Good Morning Everyone and Happy Weekend!
"Message in A Bottle" by The Police is on the radio now as I type this . . . what station's it on Ed? Well, it's BBC Radio 2. I'm listening to it online.
Linda and I often talk about the state of radio. Having been on the radio for 2 years we feel we can talk with a modicum of knowledge on the subject! Over here, everything seems to be compartmentalized . . . classic rock, talk, jazz, top 40, you name it, there's a radio station for it.
It's got like that back home. However, if my memory serves me right, the BBC has the lion's share of the audience. Yup, commerical radio takes a battering. The BBC is, to all intent and purpose, a state run organization. How does it win people's listening habits? In our opinion, it provides a great quality product.
It is funded by a Licence Fee. It is mandatory to pay the licence fee. For that, you get 4 tv channels, 7 national radio stations plus your local station and a website plus God knows what else. Guess what? You only have to pay it once a year or spread the payments out over 12 months! It's about 164 pounds a year. Good value for money we think.
It realizes that everyone doesn't like just one particular type of music. BBC Radio 2 is one of the most listened to stations in Europe. It plays such a variety of music and also offers quality documentaries on poplular music, films, books and comedy.
Most people have a varied taste in music. People like to listen to rock and roll, jazz, blues, 60's, and maybe hear something they've never heard before. That's what Linda and I tried to show when our show, "The Nightclub featuring The Late English Breakfast" was on Valley Free Radio (http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/ ) for 2 years. We talked to the listeners and entertained and educated them about the songs and the artists.They don't want to be bombarded with commercials, or adverts as we Brits might say. Linda and I hit the mute button when an advert appears on the telly.
The quality of the programmers on the BBC are first rate. They realize that they need to be informed about what they play and the need to be entertaining is paramount. They prepare for their shows in such a way you have to admire them. Music shows are not 4 or 5 songs with hardly any introduction and then a shed load of adverts. In our opinion, this format of radio is lazy, pure and simple.
Radio is a wonderful medium. It is a source of entertainment, education, comfort and solace. It needs to be looked after.
Happy Listening and try a foreign radio station online sometime - preferably the BBC!
Eddie
