There's Not The Choice Of Radio That There Used To Be...
OK that's a personal thing. The trouble is that radio has always done great things on a limited budget but when cutbacks happen instead of protecting radio and looking at the fat that exists around much of TV, they still come wielding the knife and slice radio.
If it was straight forward run of the mill radio it probably does not matter too much but is usually public service radio and speech radio is what suffers most...the dramas, the documentaries, the comedies and so on. In music radio we lose the specialist programmes that introduce you to music you do not hear very often or perhaps have never heard.
Its ever easier just to put a DJ in the studio and play records for four hours, music you've probably heard dozens of times and chances are the presenter knows very little about what they are playing and are so young and naive. They can fill hours of speech radio by having 2-3 people wittering on, in reality hours later you could find yourself saying what have I been listening to, what have I learnt?
Having broadband I as looking forward to some of the gems that exist in local BBC radio but so many programmes are shared and soon between 7pm-10pm week nights it appears the same programme will be heard across England.
Even BBC Radio Scotland, Ulster and Wales are affected and the special programmes are fewer.
Well, I'll just listen to all the programmes I have been saving over the years and haven't got round to hearing, see what I can find from abroad and perhaps listen to more music radio but not the music they usually play today, the music of yesteryear.
All public radio suffers, RTÉ in Ireland is going through similar problems, ABC Radio in Australia has, CBC in Canada but where commercial radio could possibly step in and attract lost listeners they don't try either and its too easy just to play records but they all start sounding alike. Sad but true...
BTW RTE has a station(You can listen online)it is a cross between Radio 4, the World Service, Radio 4 Extra and it has programmes from other International broadcasters in Canada, the USA and Australia as well as some home produced material.
Even the big documentary series have all but disappeared from Radio 2.
There is a repeat of a 13 part documentary on Frank Sinatra from 1997, such a series would be rare these days. The closest was the 26 part series Sounds of the 20th Century but as much of the clips were quite old and there were no guests or narrator it was probably quite inexpensive to make by today's production standards. Tonight its the second part of a documentary about Radio Luxembourg, they probably could have made it last at least half a dozen programmes but its all been squeezed into two but I'll be listening and the programme before of some Rockabilly music is good but 30 minutes is not long enough, it deserves at least an hour especially as the series is only on for approx 6 weeks.
If it was straight forward run of the mill radio it probably does not matter too much but is usually public service radio and speech radio is what suffers most...the dramas, the documentaries, the comedies and so on. In music radio we lose the specialist programmes that introduce you to music you do not hear very often or perhaps have never heard.
Its ever easier just to put a DJ in the studio and play records for four hours, music you've probably heard dozens of times and chances are the presenter knows very little about what they are playing and are so young and naive. They can fill hours of speech radio by having 2-3 people wittering on, in reality hours later you could find yourself saying what have I been listening to, what have I learnt?
Having broadband I as looking forward to some of the gems that exist in local BBC radio but so many programmes are shared and soon between 7pm-10pm week nights it appears the same programme will be heard across England.
Even BBC Radio Scotland, Ulster and Wales are affected and the special programmes are fewer.
Well, I'll just listen to all the programmes I have been saving over the years and haven't got round to hearing, see what I can find from abroad and perhaps listen to more music radio but not the music they usually play today, the music of yesteryear.
All public radio suffers, RTÉ in Ireland is going through similar problems, ABC Radio in Australia has, CBC in Canada but where commercial radio could possibly step in and attract lost listeners they don't try either and its too easy just to play records but they all start sounding alike. Sad but true...
BTW RTE has a station(You can listen online)it is a cross between Radio 4, the World Service, Radio 4 Extra and it has programmes from other International broadcasters in Canada, the USA and Australia as well as some home produced material.
Even the big documentary series have all but disappeared from Radio 2.
There is a repeat of a 13 part documentary on Frank Sinatra from 1997, such a series would be rare these days. The closest was the 26 part series Sounds of the 20th Century but as much of the clips were quite old and there were no guests or narrator it was probably quite inexpensive to make by today's production standards. Tonight its the second part of a documentary about Radio Luxembourg, they probably could have made it last at least half a dozen programmes but its all been squeezed into two but I'll be listening and the programme before of some Rockabilly music is good but 30 minutes is not long enough, it deserves at least an hour especially as the series is only on for approx 6 weeks.
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:36 pm
7 Comments:
You're quite right, Gildy.
One would hope that the World would be improving but it isn't, is it? It's as if we were going backwards.
It's as if we reached the top some time ago and now we're on the slippery slope.
I wonder if every generation feels like that.
It doesn't fill one with much hope.
I suspect many of us hid under the bedclothes and listened to Radio Luxembourg that seems a common memory of many :-)
There's more tv and radio but more choice? There are exceptions still but mostly because its diluted, its cheaper...lots of programmes are just people in studios talking to each other.
That's why there is more "light" stuff like The One Show, Loose Women...even This Morning has gone back over...but I'm straying back onto TV...same problem though...
Apparently the transit of Venus this week was the second phase in the Mayan Calender, for the world ending as we know it on the 21st December- so back under the duvet is probably a sound idea?
I didn't say that!
We don't know who said it nor who is denying saying it! :-)
To be honest though life is precious, now I don't think it would bother me if the world did come to an end and I know(I always did)what is important and for myself nothing means that much.
Any luxury is just a way of making my time here a little more comfortable and many things are just ways of filling in the long hours.
Sleeping or diving under the duvet may seem very lazy and a waste but if it makes that person happy, go for it!
If you are reasonably healthy a long life may be great but if I have to have carers at home or end up in a nursing home and its anything like what I saw regarding Mum and the other residents, I'll be ready to go as soon as possible.
Would I attempt suicide? I don't believe that I would. Then again that could be taken out of my hands if I had a stroke, require dialysis or have a heart attack.
It's all unknown territory but no I am not depressed. All these thoughts pass through all our minds at some point, its whether you can put it into perspective, put it to the back of your mind and let other thoughts come to the front.
I said in the past about how many eave this world having done good and touch lives but their names eventually are lost and many of their stories are lost for good(only alive whilst living relatives carry them in their hearts and minds)
But you know even a singer or actor doesn't really leave anything more than an image created by the media, they still have to go and what made them who they were has still gone.
The only people who really know them are family and friends...
Really the public figures that matter are those who make perhaps a medical discovery or change laws that improve society in some way.
Fame is fleeting...
Post a Comment
<< Home