[Vinnah]

When you think of what BBC Three Counties radio sounded like pre 2011 it’s not even close now.

I don’t get why they’ve messed with the travel bed, the previous one sounded better and was still part of the 2015 Mcasso pack. Surely one of the stations will go for its own jingle package before long? There are custom beds appearing here and there.

BBC Cambridgeshire are still on the original Mcasso package.

[JasonRNF]

I have no idea where the new travel jingle and bed comes from. Berkshire use it so do Sussex (or Surrey), it doesn’t have any sonic logos. Just ticking.

Speaking of BBC Cambridge, the regional phone in jingle is voiced by the same male as the old 3CR jingles. On a Saturday Night, BBC Kent also has the same v/o on their phone in jingle. Up until recently, both were using the old packages, might have something to do with it?

[Vinnah]

That Travel jingle has been around for while, in fact BBC Berkshire have used it for a very long time even with the previous Mcasso package.

BBC Cambridgeshire seem to hang on to things for ages. Richard Spendlove still had various Music4 era JinglesVoiceovers on his show.

[JasonRNF]

If you listen to the 3CR/Northampton Treasure Quest (broadcast from 3CR) the news jingle for Northampton is the same as Berkshire’s.

The Treasure Quest ‘theme’ is the Andrew Peach show ‘theme’, confirming my suspicions that the station sound producer who works on Berkshire most definitely works on 3CR. What a shame

A side note – BBC Berkshire doesn’t seem to have a consistent news ID. Seems to be a sports reporter hurriedly promoting a football match commentary or something to that effect.
The only consistent news jingle I’ve heard is the recycled 15 second job from the old network evening show.

BBC Cambridgeshire’s news jingle and voiceovers really do sound bland and dull. Haven’t aged well

[star tetley]

As well as the sung jingles for Andrew Peach and Treasure Quest, also now for WM Breakfast. Not sure where these are suddenly appearing from??

[JustMattRadio]

Cambridgeshire refreshed last week, taking the 2015 imaging set. They use a rather overstretched ‘strings bridge’ version of the news logo with no talk up.

Most shows use the same opener music bed with the VO saying just ‘BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’ – the presenter then introduces themselves, talks and then finishes this off with out cue a same style short ID giving the broadcast areas.

The travel intro and bed, don’t actually mention the word ‘travel’ or ‘travel news’! Most odd!

Hereford and Worcester have delayed their refresh until they have ViLOR sorted 100%. Susses with take the 2015 branding later in 2019.

The travel news track that Berks, Sussex, Surrey use it a track from another Production Company. They are not actually meant to stray from the cooperate sound of Mcasso. They idea according to my contact is that all stations sound the same except for their voice-over artist,

The BBC in January also commissioned another set of jingles with a ‘clean bandit’ for the new local evening shows, these are being rolled out throughout the coming months.

[rakMember]

I quite like the Travel bed on SUSSEX/SURREY. Stands out from the Mcasso stuff.

[JasonRNF]

So I have an update regarding BBC 3CR’s dreadful new imaging.

I have tracked the new station sound producer down, he is from BBC Berkshire as I thought. No mention of working at/for Three Counties on his overfilled LinkedIn page or his twitter account.
The worst thing, by far, about 3CR’s new imaging is the VO on the trails. Sounds corny and amateurish. Surprise, surprise, the station sound producer does his own VOs. It’s also clear he hasn’t actually listened to any shows from 3CR, the trails don’t match up at all to the content or style of the shows they’re promoting.

People have been ringing into the breakfast show lodging formal complaints about the ‘new jingles’, so I think the management are aware about the mess this has caused. A great station, ruined by poor imaging.

So the current situation at 3CR is we have three variants of male and female voiceover, some random travel and weather beds, and some bland, dull jingles for Treasure Quest and The JVS Show. 7 Shows still have old VOs (the decent ones), whilst all the others have had new VOs bodged in poorly. Nearly all stand in presenters still have old VOs, so when the bank holiday rolls around, it will sound even more of a disaster. Rant over (for now)!

Moving on from 3CR, onto Cambs and H&W

Cambridgeshire is okay.. news ID is a bit dragged out, travel is also a little slow, listeners will get tired of it quickly.

H&W use 2015 imaging on ‘The Evening Show’ and their sport commentaries, so would think new imaging is being prepared right now.

As a sidenote, BBC Radio Leeds have begun the transition from Radioman to ViLoR/Dira!, the last station to do so. The network is now fully ViLoR.

[star tetley]

So I have an update regarding BBC 3CR’s dreadful new imaging.

I have tracked the new station sound producer down, he is from BBC Berkshire as I thought. No mention of working at/for Three Counties on his overfilled LinkedIn page or his twitter account.
The worst thing, by far, about 3CR’s new imaging is the VO on the trails. Sounds corny and amateurish. Surprise, surprise, the station sound producer does his own VOs. It’s also clear he hasn’t actually listened to any shows from 3CR, the trails don’t match up at all to the content or style of the shows they’re promoting.

People have been ringing into the breakfast show lodging formal complaints about the ‘new jingles’, so I think the management are aware about the mess this has caused. A great station, ruined by poor imaging.

So the current situation at 3CR is we have three variants of male and female voiceover, some random travel and weather beds, and some bland, dull jingles for Treasure Quest and The JVS Show. 7 Shows still have old VOs (the decent ones), whilst all the others have had new VOs bodged in poorly. Nearly all stand in presenters still have old VOs, so when the bank holiday rolls around, it will sound even more of a disaster. Rant over (for now)!

Moving on from 3CR, onto Cambs and H&W

Cambridgeshire is okay.. news ID is a bit dragged out, travel is also a little slow, listeners will get tired of it quickly.

