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Old 1st Aug 2020, 4:59 pm   #41
Junk Box Nick
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

Jimmy Young - a bad omission indeed - sorely missed.

And let's not forget David Jacobs and Brian Matthew.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 5:03 pm   #42
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

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Originally Posted by dave walsh View Post
actually it's not at all difficult to see that the Beeb is trying to cater for the trendy "YOOF" market [eg BBC "ZOUNDS"].
Actually, they're fighting a rearguard battle to remain in existence, at least as we know it. The global (commercial) arm is just one tactic. Broadcasting to where the listeners have moved to is another. The current climate is hostile on all fronts, the saying "you won't know what you've lost until it's too late" comes to mind. Some trends are already irreversible, programmes becoming "media content". Like it or not, the BBC has always been an anchor in stormy waters. Be careful what you wish for.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 5:10 pm   #43
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The current climate is hostile on all fronts
Unfortunately the BBC is turning some its best friends hostile.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 5:21 pm   #44
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

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A thread of 38 posts about the Light Programme and no one has mentioned JY.

He was Radio 2's best asset in my opinion, and I've hardly listened to it
And Jimmy Young being one of the original Radio 1 DJs I seem to remember?

kenny Everett was always one of my favourite DJs and Emperor Rosko doing his American style.
Steve.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 6:15 pm   #45
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

I quite enjoy Radio Lancashire in fairly small chunks. It isn't up to the output from the presenters mentioned in post 36 but it also isn't loud and laddish. A great advantage is that it is also broadcast on MW.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 6:30 pm   #46
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

I was lost as a regular listener when Hubert Gregg's half-hour show was axed, and as an occasional one with the demise of The Organist Entertains: I'm not expecting any attempts to lure the likes of me back, we're probably mostly dead. I seem to be in a small minority too in having fond memories of Sing Something Simple, which generally coincided with a weekly bath at my gran's, after a short walk up the road with soap and towel. Happy(ish) days...

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Old 1st Aug 2020, 6:30 pm   #47
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Successive administrations have tried to emasculate the BBC and make it an organ of goverment policy. Somebody decided that imposing the bill for free licences for over-75s on the Corporation was a masterstroke, at once bringing it to heel by hitting it in the pocket and rousing pensioners to fury. Nice try - it's actually likely to cost the goverment more in increased take-up of Pension Credit. Imperfect as the BBC now is, the UK broadcast scene would be much, much worse without it.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 6:53 pm   #48
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I've listened to Radio Lancs [off and on] since 1983 [post 43*]-mainly because it had it's own "homegrown" version of eclectic programming like the BBC's John Peel and Mixing It/Late Junction that later appeared on Radio Three. I think "The Wire" [Steve Barker] is still on for two hours a week. The Station itself is very well balanced and accessible, as you say with a good atmosphere! Possibly worlds away from the stiffer Home, Light and Third though. Don't forget "Journey Into Space" ! Very up-to date with it's alien abduction plot. Just a very gripping Science Fiction tale then but now?

I take your point at post 42* Bill [about a rearguard action] but the BBC is always in that dangerous position now, due to external circumstances to be sure but also a lack of appropriate leadership and consistent vision. We are still not really sure how it came to be that Greg Dyke left? It seems to be widely acknowledged, now, that the hilarious comedy/stroke satire "W1A" has a high documentary content. The Corporation has a lot of money, even if not for it's wider commercial ambitions. I'd like to see it continue to turn out quality work and maintain in house skills, while cutting back on Salaries [at the top] and vanity projects. It should have more focus, gravitas and weight within P S Broadcasting and be the on-going lead in video/sound archiving for the nation. Sort of a Smithsonian+perhaps? Otherwise it will be just another outlet on the "How To Stream TV" page of the Radio Times-currently twelves sources on p35]. If the Beeb still owned Radio Times, I'm not sure their layout would be like that or maybe so It's what a lot of companies do. Strip out the bits they don't recognise the value of. Currently it's presenters, as we know!

