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Thames Radio - New Digital Station
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Mark M
20-09-2016
Indeed. I also wondered whether "Dave in Finsbury Park" or whoever it was who wanted to hear Bon Jovi while he ate his Shreddies was a real person or just a figment of Foxy's imagination.

Very little Twitter buzz about the show, so it's clear that they desperately need to get the word out to London with some proper marketing - otherwise they'll never capitalise on their investment in Foxy. That said, it would be worth them sorting out the fake Pat Sharp show between 10.45 and 1 before they get the word out.
Mark M
20-09-2016
Chris Blumer did a time-check at 1.11 this afternoon, so he's either live or very precisely voice-tracked. Could be the latter if he's a VT pro.
NokiaNokia
20-09-2016
Originally Posted by Mark M:
“Chris Blumer did a time-check at 1.11 this afternoon, so he's either live or very precisely voice-tracked. Could be the latter if he's a VT pro.”

Quite easy to do if you have a decent playout system, particularly if news bulletins have a fixed duration. And yes, Chris does seem to be a VT pro, a key element to all of this.
richardpaul1987
20-09-2016
Originally Posted by NokiaNokia:
“Quite easy to do if you have a decent playout system, particularly if news bulletins have a fixed duration. And yes, Chris does seem to be a VT pro, a key element to all of this.”

Chris finished his nation radio show at 1pm, It may have been live.

But saying that, he does dragon breakfast as well, it's a lot of live shows in one day. So one has to be voice tracked.
occy
20-09-2016
Originally Posted by NokiaNokia:
“Highly likely. Once Foxy has demonstrated he still sounds good in the mornings (and why wouldn't he?) with no negative feedback I'm sure he'll be snapped up. Breakfast or Drive on Smooth would be perfect for him. Russ Williams could be shunted to Drive as and when, or Foxy could go straight to Drive or in fact any of the weekday shows.

I heard a bit of Neil Francis earlier, sounded good at drive, good to hear him doing real links.”

Bauer Magic started hiring ex capital but it does seem the other way round and global are hiring ex capital now.
hanssolo
20-09-2016
Think you mean Magic to Global's Smooth?
http://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/07/smoo...anny-pietroni/
Originally Posted by stv viewer:
“I agree I think Foxy making his return on a smaller station is better than dropping him straight on to smooth or Gold.”

Bauer did not do well with Fox. No guarentee Global will not do well in difficult issues either as they did not treat Hirsty's lifestyle change on Capital and Gold at all well.
NoEntry2k
21-09-2016
So how far in advance are Foxy’s breakfast show links recorded? Does he do a whole week’s worth of links at once?
Mark M
21-09-2016
Not sure - but he did a weather forecast this morning that proved to be fairly accurate.
duffman25
21-09-2016
2 more new presenters coming to thames radio http://radiotoday.co.uk/2016/09/dean...-thames-radio/
COTTONHEAT
21-09-2016
Originally Posted by NokiaNokia:
“Highly likely. Once Foxy has demonstrated he still sounds good in the mornings (and why wouldn't he?) with no negative feedback I'm sure he'll be snapped up. Breakfast or Drive on Smooth would be perfect for him. Russ Williams could be shunted to Drive as and when, or Foxy could go straight to Drive or in fact any of the weekday shows.

I heard a bit of Neil Francis earlier, sounded good at drive, good to hear him doing real links.”

if Foxy moved to Smooth Breakfast Russ could go back to his 10 till 1 timeslot that he had at Absolute Radio
Black Label
22-09-2016
Thames Radio is essentially the same idea as Superstation Orkney was.

Superstation was a superslick radio operation out of Kirkwall. The shows were mostly VTd by English jocks on good terms with Superstation management. How much they got paid if anything I do not know. My guess would be often nothing.....they did it purely for the 'feel' of dominating that tiny market, just as in the simpler days of single ILR provision.

I have avoided contributing to this thread thus far because I am unfamiliar with the nitty gritty of London radio politics so I'll say up front I can't shed any light on things by my posts in this instance and feel free to shoot me down in flames if I am off the mark here.

But it would strike me as lunacy for Thames Radio to have live big name presenters and physical studios. It costs too much money and is old hat for DAB in such a market. The idea that Neil Fox would be getting out of bed to do a live breakfast show on here is for the birds They couldn't afford him, correct me if I am wrong, and there is nowhere for him to 'do' it live anyway. Even if there were, as the esteemed Tony Currie rightly points out, people like that don't turn up for petrol money, free coffee etc.

Or at least not live. VTing is a different matter however, due to the limited time investment required. This strikes me as more labour of love by the guys on air, perhaps more comparible to scenarios where pro jocks turn up on community stations than anything else, relatively speaking of course.

DAB offers creative freedom to experiment with ideas such as 'virtual' radio stations without OFCOM obligations FMers face so this is to me just what Thames Radio is. A virtual digital station using radio magic. The fact that posters on this thread have to discuss and share thoughts before it is decided it must be Vtd means old Joe Public will neither notice nor care.
hanssolo
22-09-2016
Originally Posted by Black Label:
“Thames Radio is essentially the same idea as Superstation Orkney was.

