[simon_t123Member]

Possibly that is the new Mcasso / result of last Aprils re-tendering of the locals imaging as previously mentioned … as soon as I heard Steve’s posted trailer & that snippet of audio on the back I though that has to be the new sound at least of London …

[star tetley]

<

BBC London 94.9 is changing its name back to BBC Radio London on its 45th anniversary next Tuesday, which inevitably raises the possibility of a new or refreshed jingle package. Judging by a trailer I heard earlier featuring Tony Blackburn, it sounds very much like they are going with something entirely new – the music accompanying it was an orchestral theme ending with a six note jingle – nothing like any of the current Mcasso stuff…

Listening again to that trail, it sounds like a rehash of one of the current Mcasso news jingles.

[simon_t123Member]

So Radio London is back as a name with the logo suspected in use from the pre-launch promo … it’s actually a rather uninspiring sound, based around the 3 notes one way and the 3 notes another, quite dull really & that’s a shame …

[simon_t123Member]

Oh there we go … hot off the press, with audio ! rolling out across the network this month it implies … from Mcasso … there’s audio for Devon in there too …

http://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/10/new-six-note-logo-for-bbc-local-radio-stations/

[LenGroat]

So Mcasso who made the BBC Local Radio idents that ran in years of huge audience LOSS….

….. got the new contract!?

What a waste of the licence fee +Radio London’s 4% ‘reach’ in Rajar is the lowest of all BBC Locals.

Any commercial station would have a HUGE clear-out and use fresh ideas….

[mbMember]

sorry to spread doom and gloom but its bl&&%y awfyl – vanilla – lift musak BBC Local Radio imaging is truly dreadful

[GrahamCollins]

Isn’t it time to call it a day on this thread ?

[UKJinglesMember]

If they’ve gone down the same route as BBC Radio Two (i.e. produced “In-House” to cut costs) at least get a few singers in as well…….
The worse logo since well since ever!!
Can someone tell me what this “new” six note logo is meant to represent because I don’t get it……..

[dabsteve]

I agree with Len among others, if a company isn’t getting the most out of it’s advertising and PR agency they generally part company and give others the baton to deliver their needs and wishes. Bearing in mind audiences have fallen in sharply over the past six year since the corporate rebrand there needs to be new thinking.

John Myers has made clear many of the needs but was silenced around the elephant in the room i.e. managing editors with no vision, coasting staff members, journos presenting programmes (badly) Too many journalists trying to hold programmes together trying to climb the ladder to national stations without much care about the local station or the sound.

I am sure there were a range of nodding suits with little idea of branding and imaging thinking this was great… I am sure Mcasso could have pitched some twangy lift musak at them and they would have all agreed how wonderful it all was… likely those much younger than the demographic or experience of BBC local output or indeed those who never turn their dial away from radios 3 and 4.

The recent corporate centre releases suggest the BBC Local Network should draw back from making news a core component of every programme outside of breakfast and drive…

A new brief should have brought with it new sound that move away from the failures of the past six years of suffacation of BBC News and Current Affairs and BBC local editors trying to emulate BBC Local Radio 4.

Radio France and France Bleu should have been a consideration for those looking at a refresh… though they carry advertising…now that is controversial another decade or argument there…

Anyway back to the identification… Poor effort, missed opportunity.

[simon_t123Member]

New Logo … Beee Beee Ceeeeeeeee …. Be Be Ceeeeeeee

Interesting to note no localised logo for London, or Devon as demo’d … it remains to be seen if any other stations have localised logos this time around, I think that created a lot more work last time & they did good with that, Hereford & Worcester even has a subtle note for ‘and’ in their logo, the absence of a localised logo in London sniffs of a cheaper deal … I think they could’ve had a vocal group lick these cuts, in the last years of independent imaging choice on the locals there were some very credible UK sings for Bristol, Lincolnshire, Surrey, Sussex, Solent, Sheffield, Berkshire … note I omitted S2Blue’s offerings which I’m not a fan of. There should of been room for stations to go sung or otherwise to suit their station sound, some of the local station sound producers serve up dire incarnations of Mcasso ‘stuff’ whereas some have shown flair and creativity using the punchy, upbeat cuts for their station.

The man who according to sources commissions all this for the BBC is Gerald Jackson based at Radio Lancashire, a true jingle fan & a sung jingle fan by all accounts, if his interview for the Earshot Creative review the other year is anything to go by, so it’s a mystery to me why someone with influence who loves the sung sound didn’t input some of that love into the brief & pitch … the option would’ve been nice, and as far as I’m aware the Mcasso package first time around was revenue generating for the BBC, so would it of cost any extra ??? who knows …

[RW]

I think they could’ve had a vocal group lick these cuts, in the last years of independent imaging choice on the locals there were some very credible UK sings for Bristol, Lincolnshire, Surrey, Sussex, Solent, Sheffield, Berkshire …

Those sung jingles lasted all of nine months on BBC Surrey – such a waste. The only period in the station’s 24 year history (under various names) that it has had sung jingles at all.

