[mbMember]

Rumors and suggstions on some other forums are that GCAP has paid a visit to Music$ and there is a new “one network” jingle package being launched very soon to coordinate with the new logos.
Some suggest that a rollout will start as soon as Monday.

[LenGroat]

'Rumours and suggestions' eh ! !amazed

As the person who made the LAST jingles for Trent FM and Sound FM (my packages were removed within 3 weeks of my 'jumping ship' in 1994) I can say you are right!

I understand the 'computer' is allocating them, and only 4 an hour, so if you are a true 'jingle freak' I would not get too excited.

If you mixed 'something old with something new' it would be interesting to hear how jingles have 'developed' in the 13 years inbetween?

[mbMemberAuthor]

For years those who defend GWR / GCAP have said how decisions are made at “local” level. Recently we have seen some PD's move towards jingles Chiltern, Northants, Beacon, Q103 – and most of them are pretty good. It seems like there is a group package that everyone will have. Shame if we loose some of the other jingles we've been hearing in the last couple of years.

[robertpobjoy]

Michael – It would be a great shame. I have come to love the Chiltern / Northants packages

[IainJohnstonMember]

GCAP might not be the only ones that have been
getting their Piggy Bank out!

Not long now until September

[robertpobjoy]

oooo do tell! Who else is getting the piggy bank out?!

[cubwolfMember]

The two i have heard so far on Leicester Sound were awful.

[JingleCity]

The Trent FM version of the new GCAP pack is now on-line at Music 4's website.

[JingleCity]

Michael Bolton wrote:
For years those who defend GWR / GCAP have said how decisions are made at “local” level. Recently we have seen some PD's move towards jingles Chiltern, Northants, Beacon, Q103 – and most of them are pretty good. It seems like there is a group package that everyone will have. Shame if we loose some of the other jingles we've been hearing in the last couple of years.

Extract taken from the Music 4 website…….

'Will roll out across the network of 35 stations over the summer'

[NickySMember]

Rob P wrote:
oooo do tell! Who else is getting the piggy bank out?!

My guess would be Radio 2 – September would be an ideal time to do it as it's the 40th birthday …

[MartinS]

Is this not a good thing in some ways though?

I can't remember the last time I heard “Trent FM” sung. It sounds good!

I feel shouldn't really comment, as I recognise that I'm firmly stuck between two camps here…..

I would love to hear such stations with the same level of sung jingles/imaging that they had in the early 1990s. ILR in the UK sounded great,

I understand that sung jingles aren't the be all and end all and mean relatively little to younger listeners, And – and that, with increased competition, stations have to look at putting money where it will bring them the most return, e.g. competitions.

[LenGroat]

35 stations eh?

There is nothing like individuality…

Interesting that the demo is for Trent FM ….

So it took them 13 years to put jingles back on….

I'm hearing the 'Pet Shop Boys meet Joe Cocker' tracks ~ vocal arrangements a là Kellogg's…

with the usual 'Aretha Franklin's niece and Rod Stewart's nephew' singers

and of course …..

ooo ooo aaahhh aaahhhh hmmm hhmmm

But who am I to comment?

Len Groat

(from the days of i L r )

[mumoss]

Hmmm.

I think Music 4 do fabulous work for Chris Moyles (some of my favourite jingles of all time, full stop) and indeed their work for Radio 1 as a whole as been getting better of late (love Scott Mills' new Flirt Divert jingles). And some of their BBC local radio stuff is great (their Three Counties cuts in particular).

But this is… well, as Martin says above, it's lovely just to hear the word Trent *sung* again. But it's all far too bland.

If we're being positive, let's take this as a sign of a first step towards something great again. But I wish it had been a hell of a bigger one.

[freq-ky]

I cant see Hereward playing them unless threatened from above,kicking and screaming.

I feel sorry for the likes of Q103 and Northants as they have to stop playing good jingle packages and play a package that's not very good at all.

As for the fact that they've used Trent for the demo.Sorry,but Len Groats hard work wins hands down.

Now,where's Backstab from Trent 14……………………?

[OnyxPaulMember]

And they wonder why people prefer the BBC !!!!!! Maybe if Ralph spent a bit more time thinking of what the listeners like, as opposed to his shareholders, people might just love their local stations again. I'd rather suck razor blades than listen to most of the commercial stations in the UK at the moment. Boring, repetitive drivel !!!

[Inferno]

OnyxPaul wrote:
And they wonder why people prefer the BBC !!!!!! Maybe if Ralph spent a bit more time thinking of what the listeners like, as opposed to his shareholders, people might just love their local stations again. I'd rather suck razor blades than listen to most of the commercial stations in the UK at the moment. Boring, repetitive drivel !!!

Here, Here! I totally agree! I'm sick to the back teeth of commercial radio these days. I either listen to BBC WM (Les Ross), Radio 4, internet and pirate radio. When i hear about radio groups taking ver radio stations i know it spells trouble. I hear this week that Touch FM are networking in the day now. Local Radio my arse!

R.I.P Centre FM. 1998 -2007

Rant over ~

[DRY SWEEPER]

The Chiltern Jingles made by IQ Beats were stopped being played at least 8 months ago if not longer

[JingleCity]

Different versions of this new pack are now on the Music 4 website for…

Essex FM (goodbye Reelworld)
Q103 (goodbye Jones TM)
2CR
2 Ten FM
Ram FM
Red Dragon FM
Horizon Radio
Hereward FM
Mercia
GWR Bristol
GWR Swindon

[freq-ky]

2 Ten FM eh ? Very interesting.It must be a case of goodbye Foxy & Tom to their own Music 4 package which they had since their Viking FM days.
Also,as Beacon Radio use Kissville,they'll eventually have to say goodbye to it.Does anyone know when ? (and will the powers that be have to honor Kissvilles contract or suffer the consequences ?)

