[NokiaNokia]

Originally Posted by NokiaNokia

Also Michael Jackson 1:05pm and again at 2:10pm.

Okay, they played Paul Young at 3:05pm, and Paul Young with Zucchero "Senza Un Donna" at 4:15pm! The Michael Jackson thing involved his duet with Paul McCartney at 1:05pm and a solo Michael Jackson song at 2:10pm.

What next, Ronan Keating with Yusuf at 5:05pm and then Ronan Keating at 6:10pm? Mind you, they've just played Boyzone so who knows!

Now, any serious radio programmer should be able to run Selector properly for goodness sake! Celador, sort it out.

Lookling on their website, they played Boyzone and Norah Jones between 3-4am, then some different songs from Boyzone and Norah Jones between 4-5am. Pre-launch nerve perhaps!

[hanssolo]

Originally Posted by NokiaNokia

Yes I thought that was odd too. Posts 12 and 13 speculate that its going to be a case of a small town radio company trying to copy the big boys like Smooth and Magic but don't have the programme expertise to do so. I think the post by "thelistener" highlights this further. They've probably heard about the 'moments away' type of branding but have no idea how to use them.

Maybe the sweepers are just running in random rotation, but that is the lazy way. Mind you, the songs seem to be in random rotation too as I've already highlighted.

Of course Celador are a big company and better than this, and if they're serious about radio they need to raise their game significantly.

Richard Park gave an interview in Broadcast (now part of GMG) last year

But if there is a secret formula to making a successful breakfast show, Park’s not prepared to divulge it.

“I’m not telling you,” he laughs. “But what I will say is that it’s very different for different stations. For example, Capital needs a lively start while Heart needs a warm, considered start with more of a family atmosphere. I set up more music less talk when I was at Magic because London needed that. It worked brilliantly. There’s no single prescription for a successful breakfast show.”

Why then has rival Magic’s Neil Fox – a Gold winner at this week’s Sonys – seen his audience slip?

“Because I left,” he jokes. “No, seriously, it’s a brand that’s got to be developed all the time. You have to develop the music policy all the time.”

Celador have taken a risk with Vanessa Elms, but if they can "develop the music policy all the time” it might just work!
Guess like the big stations will also mean having focus groups saying what is working or not and a programme controller who listens!
http://www.thebreeze107.com/breakfast-147810

I'm a strong believer that music can influence mood and emotion and am so excited to be waking up the South playing sweet smooth music that will put you in a happy relaxed state of mind, ready to tackle whatever the day may bring.

[hanssolo]

Thinking a bit more and Claire Anderson (from Southampton and ex Power FM) is now probably one of Radios's most relaxed and laid back presenters on Jazz FM!
http://mydeco.com/the-magazine/style...aire-anderson/
And Erika North has done well at Gold!
So Vanessa's new Breeze breakfast show might just click!

[Joey Deacon]

Originally Posted by NokiaNokia

they played Paul Young at 3:05pm, and Paul Young with Zucchero "Senza Un Donna" at 4:15pm.

Now, any serious radio programmer should be able to run Selector properly for goodness sake! Celador, sort it out.

Any serious radio programmer knows the audience wouldn't even notice, less care.

There are far bigger radio crimes than playing a core artist twice within the space of 90 minutes.

I do that nearly all the time on stations I programme.

I have to say I like what I'm hearing on The Breeze so far.

It sounds big, sounds quality, sounds upmarket.

[hanssolo]

The breakfast show with Vanessa sounds good and relaxed with a good mixture of songs! Vanessa seems to be keeping chat to a minimum!
Sould not think they will have too many problems with ex play and quay listeners retuning!
The player shows songs

Take That Back For Good
Sugababes Too Lost In You
8:17 Nina Simone I Put A Spell On You
8:14 Robbie Williams Have You Met Miss Jones
8:11 Quincy Jones Soul Bossa Nova
8:07 Curtis Stigers I Wonder Why
8:01 Real Thing You To Me are Everything
7:52 Anita Baker Caught Up In The Rapture
7:47 Mariah Carey Hero

Robbie Williams song is the big band version!