I agree that this is a missed opportunity – to go back to sung jingles would have given a lift to the station’s and it would have been an interesting challenge to see how vocals could be put into a generic package – but instead it looks like we’re heading for more of the same from Mcasso.

[IainJohnston]

Well at least Mccasso have “learned” to “create” (a second hand) logo that ends on an “up” note…can’t beat “re-invention of the wheel…”

And the new (?) stuff sounds a bit more up-beat, and even “cheery” compared with the previous dirge-like “melody” :^)

Being “over the northern horizon” in reception range from BBC (England) Locals, can I muddy the waters by asking who (certainly NOT sounding like Mccasso…) did the TOH/news/traffic sounders/pads for BBC Radio Scotland, which have an EIGHT note logo that even “matches” the syllables of the station name.

And do the other “nation stations” (Wales, NI) use/have Mccasso material; or “something else”? (I know Wales had sung jingles years ago, in Welsh…)

[star tetley]

Well at least Mccasso have “learned” to “create” (a second hand) logo that ends on an “up” note…can’t beat “re-invention of the wheel…”

And the new (?) stuff sounds a bit more up-beat, and even “cheery” compared with the previous dirge-like “melody” :^)

Being “over the northern horizon” in reception range from BBC (England) Locals, can I muddy the waters by asking who (certainly NOT sounding like Mccasso…) did the TOH/news/traffic sounders/pads for BBC Radio Scotland, which have an EIGHT note logo that even “matches” the syllables of the station name.

And do the other “nation stations” (Wales, NI) use/have Mccasso material; or “something else”? (I know Wales had sung jingles years ago, in Welsh…)

Wise Buddah did Radio Wales.

[LenGroat]

Well it’s interesting that a ‘non-jingle package’ has created a fervent response on the site. And on Twitter ‘radio guru’ John Myers has commented:

“Millions of listeners running out the door and management launch a new sonic logo with 3 new notes? Please tell me that has not happened?”

I’ve written Blogs about the many problems of BBC Local Radio for 3 years. Some HAVE attempted adapting to THIS century – James Whale on Essex, Simon Bates in Cornwall/Devon, but in the main it’s the PC ‘gender balance brigade’ pushing hastily trained females broadcasters on to breakfast shows and they move the evicted male to another role, so even MORE expense!

Until it’s taken out of the hands of ‘suits’ / journalists it will never grow in audience size. I wonder if the BBC want it to fester as I’m certain the black hole in the BBC’s finances mean they will never be able to afford to pay Pensions to the staff they have now?

They’ll ignore it – but HERE is my simple solution to bring it back to JINGLES:

20 , various tempo musical cuts, 20 seconds each, with front and end sings (simple harmony – 3 singers- of ONLY “BBC Local Radio”, and 10 second donut for voice-over – people clearly KNOW WHERE they LIVE so they don’t need to sing it for EVERY station! It could be used minus v/o for the dj (sorry announcer’) to do live material. Cuts written so front makes a set of 20, short 5 second jingles….

Shall I send the consultancy bill to BH ?

[rakMember]

20 , various tempo musical cuts, 20 seconds each, with front and end sings (simple harmony – 3 singers- of ONLY “BBC Local Radio”, and 10 second donut for voice-over – people clearly KNOW WHERE they LIVE so they don’t need to sing it for EVERY station! It could be used minus v/o for the dj (sorry announcer’) to do live material. Cuts written so front makes a set of 20, short 5 second jingles….

Sing “BBC Local Radio”? I don’t think so! The stations DO need to say who they are every 5 minutes (apparently, or RAJAR diary keepers won’t know who they’re listening to)

The way ahead would be to have customised versions of jingles, depending whether stations have 1, 2 3 or more syllables. EG in 2004 IQBEATS did a package for “BBC Radio 1 Syllable”. Kent, Stoke and Leeds. One station chose not to use the sung versions, because they weren’t happy with them. Worked well as a project, though, and IQB made a nice package that never sounded tired on air.

[star tetley]

Well it’s interesting that a ‘non-jingle package’ has created a fervent response on the site. And on Twitter ‘radio guru’ John Myers has commented:

“Millions of listeners running out the door and management launch a new sonic logo with 3 new notes? Please tell me that has not happened?”

