Hello

[2cats]

Petroc's a lovely guy - but stuck with a rotten programme format (In Our Very Humble Opinions, of course).

I'm sure he is a nice person, and in many respects as you say it's a producer/controller issue rather than presenter. But Sara Mohr-Pietsch also presents Breakfast and has done for many years. She does not sound patronising, narcissistic or smug in any possible way - just a friendly voice when I need it most, that being on a cold dark rainy morning when I have to leave the confines of a warm bed and emerge into the wild blue yonder. Sara makes the best of what Mr.Producer gives her to do - something that seems to struggle to make itself manifest in the nature of 'The Roc'.

[antongould]

I'm sure he is a nice person, and in many respects as you say it's a producer/controller issue rather than presenter. But Sara Mohr-Pietsch also presents Breakfast and has done for many years. She does not sound patronising, narcissistic or smug in any possible way - just a friendly voice when I need it most, that being on a cold dark rainy morning when I have to leave the confines of a warm bed and emerge into the wild blue yonder. Sara makes the best of what Mr.Producer gives her to do - something that seems to struggle to make itself manifest in the nature of 'The Roc'.

OMG - the second member of the SMP fan club - does this mean we can have a Christmas Party?

You are very, very welcome 2cats!

[2cats]

OMG - the second member of the SMP fan club - does this mean we can have a Christmas Party?

You are very, very welcome 2cats!

How many members of the Suzy Klein fan club are there?? There is a piano teacher about a mile and a half from me that is the spitting image of Ms.Klein. Said piano teacher has 'The Chris Evans Breakfast Show' as one of her 'likes' on Farce Book, as a matter of interest.....

I've also had an Email of mine read out by Ms. Mohr-Pietsch one morning during Piano Season where I basically outlined my reasons why I gave up trying to learn the piano after seven years and my bad experiences with piano teachers and exams as an adult. It seems I provoked quite a debate.....

[french frank]

just a friendly voice when I need it most

I think that's the key - in probably a rather different way to how you mean it. It's why 'presenters' and 'talent' are so important to broadcasters and on the mass audience stations are paid such exorbitant salaries: they pull in listeners.

When it gets to the stage that people are tuning in to hear the friendly voice or attractive personality, we're all on to a loser. You'll get the people who most people like and if you don't like them - tough!

I personally don't think it makes sense for a low audience station like Radio 3 to push their presenters. The danger comes because people will make a point of NOT listening when they see the name of the presenter. It doesn't make sense if people who enjoy classical music avoid classical music programmes because they find the presenter irritating.

The quid pro quo is: SMP v. Petroc. [Or both or neither, depending.]

[2cats]

I think that's the key - in probably a rather different way to how you mean it. It's why 'presenters' and 'talent' are so important to broadcasters and on the mass audience stations are paid such exorbitant salaries: they pull in listeners.

When it gets to the stage that people are tuning in to hear the friendly voice or attractive personality, we're all on to a loser. You'll get the people who most people like and if you don't like them - tough!

I personally don't think it makes sense for a low audience station like Radio 3 to push their presenters. The danger comes because people will make a point of NOT listening when they see the name of the presenter. It doesn't make sense if people who enjoy classical music avoid classical music programmes because they find the presenter irritating.

The quid pro quo is: SMP v. Petroc. [Or both or neither, depending.]

Recognise the devil in us all! The recent departure of (personality) Chris Moyles with (another personality) Nick Grimshaw (oops, nearly said Griffin!) illustrates the sort of situation the British media seems to find itself in, and if that suits the populist trash then that's fine by me, let them carry on. But Radio 3 should not be like that. For instance when I first 'discovered' the Third, the main reason was to enjoy the programme and not the presenter. Then, I learned the presenters' name (e.g. Sara Mohr-Pietsch) and familiarised myself with her presenting style, rather than say that of other presenter (Rob Cowan). It was only when Petroc Trelawny started out on Breakfast that I actually started to take more notice of the presenter, purely because of his vulgar style. But hey, that's what the producers want. Maybe other r3 presenters with similar marked presentation styles (Geoffrey Smith, Ian McMillan etc.) trigger similar reactions in me, but with that in mind I still regard them as broadcasters and not celebrities. Petroc Trelawny is perhaps the nearest Radio 3 has to a 'celebrity' and once again, the producers know it. His experiences in Zimbabwe, as unfortunate as they were has helped him to move further away from serious arts journalism and more into celebrityhood.

