[Vinnah]

So who's left to switch to Mcasso? I can think of:

London
Manchester
Solent

Any more?

Suffolk
Cumbria

Interestingly Suffolk have made a few changes to their schedule recently but are still keeping their s2blue jingles which I think still sound great although they're rather dated. Cumbria recently had their s2blue jingles updated some time last year, though I'm not sure if the Mcasso jingles are optional or not but I'd say they're not being as all the stations who were keeping their old jingles have switched over rather quickly to mcasso this summer.

[simon_t123Member]

It was rumoured from a source on here that all stations HAD to be Mcasso'd by the summer … Suffolk's holding out which is good to see, it's their first ever sung package & only their 3rd ever package to date I think … David Arnold from launch in 1990 with a positively orchestral suite of imaging, then it was a package from BBC Creatve around 2000, the last time they tried to use core branding across the network and then this package from S2Blue, problem being they'd not ordered that big a package, the whole thing is online at S2Blue's website & whilst yet it's sung & not Mcasso it's not a big selection and as you say getting rather dated !

Their argument may be to get the new lineup in place and ease people into that before bringing in new imaging, some PD's consider a BIG sweeping change of staff & imaging to do wonders, some more cautious think that baby steps may well be best, one small change at a time !

I'm still wondering what happens to 1st generation Mcasso stations, my local in Essex being the first. They've had the cuts since November 2009 (?) now, approaching their 2nd year of the same cuts in use, so I wonder IS the Mcasso imaging a package per area (which is not proving to be the case now) or is it more likely a free for all in which case stations like Essex can 'refresh' for what else is available from the collection.

And by golly BBC Essex NEED to refresh lols simon_t123

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[simon_t123Member]

… actually looking at BBC Suffolk's schedules, their brand new brekkie show with Terry Baxter "returning to the BBC" as they put it starts on Monday September 5th … so, if ever there was a good time to get Mcasso'd lols mb

Member

[simon_t123Member]

I stand to be corrected but it's a bit pool of many cuts. I did understand the origional idea was that although sharing the package neighbouring statios would not share cuts so BBC Merseyside would not have the same cuts as BBC Manchester etc – However stations could choose what they wanted on a first come first served basis so if you are in an area where the station next door has all the good cuts ( relatively speaking ) you have to pick from whats left. I think this was part of the concept to get stations ob board as quickly as posible with te threat that they'd be left with the c**p if they were the last to switch.
The whole concept was ill thought out and ill concieved by the person commissioning them, The production company who had little radio imaging expereince or ability and by BBC worldwide who drove through a deal based on business terms to make money for BBC WW. Again I stand to be corrected but the package was not bought by LR it was bought by BBC Worldwide so the power over imaging has virtually been taken out of local radio hands and put into the BBC commercial arm.
The longer its on air the more money BBC worldwide make from the package.Watching pennies roll in is the key, they don't give a stuff about how fresh a station sounds, making more cuts or a new package would only cost money so i expect we're stuck with St Mcasso's 4th form choir and band performing jingle jaunts for BBC Local radio for a good while yet.

[Vinnah]

Even so the same cuts are being used near to each other. All Mcasso'd stations in the east (Not sure about Essex) have got the same travel jingle for instance and due to the location you can usually pick up 3CR, Cambs, Norfolk, Suffolk & Northampton in most of Herts, Beds & Cambs so they're all beginning to sound like the same station and being as 3CR and Cambs are almost identical it does sound rather boring across the board, with Suffolk keeping S2Blue it actually sounds really refreshing compared to the other Mcasso stations even though they're old jingles now.

Out of all stations in the East I'd say that 3CR are making the best use out of Mcasso I haven't liked the new schedule which went with it though, fancy cutting an award winning consumer programme down to one hour!

[Vinnah]

I've put 3CR, Cambs, Northampton & Norfolk's travel together in the attached clip.

