UTV RADIO GB - new style

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 654
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Hi - recently, UTV stations released a 'Listener Line' for peeps to ring up and shed their views upon the station.

Now, the stations have acted on the views given and have changed the station : new features E.G 9 @ 9, new imaging and other stuff coming on throughout the day.

Does it sound any better ? comments please :D

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 654
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    not all have the Todays Best Mix coz Signal, Pulse and The Wave have hit music slogans.
  • boywonderboywonder Posts: 1,397
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    MediaFM wrote: »
    not all have the Todays Best Mix coz Signal, Pulse and The Wave have hit music slogans.

    Yet The Pulse are currently playing the Bee Gees :rolleyes:
  • Mapperley RidgeMapperley Ridge Posts: 9,922
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    MediaFM wrote: »
    Hi - recently, UTV stations released a 'Listener Line' for peeps to ring up and shed their views upon the station.

    Now, the stations have acted on the views given and have changed the station : new features E.G 9 @ 9, new imaging and other stuff coming on throughout the day.

    Does it sound any better ? comments please :D

    Do you honestly believe that UTV acted on what listeners said? More likely is that there were planned changines to imaging/features/line up and this was a clever way of making the audience think they'd had a say.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 67
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    Well i have to admit i thought i stepped back in time when i put the Wolf on this morning and heard the todays best mix strapline! But I think its sounding good these days so i aint going to knock it. The presenter line up is good and the playlist is better than it used to be. I did switch over to signal1 and they seem to have the same new sound and format.
    I am getting a bit bored of Beacon now cause its all been a bit samey since october last year.
    I think overall for a small station the Wolf Sounds very polished now and output is good. It would be nice to hear Stuart Hickman back on there again.
  • robrymondukrobrymonduk Posts: 909
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    Not bothered by the slogan but if people think that the Listener Line helped make these changes then they are pretty dumb.

    Some of them played on Signal were make it more local, but I can't see any difference in that, though it does local fairly well IMO.

    However the news this afternoon was pretty bad, it didn't sound on-site, so I presume the news hub has gone ahead, which IMO takes the local aspect away. It sounded slow paced despite the bed music and the news reader didn't really seem to have local knowledge by the way she read it.

    No mention of Staffordshire and Cheshire at the TOTH either into news which I think is a shame.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 654
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    well IMO it sounds much better than it used to. i like the today's best mix as there is clearly more contemporary hits than old now and the hit music style jingles and format is working well.
  • wns_195wns_195 Posts: 13,556
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    I heard some Listener Line ads during Pulse Sport, with comments presumably made by listeners. The ad said they were from West Yorkshire, however, I'm sure one had a Stoke accent and another had a North West accent.

    Who rings those lines anyway? I wonder what people had to say about Pulse 2?

    I assume nobody complained about the poor online quality, because that hasn't changed. Where I live, getting the Pulse on 102.5 FM requires some effort, so an online stream, plus a hit music format are more likely to attract listeners. The AC format can be heard on Real Radio and Pennine FM in Huddersfield.

    Of course I can't be bothered to ring up their line and tell them what I'd like to hear on the Pulse, because I know I would be ignored if I said I want more coverage of local football and rugby league teams, no more Big Top 40 show which can be heard on Galaxy and Real Radio, more rock music, more publicity for local bands, no celebrity gossip, better news coverage especially when there's a big story, specialist shows in the evening, and a decent website.

    I think Listener Lines are pointless, as those who ring them will be current listeners, but in order to grow, radio stations need new listeners.

    I only listen to the Pulse for the build-up to Huddersfield Town matches, and i don't listen to that in its entirety, especially when they can't be bothered to begin on time. Paul Ogdon is more entertaining than Tim Thornton, who sounds bored a lot of the time.

    The 4 PM news was local but with hardly any local items and it only lasted 2 minutes. No local sports news in the news though.

    If only Pennine would take advantage of the Pulse's deterioration.
  • Phillip SwiftPhillip Swift Posts: 2,718
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    wns_195 wrote: »
    I
    I think Listener Lines are pointless, as those who ring them will be current listeners, but in order to grow, radio stations need new listeners.

    Radio stations can also grow by getting their existing listeners to listen longer and that's what things like this can achieve as long as the listeners like the changes of course.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 67
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    wns_195 wrote: »
    Of course I can't be bothered to ring up their line and tell them what I'd like to hear on the Pulse, because I know I would be ignored if I said I want more coverage of local football and rugby league teams, no more Big Top 40 show which can be heard on Galaxy and Real Radio, more rock music, more publicity for local bands, no celebrity gossip, better news coverage especially when there's a big story, specialist shows in the evening, and a decent website.