I’ve written Blogs about the many problems of BBC Local Radio for 3 years. Some HAVE attempted adapting to THIS century – James Whale on Essex, Simon Bates in Cornwall/Devon, but in the main it’s the PC ‘gender balance brigade’ pushing hastily trained females broadcasters on to breakfast shows and they move the evicted male to another role, so even MORE expense!

Until it’s taken out of the hands of ‘suits’ / journalists it will never grow in audience size. I wonder if the BBC want it to fester as I’m certain the black hole in the BBC’s finances mean they will never be able to afford to pay Pensions to the staff they have now?

They’ll ignore it – but HERE is my simple solution to bring it back to JINGLES:

20 , various tempo musical cuts, 20 seconds each, with front and end sings (simple harmony – 3 singers- of ONLY “BBC Local Radio”, and 10 second donut for voice-over – people clearly KNOW WHERE they LIVE so they don’t need to sing it for EVERY station! It could be used minus v/o for the dj (sorry announcer’) to do live material. Cuts written so front makes a set of 20, short 5 second jingles….

Shall I send the consultancy bill to BH ?

I would be very disappointed if it got to the stage of singing BBC Local Radio! If they can’t afford custom packages I think it is best not to have sung jingles. At least the first Mcasso package did have the individual station logos although that would only be noticed by jingle enthusiasts.

[LenGroat]

The reason I suggested they sing ONLY “BBC Local Radio” is simple: the less listeners they have (and it IS shrinking continuously) means it is mainly ‘regulars’ left, who don’t ‘touch that dial’ – so they know EXACTLY what they are listening to.

Secondly, as the BBC failed to act 3 years ago on the John Myer’s Report on BBC local radio (that they paid a lot of money for) which basically said replace jouno managers with music radio experienced Programme Controllers, they clearly are not bothered about audience SIZE, so don’t need to worry about Rajar!

Despite the fact they are funded by the legally enforced licence fee, they continue to ignore professional advice and any move to serve MORE of the public.

[Vinnah]

I personally think that these new Mcasso jingles are even more boring than the current ones. I know we’ve only heard them on BBC Radio London so far but if it’s just going to be the same on all the other stations then what’s the point, they should have just kept the current ones until such a time when they realise that the local stations should have their own individuality again as they had.

Richard Spendlove still uses the Cambridgeshire/Devon Music4 jingle at the start of his show. It seems that over the time of Mcasso, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire has had reappearances of its old jingle package more than any other station. Tony Gillham started using them on his Saturday show for some time.

[simon_t123Member]

Wales, Cymru & Ulster as regionals were on Wise Buddah packages, I’m sure I saw Scotland demo’d somewhere …

[RW]

Radio York has the new jingles as of today; a selection has been uploaded here: https://audioboom.com/boos/3706885-bbc-radio-york-new-jingles-2015 . News intro is the same as Radio London’s.

I do hope this is not going to be a long protracted roll-out like last time.

[mbMember]

It is appropriate that as BBC local Radio continues its decline of listening it has imaging that wouldn’t sound out of place in a funeral parlour – Mcasso composers of the BBC local Radio Death March

[simon_t123Member]

Devon wasn’t live with the new stuff at the launch of it in London, they are now though … same news intro as London … The Mark Forrest / Georgey Wotsit show also uses new themes based around the new logo suggesting this would have to be a fairly quick roll out to get stations in line with the sound of network programming. Essex’s 29th birthday is on 05/11 so a good as time as any to refresh the branding …

[star tetley]

So it looks like there is just one news jingle and the same 6 notes for everybody. Definitely a step back. Maybe more musical styles are going to be used to suit more programme types.

[tom_h]

Doesn’t seem like any more stations have moved to the package. Is it still only London, Devon and York?

Perhaps they’ve had a rethink?

[simon_t123Member]

They’ve said 100’s of tracks recorded I’m sure of it ! So far listening around the stations that have the package it’s the same tracks on each ! No logo customisations, not even for BBC London, there is a variation on the travel intro I believe but the bed itself seems to be the same for all so far … The Mark Forrest show is using the new Mcasso logo for it’s program theme and for travel so you’d think stations taking the network show would want to line up as soon as possible …

BBC Radio Berkshire use a bed with the logo in their BBC Weather Watchers promo so maybe a change is imminent ? There again Berkshire seem to have been using non-Mcasso material for a while now, for travel & around the schedule, news is still Mcasso but the sound is disjointed overall as they use uptempo beds & dance tracks for their hour opener promo but still playout one of the lamest Mcasso news intros …

My local (Essex) was ripe for change on it’s 29th birthday earlier this month, or so I thought … but major programme changes in October may well mean they don’t want to change too much too soon as they re-did all the imaging with the old beds already in use by October.

Might be a while yet before we hear more stations on-board with the new package

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