Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:26 AM

Thought I'd say something just to get 100 but you beat me.
Rachael McShane was excellent, getting in bits about local musicians being invited onto Radio Newcastle but I expect she was pissing herself laughing about Roger Bolton describing the opening of Sloe Gin (Spiers) as 'very traditional' and the ending The Sloe (Trad) as 'getting more funky'.
I was amazed at the numner of points they let Dave get in.
Jolly well done (though the overall conclusion that music will live on whatever the fate of broadcasting at Barrack Road was probably not what the station manager was looking for!)

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: redsnapper
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:31 AM

Heard it too and it was a fair piece. Well done FD.

RS

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: greg stephens
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 09:55 AM

Well done for getting the subject aired,Dave. By media standards a very fair piece I thought.I am prepared to overlook the obligatory "finger in the ear" remark, particularly as there was no mention of Aran sweaters. A pity they didn't(unless I missed it) mention that Alistair Anderson was the prime mover in the Newcastle University course, etc etc, by the way.. Anyway, the tone of the piece felt right, and I doubt if the station manager will be best pleased, he came across (a) as shifty and(b) as an outsider who didn't have any idea what he was talking about.
   In fact, considering what tiny little snippets the programme-makers use, and considering they have the editorial control, I think Folkiedave has done us all proud. He set the agenda powerfully enough to ensure his general approach was followed , and I think the peroration at the end was great(even if it might lead some to suppose we don't actually need folk on the radio, as it manages so well on its own!).

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 10:02 AM

Yes, I was a bit worried at the overall conclusion that a programme wasn't needed after all when the truth is just not there! I think it's a case of Frozen Gins all round and a pint of Vinegar (Reel) for the station manager. Oh and he is an outsider to Tyneside who knows not a lot about the city he now works in and provides programmes for. Definite Middlesbrough-ish accent . . .

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: Folkiedave
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 10:35 AM

Well - it was hard - when I did the recording she asked me precisely that question she asked on the programme - and I thought long and hard about the answer.

When faced with these dilemmas I look at the alternatives. I thought I would have looked daft saying "it'll die, we are al doomed" when so obviously it wouldn't - so that was the solution I came up with. I hadn't prepared for that one - unlike I just happened to have quotes from the BBC's mission statement!!

We also went through the finger in the ear bit - I pointed out that no-one really did it - said that pop musicians had now copied it so they could hear themselves better and I asked her if she was wearing headphones!! To be honest I thought they mentioned it so they could get away from it.......

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: KeithofChester
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 10:38 AM

The BBC Radio Newcastle station manager gave a listener figure of 7000 for the folk show in a population of 1.4M. So that was 0.5% of the population of Radio Newcastle catchment areas actually listening. That is a bit lower than Mike Harding's 800,000 listeners in a population of 60M (1.3%). However given that 2M listeners in a total population of 60M (3%) get the whole of Radio 3 provided for their pleasure, 0.5% isn't that small.

I had to smile at the DAB piece in front of the folk item too. Having invested so heavily in DAB, the BBC is obviously feeling quite vulnerable at the recent adoption of the new DAB+ International standard, which will eventually make most existing DAB radios obsolete. The commercial guys are already pressuring Ofcom to support the change her in the UK. The funny thing is of course it that if the BBC did move to DAB+ they could get about twice as many channels on their multiplex and all at higher quality than now, so the capacity for broadcasting more "specialist" music nationwide would be much greater.

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: stallion
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 01:29 PM

can anybody do a blue clicky to a listen again?

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: Folkiedave
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 01:43 PM

Modesty forbids.....ah well,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/atoz/index.shtml#f

go to "Feedback" and "listen" - it's towards the end so you can fast forward 15 minutes if you like.

Subject: RE: Lack of Folk Music on BBC - thoughts
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 03 Aug 07 - 02:25 PM

I agree, a very good piece of radio. The BBC Radio Newcastle station manager sounds like a very good "yes man", and gave answers of the sort normally attributable to a politician. Still, he is providing what his listeners want so God doesn't mind!