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Old 27-07-2010, 14:10
Les Wires
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Local radio is becoming much like the country's high streets, all looking and sounding the same.
Do listeners who tune in for music actually care if it's local or not? The latest Pixie Lott song will sound the same whatever studio it comes from To use your analogy do shoppers care if their local shopping centre is tjhe same as the one in Milton Keynes or Plymouth as long as they can purchase what they wish.

Commercial radio emphasized the greatness of localness possibly because these were the only local commercial licences available.

Now there are effectively national commercial stations those phrases are no longer used by the larger radio corps.
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Old 27-07-2010, 14:35
trunkster
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Do listeners who tune in for music actually care if it's local or not? The latest Pixie Lott song will sound the same whatever studio it comes from To use your analogy do shoppers care if their local shopping centre is tjhe same as the one in Milton Keynes or Plymouth as long as they can purchase what they wish.

Commercial radio emphasized the greatness of localness possibly because these were the only local commercial licences available.

Now there are effectively national commercial stations those phrases are no longer used by the larger radio corps.
Heart used to be Chiltern Radio in our area, 25 years ago It used to have it's own unique style, programmes and DJ's with music preferences and tastes. I would say the people who actually listen to it every day these days either have virtually no taste in music or are forced to listen to it at their place of work. The DJ's on it sound like they come from the same production line/school as the late night TV casino/game show presenters.
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Old 27-07-2010, 15:08
simon243
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Heart used to be Chiltern Radio in our area, 25 years ago It used to have it's own unique style, programmes and DJ's with music preferences and tastes. I would say the people who actually listen to it every day these days either have virtually no taste in music or are forced to listen to it at their place of work.
So by that token, your other half has no taste in music?
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Old 27-07-2010, 15:14
GCapandfries
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I agree with Mr Wires and I think a lot of people are missing the point about this whole restructure.

Global and the wider radio industry have realised that their just isn't room in market places for lots of local radio stations. The local ad markets just can't support it so as commercial revenue has declined something has had to be done.

Global have recognised that in most of these Heart TSA's there are already competitor local stations. These are the new Fox FM's and Gemini's of today's world. With the restructure you now have gained a regional/county wide station.

So, for example, in the Thames Valley you've got FM107.9, Jack FM, Reading 107 and the regional Heart. Certainly seems better than 20 years ago when there was only Fox and 2 Ten.

Global are simply redefining their assets to make them and the commercial industry as a whole more viable. If you bemoan the fact that your local Heart station is no longer 'local' then perhaps you should accept that that is actually the point and if you want 'local' then listen to the local station in your town. Thats what they are there for and most of them could do with the audience.
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Old 27-07-2010, 18:09
wckartist
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You've just proved exactly why Heart is so successful.

You hate it, but you (I assume) are a bloke and the advertisers don't want you. Your other half, though, loves it and she's who the advertisers want.

Moan all you like about Heart, but your other half is living proof that Global have got it right.
you make it sound like men do not spend any money

however, i know the ad men have realised theres a huge amount of females of a certain age out there living beyond their means, and hammering the credit card like theres no tomorrow
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Old 27-07-2010, 18:42
Marcus Bradshaw
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Global are simply redefining their assets to make them and the commercial industry as a whole more viable. If you bemoan the fact that your local Heart station is no longer 'local' then perhaps you should accept that that is actually the point and if you want 'local' then listen to the local station in your town. Thats what they are there for and most of them could do with the audience.
Not so.

Global are redefining their assets to increase their resale value.

Many of those stations were perfectly viable businesses before global turned them into Heart... They just weren't worth that much as a stand alone brand.

It's all about the exit plan. It has nothing to do with turning it into a 'viable business'... It was one already.
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Old 27-07-2010, 20:48
Inkblot
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if you want 'local' then listen to the local station in your town
Had a cream tea (that's not a euphemism) in Cornwall at the weekend. What station did they have playing in the café? Something local to the St Ives area perhaps? No, it was Heart. On Freeview. Maybe they thought local radio would put off the tourists... or maybe they liked it.
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Old 28-07-2010, 08:01
Joey Deacon
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Had a cream tea (that's not a euphemism) in Cornwall at the weekend. What station did they have playing in the café? Something local to the St Ives area perhaps? No, it was Heart. On Freeview.
I'm not surprised at all.

I don't have the figures for Heart to hand but Magic reaches 2.9 million listeners across the UK (outwith London) on DAB, Sky, Freeview.
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Old 28-07-2010, 08:39
Bingethink
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I think you've read that wrong.

Total Magic is 3.7 million.

Magic in London is about 2 million

Magic in the North (i.e. the AM gold stations, on AM, or digitally) is about 700k.

So Magic digital figures outside London must be more like a million, not nearly three million. Still good, but not quite that good.

Heart's digital listening is a bit less. Heart listening in ILR areas is 6.7 million ; total Heart is 7.3 million. So around 600k nationally listen digitally outside of area.

