[Youngian]

A similar spin-off station for disgruntled R2 listeners was started 20 years ago playing Victor Sylvester and Glenn Miller. Not sure if it still has an audience.

Radio 2's desperation to chase a younger demographic has backfired. You alienate your loyal audience at your peril. It's no secret why Boom and GHR are booming. Boomers. There's a lot of us about.

[Spoonman]

Greatest Hits Radio & Boom Radio need the listeners to help stay alive in a commercial media world - they know the audience they are targeting, specifically one that is still mostly inclined to listen to "linear" radio with personality DJs because that what their listenership grew up with. Radio 2 doesn't have that commercial pressure, so can afford to experiment a bit within certain boundaries.

You can bet your hole that if Radio 2 did a turn and started chasing after a 50+ demographic that drew listeners away from Boom & GHR, the likes of Tinydick would be the first to whinge about the licence-fee funded BBC "crushing" commercial radio stations.

[Youngian]

Have some sympathy for disgruntled boomers. Insufferable as listening to Tony Blackburn is, he does know his Motown and soul. To say 90s chart music doesn’t stand up by comparison is putting it mildly.
None of this is relevant to evening broadcasting, 6Music or Radio 3 as it’s what great music from any era the presenters know and like that counts.

[Watchman]

I'm a Planet Rock man, but Mrs Watch does like R2 on in the car, I must say I much prefer Vernon Kaye to Ken Bruce, and I'm the demographic that Littlebrain thinks has been scared away

[Boiler]

A similar spin-off station for disgruntled R2 listeners was started 20 years ago playing Victor Sylvester and Glenn Miller. Not sure if it still has an audience.

I knew someone - now departed - who was very angry about R2's change of direction in the late 90s from its "pipe and slippers" image and demanded to know who would cater for him as a fan of music of the 20s to the 40s and "light" music in general (see the Robert Farnon Society).

There's an online station called Serenade Radio that sort of fits the bill: I used to be a big fan of Alan Dell's "Dance Band Days" on Radio 2 until his death as he played music that was period-appropriate to the large wooden boxes full of valves I owned.

But if you were thinking of Saga Radio - it was closed down after Guardian Media Group got hold of it https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saga_Radio_Group

[Rosvanian]

If I'd ever had an opportunity to go on Room 101, radio DJs- that's all of them - would be on my list. The inane bullshit banter of DJs, particularly those aimed at boomers like me, really grinds my gears. "Here's Fleetwood Mac with Go Your Own Way from Rumours which is great. Crazy that here were two couples in the band (imagine that!) and this is about the guitar playing breaking up with the singer. Hey, have you noticed how the nights are drawing in? "

[Spoonman]

There's definitely room within the BBC Radio portfolio to have a national station aimed at 55+ year olds, though this is perhaps somewhat accommodated haphazardly by elements of BBC Local Radio in England, depending on where you are there. In addition, such a station would almost certainly be restricted to online/ BBC Sounds only, as any new station intended for terrestrial distribution would have to be subject to external approval, which would almost certainly see the commercial operators in this demographic object (arguably so given that such an age group are often not seen as very advertiser friendly except in a few areas).

Personally I listen to a good bit of Absolute Radio, especially the Andy Bush & Richie Firth drivetime show, which I'm not listening to ATM!

[Youngian]

If I'd ever had an opportunity to go on Room 101, radio DJs- that's all of them - would be on my list. The inane bullshit banter of DJs, particularly those aimed at boomers like me, really grinds my gears. "Here's Fleetwood Mac with Go Your Own Way from Rumours which is great. Crazy that here were two couples in the band (imagine that!) and this is about the guitar playing breaking up with the singer. Hey, have you noticed how the nights are drawing in? "

I prefer radio presenters, they’re what DJs who aren’t a pain in the arse call themselves.

[davidjay]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailym ... itain.html

Hooray for plod, he's finally giving the hairies a slap.