Dave

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Old 1st Aug 2020, 7:17 pm   #49
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

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And Jimmy Young being one of the original Radio 1 DJs I seem to remember?
He was on the photograph taken on the steps of Broadcasting House prior to the launch of Radio One, along with Terry Wogan, Pete Murray, and a whole bunch of ex-pirates like Dave Cash, Keith Skues, Mike Raven, John Peel, Ed Stewart and Tony Blackburn.

I remember at school JY's R1 'prog' was actually rather popular. (My favourite period for R1 was JY, Tony Brandon and Terry Wogan in the afternoon.)

It has to be remembered that daytime R1 catered for a broader range of ages and presentation tastes than today's incarnation. This is not PC but housewives were very much in the target with JY's recipies, etc.

Although the pirates are now assumed to have been just for the teens they had a wider audience which R1 then addressed. The teens may buy the records* but the spot advertising was aimed at the older audience with money to spend. Teens weren't interested in what MacFisheries, Findus Frozen Foods, Libby's or Silexene paint had to offer. Outside of Kenny Everett and Emperor Rosko whenever I hear old pirate recordings I am surprised how staid much of the presentation was.

And, of course, the Light Programme had a bit of competition from Radio 390, Britain Radio and Radio 355. The 'pop pirates' weren't all pop.

Thus Radio 2 rather carried on where the Light Programme had left off largely catering for the older audience like my parents. I think JY went to Radio 2 around 1972 or 73.

As for Sing Something Simple - programmes now crop up on Serenade Radio. I hated it as a kid because that was what you were supposed to do and would tune the radio to Caroline if I could. These days, I rather enjoy it and appreciate the quality of the singing and in a straight choice SSS would win every time over some angry young man shouting bad doggerel to a thump thump backing track. These days I enjoy a lot of music that I would have avoided like the plague when I was a kid. (My main BBC listening is to Radio 3.)

*It's no coincidence that a lot of people behind the pirate stations were record and music publishers like Alan Crawford and Reg Calvert who saw it as a vehicle to promote their product.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 7:32 pm   #50
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

Whereas once upon a time, the BBC could boast that it was totally free of advertising, it now has commercial breaks just like other broadcasters. The only difference is that the adverts are for the BBC itself. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if instead the adverts were for an insurance company or John Lewis if as a result it saved me the licence fee.

Martin
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 7:55 pm   #51
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

Commercial advertising, left to itself, if it broke out on the BBC would increase the frequency of adverts ad nauseam. Rather like is happening and making youtube unwatchable now.

At least the BBC keep their own ads outside of the programme blocks themselves.

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Old 1st Aug 2020, 7:58 pm   #52
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

It doesn't advertise itself every 20 minutes and the licence fee is £3 a week.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 8:23 pm   #53
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

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Whereas once upon a time, the BBC could boast that it was totally free of advertising, it now has commercial breaks just like other broadcasters. The only difference is that the adverts are for the BBC itself. Frankly, I wouldn’t care if instead the adverts were for an insurance company or John Lewis if as a result it saved me the licence fee.

Martin
I have often wondered if the BBC has been "got at" on trailers/advertising. Perhaps the commercial broadcasters complained that the BBC had an unfair advantage in not having to run adverts, so the government "had a word with" the BBC and told them to devise something that would irritate listeners as much as commercial adverts. They came up with trailers to remove the unfair advantage.

Just a gentle conspiracy theory, but I find those ridiculously patronising and histrionicised trailers infuriating and demeaning of the BBC.

Mike
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 9:08 pm   #54
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Default Re: The BBC light programme

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I find those ridiculously patronising and histrionicised trailers infuriating and demeaning of the BBC.
I find that thing about the thirteen year old girl who checked her dad's calculations vastly so. She did her bit, granted, as millions of others did, but to watch the trailer, you'd think she won the Battle of Britain single handed.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 10:19 pm   #55
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Default Re: The BBC Light programme

Radio Luxembourg was essential listening for me in that period after the pirates were forced off the air and Radio 1 in the evenings went back to old style ( think they may have joined up with Radio 2 after a certain time in the evening?)

