[Martin Kong]

Originally Posted by ledders

It will be interesting to see what happens in the North West on a Saturday afternoon once the new season starts.

David Heane does a kind of Saturday afternoon sports show, with plenty of music and regular updates on the football scores.

Lets just hope they keep it that way!

Don't be too suprise if they don't.

[krob2]

Originally Posted by Martin Kong

Don't be too suprise if they don't.

Yep it'll be whoever is on in London which will get sent to the provinces - I think it might well be Jason Donovan..god how bad..

[mikw]

This whole thread is pointless.

Anyone who know anything about commercial radio KNEW what would happen the minute Global were interested in buying.

[suffolkblue]

So whats happening then. Is real going to be replaced by smooth or is heart going to replace real and smooth stay?

[Martin Kong]

Originally Posted by suffolkblue

So whats happening then. Is real going to be replaced by smooth or is heart going to replace real and smooth stay?

It's more likely that Real will be replace by Heart. As for Smooth this will depend on OFT outcome and what management at Global will decide to do after getting the report.

[suffolkblue]

Ok thankyou I like the real brand more than heart but I guess things had to change.

[Mapperley Ridge]

Originally Posted by Musicmasterprox

What I don't understand is why Global wouldn't let the 'Phone-in shows' have a final week before going out with a 'best of' show on Saturday afternoon?

That's one of the big no-nos in commercial radio. Never ever have a "farewell" show. It draws more attention to the fact that something is being dropped.

Also, it's possible that the presenters MIGHT be in talks with rival stations. Who knows - Metro might start a phone in, for example. You can't have presenters shouting about where else they can be heard.

[Hitmusic]

Originally Posted by jimmylad

At its peak, the football phone in on Real Radio North East got more listeners than the breakfast show..

We are in 2012 now. You can get your sports fixtures via modern platforms.... Phone apps, 24hr news channels, www. So as expected figures for radio falls.

[Hitmusic]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

I'm confused here. You claim to work in radio, and certainly seem to have an opinion about radio choice in the North West region - yet you've completely missed the enormous success of Radio City's sports offerings.

Or had you just forgotten about that?

No course not forgotten. That's in Liverpool thou, not Manchester.

[Mapperley Ridge]

Originally Posted by Hitmusic

No course not forgotten. That's in Liverpool thou, not Manchester.

But you said that listeners to music radio don't want sport. The location in this instance is irrelevant, since Real NW broadcasts to the whole region.

[Mapperley Ridge]

Originally Posted by Hitmusic

We are in 2012 now. You can get your sports fixtures via modern platforms.... Phone apps, 24hr news channels, www. So as expected figures for radio falls.

I don't think you've ever listened to a sports phone in. They're not about fixtures, they are a forum for debate on sport - a format which is particularly suited to the medium of radio.

[simon243]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

I don't think you've ever listened to a sports phone in. They're not about fixtures, they are a forum for debate on sport - a format which is particularly suited to the medium of radio.

But not radio that's otherwise aimed at 30-something women.

Let's face facts: unless the Competition Commission pulls a shocker, Real will become Heart. And Heart doesn't do football. So however well the Real phone-ins perform, they were always going to be axed under Global.

This is just the beginning. Wait till they start sorting out Smooth.

[Mapperley Ridge]

I see your point Simon, I really do. But Hit made a sweeping statement that music radio listeners don't want sport. Radio City is testimony to that not being the case, along with a small group of other commercial music stations.

[simon243]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

I see your point Simon, I really do. But Hit made a sweeping statement that music radio listeners don't want sport. Radio City is testimony to that not being the case, along with a small group of other commercial music stations.

I actually agree with Hit - listeners to mainstream commercial music stations generally don't want sport.

But I think there's an important difference here. City and Clyde are huge heritage names in cities where football is massive, and over 30-40 years they've built up a reputation for covering it.

They both cover a single city so they can capitalise on local football rivalry while still being perceived as the local station by both sets of fans. A very powerful position.

Bauer are, therefore, happy to dilute their normal music offering safe in the knowledge that while many regular listeners may switch off for an hour or two, they'll come back because of the loyalty they've built up - plus they'll pull in a big new audience just for the football.

That's their business model and it works for them.

Real, on the other hand, hasn't got the heritage or brand loyalty. It's never quite known what it is or who it's aimed at and as a result it's underperforming.

And Heart is still a very new brand in most of its markets, so to succeed it has to build up a reputation for consistency - offering the same, undiluted music programming 24/7. That means football has no place.

That's Global's business model. Very different to Bauer's, but it works equally well for them.

So who's right? Both of them, as long as their strategies deliver profits. And so far, it seems both of them are.

[bluesdiamond]

Originally Posted by simon243

But not radio that's otherwise aimed at 30-something women.

Let's face facts: unless the Competition Commission pulls a shocker, Real will become Heart. And Heart doesn't do football. So however well the Real phone-ins perform, they were always going to be axed under Global.

This is just the beginning. Wait till they start sorting out Smooth.

Is their much to do with Smooth? Just hope your not thinking of Gold which is not as good as Smooth IMO.

[suffolkblue]

Agree totally please save smooth global.

