R2OK!

howard66 · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 43

Am I the only one who is shocked by Lesley Douglas telling FEEDBACK that she is too busy to go on the programme and defend her decision to axe YOUR HUNDRED BEST TUNEs.

Barkingbiker · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2313 Location: Lincolnshire

I am afraid I am neither shocked or even surprised by this Howard, its just par for the course; even though it is our BBC Evil or Very Mad

BB

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Lady Boil De Spudswell · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 429 Location: Location, Location

No, you're not the only one Howard!

Too busy = Too scared/Not bothered what we think.

As spoken by me elsewhere here, HBT is being lost for what? Half an hour extra of Pick of the Pops and Melodies For You. Hardly essential evolutionary amendments to the schedule are they, and at the expense of a much loved 48 year old radio institution.

I can only hope a similar protest is instigated to the one which safely restored Benny Green and Alan Dell back to Sunday afternoons. People power can sometimes work. Russell Davies at 9pm is just not right for that slot. I for one will be listening to one of my many archive recordings of HBT at that time I'm afraid.
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Cherskiy · Posted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject:

As I've indicated before, I didn't listen to YHBT but read the debate on here with interest, and tuned into the last programme for the same reason. So when Feedback brought the subject up, I listened to that as well.

Lesley Douglas didn't have "time in her schedule" to be interviewed. One wonders what she does all week, apart from think of what to change next?

Management saw an "opportunity to bring together the best elements" from MFY and YHBT - in Birtspeak, "opportunity" usually means taking away something and spinning things to suggest listeners are getting more choice, rather than less. In response to why POTP was given an extra 30 minutes, the manager R2 mentioned that POTP had been taken off the air for 2 years, only to be brought back after there had been a steady stream of letters of complaint. Will the same happen if a similar letter-writing campaign starts? I doubt it, now that they've got a celebrity in place.

"We have a relationship with our audience every day." Really. If that were so, and they took notice of what their listenership thought, I would seriously doubt that RB would have a two-hour show on R2 today. If anything, the relationship is one-way for the most part.

Forums like this one usually represent the most vocal section of an audience or fan base, with a varied cross-section of views, for and against. Whilst that's not entirely scientific, nor completely 100% representative, it is composed of people who for whatever reason *love* R2 and want to see it performing its best. I suspect if any of our views were taken into consideration re this or a few of the other recent changes at R2, the network line-up would look considerably different than it does now.
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Chatelaine · Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 66 Location: Staffordshire

Nothing that woman does surprises me anymore.

H · Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 42

I agree with you Chatelaine.

After what happened last March nothing surprises me any more. I am just very sad that YHBT was taken off just two years short of its 50th anniversary which would have been a great cause for celebration.

John H

gfloyd · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:15 am Post subject:

I doubt there would have been a full and frank discusion anyway. Thee never is. Unfortunately the press seems to be the only place where this happens.

The fact that both Morley & Baker have just been going through the motions for some time needed to be raised as well. They may be music experts but they failed to transmit much enthusiasm to this listener anyway.

I think a very good point was touched on but not developed ie the ghettoisation of classical music ias purely a service to an older audience. If the BBC is moving away from this I would welcome it, but unfortunately that theme wasn't really developed.

As regards H's comments, programmes shouldn't just exist to notch up records. That's just time serving and is rather pointless.

PS I listened to both programmes, not every week, but frequently enough.
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Lord Evan Elpuss · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land

gfloyd · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:21 am Post subject:

Some of these...........

" I'd didn't listen to the show, but................ "

posts are unintentionally hilarious.

If you didn't listen that is probably why the show is being taken off.
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John W · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 3367 Location: Warwickshire, UK

I was very disappointed with the Feedback responses from Dave Barber.

Yet again (as with the first Feedback that tackled the Evans complaints) Lesley can't be bothered - if she had ANY mind for planning her time she would have sat down 3 weeks ago and thought "I'll need to set aside half an hour for Feedback, they are bound to ask why I've axed Y100BT".

I don't agree with Barber that the drop in Y100BT listeners was sufficient justification to axe the show. It should have been justification to change the style or presenter of the show, not axe it.

I don't agree with Barber saying that the new 2hr Melodies For You will make up for the loss of Y100BT. He mentioned overlap of playlists, thought that was an excuse for axing Y100BT. Eh, what's wrong with overlapping playlists? Let's see now, Russel D's playlist overlaps with Parky's, oh and Elaine overlaps with MFY, which also overlaps with Desmond (Tuesday), which overlaps with David Jacobs. Oh, then lets just have ONE SHOW that plays the lot........... well for me Sunday WAS one great Radio 2 show, but now it's not so great.

