R2OK!

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Radio 3 - well I've listened to it as long as I have listened to Radio 2, so I don't find it highbrow or snobby, but I do find a lot of late 20th/21st century 'new' music unlistenable, thankfully it's a minority in the schedule and we still mostly hear the 'classical' repertoire from Baroque to Sibelius and contemporaries.

I go to classical concerts (withoiut Mrs W) occasionally and meet people, musicians etc so the real classical scene always been part of me.

I listen to Rob Cowan's' Breakfast and Sean Rafferty drivetime programmes quite often, and lunchtime often tune into Composer of the Week. I enjoy the Proms but this year just not had the time for it.

Brian Kay famously had a light music programme on Thursday afternoons which featured mainly early 20th century British music but controller Roger Wright chopped it from the schedule a few years ago. When I was employed I used to arrange my visits to the company warehouse on a Thursday afternoon so I could listen to Brian Kay in the car during the car journey!
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John W

undiscovered · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 650 Location: Peterborough

I don't find it exclusive or snobbish, although there are people about who like classical music who are both, the music is not.
I love Radio 3, if I don't fancy a CD and i'm on the car on my own then R3 it is.
If I had to only listen to concerto de aranjuez by Rodrigo then I would be a happy man.

Dharma Cat · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 13

I love Radio 3 too, I especially enjoy the Early Music show as this genre is my favourite classic music. I don't find the station too highbrow either.
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Dharma Cat
"This is what you should do;
love the Earth and sun and the animals...
~ Walt Whitman

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

The dumbing down of BBC Radio 3 continues, particularly the Breakfast Show which is almost ClassicFM (in playlist and presentation)

These sum up some fans' opinion of Radio 3 Breakfast, re the departure of presenter Penny Gore and the dumbing down by/of once-so-popular current presenter Rob Cowan....

PENNY G DOES NEWSNIGHT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rec_iPpESG4

NEWSNIGHT: ROB COWAN REPLIES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY2CspBNDFQ&NR=1
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John W

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Nearly two years on from that lost post and R3 has continued its downward fall.

It is almost a mimic of Classic FM without the adverts, though there are plenty of BBC trailers and endless 'later tonight listen to....'

Daytime programmes all feature just parts of works/compositions, just odd movements from concertos or symphonies, unheard of to do that just a few years ago, the 'language' of the presenters is just too much of a fake 'hip' style, and comments after a piece too often 'that was lovely', oh wonderful, rather than comment on the style of playing or conducting which the learned announcers of the past could do, you learned something from them.

Asking for listeners to tweet if they enjoyed, or text their favourites....

Do they really think they can steal listeners form Classic FM ?

Our sister forum R3OK hardly post about Radio 3 nowadays, and the more serious FoR3 forum are in rebellion, suggesting that R3 must be losing 1000's maybe 100,000's of listeners.

I've given up on the Breakfast programme and now only listen to the drive-home time programme.
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John W

Ian Robinson · Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 11:34 pm Post subject:

I've started listening to Radio 3 over the last year and really enjoy it. I've pretty much switched from Radio 2 to 3 now - even the morning show is the same format, with a quiz and Tracks of their Years! I'm no classical music expert but I find it a lot more varied, deep and entertaining than Classic FM (which is just too damn repetitive and vacuous).

I could do without the religious stuff (and, to be honest, most of the opera) but I enjoy the daytime output immensely. In Tune is a fun show, and I already miss the brilliant and engaging Sara Mohr-Pietch and her superb breakfast shows.

The recent film music season was cracking - with great music and documentaries, and a real verve about the place.

Radio 3 makes great music accessible, and those that moan are just being snobby.

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Ian Robinson · Posted: Wed Nov 27, 2013 11:03 am Post subject:

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Ha! Mitchell and Webb have also identified some of the problems I have with Radio 3 now, in their recent R4 sketch show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007lqrh

Listen to the "interview" with the "conductor" of the BBC Philharmonic about 16 and a bit minutes in

Now, I'm getting out my CD of Rachmaninov, to listen to his Prelude in F hashtag minor, Op. 23, No. 1 Smile

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John W

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Ah now ClassicFM agree with FoR3/R3's serious listeners, it has dumbed down to their level!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10596257/Classic-FM-claims-BBC-Radio-3-apes-its-output-for-more-listeners.html Smile

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John W

Ian Robinson · Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 3:44 pm Post subject:

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Ian, parts of R3 HAVE dumbed down. More and more the daytime programmes are playing short popular pieces or just movements. Early Breakfast often has no piece of music longer than 5 minutes, news or headlines every 15 minutes, unending trailers.....

And now the controller seems incapable of offering a proper argument saying just that the claim of dumbing down at Radio 3 is 'Nonsense’.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10606007/Nonsense-of-dumbing-down-at-Radio-3.html

and pathetically saying R3 has jazz, world music and ignoring the complaints about core classical music in the daytime shows. He then says listeners are rarely allowed on the airwaves. “We don’t have chatter” and yet as an example on 'In Tune ' recently we had this:

>>
the multi-talented @alexdariescu has made us a cake! this has made us consider the big question if a composer was a cake what would they be?

We think Brahms would be a hearty black forest gateau, and Strauss a delicate millefeuille....

<<

What crap. I am very disappointed that Sean Rafferty descends to this level to keep his job

Sad

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John W

Ian Robinson · Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 9:58 am Post subject:

But my point is it's still not as dumb as Classic FM, where the height of sophistication is informing listeners that Khachaturian's Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia was the theme from The Onedin Line.

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Yes but the most listened to programmes HAVE dumbed down, and R3 will lose many listeners. They mighty gain a few of course, let's watch the rajars.
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John W

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

And now Michael White is weighing, quite an excellent article, and a reminder at the foot that FoR3 (which inspired R2ok!) started over 10 years ago!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10607639/Why-Radio-3-is-out-of-tune-with-its-listeners.html
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John W

Ian Robinson · Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 6:29 pm Post subject:

John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

Ian, I didn't say the new style presentations would increase the popularity of the station. They could lose 530,645 loyal listeners from daytime, and gain just 63 new listeners.
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John W