I'd imagine Simon will take time off at Easter. Maybe Pat will cover the long weekend Breakfast ?

Looking at the Smooth website David Prever is in for Lynn Parsons this weekend from 10-2pm

Why don't they get Bruno Brookes to cover Drivetime on Smooth. I bet he would sound brilliant? Or in another hand. Get Richard Allinson over from Radio 2 and give him a show?

Don't you just think that the commercial radio model has gone wrong somewhere down the line.
Smooth is just an amalgam of BBC/Luxembourg.

Why do commercial jocks fail to make the national grade.

Could it be because of the restraints the stations place on presenters?

The delivery of Carlos and Bruno are very similar.

David Jensen sounds at home on Smooth, an improvement on Lincoln, although the music policy is once again what lets it down.

To be fair Davids personality and delivery are a result of his experience and travels. I think Dave Lincoln made the mistake of sticking with commercial radio in the north west throughout his career. It is very easy to get stuck in a groove.

Lincoln's delivery didn't adapt to Smooth going national, he'd sound more at home on a BBC LR.

I worked with him 35 years ago.

I think his big mistake was not going down the more speech but less music avenue and moving to BBC local radio.

He has ended up in a limbo between BBC local and ILR.

Non voice tracking radio requires personality.

BBC local radio offers opportunity to do more than link music tracks

Graham Dene and a few others found themselves in the same limbo.

Almost certainly.

Most commercial stations these days place their "talent" in a straightjacket. They tell them how each link must be constructed, how long it must be & even what to talk about.

Some presenters may need that, but older more talented presenters don't.

More freedom is what is needed, both in what is said, but also in how it is done & what songs are played. Until commercial wakes up to this, the BBC will dominate.

Agreed totally and Graham Dene also suffers from the same problem, although he built up a cult audience in London, he couldn't even deliver the Rajar in a cut throat market. (Although that could be down to GMG's inability to crack London than Mr Dene's ability as a jock)

Still, I understand Graham was given a test show on Radio Jackie, where his laidback delivery will be more useful on a station which is less tightly targeted than Smooth.

Incidentally, I think GMG were so quick to get Smooth national to cut costs that the final product is only now finally becoming apparent in it's output. Bates and Jensen are the highlights in an otherwise still a work in progress station.

When I started in commercial radio mid 70's there were no constraints.

You could do what you liked and it was reflected in the wide spectrum of styles that emerged from the period.

Ed Doolan started at BRMB under John Russell.
Chris Tarrant was a former ATV Today journalist as was Ann Diamond.

Steve Wright was Radio 210 along with Mike Read.
(Read and Wright)

And Chris Evans started at Piccadilly in Manchester.

Yes, i remember some of that. Especially BRMB with Les Ross.It was certainly far more creative than what we have now, which is just safe &...bland really!.

The critics of taking some of the rules away always say that some of that era was horrific & of course it was, but some was also fantastic appoitment to listen radio.. You have to take risks sometimes to get something worthwhile.

Why would i bother listening to Heart/Smooth or most other commercial stations tomorrow?. I know largely what i will hear...the same songs as today, just in a different order, pointless strap lines repeated over & over & loads of showbiz news.It's like groundhog day on some stations everyday.

This isn't the presenters fault...it's 100% the fault of managers who just overmanage the whole output. They talk crap about branding as though it's a can of beans rather than a creative industry.

R2 has it's faults...not least presenters talking all over songs (one of the few things commercial get right), but at least tomorrow will be different from today.

Les Ross was the Birmingham version of Billy Butler in Liverpool. Great radio talent that never broke out of their big fish in a small pool syndrome.

I guess that goes for Ed Doolan as well who had the talent to do the Jimmy Young stand in 20 years ago.

On the other side of the fence there are a lot of has beens such as Judy Spiers holding out their last few years in BBC local radio.

You can tell the double top 20 isn't live...

How come Occy?

Pat man is covering Simon Bates Bank Holidays Breakfast. I wonder if that will be the Norm?

It's a wonder if they have space with all the TV and Radio people from different networks

My last moan on him (I promise) but with today being his wife Claire's due date for the birth of their first child I'm very surprised to see Carlos presenting yesterday , today and presumably the rest of this week.

Have they got a stand-in incase Claire goes into labour during the time Carlos is on air?

He must be taking Paternity Leave once the baby is born and not before....

I think the due date is the 29th

I doubt Carlos is entitled to any paternity leave being a freelancer, so making as much money as he can for his new addition to his family.

It is voice tracked.

I didn't realise it's Pat for Simon all week. I was waiting for the Golden Hour to be like the old days when he was doing the Top 10 and 10 on Capital

Dave Lincoln is on Saturdays as well as his Sunday Love Songs..

More Energy for Mark Goodier..

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...els-house.html

So Terry Underhill in for Carlos today (And probably rest of this week) as Claire Emms (Carlos's wife) went into labour this afternoon.