Then a plug for his radio station (which reading between the lines isn't doing anything like as well as another, not that it stops him 'great mate's'ing its presenters) and with his eye on topicality, Abigail's fucking Party.

With a bit of don't work from home thrown in.

[Youngian]

Starting getting into Radio 3 in the car as it’s the only tolerable music station on an analogue radio. A lot of participation and requests, the listeners sound like really lovely people. They’re clearly not Jeremy Vine’s audience.
Also have it on now to calm the dog who is getting very angry at fucking fireworks. Another week or so of this.

[Boiler]

Also have it on now to calm the dog who is getting very angry at fucking fireworks. Another week or so of this.

I feel very sorry for dogs with these extended firework noises.

R3 can also be very challenging, musically and one of the best documentaries I have ever heard (on the RAND Corporation) was on R3.

[Youngian]

Maybe I’m older but R3 does seem to be more accessible in guiding through newcomers. Without dumbing down like Classic FM (“you might know this one from the Hovis advert.”). Although they can be innovative and have a very well received evening of soothing music for nervous dogs on firework night.

R3 live concert coverage is unrivaled and will be taking advantage when I upgrade my sound system to the 21st century this Christmas.

[davidjay]

Radio 2 is losing its audience. Might that possibly, perhaps, be connected to the growing number of music stations dealing almost exclusively to Radio 2 listeners? Whoever owns the rights to seventies disco and eighties soft rock tunes must be delighted.

[Andy McDandy]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailym ... ow-it.html

He's not trying to downplay the serious disruption caused by the recent weather, but as far as he can see, everyone is overreacting, and it's all the fault of the caahncil and the BBC and everything has gone to pot since they let women speak on camera.

[Youngian]

I switched on ITN's News At Ten to see my dear old friend Terry Lloyd — who tragically went on to lose his life in Iraq

We’ll never know if he was a dear friend as opposed to a former colleague. A lot of his ‘we were like that’ mates have passed away.

[Rosvanian]

Of all the mind boggling ignorance, stupidity and racism proudly on show on Mail Online under pretty much every story, those about the weather bring out the fuckwits like no other, especially over the last few weeks. Dickie has obviously been watching closely so his latest words of wisdom will connect instantly with those deranged people using the weather to hurl abuse at pretty much everything they hate.

[Andy McDandy]

It's just Proper Binmen shite. Back in my day we'd have our houses sheared in half by hurricane winds and did you see us complaining? Add on a dose of lazy anti-Americanism (one part calm down dear, one part who do they think they are?, two parts hee hee look at the silly colonials getting worked up).

He references a freak storm that hit Britain in 1700 or so. He then mocks the custom of naming storms. Perhaps he can see that if a storm is a once in a century event, you can call it "the great storm". When they're coming along every few months, you need a different naming system.

Meanwhile:

Millennials would go into meltdown without electricity and a decent 5G signal. If they looked up the Eddystone Lighthouse, they'd probably think it was the group which had a hit with Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes), written by Tony Macauley and the late, great Barry Mason.

Fuck off Dickless. Why the fuck would someone confuse a lighthouse and an obscure 70s pop group? Still, nice way to pad out the word count.

[satnav]

Littlejohn likes to keep blaming councils but in reality most council services these days have been privatized so it is more likely that it is a private contractor has messed up. When there was some bad flooding in Sheffield some years ago lots of residents were ringing up the local council for not clearing out all the cities gullies. Eventually somebody called in to say that the council used to employ 30 gulley men to do the job but when the service was privatised the company that won the contract only employed 15 gulley men and some of these were employed on a casual basis. Clearly if you employ less people either the job takes much longer or many of the gullies don't get cleared.

[davidjay]

Why would they get confused about, or even have heard of, a one-hit wonder novelty band from three decades before they were born? It's like one of us mixing up Geraldo with him that was on Fox News.

[MisterMuncher]

Even The Lighthouse Family would be a better reference.