Results of the Mozart poll

[french frank]

The raw result is as visible on the poll thread as:



If we remove the 'No clear opinions' it gives:

1. 19.2%
2. 17.2%
Total broadly favourable to the 12-day All Mozart project: 36.4%

4. 39.4%
5. 24.2%
Total broadly unfavourable to the project: 63.6%

However, the OP did clearly state that only those who were registered members at the time the poll was launched were eligible to vote. Therefore, technically 8 votes must be ruled 'invalid'. However, the reason behind the rule is obvious: to prevent any rigging, by either 'side'. Looking at the invalid votes, it seems to me that there is no evidence of that: it appears that people voted genuinely, and once only, for what they supported (see analysis below). Above are the unrevised figures, but in the light of the absence of any skulduggery, it seems to me that you may take whichever ones you wish. I'm perfectly happy with the 'raw' ones, which are pretty much the same once the 'No opinions' have been removed.

* Invalid votes:
1. A veritable gem - 2 votes
2. Jolly good but - 3 votes
3. Am I bovvered? - 0 votes
4. Not wholly bad - 3 votes
5. Zero tolerance - 0 votes

I'm notoriously innumerate, but I make the 'official' revised, less No opinions and non valids:

1. 18.6%
2.15.4%
Pro: 34%

4.39.6%
5. 26.4%
Con: 66%

[Eudaimonia]

Or in other words, 72.1% had at least some good things to say about the project, while only 23.08% were totally negative.
Another stunning victory for Radio 3!!

It's interesting to note the balance between respondents with moderate opinions versus those who see things in all black or white: just another interesting fact about the sample, I think.

total polarised (options 1 and 5) 41.35
moderate (options 2 and 4) 53.35
indifferent 4.81

More thoughts later...many thanks for doing this!

[Martin]

Or in other words, 72.1% had at least some good things to say about the project, while only 23.08% were totally negative.
Another stunning victory for Radio 3!!

I think we have just discovered what the term 'overwhelmingly positive' means.

[french frank]

Or in other words, 72.1% had at least some good things to say about the project, while only 23.08% were totally negative.
Another stunning victory for Radio 3!!

Yes, har, har! Most companies would be quite worried about cheesing orf a quarter of their customers (and 80% had reservations, btw!).

Seriously, though, the main discrepancy is between RW's view on the blog that people were agitating for the next 'clear the schedules' composer event while these figures show 60% against the basic concept. And the Guardian poll also was only 50-50.

Given that this was a solid classical music project, there is no reason why members of this forum should have some sort of predictable, inbuilt hostility rather than 'overwhelming' support. Au contraire, some would have predicted that everyone here would be jubilant.

But where vox populi clashes with vox Dei ...

[Frances_iom]

But where vox populi clashes with vox Dei ..

you're not viewing it with the Wright attitude - have the opinions of listeners ever mattered ? - I suspect this was a publicity stunt pure and simple.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I think the 'less than 100%' positive reaction from Boarders here may just explain the reason why the R3 MBs were closed so quickly. It seems a strange coincidence that after the R3 boards were closed we suddenly get lots of publicity about the Mozart fest. I don't think RW wanted any negative reactions from the R3 boards prior, during or after the 'fest', hence the decision to get rid of them asap.

[DracoM]

Which, of curse, is a jolly good way to increase the sense of engagement and 'ownership' of a newtork, is it not? Make sure that only positive views prevail, get publicity, and it is a dead cert that you are a very successful radio platform.

If you want to see just how horrendously BBC management are prepared to twist things to try and suit themselves, just take a look at how the outrage on The Archers is being packaged and presented as 'grief at the death of a loved character'. Total rot
A real object lesson in how a public corporation in days of multi-level accessibility can find themsleves badly wrong-footed and caught out by an alert, rebellious, unconvinced, articulate audience.


Not, actually.

