The prospectus of the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3)
Apr 16, 2013 1:02:14 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2013 1:02:14 GMT -5
Greetings from kleines c. Writing in 'The Radio 3 Forum', french frank published the following package or prospectus for the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3):
The Radio 3 Forum - Welcome! - #14
I should add that french frank ended the thread by clarifying that no response was needed, c, in 'The Radio 3 Forum', but here in 'The Third', a response from kleines c is to be expected. I am unable to reply to french frank directly in 'The Radio 3 Forum', Sydney Grew, but here in 'The Third', I am more than happy to do so. If anyone would like to bring this particular thread to the attention of french frank, kleines c would be grateful. May I start by congratulating french frank on writing such an excellent prospectus for Chelsea (Big C). She may well yet become a friend of Radio 3. Think of Chelsea as something of a white swan, french frank, perhaps even on the right!
Somerset House
Political posturing aside, please don't even ask who is on the left! For the record, kleines c's stated position is who needs enemies, french frank, when you have friends like these? Moreover, who needs friends (of Radio 3), Roger Wright, when you have enemies like these? If I may nevertheless pick up on one interesting point in french frank's prospectus, the Controller of Radio 3 recently described FoR3 as following the 'heritage' of the old Third Programme. This is, in a sense, what Sydney Grew is also trying to do with his online broadcasts for 'The Third Programme'.
My own feeling would be that the purpose of broadcasting is ultimately to communicate, just as the purpose of language and art (including music) is to communicate, so it is always worth asking what and with whom we are trying to communicate. As french frank points out in her prospectus, the big argument is whether Radio 3 should move right away from the original aim of the Third Programme - to provide high level programmes which cater for people who have a special interest in music and the arts - and target general listeners who find this off-putting because they feel they don't know enough, about classical music in particular.
A good place to start is probably with my own position. I have a special interest in music and the arts, french frank, but I am no musician, and am happy to think of myself as a general rather than a specialist listener. Sydney Grew will have noted that I rarely comment on music directly. I do not feel qualified to do so, and generally prefer to let the music speak for itself. I probably don't know enough about classical music to make technical comments about composition and performance. Of course, I can say what I like and what I dislike, but it is ultimately an emotional reaction. So in terms of radio, I am quite happy to listen BBC Radio 3, 4 or Classic FM. If I don't like anything on the radio, I can always play a recording.
I suspect that it is all very much horses for courses, so to speak! What is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another. One of the things which first attracted me to the BBC Radio 3 message boards were the BBC Proms. As a keen prommer myself, I was interested to see the reactions of other members of the audience to a Proms performance. What immediately struck me was how the same performance could produce such a variety of reactions. Rarely was there anything even approaching consensus on the BBC Radio 3 Proms message board. Even the professional music critics could not agree! Anyway, in 2004, I started posting my own thoughts online, and became a member of the BBC message board community (until 2009). I suppose that five years was a pretty good run, and BBC Radio 3 dropped its own message boards the following year (2010) in favour of blogs, which are easier to control. At roughly the same time, the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3) launched 'The Radio 3 Forum'.
The BBC has a mission to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. Of course, what enriches my life might not necessarily enrich anybody else's life, so I think that the BBC, and everyone else, for that matter, really have to take a pluralistic approach. The BBC has to produce specialist arts programmes which will enrich the life of linguist french frank, for example, and also specialist science programmes which will enrich the life of scientist kleines c. Just occasionally, such programmes coincide.
Drama on 3 - Copenhagen
But in Kantian terms, it is not sufficient that the BBC produces programmes for french frank and kleines c. This is the categorical imperative: the BBC has to produce programmes for everyone, and I guess that with the World Service, that really does mean the whole world, rather than merely a British audience. So what we have, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is a huge variety of programmes to suit all tastes. Of course, no one is going to like everything. As consumers, customers and individuals, therefore, we just have to become more selective. It is as simple as that, Sydney Grew!
