Will you miss your BBC local radio station?

[Glow worm]

BTW does anyone know how Danny Baker is getting on ?

Baker's a much under rated broadcasting genius in my view and I greatly miss his show on 5 Live. Last I heard, a month or two ago, his treatment was going 'well'.

 

[Piemaster]

Football match commentary would be very much missed in this household. As would the evening sports news/magazine type program.
Tends to be on in the background at other times of day and used for weather/travel reports.
So as a community service type affair I'd miss it.

I'm of the opinion that since the BBC has expanded its service into becoming a content provider online and with a 24 hour news channel, a multitude of extra national radio stations its appetite for more license fee was inevitable.
I'd happily see some of the content its now providing cut back in favour of local radio.

 

[Glow worm]

I'd miss it for local weather, traffic and the more important local news, and I appreciate that many follow local sports coverage too but I think much if not all of that could be incorporated into the national network with localised reporting (or the amalgamation of two or more local stations, as has happened in the past). This seems to be pretty much what they are suggesting. I'm not sure I'm convinced that the marriage of 5 Live and local is made in heaven, but...

Just under 8% of the BBCs budget is spent on local radio compared to 11% for national. Unlike, say dramas or BBC World there is very little scope for selling these services on so are unable to supplement the budget for their own or other output. According to the annual report, some £775m is generated from the commercial arm.

So in short, yes, I think its a very valid question to ask. If the BBC are spending a large amount of money on a service with limited appeal or revenue they should and must investigate ways to keep the "best bits" and localised public service broadcasting niches whilst reducing expenditure. They would be much more rightly criticised, in my opinion, if they continued to spend money on services just because they always have as opposed to ensuring that what they offer is useful, current and most importantly needed.

Can't argue with any of that. The R 5 marriage strikes me as odd too. Perhaps a merger into more regional networks (as they currently do between 7pm and midnight) might be another option with local opt outs for sports. But then is there any demand for regional programmes any more? BBC local radio's big problem seems to me to be they are no longer confident who their audience is. For many years it has mainly been the 50+ demographic. Now even they are deserting the network and trying to secure a younger audience is simply not working. I think it's right that the BBC explore all the options, but must admit I'd miss certain elements of local programming.

 

[Glow worm]

Football match commentary would be very much missed in this household. As would the evening sports news/magazine type program.
Tends to be on in the background at other times of day and used for weather/travel reports.
So as a community service type affair I'd miss it.

I'm of the opinion that since the BBC has expanded its service into becoming a content provider online and with a 24 hour news channel, a multitude of extra national radio stations its appetite for more license fee was inevitable.
I'd happily see some of the content its now providing cut back in favour of local radio.

Which local station do you listen to while bobbing about in the North Sea? True radio anoraks such as myself get very excited when the words ''North Sea'' and ''radio'' are contained within the same sentence . A mispent youth lisetning to, supporting and visiting offshore radio stations has a lot to answer for

 

[Piemaster]

Can sometimes get Northsound. Otherwise its down to AM for sports and the 'big' radio SSB or a radio channel via Sky.

Commentary for my local football is a little more difficult as ships internet connection isn't fast enough to listen online, and the Hull City match isn't always online anyway due to Radio Humberside trying to cover several matches on a Saturday.
If I'm fortunate enough that ship is in port on matchday its done by phone. Wife leans landline up against the radio at home and I listen on headphones through the mobile on the ship. Best use of included minutes I've yet found.


Most ships comms are now quite boringly done by satellite now, more nearby installations VHF and UHF for comms around the boat.

 

[Glow worm]

Can sometimes get Northsound. Otherwise its down to AM for sports and the 'big' radio SSB or a radio channel via Sky.

Commentary for my local football is a little more difficult as ships internet connection isn't fast enough to listen online, and the Hull City match isn't always online anyway due to Radio Humberside trying to cover several matches on a Saturday.
If I'm fortunate enough that ship is in port on matchday its done by phone. Wife leans landline up against the radio at home and I listen on headphones through the mobile on the ship. Best use of included minutes I've yet found.


Most ships comms are now quite boringly done by satellite now, more nearby installations VHF and UHF for comms around the boat.

I can get Aberdeen's Northsound on the north Norfolk coast on AM. It gets out pretty well into Scandinavia too apparently. Some stations split AM/ FM for sport so there's better coverage of individual games. R Norfolk doesn't need to do that as Norwich is the only league club in the county although it has v. occasionally put King's Lynn games on AM and left FM for Norwich. Incidentally, if Humberside aren't covering it properly next Saturday - you'll get uninterrupted coverage of the Hull v Norwich game on R Norfolk!

 

[upsidedown]

BBC WM is absolutely dire. Weak journalism ( the top story for about six weeks was the binmen's strike) and unimaginative programming. I stopped listening for about three years, when I accidentally turned on the "drivetime" show it was like I was listening to the second half of the same programme.

 

[summerdays]

If I'm fortunate enough that ship is in port on matchday its done by phone. Wife leans landline up against the radio at home and I listen on headphones through the mobile on the ship. Best use of included minutes I've yet found.

That shows dedication to your team surely the best use of those included minutes would be to speak to the wife?

 

[jugglingphil]

I'd miss the football commentary. Nowhere else will it be so biased
I love it as it sounds like there is only one team playing!

 

[Kirstie]

I rely on the traffic announcements from 5 different BBC local radio stations during my commute to work (by car). I seem to cross a lot of their catchment areas. So I would miss that, but I wouldn't miss the inane drivel which populates the airwaves in between the announcements.

 

[Fab Foodie]

but I wouldn't miss the inane drivel which populates the airwaves in between the announcements.

Yeah, but somehow they always give you a 20 second taster of their inanity just before the part with the details ... aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh

 

[Kirstie]

Yeah, but somehow they always give you a 20 second taster of their inanity just before the part with the details ... aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh

Ha ha yes they do, or some muppet in the radio station accidentally presses the 'traffic announcement' button when there isn't one so you are, suddently and without warning, subjected to an unmitigated barrage of purile carp when you really don't need it.

 

[on the road]

I never listen to local BBC radio, all they do is talk talk and talk some more. On the very rare ocasions that they do put some music on it's always seems to be music for grannies

 

[Becs]

Nope- would have been devastated if 6 music had gone though.

 

[darth vadar]

I never listen to local BBC radio, all they do is talk talk and talk some more. On the very rare ocasions that they do put some music on it's always seems to be music for grannies

If you don't listen to local radio then how do you know whats on?


On a personal note, local radio is of much more interest to me than what is happening elsewhere.