[LenGroat]

I recommend the editorial in the recent 'Radio Today' email..

It concludes, 'Moyles and Evans will grab even more headlines and starve commercial radio of more audience – not because the BBC offering is naturally superior or commercial radio cares more for profit than its audience, but because the publicly-funded BBC has reverted to trampling over the commercial landscape without giving a damn'

It points out there is only 8 years age difference between these 2 'broadcasters', so in reality Radio 2 is basically dumping its older audience, going head on against commercial radio stations, alongside Radio 1.

As regards how much BBC Radio the public NEEDS, this is a great opportunity for whoever is in government to CLOSE DOWN one of these 2 channels (I suggest Radio 1) and save the licence payers some MONEY.

'Jack the Lad' v. 'Jack the Lad' at breakfast is hardly a CHOICE ? I also fear BOTH will have 'gangs' of young men and women laughing and cackling to order, around them.

Interacting IN the studio rather than TO 'the listener ' is a basic mistake, and another reason radio has lost the 'personal touch' which was its USP over television..

The relevance to this site is that both these individuals are EGO led, and the 'sound' of the radio station comes SECOND (indeed it will change 100% with the next show). So I hold little hope we will see much CREATIVE work done on the STATION jingle packages, more likely on promoting (even more) the EGO of these two.

That is very sad and a reflection of Britsh society in 2009 -another NAIL in British radio's coffin

My suggestion: Radio 2 should have brought Simon Bates 'back into the fold' and given him breakfast, (a DJ, great voice, wry sense of humour, understands music) but then again they should have put HIM on after Wogan many years ago rather than the awful Jimmy Young.

[mbMember]

I thought the editorial was awful, yet another Radio Today rant about how poor done by commercialr adio is by the big bad BBC – Boo Hoo Hoo.

I think you'll find that when Terry Wogan started on Radio 2 Breakfast he was younger than Evans. Bates has few friends at the BBC – I understand he is not the nicest person to work with. Bates never had the gravitas to do a current affairs show – Did you ever hear him on LBC God Awful!!!

Radio 2 actually like the each show having a different sound and feel. Te station is built around personalities and each show is different, so yo hear a running theme but the station is confident enough of it's sound to be able to accommodate different imaging during different shows. Not implementing a uniform sound has notdone the station any harm. But I bet the Radio 2 news jingles can be sung back to you more than Heart, or Saga, or Real or Smooth. Radio 2 is not dumping any audience. The Radio 2 sound works around it's personalities and thier shows still signposting its Radio 2.

[upsweepMember]

I can't say i have read this article, but i did see a similar one, as Evans Vs. Moyles, sighting the same age difference, but the target demigraphics each station is aiming for.

That story too was genrally anti BBC Nationals, & called them to be removed, although it did say the endless group of people who are anti both future Breakfast Jocks, will tune elsewhere – so commercial radio might benefit! if it gets pro-active.

I do not feel sorry at all for ILR, its only got it self in the rut, presenters who are generally bland, a playlist that seems to only contain the same 500 records. I have to endure Heart, whilst at work, not once i have i heard something, where i thought wow, it was no different with Invicta!

I have to say I am an avid BBC Radio 2 fan, so may be biased, but i do love the stations daytime output the varied personalities. Unfortunately R2 has had to experiment with TV personalities the majority have been disastarous (did not work for me, any-way), due to the lack of exciting presenters coming through the radio ranks.

As for dumping older listeners, take a look @ R2 the Sunday schedule, or the evening schedules.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Hyde Park “Thank you for the Music Concert” on Sunday – the crowd was as diverse as you would expect from what R2 targets mid 20s – 60 year olds.

p.s. – no surprise that Mayo inherits the Drivetime Show

[LenGroat]

From Radio Today re: the new RAJAR:

“BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles lost nearly 700,000 listeners in the three months to September, according to today's RAJAR figures, while the station dropped from 11.34 million to 11.11 million listeners”

Terry Wogan's ratings also went down so this is the 'balance' just before Chris Evans takes over. It will be fun to look at the figures (in this Topic) in a years time!

'ILR' also took a 'pasting', as did many BBC Local Radio stations ~ the listeners are leaving….

WAKE UP 'Programme Controllers' ~ STOP panderng to the 15-30 year olds ~ and give the WHOLE British listening public WARM, friendly, LOCAL radio ~ or GOOD broadcasters (not TV 'personalities') on the Nationals.

[LenGroat]

I am AMAZED that even though 244 people have READ this topic, just TWO have added to it! This is about the on-air SOUND of the two most listened to radio shows in Great Britain; do you have no opinions?

The update on this (awful) scenario is that the BBC management DO thank goodness seem to want to change it, as reported by 'Radio Today' and the 'Daily Mail' (below)

“Chris Moyles’ reign over the airwaves could end next year in the face of plummeting listeners, the Daily Mail has learnt. The loud-mouth DJ, who lures seven million listeners to the Radio 1 breakfast show every week, is said to be poised to leave his show in July, when his one-year £494,000 deal comes up for renewal.

