and 3. Where does it want Radio 1 listeners to go at 29+. A contributary factor to the disenfranchising of 55+, Radio 2 plays less anad less music from before 1980, and R3 apes CFM! Now where were those CDs?