[James30]

Originally Posted by hanssolo

The breakfast show with Vanessa sounds good and relaxed with a good mixture of songs! Vanessa seems to be keeping chat to a minimum!
Sould not think they will have too many problems with ex play and quay listeners retuning!
The player shows songs

Robbie Williams song is the big band version!

Well, there are a lot of p***ed off ex-Quay listeners out there from what i hear.

[Joey Deacon]

Originally Posted by James30

Well, there are a lot of p***ed off ex-Quay listeners out there from what i hear.

I wouldn't have thought so.

The Quay hardly "a lot" of listeners to p*** off in the first place.

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by Joey Deacon

I wouldn't have thought so.

The Quay hardly "a lot" of listeners to p*** off in the first place.

They did acheive their highest reach in their history apparently though.

[Miss Sixty]

Originally Posted by Martin Phillp

They did acheive their highest reach in their history apparently though.

After two days on air The Breeze is already a big improvement on The Quay, Win FM and the rest.

Ex-Quay listeners who don't fancy the mellow mood can always re-tune to Heart, Galaxy, Wave, Radio 2 or The Coast.

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by Miss Sixty

After two days on air The Breeze is already a big improvement on The Quay, Win FM and the rest.

Ex-Quay listeners who don't fancy the mellow mood can always re-tune to Heart, Galaxy, Wave, Radio 2 or The Coast.

The Breeze isn't as depressing as Magic from what I've heard so far and there are tracks that you haven't heard for years or never before in my case which is similar to when I listen to The Coast. If I lived in the TSA, it would be one of my dipper stations.

Don't forget community station Express FM in Portsmouth too, they could do with the support of hardcore Quay listeners who want to listen to local radio.

[NokiaNokia]

Have been listening to this for a couple of days now.

Sounds nice, quite polished actually, there's a good feel to the station.

I like the idea of sepertate news bulletins, and I also heard some events information too split across the different frequencies.

Some of the presenters work well, Mark Walker and Stewart Smith have good voices and appreciate the music, not sure about some of the other. Adam Newstead sounded too excited and quick, and Vanessa Elms this morning didn't sound at all comfortable with the music. It's new of course, a new format to work with, a new station, new shift etc so given time this will hopefully improve to a certain level. However, I'm thinking Vanessa and Adam are too young. Mark and Stewart actually sound like they've been working at The Breeze for years!

As for the songs, some amazing songs have come on making car journeys really enjoyable. It's good to hear something radically different to the other existing stations. I'm still concerned with repeition fo artists and songs. It's a new station playing songs that I've not heard for years and years, though I'm thinking that this will have worn off by Thursday as by then it will only have been a day or two!

Anyway, seems good to listen to, and it's always good to have a choice.

[Miss Sixty]

Originally Posted by NokiaNokia

Have been listening to this for a couple of days now.

Sounds nice, quite polished actually, there's a good feel to the station.

I like the idea of sepertate news bulletins, and I also heard some events information too split across the different frequencies.

Some of the presenters work well, Mark Walker and Stewart Smith have good voices and appreciate the music, not sure about some of the other. Adam Newstead sounded too excited and quick, and Vanessa Elms this morning didn't sound at all comfortable with the music. It's new of course, a new format to work with, a new station, new shift etc so given time this will hopefully improve to a certain level. However, I'm thinking Vanessa and Adam are too young. Mark and Stewart actually sound like they've been working at The Breeze for years!

As for the songs, some amazing songs have come on making car journeys really enjoyable. It's good to hear something radically different to the other existing stations. I'm still concerned with repeition fo artists and songs. It's a new station playing songs that I've not heard for years and years, though I'm thinking that this will have worn off by Thursday as by then it will only have been a day or two!

Anyway, seems good to listen to, and it's always good to have a choice.

I have to agree.

I had The Breeze on in the background this afternoon for about an hour.

I have nothing but praise for the output.

It is remarkably well polished considering it has only been going for two and a half days.

Well done The Breeze!

[Liam_C]

not too sure what to make of it, although i'm more gsc audience then the breeze.

does anybody have audio from the quay bowing out?

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by Liam_C

does anybody have audio from the quay bowing out?

