R2OK!

Ian Robinson

...alongside Janice Long, Alex Lester, Mark Goodier and Paul Gambaccini!

https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/station/on-air/simon-mayo-ghr/

Ian Robinson · Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2021 2:00 pm Post subject:

It's been announced today that Simon will be taking over the Drivetime slot from 2 weeks time, with Matt Williams rejoining him. He says he has "unfinished business"

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

Welcome news! I'll have to listen with earphones while watching The Chase and Pointless with subbies on. Glad Dr Mosh is back with him.
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oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

He starts the Drivetime on 15th of March.
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life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19334 Location: Cheshire

Well I missed the first hour but it's good to hear his voice and to have a lot more chat than I'm used to hearing!

Tomorrow is Tunes day and it's songs that last more than 5 minutes.

So good to have some to the old Drivetime features.

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: Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:35 am Post subject:

I saw his opening statement on Twitter, and he was as classy as always but I did feel a bit sorry for those genuinely local DJs who have lost their jobs in that slot in recent months and years. It's very weird that the station which once came from a church 10 miles from me is now a national station with Simon Mayo on it. I'm not entirely sure that's progress!

Ian Robinson · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:37 am Post subject:

But I do think this is the first genuine competition Radio 2 has had for many years. Evans and Norton have gone to small stations, but GHR is potentially huge.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19334 Location: Cheshire

I agree about the competition Ian.

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

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

I remembered to tune in, which is a miracle in itself. From 4 until 5, then 6 until 7. It was a bit weird at first, hearing him and Matt after all this time, but that soon passed. Nice choice of music as well. I don't expect it to be quite what it was...the adverts will see to that, but I'll get used to that as well. I've not been tempted by Chris Evans or even Graham Norton on Virgin, but good on anyone who has. R2 deserve to lose listeners. I see the latest ads on BBC TV for the R2 'family' touch and find it all a bit nauseating.

Today, I'll listen to the middle hour with earphones and put The Chase and Pointless on with subtitles!

Here's the afore mentioned ad, for those of you who may be either curious or masochists...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq4fRyBizO4&t=20s
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life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

There's a piece in today's Guardian on Simon's show. Very favourable. It also mentions Boom Radio, which I was totally unaware of. It has some old familiar names such as Roger Day, David Hamilton, Kid Jensen, Nicky Horne and on Saturday nights, David Symonds. Seems to be mostly 50's and 60's, with some 70's for garnish.

I've had it on for about 15 minutes and it's a fine channel.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/20/boom-radio-simon-mayo-drivetime-greatest-hits-radio-penny-smith-scala-radio

https://www.boomradiouk.com/progs1/2021/03/20/
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Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19334 Location: Cheshire

Thanks for the reminder about Boom Radio Raver! I read a few articles that David Hamilton was mentioned in about a week or so before they started broadcasting then forgot about it. I think he was mainly criticising the Beeb for abandoning older listeners and of course he was right!

I'm going to record David Symonds later as I'll be watching TV by then. I always liked his R2 show in the early 80s, still got a few tapes I made up from stuff from his programmes.

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

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

I listened to all 3 hours of David Symonds last night, H! Earphones while watching the rugby (sob!) and MOTD. That man has a voice that can melt icebergs. I always liked him, right back from when he was a Radio 1 DJ. He was well in with The Moody Blues at the time. They were massive back then, especially in the States. He penned the sleeve notes on Threshold Of A Dream, if I remember correctly. Anyway...yadda yadda...it was great to hear him again.

I was straight onto Boom this morning, too. Very much liking Les Ross, who I am not familiar with, but he's well known in Brum, so I read. And hardly any ads, which a huge bonus. The only gripe I had with the Simon Mayo comeback, was the amount of ads - though I guess they have to pay his wages somehow.

In the meantime, I'm quite thrilled with this Boom lark and look forward to more of the same. Roger Day later, who I haven't listened to for a few years, as his Radio Kent show used to be on after Dave Cash's Saturday evening old charts programme, but once Dave died suddenly a few years back, I couldn't bear to listen anymore. But before that, two vintage charts...1963 first up.

One last thing. The oldies they play are varied and not at all tired and predictable!
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oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

Me again. Sorry Simon. I'm hijacking your thread again!