During the day I liked the Radio 1 shows from when it started with their original DJ lineup.

The adverts on the pirates/Luxembourg didnt seem to be irritating then, unlike the adverts on commercial radio now that I cant stand, I suppose it was something fairly unusual and some of the shows had a sponsor where they just mentioned the name quite a few times! maybe it was just being young!

Steve.
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 10:54 pm   #56
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Default Re: The BBC Light programme

Luxembourg was terrible before the pirates. Record shows paid for by the big four record companies with records faded half-way through – effectively tasters to encourage kids to go out and buy the record – Mecca Bingo programmes calling out the numbers! After the demise of the pirates Luxy borrowed their style. That was my Luxembourg period: Bob Stewart, Dave Christian, Tony Prince, Kid Jenson. I think we put up with the ads and the fading and phase distortion because there was nothing else – though one or two of us did discover AFN – and I'd say there weren't so many ads per hour as now. I listen to the half-hour The Business Breakfast on Jazz FM and by the time they've accomodated the ad breaks and two records you're lucky to get 10-15 minutes discussion. It's the repetitive nature of blanket advertising that is so annoying now.

Radio One was with Radio 2 in the evenings. I was building my own simple sets by that point. Before I'd worked out how to use regeneration, Luxembourg was out of the question. I remember Late Night Extra on Radio 2 down the earphone and about this point I became aware of Radio 4 as worth listening to.

In the days of the Light Programme I had as a birthday present a Long Wave coil set for my Philips Electronic Engineer set just to get the Light which at least to me was an improvement on the Home and Third. I still have that kit – in its box!
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Old 1st Aug 2020, 10:57 pm   #57
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Default Re: The BBC Light programme

It was through Luxembourg that I started listening to Genesis and Jethro Tull. Trespass and Aqualung were my first serious non-classical purchases. And are still on my record collection shelves.

Craig
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Old 2nd Aug 2020, 12:29 am   #58
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Two political and one self confessed OT posts deleted.
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Old 2nd Aug 2020, 7:06 am   #59
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Default Re: The BBC Light programme

Repetitive advertising really gets my goat. It leaves me with a burning desire to never ever buy that product/service. It isn't just irritation, it makes the company behind it seem desperate, and with that much budget visibly going into advertising, how can their product be at a good price?

As you can imagine, I have fun if ever stopped or doorstepped by a market survey type person.

The BBC's repetitive trailers achieve the irritation without the commercial aspect, or do they? The BBC need good viewing/listening figures to impress their importance on their political masters... the ones who decide on next year's licence fee.

I rather like the BBC.

I just wish they didn't have to sell themselves quite so hard and more of their effort could go into programmes.

I mourn the passing of their gorgeous transmitting stations. School trips took me to Pole Moor (Moorside Edge), Holme Moss and Emley Moor. The first two were calm cathedrals to electromagnetic radiation. Emley was far more modernistic - they had buttons that lit up when pressed!

I mourn the passing of those wonderful yellow research reports and the people behind them.

David
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Old 2nd Aug 2020, 7:22 am   #60
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Default Re: The BBC Light programme

In the 1950’s my parents would very often listen to Hilversum instead of the BBC output, can’t remember the content but probably light music of some kind. They had broadcasts in English i presume, they didn’t speak Dutch.
I used to listen to Luxembourg in the 1950/60’s until the pirates came along. By the late 60’s my music tastes were changing to jazz and some classical.
The Light program wasn’t high on my list of priorities.

As noted earlier BBC is only £3 a week, perhaps they are trying to spread what they have too thin. I don’t need to be able to listen/view them all the time, just one or two hours a week would be enough for me, they don’t seem able to do that consistently.

I will be sad if it eventually closes but it’s guaranteed for the next 7 years in some form.
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