If anyone remembers Radio Caroline's mostly anonymous DJ's on the M.V Ross Revenge in the 1980s, one would appreciate the quality of the music over the presenter playing it. Or, (just to show I'm not totally anti-Radio 2), John Dunn or Paul Hollingdale on 'Breakfast Special'?

[Paul Sherratt]

2cats, I'd like to claim to be THE most anonymous Radio Caroline DJ in the world, ever.

[french frank]

I've also had an Email of mine read out by Ms. Mohr-Pietsch one morning during Piano Season where I basically outlined my reasons why I gave up trying to learn the piano after seven years and my bad experiences with piano teachers and exams as an adult. It seems I provoked quite a debate.....

The audience divides into those who listen with interest to the contributions of their fellow listeners on whether they have garden sheds and what music their cats enjoy .

For others, that's a literal turn-off: over to Radio 4 or no radio at all.

Again, when a small audience of listeners shares one common interest, why divide them by introducing other elements which render the programme less attractive to half of them? We know it's the gamble that it will attract more listeners than it alienates = net gain. But there's been no clear evidence that it works.

[Nick Armstrong]

For others, that's a literal turn-off: over to Radio 4 or no radio at all.

... or Radio KUSC Southern California Classical... or many others... This is the 21st century, frenchie!!

[vinteuil]

... or Radio KUSC Southern California Classical... :

... curiously, KUSC Southern California Classical doesn't seem to be available on the half dozen little FM radios scattered over the house through which ( for Caliban : thru which ) I mainly listen. Perhaps they order these things differently in London W2...

[EdgeleyRob]

Not being one for slick, well thought-out user names, I looked up and saw my two cats, Sharon and Tracey.

I feel slightly ashamed I have mentioned Mr.Trelawny's spiritual home at 100-102 FM in my first time posting. The capitalist entity shall nee pass my keyboard again. Is John Sachet supposed to be good or something???

A friend of mine used to have a cat and dog which she named ceefer and deefer (absolutely true).
Welcome btw,not a neglected British music fan by any chance are you?

[french frank]

... or Radio KUSC Southern California Classical... or many others... This is the 21st century, frenchie!!

It's true! It's the 21st century.

But however many radio stations there are, there is no absolute necessity to listen to any of them ...

[2cats]

Welcome btw,not a neglected British music fan by any chance are you?

Not specifically. I particularly go for solo classical piano and jazz piano. Not as a pianist but a wishful failed pianist. Pianist envy. I also enjoy learning about musical genres and reading between the lines. A sort of left wing Mike Read if you like.

[cloughie]

... curiously, KUSC Southern California Classical doesn't seem to be available on the half dozen little FM radios scattered over the house through which ( for Caliban : thru which ) I mainly listen. Perhaps they order these things differently in London W2...

Cali - Why should we long-suffering licence-payers with FM or DAB radios have to tune into Southern California (It doesn't rain there - it pours) when we have a perfectly good classical station here which if only the stubborn controller would put his mind to it would provide a proper service here!

[Paul Sherratt]

2cats,
Time for a Hampton Hawes break, I think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUDPc9whUfU&list=LPQ1dRQcGU_Ew&index=3&feature=plcp

PS
That Radio Caroline thing was no joke ...

[2cats]

PS
That Radio Caroline thing was no joke ...

Former Caroline Movement member, no joke either. I'd only get a warning from the moderator if I wittered on about Caroline 319 so cakehole proceeds to be sealed.