Of course, if it's 60's music that floats your proverbial, then there's only one station. Atlantis. It has the pirate feel, hardly any ads and very little talk, apart from a swift word or two as a link, every now and then. It rattles along at a wonderful pace and is just a real tonic, much needed in the present climate. Luckily, here in the south, I can get it on all of my 'receivers', apart from the old Roberts in the kitchen, which isn't DAB+1. But with all this Alexa stuff etc, that should present no problem.

https://www.atlantisradio.uk/
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RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Thank you for that suggestion, Raver.

I have just dipped in to Atlantis for half an hour or so. Their evening album show is mostly the big classic rock names, though not necessarily their biggest "hits", and it was nice to have Colin Blunstone and a lesser track from Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown amongst them. I shall have to try their daytime output.

Boom Radio has been mentioned in all of what used to be called the broadsheets. The list of presenters does make it look like the last station on the line before they hang up their microphones for good, but it is good to hear some of the people who drove the successful launch of independent local radio in the 1970s - Les Ross, John Peters, Roger Day and Nicky Horne - again.

Simon Mayo never did sound quite right on Scala. I'm sure the move back to his old slot, albeit on a digital only station with crass adverts, is a good one.
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Ron

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6814

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Richard Allinson has left Magic. Rumours are that he could be incoming at GHR.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19334 Location: Cheshire

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Quite right Helen, he has not left Magic.

In actual fact, if you want to be 100% correct, Richard presents a show on Magic Mellow on Sundays between 10-1pm.

Ian Robinson · Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:59 pm Post subject:

Good for Richard keeping his slot in the latest reshuffle. Commercial radio can be ruthless.

Helen May · Joined: 10 Dec 2006 Posts: 19334 Location: Cheshire

Mark Mayhew · Joined: 11 Dec 2006 Posts: 2897

Ian-Remember with quality, cream always rises to the top!

Richard Allinson is the best voice/DJ on the radio by a country mile, so any station that employs him are very lucky to have him on board.

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

Another couple of stations I've learned of today (but not listened as yet).

Firstly, Caroline Flashback. I think it's available via the Internet and Alexa and a few other things. Roger Day pops up on here as well. What a day for a Day dream.

Sorry...

http://www.carolineflashback.co.uk/#schedule.html

It also boasts a Listen Again, so quite handy.

http://www.carolineflashback.co.uk/#listen_again.html?v=1

This one will be ambrosia to anyone who misses the old Radio 2/Light Programme . Especially on Sundays.

Serenade Radio

https://www.serenade-radio.com/
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RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Had a listen to those two.

Most, if not all, the shows on Flashback appear to be pre-recorded or repeats.
Roger Day's show on Saturday morning is at the same time as his My Generation (Sounds of the 60s) on Boom Radio.

Serenade is a bit too sweet and soporific, even for old Light Programme fans.
Monday to Friday they repeat the same six hours of programming four times through 24 hours. Again, one of the presenters is on at the same time as he's on Boom.
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Ron

oldraver · Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1175 Location: London

I did listen to both for about ten minutes each, but they didn't appeal, especially Serenade, which is indeed, soporific. Dignitas would approve.

I hadn't noticed the Roger Day clash. I didn't even know he did a 60's show on Boom on Saturday mornings, until I saw a post from Angela yesterday and caught the last 20 minutes or so, but will give it a go from now on. Apart from Listen Again programmes - usually R2 or R4, 6Music (less and less) and Five Live for sport, which take up most of my listening, Boom has been my kitchen listening at times while I'm slaving away. I can't get Atlantis on the radio out there. Just as well, as I was feeling in danger of 60's fatigue. So avoided that completely for a couple of weeks.

There's been a lot of Lennon on Sounds and on TV though, which I will never tire of. Last night's offerings on BBC 2 were really good, if not the happiest programmes ever, while out of the Sounds offerings, this one from Archive on 4 in 2015 appeals to me the most. I don't think I've heard it before, but may well have!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06f4xm2?fbclid=IwAR3FALjdkz6iLbUqsV6gWLKbYV0ZbSjoaG8E_vFthoqPw24tPjLDTfnzyTk
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Ian Robinson · Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2021 9:52 pm Post subject:

Congratulations to Simon Mayo who has become an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours.

becky sharp · Joined: 01 Dec 2008 Posts: 6814