On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goyJSO84bUw

[Newsbuff]

It sounds a great format but isn't it very similar to The Coast? How will that work as the two stations overlap, area wise don't they?

[Bingethink]

The Coast has more soft rock, and The Breeze is more easy listening - they certainly overlap, but are clearly male/female focussed respectively.

[markmag]

The Coast is Yorkie, Breeze is Galaxy.
Actually that analogy just confuses things

My problem with Breeze is the same as my problem with Coast - it sounds like a national station defined solely on a specific type of music played, rather than a local station with a wider genre base but with relevance to the local audience.

With there being some overlap between Breeze and Coast as outlined above, if (and it's a big if) Breeze did become a huge success (while Coast's audience continued to be weak/decline) would Celador be able to swap the frequencies so Breeze reached a larger audience on 106/106.6 rather than the smaller range of 107.2/4/8?

[Bingethink]

Originally Posted by markmag

My problem with Breeze is the same as my problem with Coast - it sounds like a national station defined solely on a specific type of music played, rather than a local station with a wider genre base but with relevance to the local audience.

But the problem with local stations with a wider genre base but with relevance to the local audience is that they have all been financially unsustainable and have shut down.

[Joey Deacon]

I haven't gone into the finer details, or done a comparison monitor of both stations, but I don't think the overlap is all that big between The Coast and The Breeze.

[MrUK]

Originally Posted by James Martin 2

Bear in mind a 45 year old woman today was 31 when Two Become One came out, and is musically probably the finest of the Spice Girls' tracks along with the funk/disco influenced Say You'll Be There.

Yes, a 45 year old woman was 31 when Two Became One came out. Precisely. I'm pretty certain 31-year-olds weren't into the Spice Girls in 1996. Teenagers, yes. But people in their 30s? 'fraid not. Despite being big sellers, "The" Spice Girls were deemed a 'teen pop' band by a lot of stations and - believe it or not - were banned from a great deal of stations' daytime playlists.

Sure, TODAY'S 31-year-olds enjoy the odd Spice Girls track, but they were about 17 during the band's peak!

Let's not forget that The Spice Girls haven't always appealed to thirty-something Mums!

[Bingethink]

Originally Posted by MrUK

I'm pretty certain 31-year-olds weren't into the Spice Girls in 1996.

My wife bought the first Spice Girls album at Christmas '96, when she was 29 and had just given birth to our first child!

[tellyman]

I must say I have been listening to the Breeze a lot more than I ever did on The Quay before,the music suits me much more,but then I am in the demographic as far as age goes. I'm also happy that the football coverage has been sorted out onto our other city station Express FM. If I had one gripe it would be the small playlist they seem to have,or maybe I'm just unlucky to keep hearing the same tunes when I listen in.

[Martin Phillp]

Originally Posted by Bingethink

My wife bought the first Spice Girls album at Christmas '96, when she was 29 and had just given birth to our first child!

The Spice Girls had a wide female target audience in their heyday. Some of the tracks were aimed at the teeny bopper market, however I found the majority of the songs were family songs that anyone could listen to.

I remember they seemed to be the first girlband to attract the pre-teen audience, which led to manufactured rip-offs such as B*Witched and Lolly targeting this audience with little success.

Wannabe and Spice up your Life should be on any cheesy party playlist.

[Test Tone]

Originally Posted by Bingethink

But the problem with local stations with a wider genre base but with relevance to the local audience is that they have all been financially unsustainable and have shut down.

I think you'll find the closures are more to do with mis-management at those individual stations over the years, (not to mention constant ownership/rebranding exercises), which meant they were financially doomed!

[Bingethink]

Originally Posted by Test Tone

I think you'll find the closures are more to do with mis-management at those individual stations over the years, (not to mention constant ownership/rebranding exercises), which meant they were financially doomed!

I'm not sure that's the case. I think the stations have suffered (continually, under various different managements) like so many other small local stations in crowded markets.

Southampton and Portsmouth are particularly difficult because of the historic Ocean/Power split and the strength of Wave 105. That middle ground is very crowded and the "sallie" stations have all struggled to make an impact.