[Tazman1966]

Me too. Smooth doesn't need tinkering with IMHO...

[Musicmasterprox]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

That's one of the big no-nos in commercial radio. Never ever have a "farewell" show. It draws more attention to the fact that something is being dropped.

Mash (former capital specialist DJ) had a fairwell show.
Judge Jules, Fabio & Grooverider and Kissy Sell Out all had a goodbye show. Few of the presenters of the sports shows would have a contract agreement with the station.

I would disagree. The audience would notice quickly if a radio show was suddenly cut from its usual slot.

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by bluesdiamond

Is their much to do with Smooth? Just hope your not thinking of Gold which is not as good as Smooth IMO.

It'll either be tightened up to reduce the playlist, so they can sandwich the brand between Heart and Gold or relaunched as Gold with a soulful slant to meet format requirements in London and the North West.

Either way, the GMG style Smooth is on it's way out.

[suffolkblue]

That will be me on the way out too then esp if they reduce the playlists to the same as other global stations. But if they keep the playlists ad they are I would not mind global taking it ovet. Oh and Im not into soul music I just like most of the music smooth play.

[ledders]

Originally Posted by Tazman1966

Me too. Smooth doesn't need tinkering with IMHO...

And neither does Real.

But just watch, they are going to wreck it for listeners. A massive shame.

[casaboy22]

Originally Posted by ledders

And neither does Real.

But just watch, they are going to wreck it for listeners. A massive shame.

The same Real that chronically underperforms in every market? The Real that lost half its audience in the NE and the NW? It can hardly be argued that there's no work to do. Real's a nowhere brand. It's not AC, it's not CHR, it's not female, it's not male - what the hell is it? I doubt whether the people that programme it even really know, so what chance do the listeners have? The problem is that the old fashioned full-service Myers style Century brand playing a wide range of songs with brassy jingles, lots of chat, sport and news worked in 1994 but in 2012 in a competitive marketplace it's format suicide.

GMG did slowly start to address this at the fag end of its tenure but it was too little, too late. There isn't the management dynamism within GMG to solve this. They're like Nokia against Global's iPhone, a product of the 90s trying to compete and losing.

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by casaboy22

The same Real that chronically underperforms in every market? The Real that lost half its audience in the NE and the NW? It can hardly be argued that there's no work to do. Real's a nowhere brand. It's not AC, it's not CHR, it's not female, it's not male - what the hell is it? I doubt whether the people that programme it even really know, so what chance do the listeners have? The problem is that the old fashioned full-service Myers style Century brand playing a wide range of songs with brassy jingles, lots of chat, sport and news worked in 1994 but in 2012 in a competitive marketplace it's format suicide.

GMG did slowly start to address this at the fag end of its tenure but it was too little, too late. There isn't the management dynamism within GMG to solve this. They're like Nokia against Global's iPhone, a product of the 90s trying to compete and losing.

They addressed it, but the execution has been poor. The Rock Radio to Real XS rebrand gave the impression of we had no choice to brand it with a female skewed brand or the station had to close.

A modern Real using elements of the Century format musically may have worked, yet they lost direction and couldn't decide if they were Heart, Capital or somewhere inbetween. Incidentally, I feel that it all started to fall apart after Myers left GMG.

Also putting Smooth up against Radio 2 is just asking for trouble, they have near enough full national coverage on FM and a bigger budget. Hopefully whatever happens with the takeover that those two brands will have a clear understanding about what they're about as currently they don't.

[Black Label]

Originally Posted by simon243

Bauer are, therefore, happy to dilute their normal music offering safe in the knowledge that while many regular listeners may switch off for an hour or two, they'll come back because of the loyalty they've built up - plus they'll pull in a big new audience just for the football.

That's their business model and it works for them.

[Snip]

And Heart is still a very new brand in most of its markets, so to succeed it has to build up a reputation for consistency - offering the same, undiluted music programming 24/7. That means football has no place.

That's Global's business model. Very different to Bauer's, but it works equally well for them.

So who's right? Both of them, as long as their strategies deliver profits. And so far, it seems both of them are.

Doesn't seem fair to me though. Bauer have to lavish spending on this type of programming and other local stuff to keep their audience happy whereas all Global have to do is pipe up a VTd stream with someone gibbering on about Katy Perry or whoever every 3 songs.

Not sure that will be a sustainable position for Bauer long term. As THEY are the ones with heritage loyality then the time may be coming to trade on this loyalty by slashing costs and hoping for the best.

I just wonder what Clyde PD John Dash is gonna do. Keep the sport and steal some of Real's audience? Or ditch it too, save the cash and hope to retain the core daytime audience.

If it were me I'd do the latter but for John Dash it could be the biggest gamble of his career.

[david1956]

Originally Posted by simon243

Let's face facts: unless the Competition Commission pulls a shocker, Real will become Heart. And Heart doesn't do football. So however well the Real phone-ins perform, they were always going to be axed under Global.

This is just the beginning. Wait till they start sorting out Smooth.

What we need to happen is the unthinkable. The Competition Commission say that the deal can't go through. Global can have either Real or Heart but not both. Global will be far too dominant. The views of Bauer, UTV and Absolute must also be considered regarding the advertising market.