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Radio 3 recent changes.

GavinA

GavinA

pfm Member
Is anyone else annoyed by recent changes to Radio 3? They have introduced more ‘idents’ telling you that you are listening to Radio 3 (I know!) and adverts for other programmes on the channel, and now adverts for tv programmes ‘Call the Midwife’ and the Six Nations rugby. I find it really annoying breaking the mood they have been carefully constructing. I still rate Radio 3 the best I have heard for intelligent programming and sound quality, but they seem to be undermining their excellent traditions with this mindless standard radio presentation.
 
Yes. I used to get cross in the car, switching to R3 and being greeted by several seconds of silence. I can't stand these "adverts" for that is all they are. Well, that and a cheap way to fill the time.
 
GavinA said:
Is anyone else annoyed by recent changes to Radio 3? They have introduced more ‘idents’ telling you that you are listening to Radio 3 (I know!) and adverts for other programmes on the channel, and now adverts for tv programmes ‘Call the Midwife’ and the Six Nations rugby. I find it really annoying breaking the mood they have been carefully constructing. I still rate Radio 3 the best I have heard for intelligent programming and sound quality, but they seem to be undermining their excellent traditions with this mindless standard radio presentation.
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The relentless trails for upcoming programmes really boils my pee. And news every half hour during the breakfast programme. I can change over to Today if i want the news ffs.
 
Finnegan said:
Further dumbing down, or could be interesting?

www.theguardian.com

‘A James Bond night? Absolutely!’ Radio 3 boss Sam Jackson reveals his big shakeup

The ex-boss of Classic FM is rebooting the BBC’s venerable home of classical music, with new shows and presenters – including a special slot for ‘perfect fit’ Jools Holland
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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I reckon they’ll do a Tony Blackburn and drop the sound level on Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet while the host reads out wedding anniversary dedications.
 
GavinA said:
Is anyone else annoyed by recent changes to Radio 3? They have introduced more ‘idents’ telling you that you are listening to Radio 3 (I know!) and adverts for other programmes on the channel, and now adverts for tv programmes ‘Call the Midwife’ and the Six Nations rugby. I find it really annoying breaking the mood they have been carefully constructing. I still rate Radio 3 the best I have heard for intelligent programming and sound quality, but they seem to be undermining their excellent traditions with this mindless standard radio presentation.
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I listen a lot to the France Musique internet channels. I particularly enjoy their Baroque channel.
 
GavinA said:
Is anyone else annoyed by recent changes to Radio 3? They have introduced more ‘idents’ telling you that you are listening to Radio 3 (I know!) ...
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I find the idents in the middle of the In Tune Classical Mixtape to be seriously disruptive. It seems to have gone down from two during the half-hour to one but that's one more than I find comfortable.

I do wonder if it's driven by people mis-using Mixtape downloads or by some form of (IMHO) misguided self-promotion.
 
John Phillips said:
I find the idents in the middle of the In Tune Classical Mixtape to be seriously disruptive. It seems to have gone down from two during the half-hour to one but that's one more than comfortable.

I do wonder if it's driven by people mis-using Mixtape downloads or by some form of (IMHO) misguided self-promotion.
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Radio 1 used to do this during their ‘Essential Mix’ house and techno broadcasts to disrupt bootlegging.
 
If you people listened to R3 via good ol' steam radio tuners you wouldn't have these hassles. I refuse to believe that finer s.q. can e derived from any other method. 😁
 
Finnegan said:
Radio 1 used to do this during their ‘Essential Mix’ house and techno broadcasts to disrupt bootlegging.
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Yes, that does seem a quite understandable purpose for idents.

However, IMHO this approach is more like "window-dressing", to mollify the rights owners through the BBC doing something to meet contractual non-distribution obligations, than something effective. A "professional" bootlegger will use something like Audacity to edit out the ident. Only amateur bootleggers and listeners suffer.
 
Mike Reed said:
If you people listened to R3 via good ol' steam radio tuners you wouldn't have these hassles. I refuse to believe that finer s.q. can e derived from any other method. 😁
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But I do listen on good ol’ steam radio (Audiolab 8000) and the SQ is great but the idents and adverts for telly programs are not.
 
GavinA said:
But I do listen on good ol’ steam radio (Audiolab 8000) and the SQ is great but the idents and adverts for telly programs are not.
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Admittedly, I normally only tune in to R3 for Music Planet ; 1 hour Sat. afternoons. However, decided to have it all morning in the office but haven't been aware of anything untoward. Not sure what a sonic ident is, mind. Maybe it's the transmission station? How often do these annoyances happen?
 
Mike Reed said:
Admittedly, I normally only tune in to R3 for Music Planet ; 1 hour Sat. afternoons. However, decided to have it all morning in the office but haven't been aware of anything untoward. Not sure what a sonic ident is, mind. Maybe it's the transmission station? How often do these annoyances happen?
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An ident is R3 telling you (too often) that you are listening to R3 which you already know having listened to it for 60+ years. The other new annoyance is ads for particular programmes on R3 - not a bad idea in itself unless repeated (as they do) a dozen times in short order. The worry is that the new boss (from Classic FM) is trying to change R3 into Classic FM.
 
I can tune out the occasional promo, but find it much harder to ignore the presenter who witters on after Radio3 In Concert every evening. Her voice and demeanour might (possibly) suit CBBC. On R3 they just sounds weird.

And wasn't it someone on pfm who referred (last year?) to Carsick FM? Seemed appropriate then. And not a good omen now.

I assume it's all about being 'relevant' and a new demographic - so before long I'll probably be switching to France Musique full time.
 
GavinA said:
The worry is that the new boss (from Classic FM) is trying to change R3 into Classic FM.
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This already happened many years ago in the wake of the establishment of Classic FM. The breakfast programme and mid morning Essential Classics are a deliberate aping of CFM’s musical policy of small excerpts of the most popular and commercial movements of symphonies, arias etc.

But yes, I am concerned that he will try to take it even more downmarket. The appointment of Jools Holland is not encouraging. An obvious gamble on a celebrity name. We don’t yet know what the musical policy of his show will be, but I suspect it will resemble evening shows on R2, i.e. Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller, Courtney Pine et al. Nothing wrong with the music per se, but it already has a home on R2. The reality is, declining BBC audiences lost to streaming etc will inevitably mean an increase in more commercial and populist output. The audience for a complete Mahler symphony at 11am on a midweek morning must by now be vanishingly small.
 
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