Television presenter Vernon Kay, who hosts All Star Family Fortunes for ITV as well as fronting his own Radio 1 show on Saturday, is now seen as the favourite to replace Moyles, 35, who has courted controversy throughout his five-year stint on the breakfast show.

The news comes as it was revealed last week that Moyles’ show, which currently has 7.04 million listeners, saw a drop of almost 700,000 the last quarter.”

We can therefore hopefully bid 'Goodbyeee' to the over-long, indulgent (but it sems lucrative?) awful 'Cheesey Song'.

[upsweepMember]

LenGroat wrote:
I am AMAZED that even though 244 people have READ this topic, just TWO have added to it! This is about the on-air SOUND of the two most listened to radio shows in Great Britain; do you have no opinions?

We can therefore hopefully bid 'Goodbyeee' to the over-long, indulgent (but it sems lucrative?) awful 'Cheesey Song'.

I will rise to the bait again Len, Who Cares what really goes on @ Radio 1, i doubt indeed, whether we have many members here on this site – who love Radio One. Plainly because as we all know, their jingles are less prominent than they were a decade ago.

Just about all radio stations are losing listeners, so it has nothing to do Jingles or who present breakfasts shows, just the poor old state of U.K radio.Perhaps its all down to computer generated play-list, or just the lack of personalites out there.

Unfortunately the D.J as I knew them is dead, so i will stick to the last remanents still around around, Steve Wright, Chris Evans to name two.

I want to listen to radio where the the person in between the records, keeps me entertained. I do not want to be able to predict the next record to be aired!

So will stick with the format that suits me, BBC Radio Two, though some of the line up changes do put off.

I have kinda of stopped listening to weekend breakfast now Mo Dutta has gone, yes Zoe is O.K, but I know longer have the must listen factor which I had with Mr.Dutta. I like Sir Terry, but he is going, i am looking forward to the Evans era, he over the past 3 years on drive-time has changed my whole perception on him. Why because despite my reservations “ON THE GINGER-WHINGER” i gave him a chance, he caught me hook line & sinker.

A similar kinda of thing is happening with Simon Mayo, was not one of his biggest fan on Radio 1, but whilst sitting in on Drive-time on Radio 2 , i have started to warm to his style & have no hangs ups when in-herits the show in the New Year.

I could go on for-ever, but there simply is not any point, we all look towards radio for different things, there is no magic answer to suit everyone. The main reason of decline of U.K is down to poor programming, computer generated play-list and lack of sparkle!

How do we solve it, bring back the traditional D.J, plays plenty of records (Moyles not guilty of that one!) has intersting patter, gets the audience involved. Unique individual radio identity, with fun and bouncy jingles – but that was decided by a load of people & some tv comics, not to be thing, so Radio One went in a different direction in the mid 90s. It made the music the number one priority, not the presenters or the station identity. ILR did a similar exercise looking at computer data to provide its music. So that generation now does not have the must listen too bug, when thier interest in music whanes!

How many stations now have a good public profile, which listeners like showing their illegence too remember when you used to go & buy your station goodies, even the station presenters had the station branding coats & t-shirts when in the public view.

At the end of the day we have an individual choice, listen to radio that meets our needs or turn off!

[upsweepMember]

Oh, sorry but may just had a thought maybe Len as you used to be in the buisiness you aswser a Q for me?

Why does Radio during Bank Holiday's & Christmas, give all their stars the time off, and back-fill most of the slots, with either repeated progs or the lesser known personalities @ the station or worse still special guest stars, who generally have no idea about radio.

I have with friends always been stumped by the scheduling – its although they are waving the white flag, no one ill be listening, so so what!

[GlennaMember]

Shouldn't this be under the Radio Industry forum?
Just curious.

[LenGroat]

Upsweep – Good question!

'Why does Radio during Bank Holiday's & Christmas, give all their stars the time off, and back-fill most of the slots, with either repeated progs or the lesser known personalities @ the station or worse still special guest stars, who generally have no idea about radio.'

This came about (perhaps reasonably) that in the 80s the establshed djs on each ILR station wanted to have time off on such days with family & friends. It suited management as we used it to try out people who might eventually replace these established ones! I spent many hours puttng together special Bank Holiday/ Xmas schedules KNOWNG that very few people would hear them.

Personally, I LOVED doing the morning show on Xmas Day (plus you get 2 days off in lieu!) as it got me away from the awful commercial festival it is. I fondly remember Xmas Day with Maggie Mash at Metro, on Trent in the late 70s, and on GEM in the early 90s – 'Christmas is here, there's lights on the tre…' so we always had plenty of Xmas jingles!

Commercial radio also uses it now to put out programmes made SPECIFICALLY for 'awards' KNOWING that the audience was VERY low (so it won't affect their RIGID programming at an 'important' time). The awards are what give these stations (some limited) credibility so are important – the regular daily format is UNLIKELY to ever win awards?!

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