Significant changes to commercial radio in the next 24 hours

[jdrobbo]

I live in Leeds I’m in the last decade or so, I’ve connected with a few of the local radio presenters, be it through just talking football or having met them personally through work (my primary school literally falls next door to BBC Leeds so often gets featured locally). Likewise I’ve spoken to staff at the local commercial radio station. All very pleasant, knowledgeable and happy to engage in conversation.

Tonight, many local presenters are sending out best wishes to colleagues who tomorrow, will be phased out of their positions In commercial radio, with new platforms becoming more regionalised, rather than local. I find that with such platforms, you genuinely feel like you know the presenter and that they know their audience: it’s sad that this is being lost, I assume countrywide.

[Chester Perry]

Happened this side of the Pennines last year after the expanded 2BR got absorbed by Heart FM

[Wile E Coyote]

I think I do recognise how valuable local radio is to many people, but from a personal point of view find it horrendous.
it seems to be an endless diet of 80's pop, and if commercial, swamped with inane ads with puerile jingles.
if its BBC, then its just vapid slop, yes, you might end up knowing the Grane road is shut, but the presenters are stuck in the past.

Also, seems to be a lot of hosts who yearn for the budgie loving granny appeal, graham (im so witty, but you're actually not , Liver springs to mind. insipid best describes most of it. or deadly dull, take your pick.

[Somethingfishy]

Happened this side of the Pennines last year after the expanded 2BR got absorbed by Heart FM

2BR was absorbed by Capital. I remember people complaining that 2BR was repetitive but Capital is truly dreadful. Plays more or less the same 10/15 songs round and round..mostly current chart dirges. A definite change for the worse. I remember 2BR starting up as being a local station amongst the national ones. Back to square one again and no local station.
RockFm2 changed to Greatest Hits. I think RockFM is still going albeit not from Preston anymore.

[tim_noone]

I think I do recognise how valuable local radio is to many people, but from a personal point of view find it horrendous.
it seems to be an endless diet of 80's pop, and if commercial, swamped with inane ads with puerile jingles.
if its BBC, then its just vapid slop, yes, you might end up knowing the Grane road is shut, but the presenters are stuck in the past.

Also, seems to be a lot of hosts who yearn for the budgie loving granny appeal, graham (im so witty, but you're actually not , Liver springs to mind. insipid best describes most of it. or deadly dull, take your pick.

What you having for tea ?? Springs to mind. Absolute dire local radio station.and repeated traffic up dates on how there was heavy traffic at gannow roundabout....Like it was the North Circular ffs!!

[huw.Y.WattfromWare]

I’ve sympathy for anybody losing their job but if it is BBC local then the money can be better spent elsewhere. As with far too much BBC content, both TV and Radio, there are private companies doing the same programming just as well.

[claptrappers_union]

I don’t know how people listen to commercial radio, it’s dross. Limited playlists, overhyped presenters, and repetitive adverts.

I remember a few years so tuning into RadioX - I was impressed with the playlist. They played Fat Lip by Sum 41 and I said to my mate “I’ve not heard this this in ages, it’s a good station is this”

They played it again the next day, and again, then again and again... you don’t need to hear Sum 41 everyday.

The regional ones are worse, your HeartFM and Capital’s and the like. I genuinely can’t listen to them.

[SingaporeClarets]

The English radio stations here have agadoo on the playlist so I give those a miss.

Instead I just stream Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire version from my phone to the car radio, does the job and makes use of my "basic" 20GB data allowance which otherwise I have no need for.

[Acting Claret]

United Djs for me, they play mainly old stuff. No adverts. Knowledgeable presenters, no playlists. You do not know what’s coming next. Its an internet station mainly.

[Woodleyclaret]

The traffic reporting on all local radio is crap
Stuck on yet another fake holdup on the M6 you struggle to find a traffic report explaining that you'd better get off on the A50asap
Smart motorway signings are useless too coming up with reports of everything from sheep to aliens on the carriageway

[Stalbansclaret]

I don’t know how people listen to commercial radio, it’s dross. Limited playlists, overhyped presenters, and repetitive adverts.

I remember a few years so tuning into RadioX - I was impressed with the playlist. They played Fat Lip by Sum 41 and I said to my mate “I’ve not heard this this in ages, it’s a good station is this”

They played it again the next day, and again, then again and again... you don’t need to hear Sum 41 everyday.

The regional ones are worse, your HeartFM and Capital’s and the like. I genuinely can’t listen to them.

This. Agree that these stations are totally unlistenable. Until fairly recently I had a job that involved staying away in Premier Inn type hotels 2 or 4 nights a week and invariably had to suffer Heart FM over breakfast. Absolute inane drivel, punctuated by repetitive adverts, that only someone whose brain had partially rotted would be able to stand surely.

[arise_sir_charge]

Of all the commercial stations, Absolute is certainly the best. Two reasons really, On DAB you can pick your favoured decade music wise and within that they have the ‘no repeat guarantee’ between 9 and 5 each day so you won’t hear the same song.

[dandeclaret]

What a miserable bunch of whiney old timers you all come across as. Eeeh radio, not like it were in my day, Radio Luxembourg and Atlantic 252 with their vast array of songs and stuff put this lot to shame.

The world moves on, there's still a place for radio, and it's fundamentally no different now to how it was years ago, and it's probably maximised the capability of what it can do from a commercial viability / quality balance.