Superstation was a superslick radio operation out of Kirkwall. The shows were mostly VTd by English jocks on good terms with Superstation management.”

Interesting parallels.
Both the Superstation and Thames (with Martin Mumford) started in London during the 90s.

The Superstation was a sustaining service funded by Richard Branson for a late night service for ILRs with the likes of Jonathan Ross and Chris Evans (although not so big then). According to the wiki the original person behind it was Rob Jones who now runs DAB station the Wireless.
It then moved to Manchester and petered out. But Dave Miller kept the concept going at Kirkwall. It applied for a Belfast licence unsuccessfully and closed. Had it kept going could have provided a service for the DAB minimux trials?

Now Thames/Dragon has a chance to pick up with Fox, Tony Blackburn, Pat Sharp, Dean Martin, Jive Bunny (a cartoon rabbit known for mixes?) etc. London has a high DAB (and internet radio) listening. so could just work, it could roleout further on minimuxes.
The issue is marketting and getting enough ad revenue from the fickle ad agencies who may not see Thames target audience as important to them? (which Gold is still struggling with). But if Neil Fox can pickup ex Magic breakfast listeners might work? Perhaps optimistic?

Things are getting busy with Virgin back and the ex Absolute management launching Union Jack?
The Wireless has a similar playlist to Thames, but has effectively been subsidised by Age UK so ticking along.
radioanorak
22-09-2016
The Superstation on Orkney began broadcasting as a licenced community station on 14 Jan. 2008
It closed due to lack of funds & lack of advertising on 16 Nov. 2014.
The station was owned By Dave Miller who bought & then sold the MV Communicator for 1000 pounds which had been used for Laser 558. It was sold off for scrap having been beached near St Margaret' Hope pier
The station had nothing at all to do with Richard Branson
dpb
22-09-2016
Originally Posted by hanssolo:
“Interesting parallels.
Both the Superstation and Thames (with Martin Mumford) started in London during the 90s.

The Superstation was a sustaining service funded by Richard Branson for a late night service for ILRs with the likes of Jonathan Ross and Chris Evans (although not so big then). According to the wiki the original person behind it was Rob Jones who now runs DAB station the Wireless.
It then moved to Manchester and petered out. But Dave Miller kept the concept going at Kirkwall. It applied for a Belfast licence unsuccessfully and closed. Had it kept going could have provided a service for the DAB minimux trials?

<snip>”

Is the concept of Radio Radio's Superstation the same as Dave Miller's Superstation? The former was a syndicated programme service for ILR, the other was first a pirate in Manchester in the mid 1990s and then a legal station for the Orkney Islands.
hanssolo
22-09-2016
Originally Posted by dpb:
“Is the concept of Radio Radio's Superstation the same as Dave Miller's Superstation? The former was a syndicated programme service for ILR, the other was first a pirate in Manchester in the mid 1990s and then a legal station for the Orkney Islands.”

From the web The first Superstation was owned by Richard Branson and based in London 1987. It moved to Machchester and was sold to Owen Oyston in 1989 and closed 1992. A pirate of the same name then started in Manchester (not sure if ex employees?) which came legal on FM in the Orkneys with the MV Communicator.
dpb
22-09-2016
Originally Posted by hanssolo:
“From the web The first Superstation was owned by Richard Branson and based in London 1987. It moved to Machchester and was sold to Owen Oyston in 1989 and closed 1992. A pirate of the same name then started in Manchester (not sure if ex employees?) which came legal on FM in the Orkneys with the MV Communicator.”

I know the history - I'm just saying it seems to be different concepts using the same name. I'm not sure if there is any other connection apart from the name.
radioanorak
22-09-2016
dpb
as I said before there was no connection between the 2 stations apart from the name
simon243
22-09-2016
The problem Thames has is it's trying to compete in the most competitive radio market in Europe, but with no marketing and hardly any budget.

Love them or loathe them, London has a huge choice of well-established breakfast shows: Dave Berry, Jamie Theakston, Nick Snaith, Ricky & Melvin, Chris Moyles, Nick Ferrari - all of which are live, heavily marketed and not cheap (not to mention Grimshaw, Evans and R4 Today which is huge in London).

As good as Neil Fox is, voicetracked links just won't cut it when you're up against competition like that. It might work in rural Wales, where Nation's stations are a big fish in a small pond, but London is a totally different story and I fear they're out of their depth.
Costa Starbucks
22-09-2016
Would anyone know if there are provisions in place if there is a major death or incident in the country.
If the shows are VTd do they switch to a complete different show or carry on as normal until they can sort out a studio and get a body in place or perhaps even switch to rolling news?
occy
22-09-2016
Originally Posted by simon243:
“The problem Thames has is it's trying to compete in the most competitive radio market in Europe, but with no marketing and hardly any budget.