[Oliver]

on the kissville site they just updated june (orj uly :S) and the demo i of beacon radio singing summer!
so mabye theyll run them along side?

[MartinS]

I have to be honest and say that I quite like some of the re-sings. Great to hear the Red Dragon versions – I'd been wondering how it would sound. I'm guessing that many might argue that the package has had to be too flexible to allowly lyrics tightly fitted to the harmony of the cuts.

Let's give GCAP a chance. Given it's a re-introduction of sung jingles for many stations then perhaps it might be a case fo 'testing the water' to see how they work?

They could certainly do with a few more 'themes' for the cuts. Perhaps extras will come in time? It must have been a mamouth task getting every mix of the 5 or so themes done for all the stations with their variations in name and breakfast show lyrics. I also think they will only get maximum value by using all the cuts to the full – e.g. allowing presenters talk up over the ramps, as well as using the basic short IDs. It will be a shame if it is underused – sadly I can imagine that might be the case.

Although, I can honestly say I feel the recent TFM package from Jones TM has a lot more substance to it as a package for a station of a comparable format to many of the GCAP One stations. It would be nice for GCAP as the biggest UK group to go for something a bit stronger.

Also, is it necessarily the end to GCAP breakfast show packages from other producers? On some EMAP stations jingles from more than one producer are used in harmony with each other. E.g. on Key 103 they have JonesTM, Reelworld and Cole Page jingles all singing “Toolan in the Morning” – they have co-existed for the last 18 months. Radio Aire have both Wise Buddah and Sharpsell for Simon Logan breakfast show.

Looking forward to hearing the BRMB versions next.

[bossjockMember]

Guys – it's all very well discussing the merits and de-merits of various jingle packages or jingle producers – but, no matter how good bad or indifferent a jingle package may be, the majority of UK stations simply don't use them properly. “Good morning, this is Radio Bland” – enter commercial break – end commercial break with an excellent transition cut that was designed for a music sweep, but don't actually mix into the next music track, but go into a pointless phone-in competition or some other tedious item……. !dodge

Whatever happened to the skilled mixing of music tracks, radio imaging and jingles that create a “picture in sound” and which can give a station it's own style and identity. Listen to most ILR stations these days, wherever you are and you could be anywhere in the country- they are all the same – just like shopping malls.

Anyone like to join me on Grumpy Old Men ( ?

[simon_t123Member]

Great to hear Essex FM with alternative strapline in use, Todays Best Music in place of Todays Best Mix … At the mo theres a kinda hash up in Essex, Reelworld sung IDs which I bet Essex FM are really hacked off about shelving, anyway we've the Reelworld sung stuff, with travel & news beds from Music 4's new package but with lead in logos from the Reelworld package ! Sounds kinda weird on-air, Reelworld are great with their logos but with Music 4 beds running off the back, that just sounds poor …

[DAS]

simon_t123 wrote: Great to hear Essex FM with alternative strapline in use, Todays Best Music in place of Todays Best Mix …

I'm quite amused by the fact the two crossover stations in my area have now swapped taglines. Essex FM was “Today's Best Mix” and Invicta FM was “Today's Best Music for Kent” – and now it's a complete reversal!

[IainJohnstonMember]

“They could certainly do with a few more 'themes' for the cuts“

Seeing this use of so-called “themes”, and hearing the
cuts & their variants on the website, its becoming like
certain IDs are only intended to be played at certain
times of day (like some kind of corruption of the idea
of “Morning show” cuts). Maybe I'm mis-understanding
the “concepts”, and I'll be happy to be put right if I am!

But how utterly boring if thats the way its all going!
especially if as Len G says, the computer “decides”
which sweeper or sung jingle will be played out and when.

Part of the skill of a deejay (rather than an “organic
vocal element” as they appear to have been reduced to)
as BossJock rightly says is the blending and matching
of different elements, to e.g. suit tempo, style, and even
the mood of the music played; things like “transition cuts”
were originally conceived as a means of changing music
tempo/style/mood from e.g. fast-to-slow, etc, giving a
“flow” to the on-air sound.

The great skill of companies such as JAM or TM etc at
their peak was to provide a jingle package of different
cuts but to a coherent “station sound”,that could be used
at any time or place in programming to work at the point
of use; not “we must only play that kind of jingle between 10am
and 2pm because its a theme for the middle of the day”.

A danger of today's product (apart from all the other
things being discussed), is that its all becoming like
Australian-made jingles in the late 1980s – a small number
of very long cuts, each virtually a “song” or piece in its
own right, which is then chopped down into fragments
masquarading as individual jingles of different lengths. !sad

That didn't work well 20 years ago (ask “Prisnz”!), so
why re-invent an already-failed wheel? (Apart from
it being much easier & no doubt cheaper to do in this
age of computerised studios & mixing/editing desks?)

(And if any masochists want to hear how Ozzie jingles
of the type above sounded like, they're still up on the
JM Download area (somewhere), and the dreaded 6KY
tape is still in my tapes cupboard!)

[Author]

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