Eeeh stuff, it were better when I were a lad. In the same way you never realised the day that your parents stopped picking you up, sometimes you never realised the day that you got old.

[claret2018]

Radio X must only own about 20 albums. Their recent Top 100 British songs list was testament to this - they had 7 Oasis songs in the top 25 best British songs of all time.

[burnmark]

I don’t know how people listen to commercial radio, it’s dross. Limited playlists, overhyped presenters, and repetitive adverts.

I remember a few years so tuning into RadioX - I was impressed with the playlist. They played Fat Lip by Sum 41 and I said to my mate “I’ve not heard this this in ages, it’s a good station is this”

They played it again the next day, and again, then again and again... you don’t need to hear Sum 41 everyday.

The regional ones are worse, your HeartFM and Capital’s and the like. I genuinely can’t listen to them.

I’ve listened to radio a lot more during Lockdown and I must say Radio X,despite being right up my street in regards to music taste very much repeat the same songs over and over again. As an alternative music station they don’t alternate the music very much! I’ve found XS Manchester to be much better.

[Stalbansclaret]

What a miserable bunch of whiney old timers you all come across as. Eeeh radio, not like it were in my day, Radio Luxembourg and Atlantic 252 with their vast array of songs and stuff put this lot to shame.

The world moves on, there's still a place for radio, and it's fundamentally no different now to how it was years ago, and it's probably maximised the capability of what it can do from a commercial viability / quality balance.

Eeeh stuff, it were better when I were a lad. In the same way you never realised the day that your parents stopped picking you up, sometimes you never realised the day that you got old.

Sincerely hope that's not aimed at my moan about commercial, Heart FM, type radio as it's absolute and utter dross . Its absolutely othing to do with "then and now" as BBC 6Music is superb and I am a huge radio fan in general...just not formulaic, repetitive, play-listed-to-death commercial music stations.

[Sarum]

Stalbansclaret: hello, hope you're well and not climbing the walls every day. I have a link to a radio show that might be of interest to you. Are you still online?

[Billy Balfour]

I liked 6Music when it was an alternative/indie music station. Recent changes have seen it trying to be a 'please all' station while positioning itself between R1 and R2. Nowadays it's a bit too mainstream for me apart from Marc Riley and maybe one or two others who play new or underplayed alternative music and not the derivative stuff the station now seems to highlight.

[ŽižkovClaret]

Sincerely hope that's not aimed at my moan about commercial, Heart FM, type radio as it's absolute and utter dross . Its absolutely othing to do with "then and now" as BBC 6Music is superb and I am a huge radio fan in general...just not formulaic, repetitive, play-listed-to-death commercial music stations.

I like 6Music, but bloody hell the amount of self reverence it has gets old pretty quickly. If it could it would eat itself.

[Billy Balfour]

Pop will eat itself.

[Jel]

Happened this side of the Pennines last year after the expanded 2BR got absorbed by Heart FM

Not really a loss, it was terrible!

[claret2018]

6 music is good but you’ve got to be selective. It’s far better on a Saturday than any other day now. Huey and Craig Charles are the highlights for me.

The playlist is generally hit and miss, but it does introduce me to stuff I wouldn’t otherwise listen to

[Swizzlestick]

I actually quite liked 2BR as at least it was genuinely local and some of the presenters had a decent, laidback style. It’s far worse now it’s been enveloped by Heart.

I love radio, more than TV even - something quite personal about it. I do like the Absolute stations, particularly Absolute 90’s. Yet at least have a no repeat guarantee during the day.

There’s also some great local stations online, playing some great alternative and underground stuff, not least Konflict Radio https://www.konflict-radio.co.uk/

[Stalbansclaret]

Stalbansclaret: hello, hope you're well and not climbing the walls every day. I have a link to a radio show that might be of interest to you. Are you still online?

Hello Sarum my friend..I am very well thanks and hope you are too. I tend to hop on and off here at various points during the day but if you want to email me I'm gary.hitchen3@gmail.com

[Sarum]

Hi St Albans. sending you a link to a show you might enjoy. When I see you next remind me to share my experience of Lindos 1974 - think Greek colonels, tanks, machine gunfire and tanks at the airport!

[claretonthecoast1882]

I’ve listened to radio a lot more during Lockdown and I must say Radio X,despite being right up my street in regards to music taste very much repeat the same songs over and over again. As an alternative music station they don’t alternate the music very much! I’ve found XS Manchester to be much better.

Agreed, Clint Boon is a good listen on XS

[dandeclaret]

XS manchester or radio Nova here in Dublin are my radio stations of choice. I think that the morning show on XS is decent, but think that Gareth Brooks and Clint Boon sessions are excellent. The show from Clint Boon on Saturday evening is regularly full of tunes I've never heard that are brilliant, or forgotten songs that are incredible. 7-10pm on a Saturday for anybody looking.

[Local cricketer]

Can't bear LBC very educational especially James O'brien at 10am. Tells it how it is

[gandhisflipflop]

Bring back xfm with Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant and Karl Pilkington

[ClaretCraig]

Of all the commercial stations, Absolute is certainly the best. Two reasons really, On DAB you can pick your favoured decade music wise and within that they have the ‘no repeat guarantee’ between 9 and 5 each day so you won’t hear the same song.

Absolute radio is great. 90s my favourite decade and the djs I've listened to are very good.