Originally Posted by Willum:
“I get the distinct impression that you're rather enjoying the systematic destruction of all remnants of the former Galaxy network, and in the process, something that had become quite an institution over the last 10 years or so.
It was, at best, a very unsavoury act on Global's part, and here you are, blatantly rubbing people's faces in the next round of said destruction.
I find your posts of this nature provocative and distasteful.
I also find it difficult sometimes to believe that apparent Global drones like you are here for anything other than the purpose of heckling, patronising and belittling those who do not subscribe to Global's views, business model, and propaganda but portraying it as education for the proles.
Great PR for your employer there.
(I'm not levying all of those charges directly and solely at you; I refer to others as well)”
Ah... these things are always cyclical. For example, Galaxy destroyed XFM Scotland, which I was a big fan of, so you'll excuse me if (aside from the poor buggers employed by the station, of course, the people who are always forgotten in these matters) I celebrate, to some degree, the death of Galaxy. Divide and conquer, and all that.
Beyond all that, looking at this with a completely commercial and market forces brush (as I've now been forced to with two of my great loves, football and radio), I have to accept the Capital revolution makes complete sense. The vast majority of people will not notice the difference (the very small and niche XFM audience did, but who ever cared about them?) Otherwise, in most areas most people just want to hear the hits they like, in very heavy rotation to make sure they hear the exact song they like, with as little interruption as possible. Local news? Lovely, but keep it quick and keep it relveant, or go away. About half the time it takes to scroll through the local news on the red button on BBCi, to be precise.
And specialist music? Meh. In most areas stationality is the key. Certainly in central Scotland we have two (although it is slowly becoming one and a half as Real Radio loses the plot) good local commercial options, so Capital's key is to hammer home the hits. It is not the first choice in most areas, so it makes complete sense to keep the same formula going constantly, to try and pick up any audience it can, at any time it can. As depressing as that sounds to the rest of us, most people don't listen to the radio in the same way we do.
The big losers in all this? Those who rely for Capital and Heart for their sole commercial radio choice in the regions, and even those in London, our biggest city, lest we forget, who are now dependent on LBC for news. There ain't much mainstream crossover there. Mind you, I suppose that isn't commercial radio's job these days.