Worse news still?

[Richard Tarleton]

I wondered why Lucy has presented the show two weeks on the trot. Not that I mind: I love Lucy Skeaping! I will miss Catherine though but I can't bear Classic Fm:the adverts drive me potty. I am sure hard cash had a lot to do with Catherine leaving.

Pedant's corner: it's Lucie, Matt, not Lucy.

It is doubly insulting to Catherine to suggest she is doing it for the money (as you appear to be doing) and to suggest that she would be party to any "trite travesty". I think her lovely message explains her position very clearly.

[doversoul1]

I wondered why Lucy has presented the show two weeks on the trot. Not that I mind: I love Lucy Skeaping! I will miss Catherine though but I can't bear Classic Fm:the adverts drive me potty. I am sure hard cash had a lot to do with Catherine leaving. But as to saturation, Classic FM has had these "all you need to know" mega series on classical music for years and they have been repeated by by numerous presenters: Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson and Alex James (pop star and celebrity pig farmer).

The programme on 21 September was Catherine Bott’s last programme. The last three programmes were repeats. About what are you wondering?

I’d be most interested to hear what you mean by ‘I am sure hard cash had a lot to do with Catherine leaving’.

[Mattbod]

@RT EDITED

@doversoul: I am a cynical person and I am thinking that if CFM with all its financial clout really did want Catherine, then they would have offered her a salary that she could not refuse. Maybe that is being unfair! I guess having read the thread in its entirety and read Catherine's post, I would say that internal politics probably had more to do with things. I am more of the view that one should fight from within rather than from without but it is Catherine's decision. Lucie is also a fine broadcaster and has a lot to offer so I guess it is only a matter of time before she is snapped up too.

My only concern is that the very style of Classic FM will not do Catherine justice. I have seen that book "Ultimate Guide to Classical Music" and it is trite rubbish. If anyone wants a decent one volume guide to classical music then they should by the "Oxford Companion to Music" (preferably in Percy Grove rather than modern Latham edition). I just cannot see them letting Catherine have free reign in giving her detailed analysis of content as he did on 3. Hence the term trite travesty. The proof though is in the pudding so I will be checking the first show out at least and seeing how it fares.

[DracoM]

As FF says, serves them right.
Catherine Bott is one of the very highest profile presenter / experts on R3 and her loss is a bit like Robin Van Persie being poached from Man U by Real Madrid. I wonder if any alarm calls are ringing in the offices of the BBC Trust yet? Maybe they might start to believe us a little about disenchantment among both listeners AND R3 staff itself. It is a massive coup for CFM.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It may serve them right, but ultimately we are the losers.

[David Samuels]

The good wishes come from me, too. Kate -- we shall miss you. You'll have to come to the Lufthansa and the LHF as an audience member now but at least you won't be working and should be able to enjoy yourself even more!

[french frank]

I am thinking that if CFM with all its financial clout really did want Catherine, then they would have offered her a salary that she could not refuse.

In 2004, at the DCMS Seminar on Charter Review (for the new BBC Charter 2006/07), there was a seminar for each service, including Radio 3. This exchange took place:

Gillian Reynolds: ... a small question to Ralph, which is how long has Classic FM been in profit?

Ralph Bernard: Classic FM has been in profit for about 6 years, 6/7 years, but it hasn’t paid back the amount of investment in it even today and that’s 11 years on. [...]we will continue to work at deriving more advertising revenue from the Classic FM audience, which is by and large perceived to be an unattractive audience for advertisers because of its age profile.


I think it's a mistake to think that Classic FM has oodles of cash to fling around on presenters' pay. That's the BBC's privilege.

[doversoul1]

I prefer to think that CFM offered a professional opportunity that Catherine could not refuse. She knows that she will be presenting the programme to listeners who are not even remotely interested in reading the Oxford Companion. Catherine is a professional broadcaster and change of audience shouldn’t be a problem. What was the problem at Radio 3 was that she knew what she was presenting / having to present was not what her audience wanted. And it is simply unrealistic to expect presenters to 'fight from within'.

DracoM
I have a sinking feeling that Radio3 management may be breathing a sigh of relief. A high profile presenter like Catherine could have made things rather awkward for them.

If, of all things, Reith lectures have come to invite a celebrity who entertains the audience by cracking a joke every few minutes, what hope do we have for Radio3? (Reith lectures 2013: Grayson Perry on The General Art)

[Zucchini]

How ever many times have I heard simpering irreplaceables and indispensables uttered when someone leaves their employer and moves on - and in less than a month they're forgotten...

[teamsaint]

How ever many times have I heard simpering irreplaceables and indispensables uttered when someone leaves their employer and moves on - and in less than a month they're forgotten...

give up? how many?

[Zucchini]

give up? how many?

362.5
(The 0.5 is because one person was irreplaceable and irresponsible but not indispensable)

[teamsaint]

362.5


(The 0.5 is because one person was irreplaceable and irresponsible but not indispensable)

I was going to guess in the mid 30's, so would have been wrong by a factor of 10.

The most irreplaceable (in their view) are those on gigantic salaries.

CB will be a loss for R3.

[amateur51]

I was going to guess in the mid 30's, so would have been wrong by a factor of 10.

The most irreplaceable (in their view) are those on gigantic salaries.

CB will be a loss for R3.

She will indeed

[DracoM]

We got Petroc T from CFM. They get Kate Bott from us?

Who's the winner?

And if she's gone not because of the money but because of the opportunity to do something brave was offered to her by CFM, then it says much about R3 and its 'vision'. And maybe she pitched this to RW and was turned down.

Kate with bat walketh away? And fantastic good luck to her. She will be much missed.

It is a loss for all of us. R3 has far, far too few known and experience practitioners to lead with expertise.

[pilamenon]

I agree that it's a pity for early music lovers that Catherine Bott has left Radio 3, as a genuine expert in her field with an admirable broadcasting manner. But it's hardly surprising given her main programme's downgrading. I suppose this Classic FM wheeze also provides regular work and a certain degree of autonomy, rather than having to be involved in dross like the film music season on Radio 3.

I do wish the remaining Early Music Show presenter could tailor her delivery a bit more to an adult audience - it always feels like Listen with Mother to me. Mind you, she's hardly alone in this on Radio 3!