    Well it sounds from your comments like you want a rock-leaning male-focussed station that's heavy on it's sport. You're right, that would be a welcome addition to the Yorkshire market, but it's not what Pulse is licenced for, nor Pennine, nor Real, so you can't blame any of them for not carrying out your wishes.
  • bodderzbodderz Posts: 1,245
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    Signal does sound alot better these days. After moving to Coventry a couple of years ago for university, I've woken up and listened to Mercia, and got to see just how much better a hit music format sounds to the mish mash of a format Signal used to have. It sounds so much more slick and polished and focused towards their audience now.

    Having said that, there are still ways they can improve - a better news team, a decent sports show on the weekend in the same vein as Russ Morris' show on BRMB, and dump late night love apart from Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights - bring back NRG!
  • mbessexmbessex Posts: 2,253
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    bodderz wrote: »
    - bring back NRG!

    Nahhhh XL F M Music radio for the ninties or even possibly Leaping Lee with ID 104.
  • wns_195wns_195 Posts: 13,556
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    ajd303 wrote: »
    Well it sounds from your comments like you want a rock-leaning male-focussed station that's heavy on it's sport. You're right, that would be a welcome addition to the Yorkshire market, but it's not what Pulse is licenced for, nor Pennine, nor Real, so you can't blame any of them for not carrying out your wishes.

    The Pulse and Pennine are both licenced to provide a local service. If they want to play dance, chart music, rock music, or even country music, Ofcom would allow them to. They haven't required Ofcom approval before changing formats.

    I wouldn't want the Pulse to just play rock music. I think to maximise listening, they should have a diverse playlist of current songs from all genres, including songs that people like that don't get played on other stations, such as rock and dance songs.

    The Pulse is able to provide sports coverage, but it doesn't do that as well as it could except at weekends. Pulse Sport on Saturday played an interview with somebody from the Bradford Bulls who played on Sunday, before the 3 PM Bradford City commentary. If they're so bothered about the Bulls, they should obtain commentary rights. It'd be a welcome alternative to the Big Top 40, a chart that IMO should be banned or at least certainly prevented from dominating the commercial radio market for 3 hours on a Sunday.

    The Pulse, with its strapline and Late Night Love is just like the One Network used to be. I've just switched on and it's playing a song I don't know probably from a couple of decades ago... wait a minute, it's by a bloke by the name of Freddy Jackson. Pennine's doing the same, but Real Radio is playing Born in the USA. That's better. The Pulse plays another song I don't know or desire to know. What ever happened to the CHR format? It's as if the only listeners they get at night are lonely single women.
  • orchoverorchover Posts: 1,443
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    A bit OT for this thread i know but as you mentioned the station slogan, I always hated the GWR jingle "We dont talk over your favourite records" and I always found myself shouting at the radio "THATS COS YOU DONT PLAY 'EM!!!".:D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1
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    wns_195 wrote: »
    The 4 PM news was local but with hardly any local items and it only lasted 2 minutes. No local sports news in the news though.

    I've just listened back to check what stories we ran at 4pm yesterday:
    top story: [LOCAL]man arrested over Liversedge man's death.
    second story: [LOCAL] man charged over Keighley stabbings.
    third story: [NATIONAL] updated political situation re Lockerbie bomber being freed.
    fourth story: [LOCAL] Bradford city centre regeneration crisis meeting - audio from meeting leader
    fifth story: [NATIONAL] man arrested re knife attack on footballer.
    sponsored showbiz story: kerry katona being interviewed by police.

    Seems pretty local to me. Three out of five stories from the area, all big talking points, and the two biggest national stories. Sports bulletins (which run at half past the hour in breakfast & drive) had news of team selection in the build up to Huddersfield Giants in the Challenge Cup final this weekend, and the mid-morning show yesterday was live from Huddersfield with Giants players being interviewed and your chance to sign a good luck book and see the Challenge Cup itself. Incidentally that continues all week. What with it being Monday, the other local teams we cover (Giants, Bulls, Hudds Town, and Bradford City) had not held any press conferences yet this week so there was nothing to report further to the outcomes from the weekends games which we'd covered (with audio) on my show that morning.
  • robrymondukrobrymonduk Posts: 909
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    Turns out news hubbing isn't in place yet, but there is a stand in news reader on Signal which is what threw me with it having a different intro!
  • wns_195wns_195 Posts: 13,556
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    Alex Duffy wrote: »
    I've just listened back to check what stories we ran at 4pm yesterday:
    top story: [LOCAL]man arrested over Liversedge man's death.
    second story: [LOCAL] man charged over Keighley stabbings.
    third story: [NATIONAL] updated political situation re Lockerbie bomber being freed.
    fourth story: [LOCAL] Bradford city centre regeneration crisis meeting - audio from meeting leader
    fifth story: [NATIONAL] man arrested re knife attack on footballer.
    sponsored showbiz story: kerry katona being interviewed by police.