"I suppose the 'package' is a bit like a political party's policies: supporters like the general thrust but there may be some things they're less keen on, and maybe the odd policy that might give them real trouble.
The Controller of Radio 3 recently described FoR3 as following the 'heritage' of the old Third Programme. I took that to mean the broad range of content,. Mainly classical music but featuring jazz, world music and speech/spoken arts/general arts discussion. That's a problem for those who think R3 should be just classical music. What they mean is that they'd like it to be, but there's no justification for dropping other programming which then wouldn't be available on BBC radio at all. A total non-starter. The range we have now is about right.
The big argument is whether Radio 3 should move right away from the original aim of the Third Programme - to provide high level programmes which cater for people who have a special interest in music and the arts - and target general listeners who find this off-putting because they feel they don't know enough, about classical music in particular. The so-called 'popularisation'of Radio 3 has been the BBC strategy for more than ten years and we oppose it, pointing out that it hasn't delivered any more listeners - indeed, in certain quarters of the year there has been a near disastrous fall-off, since the 'aficionados' (for want of a better term) no longer feel the programmes are interesting enough for them.
Many here (ourselves included) argue that Radio 3 has at certain times of day become indistinguishable from Classic FM. With the last schedule changes a majority of peak time listening (mornings and drivetime) has the goal of attracting the new listener rather than catering for the long-standing listener which is why we are dissatisfied. The battle rages most fiercely on The Eternal Breakfast Debate thread .
So, if you're a new listener to Radio 3 and are finding it much more to your taste than you thought it would be, or indeed and old listener who thinks it has greatly improved - welcome to the forum, but you probably wouldn't support FoR3. If you've been listening to classical music for a while, perhaps have quite a collection of CDs or go to concerts, have been listening to Radio 3 already and finding it getting more and more bland, repetitious and undemanding, support us to battle for something better.
Either way, there's mix here of Know Alls and Know Nothings. We can all learn from each other when it comes to music. I've just mooted on another thread the desirability of a sub-forum where we can ask any questions and probably expect a knowledgeable reply.
END OF PROSPECTUS "
The Controller of Radio 3 recently described FoR3 as following the 'heritage' of the old Third Programme. I took that to mean the broad range of content,. Mainly classical music but featuring jazz, world music and speech/spoken arts/general arts discussion. That's a problem for those who think R3 should be just classical music. What they mean is that they'd like it to be, but there's no justification for dropping other programming which then wouldn't be available on BBC radio at all. A total non-starter. The range we have now is about right.
The big argument is whether Radio 3 should move right away from the original aim of the Third Programme - to provide high level programmes which cater for people who have a special interest in music and the arts - and target general listeners who find this off-putting because they feel they don't know enough, about classical music in particular. The so-called 'popularisation'of Radio 3 has been the BBC strategy for more than ten years and we oppose it, pointing out that it hasn't delivered any more listeners - indeed, in certain quarters of the year there has been a near disastrous fall-off, since the 'aficionados' (for want of a better term) no longer feel the programmes are interesting enough for them.
Many here (ourselves included) argue that Radio 3 has at certain times of day become indistinguishable from Classic FM. With the last schedule changes a majority of peak time listening (mornings and drivetime) has the goal of attracting the new listener rather than catering for the long-standing listener which is why we are dissatisfied. The battle rages most fiercely on The Eternal Breakfast Debate thread .
So, if you're a new listener to Radio 3 and are finding it much more to your taste than you thought it would be, or indeed and old listener who thinks it has greatly improved - welcome to the forum, but you probably wouldn't support FoR3. If you've been listening to classical music for a while, perhaps have quite a collection of CDs or go to concerts, have been listening to Radio 3 already and finding it getting more and more bland, repetitious and undemanding, support us to battle for something better.
Either way, there's mix here of Know Alls and Know Nothings. We can all learn from each other when it comes to music. I've just mooted on another thread the desirability of a sub-forum where we can ask any questions and probably expect a knowledgeable reply.
