I quite often listen to Classic FM whilst eating breakfast and other morning routine activities including the weekend.
Is it just me or is the number of adverts increasing?
I’m also fairly sure that I have now heard them broadcast repeat news sessions ie this morning we heard the one from yesterday lunch. The following programme also appears to be a repeat. Is it just me?
A trawl of www seems to indicate their listening numbers are going down. There are a number of pretty good classical stations broadcasting via internet who also have the advantage of no adverts and also better SQ.
Do these impressions suggest it (Classic FM) is perhaps not in good health?
For some years I would listen to Classic FM and BBC3 for about 10 hours a week. Now, it is just about 5 hours of BBC3 per week. I got fed up of the same music and the same adverts over and over. Lark Ascending every day. Maybe my case is becoming common.
Agree with this. Some tracks pieces are pretty predictable. will be interesting to see what the “Top 300” brings this year. Just for clarity I do not listen to it all, I wait till the end and then review the final list.
I expect Classic FM will have the usual geographic boundaries to resolve.
Maybe it would just be better if I started another thread to seek opinions on Best Classical Streaming stations/services. Happy if folk wish to just add them in here. I’ve adjusted title to cover.
Qobuz has a wide classical range. I do listen to R3, but seldom in the mornings or commuting times. To be honest when I first started to listen in the 1970s Radio 3 played much more difficult experimental music. You could look at the Gramophone website or buy a copy if you would like suggestions and reviews. The German, Dutch and French classical stations also stream and are well worth trying out.
Radio 3 is so much better than Classic FM. It doesn’t just keep playing the same musical lollipops all day, every day. And it has presenters who actually know about the music that they’re playing.
Linn and Naim Classic get a nod too. Though somehow on balance I do prefer a little ‘humanity’ either side of each piece, as per a normal radio station, which you don’t get with these.
There’s Scala as a CFM option, but I’ve never listened to it so can’t vouch for the experience.
You can always try Classicalradio.com. Plenty to choose from there, 50 channels!
BBC R3 for me, too, though R3 is and always was more than just a classical music station. My favourites programmes are the live broadcasts. I have a soft spot for choral evensong — curious for an atheist.
My worry with R3 at the moment is that the philistines are in charge of things: axing the BBC Singers and sacking members of BBC orchestras. Where will it end!
Until maybe five years ago, I had classic fm playing all day in the kitchen. After being introduced to some great tracks, I started to feel CFM was becoming stale and I am not much of a fan of hosts who have transferred from other stations / programmes or hosts who come in from the garden. While there is the odd prog at wkend which I sometimes listen to, I agree with the OP.
Nowadays, day starts with R3, then after breakfast prog, switch to RP (no classic music it seems), then at the end of the afternoon, R3 is reselected. In tune with Sean or the delightful KatieD is always enjoyable, followed by the mixed tape.
Naim and Linn Classical and one of the Swiss classical feeds are also enjoyable.
Other than local radio for local news and current affairs I only ever listen to the radio in the car, when if I do choose to have the radio on I will often go for Classic FM as its playing of only, typically, one movement or part of a piece means it is not too involving, things I’m not so keen on don’t last too long, it does from time to time introduce new things I like but don’t know, and very rarely plays anything I can’t stand (unlike virtually all other music radio). But since I changed to commuting to work by bicycle instead of car a many years ago, my listening reduced to leisure trips or travelling to business meetings, and since retiring it is only leisure trips, just a few times a year. And even then I prefer silence when anything challenging like driving abroad. As a consequence I have rarely listened to Classic FM in recent years. I haven’t tried any online classical streaming services, but I have no intention of paying any suvp scription to be able to hear music.
Try KUOW out of Seattle. Its part of the National Public Radio or NPR affiliate with the University of Washington. Lots of interedting shows on Sat and Sun. Music at night.
I have always felt Classic FM is a bit like Chinese food - lovely when you’re eating it but hungry 30mins later.
R3 in the mornings changed some years ago to cater for the getting ready for work / commuting population by playing shorter pieces but they are varied.
Lunchtime onwards and at weekends things tend to get a bit more ‘meaty’.
Full disclosure - classical is only part of my musical menu.
I chose Qobuz over Tidal because at the time their classical catalogue was wider and easier to search.