    Seems pretty local to me. Three out of five stories from the area, all big talking points, and the two biggest national stories. Sports bulletins (which run at half past the hour in breakfast & drive) had news of team selection in the build up to Huddersfield Giants in the Challenge Cup final this weekend, and the mid-morning show yesterday was live from Huddersfield with Giants players being interviewed and your chance to sign a good luck book and see the Challenge Cup itself. Incidentally that continues all week. What with it being Monday, the other local teams we cover (Giants, Bulls, Hudds Town, and Bradford City) had not held any press conferences yet this week so there was nothing to report further to the outcomes from the weekends games which we'd covered (with audio) on my show that morning.

    Okay I take back my incorect comments about hardly any local items, but the news was over so quickly. I knew it was 2 minutes because the news reader gave the time at the end of the bulletin. 3 minutes would be better, because more than 30 seconds could be given to each item. Alternatively, there could be a one-minute national news summary, followed by local news. I like that approach. The 2 PM news contained enough local news, but I don't listen to Michael Jackson coverage.

    I didn't realise sports bulletins are on the half-hour. I don't know why the Ashes update is on the hour but local sport is on the half-hour. I know that won't continue as the Ashes is over, but if there is any networked sports news in future, it sshould go with the local sports news. It would be better to put the local sport with the local news like on weekends. In fact they did this at 2, though a mention of tonights Leeds match is of more interest than that South African athlete. The Huddersfield Town ladies would even be more interesting, and they're definitely propper women, there's no dispute about that.

    I have just looked on the website and they have a section on the homepage for Pulse Sport, which even contains a fixture list of matches they'll be covering. Other radio stations that cover more than one team don't do that, not even the BBC. I think it's great to have a fixture list, because we know which matches are going to be covered and when Pulse Sport starts. I know not to tune in from 11:30 for Huddersfield Town verses Yeovil. All they need to do now is put the local sports news in the Pulse Sport section, and add some interactivity to that section of the website and to Pulse Sport on air.

    I'd prefer for the hit music format to be 24 hours, even though La Roux is the only hit music I like. I don't like the AC format because you either hear the same songs over and over that you don't like enough to want to hear that much, or you hear too many songs you've never heard of and wouldn't want to hear of.

    I've just noticed the All Request Lunch is back. I remember that from years ago. One of the presenters went into labour while trying to present that programme.
    The OB from Huddersfield with the good look book is a great idea and the All Request Lunch is a feature that works well in OBs.

    Oh and thanks for playing Bulletproof by La Roux. I didn't mind having to wait until after the news.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 654
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    UTV have the slogan Today's Best Mix and they said on their adverts that they aren't playing the same hits all over again - yes they are. I must've heard Calvin Harris' Ready for the weekend about 10 times a day.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 207
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    I did nearly fall off my chair when I was greeted with the old GWR voice telling me my local radio station was playing 'todays best mix'

    I have no idea what todays best mix is. All I know is when my old beloved local GWR/GCAP station kept playing 'todays best mix' (Live and local from...Bristol) I switched off
  • mjdj1689mjdj1689 Posts: 3,303
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    And last might they had problems with the networked output, it was in mono, but the jingles where in stereo.

    And yes their playlist is very small, that tune escape the dancefloor is on all the time.

    And also they play a lot of modern stuff , but how come party friday and sat is all mainly old 70s and 80s stuff ??
  • mjdj1689mjdj1689 Posts: 3,303
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    It seems they are going very female based as most of the stuff is female songs, and the networked output is still in mono, but I had a listen to the sat feed via my dish and thats in stereo any ideas ???
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 654
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    But IMO it is a big improvement on the you love it - we play it tripe. I'm glad they've gone more modern and adding stuff like 'supernova' by Mr. Hudson and 'beautiful' by Ne-yo to daytime playlist. They even have Beep by the Pussycat dolls on their playlist as someone asked for that in the all request lunch. The only BIG let down is the network crap.
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