[star tetley]

New ‘local’ voiceovers on WM.

[tom_h]

BBC Radio Leeds also has a new package. Sharing the same travel jingle with Sheffield.

Northampton, H&W, C&W and WM all share a travel jingle too. Could we see neighbouring stations using completely the same packages in a few years?

[star tetley]

Quite a lot have now refreshed their cuts. I would assume that all of the second set of Mcasso cuts have now been used by one station or another.

[simon_t123Member]

I think with the original Mcasso crop of cuts there was more variety in the news / travel sequences whereas with the refreshed cuts stations have less to choose from, it could be a narrowing of choice to bring everyone into line but I doubt it, that would amount to serious penny pinching by the powers that be ! I’ve heard a few stations pick up cuts similar to those used by the Mark Forrest show, there’s more brass & real feel instrumentation in those but I suspect there’s just been less made, top ups perhaps ? In some stations some of the original cuts have been used where stations have recently refreshed. It’d be good to know from a source if there’s some giant Mcasso library stations can flick though or if tracks are allocated or selected first come first served ?

The imaging itself has grown on me over the years … I like the uniform sound …

What’s the next big thing likely to be though ?

[IainJohnston]

And have these McCasso “packages” ever yet been “syndicated” to any of those “eager clients around the world” to generate welcome rights income for BBC Worldwide?

[simon_t123Member]

I doubt they ever will IJ

[mbMember]

There’s no top ups or additional cuts just one package that was made over time of over 1000 cuts.
Quality aside that means that there is more than enough for each station to go through three or four refreshes every couple of years from the package available – Hence it will probably be on about 10 years with each station refreshing from the library every 2 years or so. I suspect over time the non overlapping areas approach will be dropped and you’ll see the packages rotate around all the stations in various combinations – although by the end ( if not already ) there’s going to be some barrel scraping.

[OnyxPaulMember]

Oh God, how very depressing

[star tetley]

There’s no top ups or additional cuts just one package that was made over time of over 1000 cuts.
Quality aside that means that there is more than enough for each station to go through three or four refreshes every couple of years from the package available – Hence it will probably be on about 10 years with each station refreshing from the library every 2 years or so. I suspect over time the non overlapping areas approach will be dropped and you’ll see the packages rotate around all the stations in various combinations – although by the end ( if not already ) there’s going to be some barrel scraping.

I don’t disagree that all 1000 cuts were made together but it seems that some of the cuts were not made available to stations at the beginning as some of the refreshes have used cuts that have not been heard anywhere before.

[mbMember]

Stations started using from the package before the whole set was complete

[simon_t123Member]

I’m sure when I spoke to Gerald @ R.Lancs by chance last year he mentioned that there had been new material recently released, The Beatles theme was mentioned in that conversation, also the cuts based around those used by Mark Forrest had been more recently recorded, and that a BBC related orchestra had been involved in those cuts. I can’t recall 100% but maybe it’s been one big commission rather a package 1 & 2 etc ? Certainly the newer cuts feature more ‘real’ instrumentation, and are a lot more orchestral in their sound … I was having a light hearted moan at how stale BBC Essex was sounding at the time and it was then Gerald explained the above, I think Sheffield was due some ‘new’ cuts around that time also

[UKJinglesMember]

And have these McCasso “packages” ever yet been “syndicated” to any of those “eager clients around the world” to generate welcome rights income for BBC Worldwide?

I’m sure some Hospital Radio Stations would love to buy these…..actually maybe not!!

)

[stephen]

Interview with Gerald Jackson in the new Earshot Creative Review podcast. He describes the history of LR jingles including some early work by the Radiophonic Workshop and reveals the framework of the forthcoming commissioning process for new work.

Earshot podcast: Gerald Jackson, Eloise Whitmore and Chuck Knight

[star tetley]

Thanks Stephen. Interesting news about the new tender. Also interesting that sung jingles not ruled out.