[subcontrabass]

the next 'clear the schedules' composer event

Part of my problem with this event is that they did not "clear the schedules". Apart from a late evening three-hour slot they more or less preserved their normal schedules and shoe-horned the Mozart music into a pre-structured programme schedule, and continued the unfortunate trend of giving more prominence to the presenter than to the content.

[Zucchini]

The Poll was viewed 4028 times. There are presently 536 members so probably most people were aware of it.

12% voted it Bad/Terrible
7% voted it Excellent/Good
81% aren't at all bothered and aren't getting their knickers in a twist about it.

No-one got hurt, so no need for a post mortem really.

[french frank]

No-one got hurt, so no need for a post mortem really.

Y-y-yes, but that's an argument that works both ways. If you say the response was 'overwhelmingly positive' and there's a 'demand' for more such events, let's see, R3 has 2 million listeners per week (slightly more over 12 days). Say 20,000 wrote in and said they loved it: that's 1%, so 99% couldn't care less. Assuming there were 20,000 responses - and what's the likelihood of that?

[Eudaimonia]

Yes, har, har! Most companies would be quite worried about cheesing orf a quarter of their customers (and 80% had reservations, btw!).

Well, completely cheesing off ONLY a quarter of the customers lurking around these parts is bleeping well near a miracle. I would have thought it would be well upwards of 70 percent. Can you say "sample bias"? Oh, I knew you could.

Seriously, though, the main discrepancy is between RW's view on the blog that people were agitating for the next 'clear the schedules' composer event while these figures show 60% against the basic concept.

Maybe they are. After all, the people voting around here aren't exactly the people he's talking to every day, are they. His sample is probably skewed in the favourable direction just as hard as this one is skewed unfavourable.

Face it: our peculiar little crowd of Radio 3 Messageboard Refugees is in no way representative of the 1.8 million R3 listenership at large. How do I know? Because no "average, casual R3 listener" is going to be motivated to show up and discuss Radio 3 on a message board to begin with, much less make the jump to an identical forum once the original one is shut down! Only the hardest of the hardcore survived...it's a highly self-selected sample.

And the Guardian poll also was only 50-50.

No it wasn't, the "good idea" side won by exactly 0.2 percent. heh.

Given that this was a solid classical music project, there is no reason why members of this forum should have some sort of predictable, inbuilt hostility rather than 'overwhelming' support. Au contraire, some would have predicted that everyone here would be jubilant.

Er, not anyone who's read the archives and knows the history of what the board reaction was the last couple of times around.
And anyone who predicted that THIS messageboard would be jubilant about anything Wright does must be on some seriously high-quality psychedelic drugs.

[Eudaimonia]

I suspect this was a publicity stunt pure and simple.

One point you might want to consider is that this event conveys the message that Radio 3 is unique, effectively carving out a distinct niche in the radio landscape and proclaiming "we do what no other station will." Considering how many critics are looking for reasons to kill the BBC completely, is this such a bad thing?

People complain twelve days is too long-- but if they played everything in sequential order as quickly as possible to get it over with, that really would be boring, lazy programming, wouldn't it? Repeats and excerpts helped keep it on-point and engaging.

And about the lack of playlists: perhaps they deliberately didn't include them because they wanted people to be more open to the whole experience, rather than showing up for one particular piece and switching off when it's done. Rather than being prejudiced against works they think they won't enjoy, it encourages audiences to hear works in the context of the program.

Something to think about, at any rate!

[Frances_iom]

Something to think about, at any rate!

have you ever thought that there might be openings in selling pre-owned cat litter - it built on the R3 is unique theme but in way that the numerous Hollywood prequels + sequels build on an initial box-office success - the subsequent efforts become more hackneyed + less imaginative

[Eudaimonia]

[deleted response to Frances to avoid getting sent to the Basement]

[Panjandrum]

The Poll was viewed 4028 times. There are presently 536 members so probably most people were aware of it.

12% voted it Bad/Terrible
7% voted it Excellent/Good
81% aren't at all bothered and aren't getting their knickers in a twist about it.

So, tell me, how is that "overwhelmingly positive"?