The new schedule - Saturdays and Sundays

[french frank]

I'm just working through the press release to construct the new schedule. Bad news for early music and world music fans: The Early Music Show will be reduced to one programme per week and World Routes will be axed. Drama on 3 will go out at 10pm instead of 8pm. Plenty of weasel words in the press release.

[french frank]

I assume everything is the same unless they have announced a change:

Saturday

1-2pm Lunch Time Concert (repeat)

2-4 Saturday Classics

4-5 Sound of Cinema, with film critic Matthew Sweet

5-6 Jazz Record Requests

6-7.30 Jazz Line-Up

7.30-10 Live in Concert (live from the Met another casualty). Occasionally Opera on 3

10-12 Hear and Now

12-1 Geoffrey Smith's Jazz

Sunday

1-2 Lunch Time Concert (repeat)

2-3 The Early Music Show

3-4 Choral Evensong

4-5.30 The Choir

5.30-6.45 Words and Music

6.45-7.30 Sunday Feature

7.30-10 Live in Concert

10-11.30 Drama on 3


Opera on 3 will be on Mondays at 7.30.

I hope these are correct.

[mercia]

I guess I'm surprised that adding two more weekly live concerts is part of money-saving measures - nonetheless welcome (depending on repertoire)

was live from the met expensive ?

[Flosshilde]

was live from the met expensive ?

It was received through the European Broadcasting Union; I wonder if that would that make it cheaper than if the BBC dealt with the Met direct?

[Anna]

I'm not bothered by World Routes - but the EMS Show - why? I've only just got into early music ... Shame!

[teamsaint]

I'm not bothered by World Routes - but the EMS Show - why? I've only just got into early music ... Shame!

Got quite used to the EMS on my drive to the footy .

What will happen to the World Routes Prom and academy scheme?

[Andrew Slater]

One unexplained gap seems to be 11:30 on a Sunday. With Jazz Line-Up moved to Saturday there's an hour to fill before TtN.

Also as I have said on the other thread, one by-product of the changes will be that the disruption to the established schedule during the Proms will be minimised. I wonder if this was a consideration?

[aeolium]

Is there a partial resurrection of Stage and Screen in the new film music prog? I'm surprised at the demise of World Routes after RW has made such a fuss about world music in recent years. No surprise that Do3 has been shunted to a graveyard slot where the audience will be even smaller if possible. It's been clear for some time that drama is not close to RW's heart and I suspect the axe has only been postponed.

RW has now been Controller of R3 for 15 years, and Proms Director for 6. Is there any sign of a successor on the horizon?

[french frank]

It was received through the European Broadcasting Union; I wonder if that would that make it cheaper than if the BBC dealt with the Met direct?

I was under the impression it was relatively cheap.

[french frank]

I'm surprised at the demise of World Routes after RW has made such a fuss about world music in recent years.

Not as surprised as I was after I'd read: "In reappraising the schedule we have prioritised protecting the unique range of the station's classical, world music, jazz and arts content."

What does the word 'prioritise' mean exactly? Drama on 3 is moved to an 'established drama slot'. What does the word 'established' mean exactly?

[teamsaint]

Orwellian.
Like the government reducing but ring fencing budgets for education.(At least I think it was education).

[aeolium]

Drama on 3 is moved to an 'established drama slot'. What does the word 'established' mean exactly?

Well, I see that in the first week of the Third Programme, a performance of Sartre's Huis Clos was broadcast starting at 10.00 pm:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/thirdprogramme/gallery/gallery.shtml?24

Quite a lot more drama on the Third, though...

[french frank]

What RW also says is, "We have had to make difficult decisions with a much reduced budget ..."

Savings have had to be made 'in line with the rest of the BBC'. As I've kept insisting, Radio 3 had had a service licence budget increase of 8.6% since 2006/07, whereas Radio 1 has had an increase of 34.9% over the same period. Who would fancy explaining that?

Even if the performing rights had gone up for Radio 1 on account of its larger audience, the increase couldn't have been the equivalent of a third of Radio 1's budget. And why would Radio 4, which doesn't play music, get a 25% rise?

Who would like to explain that to listeners?

[mercia]

i suppose the Sound of Cinema programme is in competition with CFM's Saturday Night at the Movies, except the scheduling will mean one can listen to both rather than either/or

[french frank]

i suppose the Sound of Cinema programme is in competition with CFM's Saturday Night at the Movies, except the scheduling will mean one can listen to both rather than either/or

But is it designed, in the circs, to lure the CFM listeners over to Radio 3 or Radio 3 listeners to CFM?