EastTravel.mp3

Attached files

EastTravel.mp3 (1.7 MB) 

[GB]

BBC Radio Derby are still to change aswell. I think they are all suppost to be changed by the end of the year.

[timbo]

One train of thought, RE stations imaging sounding the same across geographical patches, is that come the outcome of the review of Local BBC Radio I would put my hat on it that more programme sharing will occur. They have ruled out closing stations and closer ties with 5Live. The only way to reduce costs is either slash the number of senior Broadcast Journalists per station and/or up considerably the amount of shared programmes that are non news.

Similar branding makes that job all the more easier. So I believe this will extend beyond evening shares that occur at the moment. I see more afternoon ('entertainment' based) shows being shared, in addition to greater shared programming at the weekends during the day. At the moment many of these shows could be being braodcast from anywhere to anywhere….use of GNS guests etc.

Just a thought.

[Vinnah]

One train of thought, RE stations imaging sounding the same across geographical patches, is that come the outcome of the review of Local BBC Radio I would put my hat on it that more programme sharing will occur. They have ruled out closing stations and closer ties with 5Live. The only way to reduce costs is either slash the number of senior Broadcast Journalists per station and/or up considerably the amount of shared programmes that are non news.

Similar branding makes that job all the more easier. So I believe this will extend beyond evening shares that occur at the moment. I see more afternoon ('entertainment' based) shows being shared, in addition to greater shared programming at the weekends during the day. At the moment many of these shows could be being braodcast from anywhere to anywhere….use of GNS guests etc.

Just a thought.

But even so, across the East anyway when they share programmes they still play the correct jingles out for the station you're listening I think they've changed the timings too recently as the pips no longer play over the jingles themselves like they used to with programme shares. Interestingly Suffolk's S2Blue timings still seem to work even with these changes even though their evening news bed is slightly longer than the Mcasso ones.

[mjruk]

Hi All,

I know this is slightly off topic, but do the traffic and travel reporters work for the BBC or are they external. The number of times I hear the presenters introducing the traffic news only to find there is no-one there and they just play the closing jingle move onto the news or whatever the next part of the programme was. It's bizzare! lol

[timbo]

Hi All,

I know this is slightly off topic, but do the traffic and travel reporters work for the BBC or are they external. The number of times I hear the presenters introducing the traffic news only to find there is no-one there and they just play the closing jingle move onto the news or whatever the next part of the programme was. It's bizzare! lol

I think most BBC stations take travel from Trafficlink, based in Blackfriars London and link up via ISDNs. There are often numerous reasons for the lack of a travel presenter, certainly from my current experience at BBC Radio Kent.

There is only a slot of time that the travel bod has with a station before they move on to a different station. So if the radio presenter over runs then that slot may have expired and the travel bod may have had to dial out – they will know if it is too tight for them to stay on the line. They communicate with the producer or broadcast assistant off air to hopefully avoid dead air.
If the programme is a pre-record and over running the desk might be being manned by a Broadcast Assistant that perhaps doesn’t do on air work and can’t self-read the travel – so they might chose to abort….although a competent one really ought to be able to anticipate the problem and not run through the sequence of jingles and go to a plan B up their sleeve!
For presenters, as we have internet access to the travel issues for our patch too, a self-read is possible and is what I've always had as a stand by when presenting at Kent just in case.

Other reasons, technical issues for the studios either end….could be human error (not giving clean feed to travel presenter through desk set up – schoolboy mistake) or could be just some random fault.
Even travel forgetting to dial into a station is possible….I've had fire alarm testing as the reason before now!

That's the main things I can think of in my experience, hope that helps.

[timbo]

…oh should say Trafficlink have studios around the country, London obviously serves the South East.

I always find it odd hearing our travel bods on commercial stations they serve too.

