R2OK!

Moonraker · Joined: 15 Sep 2010 Posts: 43

In this weeks Radio Times there is an interview with Tim Davie, the man who runs BBC Radio, a former marketeer who has never worked in radio before, on the Future of Radio.

He wants us to listen to more radio on our computers, he wants to focus on speech services on Radio 1, is introducing a Books on Mayo slot during Drivetime and has a plan to create Radio 4 Extra.

But the big idea is the imminent launch of the UK Radioplayer. This promises to arrive as a pop-up player on your computer - a single website covering the whole radio industry, BBC and commercial, where you can happily jump from one programme to another.

It all sounds like the end of radio as we know it, I thought the digital switchover was bad enough, but if this guy gets his way we will have to carry a laptop around the house with us just to listen to the radio. All this is being done to attract younger listeners and possible alienate it's older ones. I don't even think he likes music, I get the impression he'd get rid of it if he could.

It makes you think that the future of radio is in safe hands Shocked

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

Why is it that these people seem to want to turn so called music stations into places where we just hear presenters who like the sound of their own voice.
Moyles on Radio 1 is a good current example and Radio 2 is heading the same way
If I want to hear intelligent talk I can tune to Radio 4 or for silly talk Talksport
If I tune to a music station I want to hear music only punctuated with intelligent chat from the presenter relevent to what is being broadcast.
I really do not understand why people can not just leave things alone when they work and just change the things that don't work
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Are you ready for a Ruddles?

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

Assuming in time all cars will have a roaming wi-fi pick up or similar, and the days of FM and DAB end, to the swell the Govs shrinking coffers, the time will be ripe for a ...... CYBER HIT! and then ....... silence!

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6851

ColinB · Guest

Angela W · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 7228 Location: North Yorkshire

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

When will stereo manufacturers release digital models?

I am looking forward to the day when 6music will play in my car Very Happy

obviously if it's still going by then
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You will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz, all those are just labels, we know that music is music.

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

When DAB is standardised across Europe, then the car manufactures can install a common DAB unit, it doesn't pay at the moment.

I had a Vauxhall with a DAB unit 5 - 6 years ago, DAB was cr@p when mobile always dropping out, I note they they stopped fitting them shortly afterwards.

FM is still head and shoulders above anything DAB can offer right now, even the time signal is accurate!

Clive55 · Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 1336

I don't drive, but I have a brilliant personal DAB radio, wonderful for when I am on the move

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

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

[quote="mark occomore]What we carry laptops around with us when we shop and in the car. More speech to Radio1. I think he's focusing Radio 1 on a different culture. The station is about new music etc. It will upset the younger folk who tune to the network for music. He seems to want to turn Drivetime on Radio 2 into a magazine show, like The One Show. This is why sometimes the BBC should focus on a Radio 2 extra which could feature things like this. I also thought BBC Radio 7 was that type of station.[/quote]

THere already is a radio 2 Extra it's called 6 music.
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You will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz, all those are just labels, we know that music is music.

ColinB · Guest

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

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

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

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

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

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

30 year olds are Radio 1 age though undiscovered.

Great if they want to listen but they shouldn't expect shows or playlists to be geared to them. That is the main problem I think.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

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

30 year olds are not Radio 1 and haven't been post Bannister

THey seem to be the middle age group from 30 onwards we are too young for R1 and according to you too young for R2.
I am not saying that aim the station at us but shows like the ones 6music are just about music so not really age defined.

R2 already has a SOTS and used to have a pretty good 70's show but the JW version isn't so universally 70's dare I say it. Both these decades should be catered for but why no 80's?
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You will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz, all those are just labels, we know that music is music.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

There is already loads of 80s stuff on Radio 2!

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

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

Steve Wright aside I don't think there is much 80's stuff on R2, the R1 DJ's of the 80's have been cast aside by Bannister and the BBC.

We still have the old influence from the Light Programme days, the 60's (Brian Matthews etc), the 70's (Johnny Walker, Suzi Quatro etc), then a big jump to the 90's (Evans, Ball, Mayo etc) - no 80's!

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

The DJs may have been cast aside but there are plenty of 80s tracks played on Radio 2. Maybe you don't listen to the right shows. There are a lot on JV for instance.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

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

helen, you miss my point I am saying that maybe an 80's show rather than just expect it mixed in with the regular shows.

Maybe it's getting to the time where "normal" daytime shows are replaced by specialised shows like the ones that R2 does best but only gets air time late in the evening ?
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You will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz, all those are just labels, we know that music is music.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

Sorry I see what you are getting at now.

Not sure if an 80s show would go down that well to be honest.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

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

It's not my cup of tea either but to discount a whole section of the R2 audience who are aged 40+ who were out and about during the 80's is missing a trick.
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You will hear gospel and rhythm and blues and jazz, all those are just labels, we know that music is music.

graham b · Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 211 Location: Wakefield

Launch date for UK Radioplayer has been announced as 31 March 2011. See link

http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6794.2

Gibbo · Joined: 31 Aug 2010 Posts: 117 Location: Wirral

Its says:

The service is only designed to work on devices with Flash installed, so listening on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is not possible.

Are they reinventing the wheel? I've used "TuneIn Radio" on my Android phone for ages and its absolutely fantastic.

ColinB · Guest

Anybody who creates a Mobile App in Adobe Flash is 100% Completely Barmy. Objective C is now the default coding language for mobile web devices (as used by Apple and others) and by using Flash they're cutting out a massive slice of their potential user-base. How stupid!

Flash is fine for standard web interfaces but is quickly giving way to HTML5-based browser applications.

You're right, "Tune-In Radio" is a much better app; it costs 59p in the UK and can be used on both Apple and Android platforms. It's the best 59p I've spent in years!

Gnasty Gnome · Joined: 28 Jul 2007 Posts: 313 Location: West Wales

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

Sorry wrong thread!

NickSheffield · Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 508

Thanks to TuneIn Radio, I now wake up, and walk to and from work listening to Radcliffe and Maconie. See ya, Mr. E.

ColinB · Guest

Barty · Joined: 22 Aug 2010 Posts: 115

ColinB · Guest

I think it's better to listen to one's favourite music via means other than radio, these days; after all, if we're into, say, 80s music, then it's far better to use Spotify or one's own iTunes collection. Who needs the kind of moronic, inane chatter we get between tracks on R2 these days?

I had the misfortune to hear the first few minutes of the Captain Gobby show at 6.30am today, and the first bit of music he played was one of my favourite songs by The Eagles which was duly interrupted by the silly, attention-seeking, presenter blowing that ridiculous horn of his in rhythm to the music.

It reminded me of "Tiswas", in fact (only "Tiswas" was actually funny).

It's OK, though. TuneIn Radio came to the rescue.

graham b · Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 211 Location: Wakefield

Has anyone managed to get onto the UK Radio Player? I tried the link from the article on BBC News but it appears to be broken.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19382 Location: Cheshire

I hadn't realised it was starting up today Graham. I did notice that the radio 'window' for iPlayer has a slightly different look to it today though.

H
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88 - 91 FM this is Radio 2 from the BBC!

I said it live on air in the studio with Jeremy Vine on 10/3/2005

Ian Robinson · Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:05 pm Post subject:

Works for me, but as it's Flash-based, the question is: how long, and can I bothered waiting...?

Fred · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:06 am Post subject:

ColinB · Guest

The ability to call the URI without the "www" is dependent on how the browser handles it rather than anything server-side. I use Safari and Chrome on my Mac and PCs and it's never a problem.

Rob · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 163 Location: Leicester