Peel honoured at the BBC?

[Globaltruth]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17233677

This prompted a former r3 presenter to write...

This is breathtaking hypocrisy and self-serving bogus sentimentality. It is also, to some extent, guilt-driven. Radio 1 was marginalising John just before his death. He was utterly demoralised by the way in which he was being treated. He told me so. They wanted shut of him but didn't want his broadcasting blood on their hands. (Cowards as well as mediocrities). So, they made his life at Radio 1 miserable in the hope that he'd sack himself. (Of course, he was too deferential to stand up to them). His final words to me on the last occasion I saw him alive, and referring to his mistreatment, were, "It's killing me." Now they're pulling an onion-from-pocket about John and hoping to confer upon themselves - and a part of a building, for goodness sakes - some dignity derived from his reputation and his status as a national treasure. Which, at Radio 1 (not so much Radio 4), they barely valued at the time. Shameless and shameful.

[Lateralthinking1]

Erm, not sure. Global - I have seen this quote from Andy before so JP clearly did feel as expresssed. Annie is still there today so it is difficult to say where he would have been now.

There is no doubt that he maintained a standard for the BBC. Whether he would have been bothered either way about a building in his name I don't know. He might just have been "bemused".

To my mind, if his family are content - and I should hope that they were asked for their agreement - I would be, although I could think of more suitable accolades.

[cloughie]

One thing that made JP stand out from other R1 DJs was that the music was always more important than the presenter. He introduced me to some great music in the late 60s. He believed in announcing the piece with the right amount of information on the artiste and music and then play it. What a role-model for R3 presenters! Appropriate to honour his memory? - probably yes! I agree with Lat as to what his reaction would be.

[Beef Oven]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17233677

This prompted a former r3 presenter to write...

Wow! I had no idea about this. John Peel was at the core of my non-classical music journey from Tangerine Dream, through the Buzzcocks up to The Mighty Wah! and it makes me very angry indeed to think he was treated in such a disgusting way.

Gary

[Paul Sherratt]

The same evil is happening now with the soon to be departing Gilles Peterson where the world-wide respected music person is allowed on air
from 2-4 ... am. In another era these radio bosses would be have been wearing the dark uniform of a high ranker in some national state security organisation.

[salymap]

And Tom Robinson, on 6 Music,seems often to be relegated to the middle of the night. May have no connection with above though. I liked John Peel as a broadcaster without appreciating a lot of his music. I always listened to Home Truths as he had a way of getting to the root of things. A distant relative, living in Suffolk, visited John at Peel Acres and thought a lot of him.

[french frank]

Wow! I had no idea about this. John Peel was at the core of my non-classical music journey from Tangerine Dream, through the Buzzcocks up to The Mighty Wah! and it makes me very angry indeed to think he was treated in such a disgusting way.

Gary

I would place more credence in the detail if it came from a different source. I don't think the act of naming the building after JP has anything to do with guilt or hypocrisy. The BBC is big enough to forget all about him if they wanted to.

The problem for R1 is that its remit is to appeal to youth audiences. That means a quick turnover of audience, of content and on-air personnel. The latest move is to try to bring down the average age of the audience, in line with the remit, and there's a pretty hard-headed (some would say brutal) attitude towards getting rid of listeners who are too old but 'won't go away', let alone presenters. Youth stations have a justified defence against charges of 'ageism'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/07/radio-1-pressure-chase-younger-audience

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/05/ben-cooper-controller-radio-1

Kershaw and Peel (and now Peterson, who is apparently moving to 6 Music) have been victims. If the timing had been different, AK might well have moved to 6 Music (and Peel too), where in the longer term they would have had better slots and good audiences. Andy messed up on his chance and Peel, sadly, died.

My criticism of the BBC is that each service seems to be run like a personal fiefdom, because that goes with the job of controller. There doesn't seem to be much cooperation/coordination between the stations.

