R2OK!

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

Could Dale end up on Smooth?

He used work on Talk Radio so he has been on a few stations over the years...

Lord Evan Elpuss · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3415 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land

ColinB · Guest

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

If Dale has a sound financial situation as you rightly say, he'd probably prefer to spend his days where you suggest and therefore he's not likely to miss POTP's either...

Now I am sure I read somewhere that he has already recorded two series of In It To Win It still to air so I guess he tries if possible to do all his work in advance.

ColinB · Guest

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

Good point Colin,
Yes they do record a lot of Deal or No Deal in a day and I think I heard that they do 8 Countdowns in a day Shocked

With modern technology I'm sure Dale and others could voice track from another country via ISDN or the equivelent or have access to a local studio.

ColinB · Guest

ISDN is used less and less these days. I do a lot of video editing and package assembly and I recently pulled a set of voice links from a V/O artist in Sydney as 192Kbps MP3s down from a Dropbox server using Skype merely to monitor the session as it was taking place and provide feed back. The quality was fine. Dale could easily do the same. In fact, they could probably use Skype for the real thing if set up properly.

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

ISDN never really took off did it Colin...

It used to be handy for the few presenters working from home...

I use 192kps for my mp3 files(though I know a higher rate is better)and WAV is best probably but for normal listening in a domestic situation it's fine. I dropped the file bitrate to 92 on an mp3 player for Mum to listen music via a couple of speakers and it's perfectly good and has allowed a lot of material to be loaded(It's still only half full)

Even on headphones the quality is good enough...as you say just for voice links it probably would be acceptable...

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Getting back to the question raised earlier about who did the Tuesday lunchtime show which first revealed the new chart before Paul Burnett I think you will find it was Johnnie Walker
Somewhere in this house I have a book with about 2 years worth of weekly charts written down from 1968 and 1969
I don't know why I bothered to do it but I guess at the age of 14 most people do some strange things
I was also into trainspotting at the time so perhaps that explains a lot!

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

You're right - Johnnie did the early afternoon show 1-3pm from 1971 until falling out with the boss in 1974 over having to play too much pop like Bay City Rollers etc
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Ron

thewelshboycott · Joined: 26 Sep 2009 Posts: 19

I've never been a fan of Dale, but have to admit he's been a real pro on POTP.

Tony Blackburn has been fine for Bank Holidays, but do we really want to hear his Smashy & Nicey act every Saturday? Too much chocolate can make you queasy!

Generally, I think R2 has been right not to bring back old stagers like Blackburn, DLT, Simon Bates, Noel Edmonds (apart from standing in for JW) etc.

I don't think they've improved with age. Many have become caricatures of themselves and I would rather remember them as they were in the 60's / 70's / 80's, when they were actually still good.

It would be nice to think that upcoming radio broadcasters would be promoted, instead of celebs. However, as Gambo has pointed out, they don't even need to work the console any more, so any celeb can do it.

Thanks to Dale for the last decade. He did a better job than he's given credit for.

ColinB · Guest

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

kengeo · Joined: 21 Sep 2010 Posts: 278 Location: Gloucestershire

Maybe Dales being sidelined to present a 'Sounds Of The 80's' show ????

Just a thought!

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Great news.

I think Tony Blackburn will do an excellent job on this show.

Ian Robinson · Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:10 pm Post subject:

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Smooth Radio isn't a tin pot radio station. Thankyou very much.

To clarify Dale will continue to present shows on Radio 2. I wonder if the format will slightly change, and which years he may prefer to air? Unque will still produce the show. Remember Tony is contracted to Smooth and other radio projects. At the end of the day it's about time Tony got his own show on Radio 2.

ColinB · Guest

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

I wonder if he'll broadcast the show live? He did when he presented Bank Holiday Specials, straight from Smooth Radio.

ColinB · Guest

Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

ColinB · Guest

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Arnold isn't dead
He's now retired and living in Barking!

Blondehedgehog · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 286 Location: UK

ColinB · Guest

Doesn't he live on the Isle of Dogs? Can these jokes get any worse??? Cool

Number Six · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 438 Location: In the village

Only with a lot of effort Very Happy

Sorry to introduce a discordant note, but I wasn't a huge fan of Dale. He was OK but he always sounded like an android to me. No emotion in his voice, as well as every other record being a classic Rolling Eyes

Looking forward to TB after his Bank Holiday shows. A true DJ of the old school, just as long as he leaves that bloody dog at home. The only thing more irritating was Ed Stewart's "'allo darlin'" I got bored with that forty years ago
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I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered.

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

TB has had to quit Smooth to get the POTP job

http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6316.2
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Ron

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

If Tony has quit Smooth as you say they might offer the weekend breakfast show to Lynn Parsons
I'd have to listen if they did and use the i player to hear Sounds of the 60s
Why are good shows like the proverbial buses!