END OF PROSPECTUS "
The Radio 3 Forum - Welcome! - #14
I should add that french frank ended the thread by clarifying that no response was needed, c, in 'The Radio 3 Forum', but here in 'The Third', a response from kleines c is to be expected. I am unable to reply to french frank directly in 'The Radio 3 Forum', Sydney Grew, but here in 'The Third', I am more than happy to do so. If anyone would like to bring this particular thread to the attention of french frank, kleines c would be grateful. May I start by congratulating french frank on writing such an excellent prospectus for Chelsea (Big C). She may well yet become a friend of Radio 3. Think of Chelsea as something of a white swan, french frank, perhaps even on the right!
Somerset House
Political posturing aside, please don't even ask who is on the left! For the record, kleines c's stated position is who needs enemies, french frank, when you have friends like these? Moreover, who needs friends (of Radio 3), Roger Wright, when you have enemies like these? If I may nevertheless pick up on one interesting point in french frank's prospectus, the Controller of Radio 3 recently described FoR3 as following the 'heritage' of the old Third Programme. This is, in a sense, what Sydney Grew is also trying to do with his online broadcasts for 'The Third Programme'.
My own feeling would be that the purpose of broadcasting is ultimately to communicate, just as the purpose of language and art (including music) is to communicate, so it is always worth asking what and with whom we are trying to communicate. As french frank points out in her prospectus, the big argument is whether Radio 3 should move right away from the original aim of the Third Programme - to provide high level programmes which cater for people who have a special interest in music and the arts - and target general listeners who find this off-putting because they feel they don't know enough, about classical music in particular.
A good place to start is probably with my own position. I have a special interest in music and the arts, french frank, but I am no musician, and am happy to think of myself as a general rather than a specialist listener. Sydney Grew will have noted that I rarely comment on music directly. I do not feel qualified to do so, and generally prefer to let the music speak for itself. I probably don't know enough about classical music to make technical comments about composition and performance. Of course, I can say what I like and what I dislike, but it is ultimately an emotional reaction. So in terms of radio, I am quite happy to listen BBC Radio 3, 4 or Classic FM. If I don't like anything on the radio, I can always play a recording.
I suspect that it is all very much horses for courses, so to speak! What is suitable for one person or situation might be unsuitable for another. One of the things which first attracted me to the BBC Radio 3 message boards were the BBC Proms. As a keen prommer myself, I was interested to see the reactions of other members of the audience to a Proms performance. What immediately struck me was how the same performance could produce such a variety of reactions. Rarely was there anything even approaching consensus on the BBC Radio 3 Proms message board. Even the professional music critics could not agree! Anyway, in 2004, I started posting my own thoughts online, and became a member of the BBC message board community (until 2009). I suppose that five years was a pretty good run, and BBC Radio 3 dropped its own message boards the following year (2010) in favour of blogs, which are easier to control. At roughly the same time, the Friends of Radio 3 (FoR3) launched 'The Radio 3 Forum'.
The BBC has a mission to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. Of course, what enriches my life might not necessarily enrich anybody else's life, so I think that the BBC, and everyone else, for that matter, really have to take a pluralistic approach. The BBC has to produce specialist arts programmes which will enrich the life of linguist french frank, for example, and also specialist science programmes which will enrich the life of scientist kleines c. Just occasionally, such programmes coincide.
Drama on 3 - Copenhagen
But in Kantian terms, it is not sufficient that the BBC produces programmes for french frank and kleines c. This is the categorical imperative: the BBC has to produce programmes for everyone, and I guess that with the World Service, that really does mean the whole world, rather than merely a British audience. So what we have, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is a huge variety of programmes to suit all tastes. Of course, no one is going to like everything. As consumers, customers and individuals, therefore, we just have to become more selective. It is as simple as that, Sydney Grew!