[simon_t123Member]

Pitch for a package with sung / non-sung versions a possibility with the stations themselves deciding they’d prefer on their patch … a sonic logo to unify the brand with either a sung or unsung pay-off to wrap the cuts off … it would be interesting to see which stations went for which options

[IanF]

Pitch for a package with sung / non-sung versions a possibility with the stations themselves deciding they’d prefer on their patch … a sonic logo to unify the brand with either a sung or unsung pay-off to wrap the cuts off … it would be interesting to see which stations went for which options

Sooner the better IMHO. At least it will have a bit more variety accross the network. I’m no fan of this unified branding as it stands today. I was lucky growing up in the 80s and listening to different BBC local’s back then and how different they all sounded

[IainJohnston]

Said it before (and I apologise for that), but if they want to “brand” BBC local radio with “musical identification” whether sung or not, but still have “local” variants of IDs that are polished, professional, lively, yet coherent at all regional, city, and departmente levels across the “system” all they have to do is look to how the State-owned French “France Bleu” network handle station imaging and identification, whether by the Costa Brothers or Juin 21 or whatever.

No need to re-invent the wheel (badly) as with the MeCanno dirges.

[simon_t123Member]

Of course … if Gerald & whoever decides the direction think re: Mcasso that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ there’ll be no change, some stations have only just refreshed so an extension would allow new cuts in with re-use of existing material …

But change would be good, and would take time to implement … Some stations were loyal to sung packages, Lancs themselves had their S2Blue until beign Mcasso’d and that’s where Gerald works from so I’m sure he favoured them !

Maybe an S2Blue package for all ? as I notice with Essex & Suffolk’s packages the cuts were supplied sung & instrumental with decent logo overdubs …

It was interesting to hear the podcast state the deal was up for renewal at the end of the financial year, many of us were worried we’d have the same drivel for the next 10 years !!!

[mbMember]

The trouble with the current financial appraoch is that it is VERY difficult to make money from it and make it pay once you have paid writers, musicians and studio time / resource time. Its essentially as bst a shop window for you and lets be honest its not like you are going to make your money back on outside UK syndication so other than making a slither on production there not much money in doing it unless you strip right back. Yes it saves the BBC Money but im not sure the end product can ever be great as it is so squeezed – Hence Mcasso jingles. JAM, TM etc its not financially viable.

[RW]

BBC Surrey’s official launch on DAB tomorrow would seem a good time to give the station the Mcasso refresh, sadly it will no doubt still be the same old stuff we’ve had since June 2010…

[star tetley]

Does anybody have any Christmas Mcasso?

[rakMember]

Radio Kent airing a new package this morning. Richard Allinson no longer the station voice. Some remixed cuts. New male station voice. Anyone recognise him? Personally I preferred Allinson.

[UKJinglesMember]

I hate to sound like our wonderful Coalition Government (u-turns by the dozen)……………BUT
I’ve been able to listen to many of the Mcasso beds (without the naff voiceovers) and now Love them……I even put them up there with the (first) Jeff Wayne LBC Stuff for memorability!

I’m guessing like the early RIL Packages by BESPOKE there were 2 different versions done and the stations could pick which to go for??
Personally I prefer our BBC Berkshire version (same as Leeds) and much better than what Surrey/Sussex have done with them!!

[simon_t123Member]

I was having a listen around on the iPlayer … Suffolk have changed to a set of cuts that don’t seem to suit the time of day, the slowest, rural sounding bed at breakfast, a travel bed used for another presenters theme and so on, it’s not a great selection … BBC Essex have a bit programme change coming soon, that might be time to jiggle things about with the imaging … but Pete, I was listening to a bit of Tony Blackburn on Berkshire & have to applaud how upbeat and fresh the imaging sounds, even the way they run the news into quite an upbeat promo and hour open sequence

Mcasso material does have a habit of getting on your good side in the end ! As a branding / theme project it’s worked as intended, the sound is unmistakably BBC Local Radio, which might serve as a good pull-in for listeners travelling around who need the kind of information beeb locals provide …

Some stations granted have not made best use of what’s available, but when you check out the iPlayer you’ll find there is just so many sub-mixes, alt-versions are different ways of staging each bed, it would really make for a cremé de la cremé of a collectors item. We’ve been lucky that many pieces of audio have ‘appeared’ so far

[UKJinglesMember]

haha..did you listen to him around 12.30 on last Friday’s show Simon?
My almost regular chat on air regarding “Name the Year” feature (not many people in Berkshire seem to get it right!)
Yes Berkshire have done a brilliant job with the branding whilst neighbouring station Surrey/Sussex (quasi-local) are most definitely the worst (and most naff imaging) %-(

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