[Globaltruth]

I would place more credence in the detail if it came from a different source. I don't think the act of naming the building after JP has anything to do with guilt or hypocrisy. The BBC is big enough to forget all about him if they wanted to.

The problem for R1 is that its remit is to appeal to youth audiences. That means a quick turnover of audience, of content and on-air personnel. The latest move is to try to bring down the average age of the audience, in line with the remit, and there's a pretty hard-headed (some would say brutal) attitude towards getting rid of listeners who are too old but 'won't go away', let alone presenters. Youth stations have a justified defence against charges of 'ageism'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/07/radio-1-pressure-chase-younger-audience

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/05/ben-cooper-controller-radio-1

Kershaw and Peel (and now Peterson, who is apparently moving to 6 Music) have been victims. If the timing had been different, AK might well have moved to 6 Music (and Peel too), where in the longer term they would have had better slots and good audiences. Andy messed up on his chance and Peel, sadly, died.

My criticism of the BBC is that each service seems to be run like a personal fiefdom, because that goes with the job of controller. There doesn't seem to be much cooperation/coordination between the stations.

A criticism i agree with. And the stations include local as well as national. Recently seen a letter from the Head of Radio Scotland where one of his reasons for getting rid of Oilrig's Global Connections show was that it was duplicating what was on national radio. Just plain wrong and badly informed

[Paul Sherratt]

AK could never have been a 6M contender under the previous ridiculous controller. There was, until recently, an unspoken embargo on material not recorded in English.
Still is, by and large, at that station's totally commercial weekday output.

[teamsaint]

Wow! I had no idea about this. John Peel was at the core of my non-classical music journey from Tangerine Dream, through the Buzzcocks up to The Mighty Wah! and it makes me very angry indeed to think he was treated in such a disgusting way.

Gary

Had forgotten what a champion of Wah! Peel had been.(like a thousand other bands).As you suggest, he took so many of us on a great musical journey. For instance I remember so vividly hearing "Gangsters" for the very first time on his show, and what a moment it was. Too many of those to recall them all.

Anyway, I am pretty much against the kind of sentimentality that leads to people being eulogised after death, by those who weren't bothered about them in life.

John Peel's memory and legacy are not in the slightest danger........i would leave it well alone, but if his family are ok with it, so be it.

A decent 2 hour nightly show with interesting new music would be a much better "tribute", though.

[french frank]

AK could never have been a 6M contender under the previous ridiculous controller.

He didn't have to be in the end since he'd been taken on by (BBC) Radio 3 and was reportedly pleased with that. Though Ric Blaxill was Head of Programmes at 6 Music from 2004 and, as I understand, it wasn't until he resigned that the ridiculous controller of whom you speak took over the full running of 6 Music from him, though s/he was already controller of both.

Most presenters accept that it goes with the job that they get hired and they get dropped. And that they get pushed around at the whim of their bosses, one might add. Not nice, but it's particularly a media (BBC) thing.

Totally agree that Peel would have been little more than mildly interested in having the wing of a building named after him.

[Parry1912]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17233677

Good grief! I suppose it was too much to expect it to be named after Sir Adrian Boult or another of the talented people who have worked for the BBC. No, let's name it after a disc-jockey.

[MrGongGong]

Good grief! I suppose it was too much to expect it to be named after Sir Adrian Boult or another of the talented people who have worked for the BBC. No, let's name it after a disc-jockey.

Are you always this "intelligent" or do you save it up for special occasions ??

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Good grief! I suppose it was too much to expect it to be named after Sir Adrian Boult or another of the talented people who have worked for the BBC. No, let's name it after a disc-jockey.

You do not say how Boult's connection to the actual studio concerned might be more pertinent than Peel's.

And would to Brian some of the "announcers" on Breakfast modelled their style on this particular "disc-jokey" (an epithet suggesting ignorance of Peel's work and influence) rather than on their preferred Chris Moyles!

[Paul Sherratt]

and anyway Parry, he's got a hall, already.