No. Alan Titchmarsh's MFY will not cater for the Y100BT audience - many of the listeners loved the show because it was specifically light classical, and because it was on late in the evening. Now they are expected to listen in from 6.30pm when the kids and grandchildren are still running around the house and half the playlist will be Broadway and Gilbert & Sullivan which they likely don't enjoy so much.

Where is this 'relationship Radio 2 has with it's audience everyday' ? As Dave Barber put it. He suggests that the controller is responding to the audience. Eh, no. The controller does things and THEN she gets a response, and ignores it.

John W

Cherskiy · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:30 am Post subject:

howard66 · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 43

Do what I did; e mail the BBC and tell them if Dame Lesley can't be bothered to go on FEEDBACK, you haven't time to listen to her new Sunday night programmes.

gfloyd · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:51 am Post subject:

Well I know there is a lot of positive sentiment towards the show. Sentiment does have a place: if everything was reduced to cold hard logic life would be a lot less fun.

But consider this if you will. The music played by YHBT is enjoying a commercial renaissance right now. Yet in the same period YHBT audience manages to drop by 30%. So more people are buying the music and by corollary should be interested in a radio show featuring the music they are buying.

But to be blunt [and apologies in advance to anyone offended] these new converts to the music are NOT tuning to Radio 2's flagship classical show: YHBT.

Radio 2 made the mistake IMO of pitching YHBT as a programme for older listeners not as a service to classical music lovers.

Why categorise music as "old" or " young"? If Radio 2 is moving away from that stark ageism I certainly welcome it.
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Lesley Douglas should hang her head in shame-too busy doing what exactly.

She should face the public or if she cannot be bothered she should be replaced by someone else who is.

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

ern,

Ian Robinson · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:37 pm Post subject:

After Dave Barber's comments, if we all write enough letters do you think we could get Ed Stewart back? One of the best shows on Radio 2 for having a "relationship with it's listeners" and a damn sight better than Johnnie Walker (even for a 'youngster' like me...)

Lady Boil De Spudswell · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 429 Location: Location, Location

Natasha · Little Miss Lovely Smile Joined: 09 Dec 2006 Posts: 790

Sent or not, it wont make a tad of difference, Lady. 'Management' don't even listen to the views of their presenters in private meetings, so there's not a chance they would listen to us 'punters'
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Ian Robinson · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:06 pm Post subject:

Lord Evan Elpuss · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 3417 Location: Cloud Cuckoo Land

Cherskiy · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:38 pm Post subject:

gfloyd · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject:

Hi,

Some good points made today by John W and Lady B.

I would agree with John W that the music played by Alan will not replace the loss of a dedicated classical show.

Radio 2 is rather generous to musicals fans at the moment (I wonder why??) with the daily showtune, Elaine Paige, Russell Davies, MFY and David Jacobs all featuring this genre to some extent. If streamlining was called for that is where I would start. Paige (irrespective of her presenting ability) is playing a mishmash of TV & Film soundtracks plus musicals. You are as likely to hear "Berlin - Take My Breath Away" from "Top Gun" as you are to hear anything from a stage show. I never really understood what drove the selection of music for this show.

I do think the BBC (if it is to provide something for everyone) needs a dedicated light classical show 52 weeks a year in a fixed slot. Where that is in the week, I dont care too much.

Lady B's point re the non-promotion of YHBT is valid as well. I dont know whose fault that was: maybe the BBC was a bit embarrassed by the date presentational style & the fact that Baker came across as rather brisk and cold. The show needed to make people aware it existed. I would cite FNIMN as an example to follow. By using Gambo, Aled & even Richard Allinson they have raised the shows profile. Getting it mentioned on things like Drivetime ocassionally helps too. My feeling is that the Dawn Patrol should be used to promote these programmes. If Radio 2 had a decent afternoon show that could be used as a base to promote specialist shows as well. All they have to do is play a short excerpt from something featured or get the presenter into studio for 5 - 10 minutes to make people aware of the shows existence.
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His name was ernie ........ and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.....

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

Lady,

I'm really sorry I posted a reply to you but clicked the moderator's 'edit' button instead of the 'quote' button and inadvertantly replaced your posting. I think it's gone forever Sad

This is what I was posting:

ern,

Lady Boil De Spudswell · Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 429 Location: Location, Location