Hello

[french frank]

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.

Witter all you like.The floor's yours until the next new arrival logs in ...

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

welcome 2cats and hello etc

please do join or start a discussion on jazz piano on the jazz bored ... i am sure you will receive the usual hospitality

[Paul Sherratt]

Thanks ff, honestly didn't remember this before doing a curiosity search, but I actually played Hampton Hawes over the Radio Caroline ' airwaves '
Probably to an audience smaller than the average school class size.

[2cats]

Witter all you like.The floor's yours until the next new arrival logs in ...

A schoolteacher who had boho tendencies used to give plugs to Radio Caroline in the classroom, however I saw a BBC news report in 1983 about the acquisition of the Ross Revenge and the imminent relaunch of Caroline three years after the original South ship the MV Mi Amigo sank live on air. I tuned into 319 and immediately became hooked. At that time the format was album rock, common in the USA but no other station in Britain at the time played anything of the sort. The first DJ introduced himself as simply 'Tom' and spoke few words, apart from to tell us the three or so tracks he'd just played (similarities with R3 presentation style, albeit in a rock format). By 1985 the album rock format had been shifted to through the night on the same 963kHz frequency, with a Dutch-language station known as Radio Monique on during the day. A brash American competitor came on the scene in the mid 80s called Laser 558, moored near the Ross but more concerned about taking Radio 1's audiences than peacenik Caroliners. By the late 80s, Laser was history and Caroline had succumbed to the Top 40 format and now transmitting on the 558kHz frequency, with the Dutch service (now radio 819) along with 'Caroline Overdrive' on 819kHz (which was unlistenable in this part of the UK due to a new BBC local radio service in Hereford also using 819)

[2cats]

Returning to Radio 3, I have always had very unusual perceptions of Ormskirk's finest, one Ian Skelly. My first job in the early 90s was always decorated with tales of 'Major Headache' and 'The Bishop of Newport' on Skelly's afternoon music and woffle show on ('Ninety-Six Eff Emmmmmmmm') BBC Radio Shropshire. I always expect Skelly to mention Commer Vans on Radio 3 links.

[cloughie]

Returning to Radio 3, I have always had very unusual perceptions of Ormskirk's finest, one Ian Skelly. My first job in the early 90s was always decorated with tales of 'Major Headache' and 'The Bishop of Newport' on Skelly's afternoon music and woffle show on ('Ninety-Six Eff Emmmmmmmm') BBC Radio Shropshire. I always expect Skelly to mention Commer Vans on Radio 3 links.

Radio Shropshire - now when I lived in the Midlands I used to listen to Record Collectors on a Friday evening - Mike Adams and Chris Savory - always an interesting programme.

[BBMmk2]

Welcome 2Cats! Already making a good impact!! Good to see!!

[2cats]

Radio Shropshire - now when I lived in the Midlands I used to listen to Record Collectors on a Friday evening - Mike Adams and Chris Savory - always an interesting programme.

I remember that, in its later days it was networked around the Midlands, though the 96FM transmitter can be heard over a very large area from Stratford on Avon all the way up to Ellesmere Port.

[amzee100]

I'm naturally attracted to Radio 3 for many reasons. Probably the main reason is that unlike even anything else provided by the BBC it doesn't automatically assume its listeners are stupid, cannot think for themselves, or both of those facets.

Then there's the fact Radio 3 is totally unobtrusive, is catholic in its musical output (one minute we could be listening to a celebration of the works of Hildegard, the next, an interview with Wayne Shorter) its establishment as a service to its listeners rather than a platform to advertise 'had an accident in the last 3 years' dubious enterprises and whose music and speech is solely to entertain, for the benefit of its audiences and not to make money for its advertisers primarily with the music coming second to that. Sanity in an increasingly insane world is my rule of thumb for Radio 3 and a safety net as whenever there's a radio playing 'the Third' my thoughts are straighter and better equipped to tackle the injustices of the world at all levels from the standpoint of one of its unimportant earthlings.

But there seems to be an air of complacency upon the station's output nowadays. Mr. Petroc Trelawny, formerly of 'Classic VHF' seems to be at the head of this and whilst I cannot dispute the intelligence and enthusiasm of the man, he does seem to be very much in love with the sound of his own voice, rather like the populist 'jocks' on Radio 2 (I have bitter memories of parents shouting rants - most of them ill informed and right wing - back at Jimmy Young in the 1980s which put me off Radio 2 for a lifetime and for which I have not received psychotherapy or licence fee reimbursement for). The very last thing I would want is for my cherished Third to 'turn' into Radio 2 just to increase its audience share. This is the BBC and diversity is paramount. Every radio network should provide something different rather than try to be all things to all people, and I choose Radio 3 because I don't want.......for example.........morning paper reviews or pestilential news bulletins. I want music and intelligent stimulating conversation first thing in the morning. If I want paper reviews I'll listen to Today or Chris Evans. If I want celebrity guests it'll be anything on Radio 2, or selected output Radios 1 or 5. Radio 3 should be DIFFERENT and proud to be different in a world of differences.

I fear greatly for the future....could you imagine Breakfast in 2018, Mr.Petroc smugly announcing 'there's a report in todays Express that says medical research has led to the formulation of a new pill to cure cancer', or 'we'd like to know what you think about a new study into immigrants taking all of 'our' jobs, email 3breakfast@bbc.co.uk'.......

Or how about this one, heaven help us all:-

'a look at the front pages and today's Sun says a British star(r) of stage and screen allegedly put a live rodent between two pieces of bread which he proceeded to eat' (said expressively).

hello and welcome to the forum

[Nick Armstrong]

... 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...

Only just noticed this little dig! :D

Morning vindepays!

[Nick Armstrong]

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!

True Cloughie. Hard to argue with.