Yep I think the rise of the largely non fm, patchy DAB, Greatest Hits Radio (itās not just about the music, itās the competent, experienced presenters who donāt grind and irritate) shows that the decision makers at Beeb donāt really know what theyāre doing.
You canāt rely on national coverage alone to bring them in.
I (we) have moved away from Radio 2 since Ken Bruce left. After listening to the BBC morning national & local news programs and radio becomes background listening, we now switch over to Greatest Hits on web-radio (Naim iRadio).
Reasons ? Greatest Hits play the kind of background āpopā music we like, Ken is just a pleasant affable character that is not āin yer faceā and his Pop Quiz is a Mrs Mike favourite.
Vernon Kay, the new guy at Radio 2 is simply an unpleasant in yer face switch off. Sorry to say switch off applies to most of the BBC āDJāsā these days for me, with one or two exceptions.
Itāll be interesting to see the RAJAR data that covers a whole Qtr of Vernon Kay.
It is bizarre, the Beeb clearly understand that as they get older people graduate away from the Radio 1ness of Radio 1 (if they ever listened to R1 in the first place) to Radio 2, 3 and 4.
However they seem to feel that these people will want the same mostly irritating, largely talentless, one dimensional, shallow thinking and idiotic ācelebrityā twonks presenting as from their yoof viewing and listening habits to come with them.
They then move them over to R2 in particular with that false belief and have no bother shoving the more practiced and nuanced presenters out and the more mature, dare I say discerning listeners to one side.
I just need a bit of background music and sometimes listen to Radio 3
This is so true and the best laugh i have had for a while
Itās a bit harsh but several grains of truth and v funny. Iām surprised he didnāt include Elizabeth Alker in his piece
This is my post from the cricket thread on BBCās coverage of The Hundred , if BBC really wanted to drag viewers away from Sky - bring back āBumbleā Lloyd
I find the presenters on Radio 3 very good
Petrocās false breakfast time bonhomie on Radio 3 could irritate me beyond lunchtime.
I quite enjoy Petroc in the mornings when dropping the kids to school on my way to work, maybe itās intended to be very family friendly in this regard. Saw him presenting on TV recently and he didnāt look at all as I imagined him to be.
Iāve probably never listened to Ken Bruce as I donāt know who he is.
Canāt say Iāve listened to Radio 2 since the days of Terry Wogan, and I couldnāt fathom why they decided to have Steve Wright on there some years ago, as he just wasnāt my cup of tea at all on Radio 1 years ago. Suspect the new presenter might be from that mould - know the name, but again have never seen him more than briefly on TV.
What disrespectful tosh! I agree in that sometimes it is being dumbed down to compete with Classic FM, but on the whole I think BBC Radio 3 remains a cultural beacon on the airwaves. And I love it. Generally when Iām not listening to any particular record, Iāll be listening to BBC Radio 3, on FM of course.
I gave up watching BBC TV and listening to BBC Radio years ago.
Agree, with the radio presenters being just loud, interested only in themselves. Listen to Jazz24 on the Linn streamer these days, when not playing albums.
The news programmes are so opinionated and donāt really provide an in depth news coverage anymore. I find that the news apps are better for just reporting the news and not giving an opinion. Also their coverage of news from around the world, I find to be better.
DGā¦
Sounds of the '70s is essential R2 listening from 3-5 on a Sunday, beyond that it is very much a desert.
Long gone are the days of my morning commute, when driving became hazardous due to not only me crying with laughter to Terry Wogan, but other drivers doing the same.
I like Vernon Kay. I think heās sharp, interesting and funny. Itās most of the other new ones on Radio 2 that I canāt believe get paid so much and are so dull.
I worked for a company a few years back where the whole firm would stop at 10.30 to play Popmaster. I suspect we were not alone.
I seen to remember one of the stories where the local Vicar was called Pastor Kidneys. Lets not go any further.
Yes, that Critic article from last year did seem a bit like a rejected piece for either the Spectator, the Oldie or possibly even the Telegraph, back when it had more readers with a pulse. Describing Aretha Franklin as overwrought would be laughable if it werenāt serious, and he clearly canāt render the word Barnsley idiomatically.
Rather like that Socrates quotation about the degeneracy of the youth of his day, I think I remember reading my first āRadio 3 is going to the dogsā article over 30 years ago - around the time I first started listening to it, in fact. This article is simply yet another largely ignorable entry in that particular catalogue.
That said, I do find Tom Serviceās delivery so bizarrely overwrought and off putting I canāt listen to what heās actually saying. I always wonder if Iād like his pieces if they were written instead. He also made a fair point about Simon Armitageās general dolour.
Mark
I would have followed Ken B to the new station but the quality is dire. Unlistenable. Shame they canāt afford better transmission/bit rate.
I still listen in the evening though, most of the āspecialist shows are good for me, and apart from the first half hour Jo Wiley suits me.
Jonny Walkers 70ās show feeds my nostalgia pretty well. Other Beeb stations are listened to variously for plays and non political information R4, new music R1 of an evening, and R6 anytime is still worth a dig in to. R3 remains a stalwart for anything classical or opera.
I used to have to listen to Ken Bruce at work (mailroom) to keep the staff happy. Canāt think of a better example of an overpaid under-talented B.O.F to be honest.
As for the BBC output, I only listen to āTodayā (except for the āReligious Propaganda For The Dayā slot) and R3 has a rubbish SQ anyway.
Couldnāt care less.