Ian Skelly says............

[El oyente]

A separate matter and OT here - but another major problem for Radio 3 (as if it didn't have enough).

Roughly 9% of Radio 1's audience is under the RAJAR 15+ age (I think only Radio 1 measures this age group). Their parents will probably listen to 6 Music. If Radio 3 goes to the trouble and expense of producing a programme strand for younger listeners, how will they ever discover it? Radio 4 had to admit that the audience for its children's programme was pitifully small - too small to warrant continuing with.

The BBC has more than doubled the number of music radio broadcasting hours since the days of Pied Piper: should Radio 3 provide a special programme for 257 under 10s, 147 adults and Mrs Trellis's cat?

I can never understand what makes our children so different from those lucky enough to live in countries whose public broadcasters have not washed their hands of this segment of the population. Could the fact that the audience for the BBC's children's programmes was "pitifully small" have anything to do with the pitiful quality and quantity of the content that was served up before the corporation finally threw in the towel? (30 minutes once a week was never going to instill the listening habit.) Besides which, public-service broadcasters have a duty to serve and engage all parts of society, including -- even especially including -- minorities (though children are a pretty big minority!). Otherwise, why not just go home and leave it all to lowest-common-denominator commercial radio?

I suspect that the Daily Service on R4 longwave has a "pitifully small" audience too, but that's no reason, in my view, why it should be erased from the schedules. It has value in itself; a different kind of value from that which it would have (or, more likely, not have) to a sales team trying to sell airtime in or either side of its "slot" to advertisers. I'm sure it's a remark that's been made many times before (and not least in this forum, I suspect), but it's worth repeating that public-service broadcasting exists to bring programmes to listeners -- while commercial radio exists to bring listeners to advertisers.

But -- getting back to what I was saying earlier about the BBC's being put to shame by a number of its equivalent organizations in other European countries (noting, in passing, that it bedevils the discussion of broadcasting generally that we so often seem to compare ourselves only with the US) -- let's take a look at children's radio (and in particular children's musical programming) in Germany.

- West German Radio (WDR) in Cologne provides a total of 7 hours and 20 minutes a week of children's radio on its WDR 5 channel (not to mention a whole channel for children on digital radio!).
- North German Radio (NDR) in Hamburg provides 3 hours and 10 minutes a week of children's programming on its NDR Kultur channel -- including a weekly 55-minute programme, Mikado am Morgen, devoted to classical music for 7-13-year-olds.
- Bavarian Radio (BR) in Munich also carries around 90 minutes weekly of music programmes for children, Do Re Mikro, on its BR-Klassik channel at weekends, in addition to another 3 hours weekly of children's radio.

And so on. It they can do it, why can't we?

[My apologies for the fact that all of the preceding is, I now realize, well off-topic for this thread. Will you please let me off -- I'm a newbie here -- on this one occasion?]

[DracoM]

Your input / research is very welcome.
For many of us in this Forum, this is a live and painful issue.

[antongould]

Your input / research is very welcome.
For many of us in this Forum, this is a live and painful issue.

Indeed and welcome .....

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Your input / research is very welcome.
For many of us in this Forum, this is a live and painful issue.

Absolutely.

Thank you for your post, el oyente - and bienvenido!

[BBMmk2]

He's back tomorrow but I suppose I can't grumble, my name seems to get a mention practically everyday!

[french frank]

Just caught up with your slow moment

Coincidentally, I was reading an article written by Alan Johnson (MP) on his first visit to a Prom last September. One of the comments underneath it - it was in the Graun - was:

"I think perception of classical music is ruined by 2 things.

The fact that last section of the Last Night of the BBC Proms is on BBC1 which gives the impression that it's all flag waving and patriotic songs. I have no problem with the Last Night of Proms and enjoy it but it's given to much prominence by being on BBC1 whilst most the rest on BBC4.

The second is Classic FM or as I call it, slow movement FM […]."

Another R3 steal from its rival?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... I suppose I can't grumble, my name seems to get a mention practically everyday!

Bbm's real name is Candide Hoedown??!!

[antongould]

Coincidentally, I was reading an article written by Alan Johnson (MP) on his first visit to a Prom last September. One of the comments underneath it - it was in the Graun - was:

"I think perception of classical music is ruined by 2 things.

The fact that last section of the Last Night of the BBC Proms is on BBC1 which gives the impression that it's all flag waving and patriotic songs. I have no problem with the Last Night of Proms and enjoy it but it's given to much prominence by being on BBC1 whilst most the rest on BBC4.

The second is Classic FM or as I call it, slow movement FM […]."

Another R3 steal from its rival?

Coincidentally squared .... I was sent by one of my daughters to Morrisons this morning but I could use her car AND she had put "some of that music you like ..." on the radio. It was of course CFM and some celebrity, who I suppose I should have recognised, was playing treacle tracks and lots and lots of Mother's Day tweets, texts and 'mails .... So what you wish for us ff, we will no doubt get next year .....

[BBMmk2]

Bbm's real name is Candide Hoedown??!!

Not me!