[Vinnah]

… actually looking at BBC Suffolk's schedules, their brand new brekkie show with Terry Baxter "returning to the BBC" as they put it starts on Monday September 5th … so, if ever there was a good time to get Mcasso'd lols simon_t123

Member

[Vinnah]

The BBC F.O.I request people did acknowledge my request for information going back to the commissioning process for the Local Radio imaging but since I've heard nothing, I think it says they have 10 weeks to formulate a reply … I was reading interestingly elsewhere that there had been a number of F.O.I requests and legal actions instigated on behalf of imaging suppliers over the BBC R2 imaging tender that went out earlier in the year.

re: Vinnah's mp3 of travel beds in the East there's certainly a flavour going on there, Essex being the exception with their travel … Saying that it's got to be due for a refresh, and Timbo's point about increased networking may well prove VERY founded … Personally, if cuts really have to be made, then I'd rather the beeb playout localised ID's as they do now with regional share progs. What they do now in the evening seems to work, I presume Radioman is sending out commands to fire off similarly timed cuts in the locals. I know I was harshly against Heart wiping out the local ILR's and I'm certainly against closing local radio stations etc but if cuts really, really do need to be made then yes, chop out beeb local afternoons & maybe even mid-mornings, share a phone-in consumer show 9-12 and an afternoon show, maybe fronted by a regional celeb I don't know, Stuart White from Look East ? Insert local ID's, travel & news into the daytime shares, make sure the presenters cover the whole patch fairly etc. That should produce listenable local radio, albeit on a regional basis but with enough of a locally inserted presence to keep the essence of the output local for all …

Mcasso imaging would certainly help facilitate such plans !

One of my main issues with networking Heart style was playing on my mind whilst stuck in a queue on my local A12 at 7.05pm without a hope in hells chance of a local travel update on Heart ! Saying that, they have increased local opt-links since cutting Heart down to fewer regions, but I digress lols RW

[Vinnah]

BBC Radio Derby have changed over today. The news intro sounds like a new one – a variation on the Devon/Northampton theme, but the travel is the same as the one that's all over the Eastern Counties.

Just five to go now!

[local_12]

Just listened to BBC Radio Derby, nice to see that there are still a few surprises and that the cuts haven't all been released. The travel is the same but unique in that part of the Midlands. Maybe now there will be a variation of the Leeds/Surrey news intro.

[Vinnah]

BBC Radio Derby's is certainly different and if it was the only station with Mcasso branding I'd say that it was actually decent, however it's just becoming the same old boring thing with Mcasso at the moment. It'll be interesting to find out what Suffolk & Cumbria are going to make of it since they seem to be really keen to keep S2blue.

[tom_h]

I like Derby's. It is a bit different.

Heard an odd short one on BBC WM earlier, are there any other 'short' versions like this on other stations?

Attached files

ID2.mp3 (80.8 KB) 

[Vinnah]

I like Derby's. It is a bit different.

Heard an odd short one on BBC WM earlier, are there any other 'short' versions like this on other stations?

That's on 3CR sometimes.

[fredgreek]

I like Derby's. It is a bit different.

Heard an odd short one on BBC WM earlier, are there any other 'short' versions like this on other stations?

BBC Radio Gloucestershire use this all the time.

[local_12]

Sorry, I was just wondering if anyone has the musical type Mcasso hour-opener used by Liz Rhodes on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. Thanks simon_t123

Member

[local_12]

One day dubs of all the CD's might make an appearance … maybe lols !!!

[simon_t123Member]

Not sure if anyone here recalls that I sent the Beeb a 'Freedom Of Information' request for info relating to the project Mcasso went on to produce ? Well after a little wait I've had a reply … feel free to download & have a read, however it would seem the information relating to the subject is not very 'free' … Which to me is quite interesting timbo

[simon_t123Member]

Here's a Derby TOTH. I hasn't heard this one until now so yes nice to hear a couple of different ones of late (WM and now this one).

Enjoy.

T

Attached files

Derby_TOTH.mp3 (1022.9 KB) 

[star tetley]

This is a completely new TOTH but isn't WM the same as others apart from the orchestral finish. It's actually a bit strange how it switches.

[Author]

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