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

Once a presenter was exclusive to one station, now as with those who appear on TV, they can and do appear on various networks. I think Tony will still do so. After all he has been on a few whilst doing the Radio 2 specials so for them to dictate that he should leave is a bit rich. Then again Tony seems to have accepted the situation and that this is the best decision.

Perhaps it was the fact that as of Monday Smooth really might be an alternative/competition for Radio 2 as it becomes a National staton carrying the same output across the UK rather than some regional programming. Some long standing presenters after this week lose their shows too.

laissezfaire · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 11 Location: Nottingham

That's an interesting point GG. Do you think maybe that Radio 2 bosses are twitching slightly about the impending arrival of Smooth Radio UK? Initially I wouldn't have thought so, but as October 4th gets nearer, I'm not so sure. I was at Smooth East Midlands on Monday having a "goodbye" coffee. Its such a shame that, as of Friday this week, some very talented people, both on and off air, will be out of work.

ColinB · Guest

Soon there will be a new network - it will feature programmed playlists consisting of unadventurous, entirely predictable, music served from a central network computer and presented by a robotic voice whose links are also playlisted. The network will be branded "Bland" and won't employ any human beings at all.

Oh, hang on, we already have such networks................ silly me!

Cool

laissezfaire · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 11 Location: Nottingham

You are so right Colin. Smooth has a slight edge compared to some of them, but it will never be anything like Radio 2. I mentioned that I visited Smooth East Midlands earlier this week. I have some friends there who were originally employed by Saga 106.6. Now that was a good station and a real alternative for us older listeners. But now, as you say, Bland FM rules. Such a shame.

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

I think Saga might've been likely to survive now and could be brought back in all but name(who was Saga sold off to again?)

There was another station that was similar before I got my DAB radio and I could only hear it via Sky(I forget it's name)Sheila Tracey had a big band show on the station on Sunday lunchtimes.

Do we get the stations we deserve. I try to pick what I listen to(even though sometimes you don't want anything demanding)just playing in the background but many statons are so alike. Until you hear a jingle and station ID you'd have no idea what it is.

Certain programmes on tv are events so they still get an audience and the publicity that goes with it but often it is switched on blinking in the corner and no one is really paying attention.

Radio 2 should not be afraid of Smooth but then again...Smooth could and should be upping it's game plan otherwise what's the point but then again Radio 2 could and should be raising it's game plan too.

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Saga was unable to attract sufficient audiences and advertising even before the recession so the idea is unlikely to be revived. It was bought by GMG/Smooth, which had itself, if you can remember that far back, started out as Jazz FM, another niche market unable to survive commercially.

Sheila Tracey's big band programme, which had been heard now and then previously on Radio 2, was on Saga, as was Andy Marriott's excellent Nostalgia, featuring tracks more than 50 years old. My mum and mum-in-law both loved that, and also the Breakfast Show, hosted here by John Peters, who was the first voice heard on independent local radio in the East Midlands when he opened up Radio Trent (which itself is to be swallowed up by Capital in the New Year). An excellent DJ, now retired, not exactly voluntarily.

Radio 2 has nothing to fear, in its present form, from any of the commercial networks because it, the variety, experience and personality of its presenters, and the mix and depth of music played, is far and away better than any of them. Despite all the complaints.
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Ron

laissezfaire · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 11 Location: Nottingham

Saga was sold to GMG who relaunched it as Smooth. The national DAB station with Sheila Tracy, Don Durbridge, David Hamilton and one or two more ex Radio 2 presenters also belonged to Saga and broadcast as Primetime Radio. Saga closed it down and sold the regionals including the North East for which they had won the licence but never aired as Saga. It really was the "Radio 2 Extra" that we all yearn for these days.

The Great Gildersleeve · Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Posts: 249 Location: North East England

Thanks for all that information Rockitron and Laissezfaire...

I was kind of getting ready for Saga to reach the North East now I think about it.

Funnily enough Classic FM when it was awarded it's license a competitor was wanting to play more music assiciated with musicals etc...which probably could've developed into something like a National Saga/Primetime type station but again it never happened.

laissezfaire · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 11 Location: Nottingham

They (the radio industry) constantly maintain that the kind of music that we want to hear doesn't attract a large enough audience to interest advertisers. But, thinking back to 1965 - 67, one of the most successful of the offshore stations was Radio 390. And its owner, Ted Allebury, wouldn't allow a pop record within a mile of the Red Sands fort from which it operated. How times change.

ColinB · Guest

laissezfaire · Joined: 18 Sep 2010 Posts: 11 Location: Nottingham

Good morning Colin. I'm glad I'm not alone. All these years later I still find the offshore era so very interesting. I've just this minute ordered the reprint of Tom Lodge's book "The Ship That Rocked The World". I can't get enough!! And looking at the commercial radio situation today, with national Smooth, near national Heart and, from January, national Capital, just think how much money could have been saved by simply bringing Caroline, Big L and the like ashore and letting them carry on. Simples.

ColinB · Guest