Memo to Hall on first day in new job ...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

from Jonathan Meades

In the quarter century that I have been making shows for the BBC, its management has swelled in direct proportion to the diminution of programme budgets.
This management is a parasite that believes itself to be the host. It is a pusillanimous, jargon-ridden, self-perpetuating proof of Parkinson's law.

who does not pull his punches


to which i would add that if you treat jazz at the bbc as if it doesn't matter, then it will not matter nearly as much as it should ...

and fill the blank as you see fit
if you treat [ ] at the bbc as if it doesn't matter, then it will not matter nearly as much as it should ...

[vinteuil]

... thanks for that. I also liked his :

The fear of seriousness, and the assumption that seriousness is necessarily humourless, has to be overcome. There are manifold audiences. There is no evidence that the majority are as dull and backward as the BBC assumes them to be. The diet of gruesome "reality TV" (there is no such thing) and witless "lifestyle" shows is corrupting – it is a betrayal of the British. And I mean that.
As well as emulating Macmillan, Hall should also follow the example of another Scot, Lord Reith. Oh, I know: autres temps autres moeurs. But the BBC's capacity and duty to educate and to inform has been all but jettisoned in its hideously successful attempt to become just another commercial broadcaster.

[salymap]

Vinteuil - how true that is.

[eighthobstruction]

Sounds like a lot of direct quotes from this very board....

[french frank]

There are manifold audiences.

This is what we keep telling them. It is a complete irrelevance that there are tweeters, texters and Facebook posters who "like" Breakfast. What about that audience which hates it?

But I fear his Lordship has gone native already:

"'He champions Maestro, the BBC Two series where celebrities competed to conduct Covent Garden’s orchestra. “I’m absolutely all for it – let’s make this as accessible as you can to people.” But he was less enthused by ITV’s Popstar to Operastar, where judges, including the rock singer Meat Loaf, gave tips to failed pop stars attempting to sing opera. “I did see it,” says Hall. “It was, er, a very brave thing. But people are attracted by quality and do not like being talked down to.” '

Except on Radio 3 where it's all right to talk down to people in order to make it accessible to other people.

Emailed to me this am http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...r-the-BBC.html

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

.... if you have to talk about trust in a relationship it is pretty much doomed in my experience ...

[french frank]

Again from Meades:

"There is no reason why a channel that drools out light "entertainment" should receive a disproportionately hefty slice simply because it has always done so."

While Radio 3 the 'arts' startion gets less than Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 4 and Radio 5Live - a lot less in most cases.

(It seems when Meades said they were one letter out when they moaned on about the arts, I got the wrong letter ... )

[eighthobstruction]

(It seems when Meades said they were one letter out when they moaned on about the arts, I got the wrong letter ... )

[Serial_Apologist]

Hall talks about "going forward" twice in the same sentance. He's already lost my trust.

[salymap]

Accessible is now synonymous with 'dumbing down' it seems.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yes perhaps he should just go out instead ..... [according to Bucky Fuller OUT is the only direction in the Universe]

he emailed staff:

Dear All,

It is a great honour to start today as director general of the BBC. This is a very special organisation. It enriches millions of lives every day, here and the world over. It provokes strong opinions because people care passionately about it. The BBC has a unique history, a special place in the country's heart and a vital part to play in its future. So I have a very real sense of the responsibility that comes with the role.

Recent times have been difficult for the BBC, but obviously far more so for those directly affected by these events. We are learning the lessons and thanks to the hard work of staff across the organisation under Tim's excellent leadership, the BBC has moved forward. We are now winning back trust, something which will always be the most precious commodity for our organisation. We must never take it for granted.

I am confident about the future for the BBC for two key reasons: the calibre and quality of its people and the values we all share.

It is my job to enable you to do the best work of your lives, producing outstanding programmes and services, and to remove the distractions that get in the way of that ambition. The BBC sets incredibly high standards. At our best we provide a service like no other. Our challenge is to perform at our best all of the time.

In the coming weeks, I will set out how we can all shape the next chapter for the BBC as we move towards our centenary in 2022. Later this year, I will share my thinking with the Trust before outlining our new ambitions for the BBC. We will need to make the most compelling case possible by listening to our audiences and partners, and building on our many strengths.

We have a unique opportunity to work together to shape the future of public service broadcasting. The kind of questions we need to ask ourselves include:

• How can we further improve the quality and distinctiveness of our programmes?

• How can we get closer to our audiences so they can get the content they want, when and how they want it?

• How can we build an ever more creative and dynamic organisation where the best creative talents want to work?

• What are the next big trends in technology and consumption that we need to grasp as we did with BBC Online and iPlayer?

• How can we act as a catalyst for creative and digital economies, a global champion for the UK and a source of future jobs?

• How can we make more of the BBC brand and content in the global marketplace?

• How can we improve what it is like to work at the BBC?

• How can we meet all of these ambitions within our means?

There are obviously other big questions and we must address them all whilst adapting to the ways in which Britain, its society, nations and regions are changing.

Critically this means me listening to you. Over the coming months I want to hear your thoughts about this next stage of our journey. I will be getting out around the BBC as much as possible. You can see where I am visiting in my first weeks here.

I am proud to be leading the BBC as we start this next chapter together. We have always been pioneers. As we move towards our centenary, it is a time for the BBC to be self-confident and optimistic about the future. You produce brilliant programmes and content, day in, day out. There can be no complacency but I firmly believe with imagination and hard work the BBC's best days lie ahead of us.

Best wishes,

Tony Hall

Director-General

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In the quarter century that I have been making shows for the BBC, its management has swelled in direct proportion to ...

[mangerton]

Oh! It's a bovine-ordure-bingo player's dream come true! Almost every cliché on the bingo card.

passionately, very real sense, learning the lessons, moved forward, values, challenge, move towards, listening, journey.

He's missed out blue sky thinking, low-hanging fruit, and (strangely) vision.

But still, what an intellect! Just what the BBC needs!

[scottycelt]

Hall talks about "going forward" twice in the same sentance. He's already lost my trust.

I suspect many a disbelieving eyebrow had been raised already with the appointment of Purnell, who has not exactly covered himself in glory as a politician.

Meades is so right about modern management, not just at the BBC.

Management is the root of the problem, not the Presenters and staff who have to do as instructed and take the butt of the criticism from outsiders.

Maybe it's unfair to knock someone before he even starts in the job but already the omens are not good.

There is no evidence that anything much is going to change at management level, it's largely just fancy new job-titles for the current lot.

Same old story ...

.

[teamsaint]

Luckily for me , if I want to be informed educated or entertained about or by music, I can turn to the folks on here.

Perhaps this is actually the way forward, and we should learn to trust our peers,, not some remote centralised authority.
Just a thought.

i couldn't bring myself to read that letter....it's like being at work, and not a good thing.