H&W use 2015 imaging on ‘The Evening Show’ and their sport commentaries, so would think new imaging is being prepared right now.

As a sidenote, BBC Radio Leeds have begun the transition from Radioman to ViLoR/Dira!, the last station to do so. The network is now fully ViLoR.

Where is the new Treasure Quest/JVS stuff from?

[JasonRNF]

Still investigating…

On the same note: Treasure Quest did have another jingle package that they used for just a week. It was mental – had eagles (?) screeching in the background, I’ll upload it when I get a chance.

The other TQ package sounded far better than the latest one, just needed to get rid of the Eagle noises!

[Paul MMember]

Hi

Wonder if anyone could help me ? Has anyone got any of either the 30′ or 60′ BBC Local Radio News Builds in the clear. Have been trying to get these for ages/ Your help would be very much appreciated . I believe there may be and I might be worng different ones for different stations

Thankyou very very much

[JasonRNF]

Hi

Wonder if anyone could help me ? Has anyone got any of either the 30′ or 60′ BBC Local Radio News Builds in the clear. Have been trying to get these for ages/ Your help would be very much appreciated . I believe there may be and I might be worng different ones for different stations

Thankyou very very much

Hi Paul,

I have both the 2015 30 second and 60 second news builds. Send me a private message if interested

And yes, there are 4 different news builds from the 2015 package. Some stations, like Kent & Cambridge, have modified versions of their own, but the majority of the network uses the same.

Jason

[mbMember]

Was listening to BBC Radio London – I don’t think I’ve heard imaging as bad since Network FM Student radio in Leeds in 1993. Chopped up, faded out, it;s just a shambolic mess

[star tetley]

Was listening to BBC Radio London – I don’t think I’ve heard imaging as bad since Network FM Student radio in Leeds in 1993. Chopped up, faded out, it;s just a shambolic mess

Kent is a mess as well. News in chopped up and talked all over…then into travel with a trail… then news in used as a show opener. I know there is not much to work with but some stations are making a right mess of it.

[JasonRNF]

Essex also use the a programme bed as a news jingle.. and a programme bed! Incredible really.

Radio Stoke (off the top of my head) have also butchered the news ID. Combining the first and second versions. Awful, awful, awful!!

[JasonRNF]

[removed]

[JustMattRadio]

Was listening to BBC Radio London – I don’t think I’ve heard imaging as bad since Network FM Student radio in Leeds in 1993. Chopped up, faded out, it;s just a shambolic mess

London’s new mixes were done by On The Sly

[JasonRNF]

Was listening to BBC Radio London – I don’t think I’ve heard imaging as bad since Network FM Student radio in Leeds in 1993. Chopped up, faded out, it;s just a shambolic mess

London’s new mixes were done by On The Sly

[mbMember]

There is nothing that can make that Macasso package work well

[GrahamCollins]

I must be missing something. Surely the OnTheSly ‘imaging’ could have been mashed up in-house ?

Programme snippets edited together and put over a Mcasso bed with the station voice. Not particularly difficult or challenging. Any Studio Manager or Producer could have made them.

[JasonRNF]

Listening to the Eddie Nestor Drive time show on BBC Radio London (who wears a fantastic yellow shirt and tie in his presenter picture), he uses an Mcasso bed (guitar riff version), then an On The Sly bed? This appears to be the same with Vanessa Feltz on Breakfast – what’s the point? Use one or the other, such a contrast, sounds amateurish (in my opinion)

[Vinnah]

I can’t believe how stale BBC Local Radio is sounding with these current packages. We all thought that the original Mcasso package in 2009 was bad but looking back, it was excellent compared to what they have going on now.

They have stations with a right mish mash of current, previous, different and then completely third party jingles where nothing flows together. They have travel beds being used for news, programme beds being used for travel, cut and chopped pieces used for whatever and then occasionally the odd jingle which doesn’t sound like anything else.

I thought the idea long term was to turn BBC Local Radio around and make it appeal to a new audience. The first place to start will be to get rid of this absolutely awful package and let the locals do their own thing again (within reason) but no stuffy or pretentious sounding jingles.

[star tetley]

I can’t believe how stale BBC Local Radio is sounding with these current packages. We all thought that the original Mcasso package in 2009 was bad but looking back, it was excellent compared to what they have going on now.

They have stations with a right mish mash of current, previous, different and then completely third party jingles where nothing flows together. They have travel beds being used for news, programme beds being used for travel, cut and chopped pieces used for whatever and then occasionally the odd jingle which doesn’t sound like anything else.

I thought the idea long term was to turn BBC Local Radio around and make it appeal to a new audience. The first place to start will be to get rid of this absolutely awful package and let the locals do their own thing again (within reason) but no stuffy or pretentious sounding jingles.

Quite a few stations have just brought in some new Mcasso cuts with a slightly more modern sound. Not sure if this is the new stuff mentioned earlier for the new evening shows? It suggests that Mcasso has quite a way to run yet! Saying that, maybe the ‘third party cuts’ give some hope that stations are being allowed to do their own thing again.

[UKJinglesMember]

This is a golden opportunity for BBC Local radio to shine now that Independent Local radio has gone down the plug hole now (or about too!)
It ain’t going to sound local by sounding Corporate with these abysmal “Jingle” Packages

(“Jingles” = beds with stale voiceovers)

[IainJohnston]

I’ve said it before ad nauseum, but BBC Local really need to study how their French counterparts
over at France Bleu “do it” not just their excellent structured jingles and imaging track record over
the years but their “layered” approach to local/”department”/regional/national programming.

And as a modernisation of the “Blue Network”, they’re aimed at a “grown ups” audience rather than
BBC Locals mish-mash of “not young” target.

[Author]

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