Essential Classics - The Continuing Debate

[cloughie]

The Squire announced this morning that you can now get a weekly podcast of these snippets cloughers - surely your life is now complete ..... ???

As in the title of an old Herman’s Hermits hit - ‘A must to avoid’!

[Bryn]

Don't get me going on that one. The Americans retranslated a milliard (1,000,000,000) into a "billion", whereas a real billion has an extra three naughts, which the Americans called a trillion, (which is actually 1,000,000,000,000,000,000). . . .

Why cite the Americans? It was the French what done it*. The Americans merely followed suit.

* Though they have since reverted to the original million million usage. Ironic, in that it is the French who were mainly responsible for SI, which uses a thousand as its basic unit multiplier.

[vinteuil]

Why cite the Americans? It was the French what done it*. The Americans merely followed suit.

* Though they have since reverted to the original million million usage. Ironic, in that it is the French who were mainly responsible for SI, which uses a thousand as its basic unit multiplier.

... interesting. In the twentieth century American English usage did not change, but French usage changed from 'short scale' to 'long scale' in 1961 and British English usage changed from 'long scale' to 'short' in 1974.

This is interesting, too -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

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[Paulie55]

Suzy Klein's Presenting Skills

Does anyone find SK rather supercilious and oily as a presenter. She seems to be turning into a female version of RC and that cannot be good.....and she also fails to take a breath when talking. I find it ingratiating and i'm cheesed off with being "talked down to" on Radio 3. No doubt this will initiate a furore of outraged responses!

[underthecountertenor]

Does anyone find SK rather supercilious and oily as a presenter. She seems to be turning into a female version of RC and that cannot be good.....and she also fails to take a breath when talking. I find it ingratiating and i'm cheesed off with being "talked down to" on Radio 3. No doubt this will initiate a furore of outraged responses!

I don't think you'll provoke a furore here. There has been much talk of SK's schoolmarmish style since she started doing Essential Classics, and from what I have heard this week it has if anything got worse.

[Guest]

...........and her continual dropping of voice at the end of announcemnts..........!!!!

And Skelly's 'care home radio' style.
Sick-making.

[Barbirollians]

Yes Skelly's style on this programme seems to be " I can't believe you are listening to this nonsense " so I will talk to you as if you are as dim as dim .

[LMcD]

Does anyone find SK rather supercilious and oily as a presenter. She seems to be turning into a female version of RC and that cannot be good.....and she also fails to take a breath when talking. I find it ingratiating and i'm cheesed off with being "talked down to" on Radio 3. No doubt this will initiate a furore of outraged responses!

Yes - well I did until I stopped listening to Essential Classics.

[vinteuil]

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... at least we no longer have to endure the cringe-worthy Rob: Cowan.

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[french frank]

My theory is that presenters are unable to be completely natural. Some are very good at appearing to be natural but they’re still acting. Most are deliberately adopting a persona.This may or may not be what they’re really like but almost always they seem to hit the wrong note with listeners. Avuncular, world-weary, cool chick, voice of authority, all just false.

[MrGongGong]

My theory is that presenters are unable to be completely natural. Some are very good at appearing to be natural but they’re still acting. Most are deliberately adopting a persona.This may or may not be what they’re really like but almost always they seem to hit the wrong note with listeners. Avuncular, world-weary, cool chick, voice of authority, all just false.

Surely EVERYONE on the Radio, TV, Introducing concerts etc etc is "acting" in some way?

Some folks (Tony Pappano, for example) are very "close" to what they are "in the flesh"
but all presenting involves changing how one is to communicate to others in a way that the audience will grasp.

There really is no "natural" at all IMV

About time theatre and media studies were given a bit more respect ?

[teamsaint]

Surely EVERYONE on the Radio, TV, Introducing concerts etc etc is "acting" in some way?

Some folks (Tony Pappano, for example) are very "close" to what they are "in the flesh"
but all presenting involves changing how one is to communicate to others in a way that the audience will grasp.

There really is no "natural" at all IMV

About time theatre and media studies were given a bit more respect ?

As you undoubtedly know, they are.....in their own world.

Lad I know did film production ( or something) at a not at all prestigious Uni ( but very good at that stuff), and after getting some part time paid work filming at League football matches , now has his dream ( first) job doing graphics on sports highlights packages that go all round the world.

But of course, hierarchy doesn't really allow for such things......

[oddoneout]

My theory is that presenters are unable to be completely natural. Some are very good at appearing to be natural but they’re still acting. Most are deliberately adopting a persona.This may or may not be what they’re really like but almost always they seem to hit the wrong note with listeners. Avuncular, world-weary, cool chick, voice of authority, all just false.

And for (all?) the other radio stations that doesn't matter too much, in fact presenters having a distinct style can be an asset in keeping the listeners listening - or initiating public 'debate' where changes occur and so publicity. While doubtless there are R3 listeners who also come into that group, for many the fact that a presenter's style is obvious is, or can be, a disadvantage as it gets in the way of the music content. Trouble is that now the morning schedule is 'shows' a la R1,2 etc, it follows that for those in charge the presenter must have a recognisable identity,not least to distract from the lack of quality content.
The fact that I am not as anti the morning schedule as many forumites doesn't mean that I want or favour a chat show with music interruptions, and the persona adopted(or forced on them?) by the new breed of R3 presenter can and does irritate to a greater or lesser extent.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

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[SIZE=1]... at least we no longer have to endure the cringe-worthy Rob: Cowan.

Rob was a regular favourite on the BBC Message board. Only when he was wooed by the darkside did RC start to receive criticism.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Yes - well I did until I stopped listening to Essential Classics.

Even that didn't work. The Anne Robinson clone appeared on a live cinema relay of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.