(I wonder what the comparative cost of broadcasting Heart digitally, and running the Magic AMs is, in order to return about the same audience??)
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Old 28-07-2010, 08:41
dpb
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Deleted post - Bingethink said what I said....
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Old 28-07-2010, 09:39
trunkster
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So by that token, your other half has no taste in music?
She likes what she likes, I won't hold that against her though
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Old 28-07-2010, 13:45
Miss Sixty
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She likes what she likes, I won't hold that against her though
Ahhhhh. And they say romance is dead!
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Old 30-07-2010, 01:24
wns_195
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I wish to express my dissatisfaction with a recent change that was made to Heart. I tuned in expecting to hear Heartbreakers, and there was something called The Late Show on instead. If I want to listen to a "late show" there are late shows on other radio stations. Bring back Heartbreakers!
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Old 30-07-2010, 07:36
Casey B See
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Which Heart stations have been incorporated to make the home counties? 96.9, 96.6, 97.6, 103.3. Are there any more?

What about Gold are the home counties sharing an afternoon show?

What happened to Tony Dibbin? Last heard him filling in for Paul Coyte on Sunday. Is he a permanent fixture to Gold these days?

And where about Emma Saint
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Old 30-07-2010, 07:42
boywonder
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What happened to Tony Dibbin? Last heard him filling in for Paul Coyte on Sunday.
Breakfast at Bay Radio Swansea.
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Old 30-07-2010, 08:54
NokiaNokia
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Which Heart stations have been incorporated to make the home counties? 96.9, 96.6, 97.6, 103.3. Are there any more?

What about Gold are the home counties sharing an afternoon show?
Gold changed a while back, NO LOCAL content at all, not even a voicetracked afternoon show. It's all from London, even the news bulletins. I think they've ditched travel too,

So for AM, its taken 12 years to get Gold this way - no local programmes, no local content and not even local news. Meanwhile, the Heart FM netowrk is about 80% of the way to the same result.
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Old 31-07-2010, 12:08
gwrbristol
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Midwest have decided to have a dig at Heart West County...

http://www.midwestradio.co.uk/midwes...l-radio-243064

Now remind me, which out of Midwest and Heart, were the first station to merge 2 stations together 18 months ago...oh yes, Midwest - Formally Ivel FM and Vale FM.

Not sure what I think of Midwest's revised logo either.
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Old 31-07-2010, 12:21
boywonder
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Midwest have decided to have a dig at Heart West County...
Hmm playing Jimmy Nail. HUGE tuneout!
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Old 31-07-2010, 15:10
gwrbristol
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Hmm playing Jimmy Nail. HUGE tuneout!
Don't even start me on their music policy....one moment sweet and sticky pop followed by something dark, rough and dusky from the 1970's (I'm not advocating Hearts narrow playlist either).

I have to say, you never hear Midwest playing in any shops in Yeovil. But this is the issue for Midwest, where as Heart have coverage across the whole of Midwest's area, Kiss, with it upbeat pop only covers the Somerset proportion. Tricky then for Midwest to be a hit music station as it has to go up against another national brand in half of its area. It would also have trouble being an 'adult music' station in the Dorset half of its area it comes up against Wave 105 and The Coast. Tricky one huh.
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Old 31-07-2010, 15:20
bluesdiamond
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Heart used to be Chiltern Radio in our area, 25 years ago It used to have it's own unique style, programmes and DJ's with music preferences and tastes. I would say the people who actually listen to it every day these days either have virtually no taste in music or are forced to listen to it at their place of work. The DJ's on it sound like they come from the same production line/school as the late night TV casino/game show presenters.
I remember many years ago Geoff Cooke the former England rugby coach was coach for Bedford.
He was discussing the 'hardcore' attendance at home games. He was convinced as long as it was at 3pm on a Saturday he could get sell tickets to watch two dogs perform in the centre of the pitch.
For a lot of Radio listeners, unlike tv viewers, they won't change channels. So even if the music has altered, the format, the name they will still listen to the 'frequency' that a station is on.
However, judging by commnets on some of facebook pages, maybe they are fed up of being treated badly and are looking to find other stations. Looks like they have got bored of the dogs now...
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Old 01-08-2010, 09:22
AsianAgent99
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I second that, I'm thrilled to bits that Heart is coming, it's not like anyone in and around Watford, Hemel & St Albans has even heard of a radio station called Heart before!

We even get the poor man's version of the London Heart! I hope the transmitter engineer sets the AF switch over to 106.2, as they are more louder and stronger than 96.6 in Watford, so they won't even get a look in!
This may be so, but 96.6 isn't licenced for Watford, is it?
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Old 01-08-2010, 14:58
Joey Deacon
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Not sure what I think of Midwest's revised logo either.
Horrid. It looks like a train company logo.

Horrible name for a radio station too - and on top of that they play Jimmy Nail!

Dear oh dear.
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Old 01-08-2010, 15:47
radio_geeky
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Oh look, Chris Brooks formerly of Capital FM fame is presenting drivetime at my "local" Heart! Seeing as THIS IS HEART, I thought I'd check the site out at http://www.heart.co.uk/crawley/shows/drivetime/!

Page load error

(did I say, THIS IS HEART)
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Old 01-08-2010, 17:06
occy
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Oh look, Chris Brooks formerly of Capital FM fame is presenting drivetime at my "local" Heart! Seeing as THIS IS HEART, I thought I'd check the site out at http://www.heart.co.uk/crawley/shows/drivetime/!

Page load error

(did I say, THIS IS HEART)
He's on Heart Sussex which was part of EX Mercury.
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Old 01-08-2010, 17:12
Joey Deacon
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He's on Heart Sussex which was part of EX Mercury.
Good move for Chris and for Heart Sussex.

He's doing the shift vacated by Paul Hayes.
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