BTW, I have no idea how much BBC Radio Scotland costs to run. I'd guess that it is a good bit more than the local stations in London, Manchester or Birmingham that are catering for larger and more diverse populations, but that is for another discussion.
I've mentioned in another thread that Radio Scotland has a content budget of £22.6 million, compared to about £2.9 million for the average BBC Local Radio station. No doubt the big city stations, particularly BBC London, get a bit more than that average. So you can have one high quality station for Scotland, or alternatively replace it with about seven threadbare, resource-starved local radio stations.
As a postscript, I was told by someone who worked for a BBC local station that when the Radio 4 programme the world this weekend pitched up to broadcast on location they had a team of eight with them and wanted technical support. This bloke told me that at the most a similar show on local radio would in addition to a presenter have at the most two support staff.
The hirsute game show elf may just be right about BBC local radio. For a good number of years I carried the view that the Beeb at local level could generally do no wrong and that they were the good guys to the bad guys of commercial radio. They had stacks of locally originated programmes, were (on the whole) effective at putting on OBs and all in all really captured the essence of their TSA.
My view has changed. The more I listen to BBC local radio, the more it is consumed by dreadfully cliched fall-back subjects "sweets they don't make anymore; give us a call", or they'll take a national or international topic and just because the caller says the village/town they're calling from, they seem to think this is local. What is the difference between BBC Radio Leicester doing 20 mins on diabetes and Jeremy Vine doing it?
There is no difference.Now BBC local radio has more networking and countless shows that are more about playing to the egos of the presenters.
Done as it is now, there is no point in BBC local stations. Get rid.
Assuming this was a genuine question, rather than a typical example, it is just possibly because of the higher risk of diabetes within the large local Asian population, thereby making the subject pertinent to the local area?
While it is a good idea regarding BBC Local Radio being more national with regional opt-outs the problem is that after a while questions will be raised regarding:
1: The on going costs of the rent on the buildings/studios - If they are not being used much then what is the point of keeping them?.
2: Outside Broadcasts - Again if the studios are not being used much and local stations become national then not only could it result in the number of OBs going down but it would then be questioned regarding the cost of the facilities that local stations have as some of them have Blue Buses.
It is like Commercial Radio and more stations have gone from being local to national and the operators are not happy with just stations being national, instead they ask for more and more relaxations in the rules regarding music policy as well as reductions in local broadcasting.
I would say that some people complain but at least at the moment here in the North East when it matters such as Breakfast/Rush Hour and Drive Time/Rush Hour the travel etc. Are very good on both Smooth and Heart and Capital and it would be a shame if that was stopped.
The one thing which will not happen is that you will not here coverage or probably even anything about The Sunderland Air Show this weekend on Heart and Smooth where as BBC Radio Newcastle will be broadcasting as good as all day both tomorrow and Sunday.
Also as someone else has said the football coverage is good and I'm not sure whether it is he same poster but they say that commercial broadcasters have stopped due to costs and then go on to say that the BBC Licence Fee is being wasted on it, I would say that while the BBC goes on providing good local radio then long may it continue to do so.
I mean obviously there is Talk Sport and 5Live/5Live Extra but if stations such as BBC Radio Newcastle did not provide coverage of Newcastle and Sunderland games then who would, this is because the Commercial broadcasters have the attitude if it brings in Ad fees then we will broadcast it but if not we don't care.
Just look at Star Radio who took on the Three Legends under Robin Banks only for a new PD to come in and the owners decided that the fees were too expensive and The Three Legends are no more.
As local radio has been largely abandoned by commercial radio it is now down to the BBC and community stations to run with it. As it will be done on very limited budgets we will just have to be thankful for these services which are better than nothing. On the whole I think the BBC does a good job and makes a refreshing change to the large chain commercial stations.. I particularly enjoy the late show which in this area was the late Trevor Fry and is now Richard Lewis with their more individual presenter style together with their choice of music.
I've mentioned in another thread that Radio Scotland has a content budget of £22.6 million, compared to about £2.9 million for the average BBC Local Radio station. No doubt the big city stations, particularly BBC London, get a bit more than that average. So you can have one high quality station for Scotland, or alternatively replace it with about seven threadbare, resource-starved local radio stations.
Let me think about that for a millisecond...........Nah, I think the present set up is a better deal!
Part of the problem with the BBC England show with Mark Forrest 7-10pm seems to be complaints about him and the content; perhaps Tony Blackburn, Richard Allinson or Janice Long could all be considered as replacements if the Beeb want to revamp it a bit. Afternoons could also be networked (1-4pm), that would save a fair bit too.
Presenters do a good job on both BBC local radio and local commercial radio in doing sports coverage when they get the chance. There was an amusing commentary back in 1998 or 1999 near Christmas when a local team, Hereford United, reached a cup final. The BBC H&W commentary was piped through the factory where I was doing some temporary work. There was also commentary from another match - Ledbury ISTR, using non-professional broadcasters. At one boring point during the game came the remark "...The wind is blowing from left to right across the pitch in front of me..." Er ? Whole factory workforce nonplussed before collapsing in laughter... But that's great broadcasting in that it contributes to the entertainment, and proves that we have real humans behind the mic in local radio. Let's not rush to destroy that...
Comments
Assuming this was a genuine question, rather than a typical example, it is just possibly because of the higher risk of diabetes within the large local Asian population, thereby making the subject pertinent to the local area?
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/12December/Pages/greater-diabetes-risk-in-south-asians.aspx
1: The on going costs of the rent on the buildings/studios - If they are not being used much then what is the point of keeping them?.
2: Outside Broadcasts - Again if the studios are not being used much and local stations become national then not only could it result in the number of OBs going down but it would then be questioned regarding the cost of the facilities that local stations have as some of them have Blue Buses.
It is like Commercial Radio and more stations have gone from being local to national and the operators are not happy with just stations being national, instead they ask for more and more relaxations in the rules regarding music policy as well as reductions in local broadcasting.
I would say that some people complain but at least at the moment here in the North East when it matters such as Breakfast/Rush Hour and Drive Time/Rush Hour the travel etc. Are very good on both Smooth and Heart and Capital and it would be a shame if that was stopped.
The one thing which will not happen is that you will not here coverage or probably even anything about The Sunderland Air Show this weekend on Heart and Smooth where as BBC Radio Newcastle will be broadcasting as good as all day both tomorrow and Sunday.
Also as someone else has said the football coverage is good and I'm not sure whether it is he same poster but they say that commercial broadcasters have stopped due to costs and then go on to say that the BBC Licence Fee is being wasted on it, I would say that while the BBC goes on providing good local radio then long may it continue to do so.
I mean obviously there is Talk Sport and 5Live/5Live Extra but if stations such as BBC Radio Newcastle did not provide coverage of Newcastle and Sunderland games then who would, this is because the Commercial broadcasters have the attitude if it brings in Ad fees then we will broadcast it but if not we don't care.
Just look at Star Radio who took on the Three Legends under Robin Banks only for a new PD to come in and the owners decided that the fees were too expensive and The Three Legends are no more.
Let me think about that for a millisecond...........Nah, I think the present set up is a better deal!