Love them or loathe them, London has a huge choice of well-established breakfast shows: Dave Berry, Jamie Theakston, Nick Snaith, Ricky & Melvin, Chris Moyles, Nick Ferrari - all of which are live, heavily marketed and not cheap (not to mention Grimshaw, Evans and R4 Today which is huge in London).

As good as Neil Fox is, voicetracked links just won't cut it when you're up against competition like that. It might work in rural Wales, where Nation's stations are a big fish in a small pond, but London is a totally different story and I fear they're out of their depth.”

Lot of listen on there phones 📱 now
Erwin
22-09-2016
I don't listen to much to Thames anymore but is the format already changed in a bit more Capital FM way? So when I listening it reminds me more of a soft AC/Capital Gold clone than a Capital FM clone with the format from their 'hey days'.
Mark M
22-09-2016
I was really, really annoyed by the first incarnation of Thames, but they've now fixed more or less everything I hoped they would (apart from the pretend Pat Sharp show between 10.45ish and 1).

I actually don't think the VT breakfast show is that big a deal, as it has up-to-date news and travel inserts. Sure, it rules out on-air interaction and competitions, but I'm not a massive fan of those things anyway. It's more of a drawback from a business perspective - ie harder to do the kind of giveaway that might hook listeners in.

As others have said, they're dead in the water without marketing, though. They do now have a pretty impressive line-up that's worth shouting about - and there's no shortage of advertising opportunities in London. I don't expect to see Foxy plastered across the electronic billboard over the Euston underpass - but there are cheaper ways to get the word out.

On what happens if there was a major tragedy or breaking story... I'd like to think they've considered this, as it would indeed be a big challenge. I think the most likely scenario would be non-stop downbeat music with the option of extra inserts from the Radio NewsHub.

To be honest, a lot of live music radio doesn't exactly reflect what's going on in the outside world apart from in the news, so this would only be an issue if there was something truly massive happening. By far the biggest risk for them is lower-level stuff - such as a VT link talking about a celebrity's love life being broadcast when said celebrity has just died.
Black Label
23-09-2016
Originally Posted by Mark M:
“
To be honest, a lot of live music radio doesn't exactly reflect what's going on in the outside world apart from in the news, so this would only be an issue if there was something truly massive happening. By far the biggest risk for them is lower-level stuff - such as a VT link talking about a celebrity's love life being broadcast when said celebrity has just died.”

Exactly. But to what exrtent would even this be 'the biggest risk' anyway.

In other words, what would the negative consequences be in this scenario?

None whatsoever. No one would care. The story would come and go and life and the station would go on as before. If such a station had broadcast previously VTd chat about Bowie or Prince, say, in the hours after their death had been announced, would this REALLY be a gamechanger for the station?

This is a similar argument to the loss of local news staff and off peak presenters on local stations....i.e. ' but what happens if XYZ happens'? Sorry. But what about the thousands of days where XYZs DON'T happen? Commercial organisations cannot be expected to staff up to levels to offer contingency coverage.

Simon 243 raises a fair point about how competitive a market London is and how things like this may work better in more rural markets and he may be right. It is received wisdom that because London is a fast bustling capital city breakfast shows must be live otherwise there is no point.

But what makes this so? It's just people getting out their beds and going to work just like anywhere else.

So what 'need' is there for Neil Fox to be live? What would be the additional benefit to the station, bearing in mind they'd also have to pay him his rate for doing it and pay for a place for him to do it.

And, yes, this argument applies to much other radio too. Many local services are only live because it is a USP for local advertisers and OFCOM commitments et al. Would it matter if much of it was Vtd instead?

My view is that live broadcasting is increasingly a waste of time and money.

Stations like Thames and Superstation Orkney prior show the future pathway and radio presenting will become increasingly atomised with breakfast shows done at home from laptops early the previous evening, and it will become akin to voiceover work.
Les Wires
23-09-2016
Having so many more dab stations available must give the benefit of more choice, not just format but style.

There are many stations running the 90s zoo style breakfast show with gossip and phone-ins. This vt approach on Thames gives an option to listen to a different style at breakfast for those who prefer a change.

Finding a gap in the market may help them, it will be interesting to see whether others try the same approach elsewhere in the UK, should this succeed.
Mark M
23-09-2016
On this morning's show, Foxy was talking about Mary Berry quitting the Bake-Off but Paul Hollywood staying. So that would mean he recorded his links no earlier than late morning yesterday, and he obviously isn't recording a whole week's shows in one go.

I agree with Black Label's point about what Londoners want from a breakfast show. If I want to hear lots of talk about the latest developments in the world, I'll listen to the likes of Radio 4. If I'm listening to music radio I just want great music, a bit of genial chat from a good presenter, a concise summary of the news, and to know if the Northern Line's knackered. Thames can still offer all that.

The 'Cereal Killer' feature really needs to go, though. Cringeworthy talk of 'Steve's' love for Shreddies this morning, including speculation about whether he has two or three.
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