Read this: 03/12/2021 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts is the most popular radio station in the UK losing its way it feels like the control passes choose to marginalize certain types of music because of their reminded perceptions are missing the true purpose anything before due to in feedback this we had a radio to Helen Thomas will try and reassure older listeners that they are still valued and will ask her whether she is indeed desperately Seeking younger so-called mood mum's meanwhile this week's comfortzone listeners have been listening to one of Radio 2 far from moody mum's Zoe and Breakfast Show I came of age with her.

I would say because I grew up watching her on Breakfast TV and she was just very much a household name.

So they know who she is but he actually like her and will they listen again and just when things seem to be going smooth.

Let's carry on for a little bit well.

Maybe it will be quite hard to carry on with this kind of alarm going on the background happened on the day that the Today programme Phil off air the first BBC network even more popular than this one in fact Radio 2 is the most popular radio station in the country with almost 15 million weekly listeners, and it's presenters are some of the biggest names in broadcasting such Ken Bruce and Jeremy Vine their son like Chris Evans and Graham Norton have jumped ship but as competition increases Radio 2 boss has to give older listeners.

Happy while we're new ones not easy back in February the Daily Telegraph reported that Radio 2 was targeting women between the ages of 35 and 40 for a key demographic giving them the title.

But who are mood mum's well that identified as being time for family orientated put children first and I'll type for money in a moment.

I'll ask the radio to Helen Thomas if the newspaper reports are true before I do we are star to out of your comfort zone listeners who loosely fit the mood mum's criteria to listen to the network report back.

They are agneska Patrick from London and Serena Jason from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire and began by asking what sort of thing she usually to and whether she normally switch on Radio 2 iPad listening Radio 2 few weeks ago and I came across the Jeremy Vine programme during the day.

That's what I'm listening actually nothing else and before then before you find Radio 2.

What were you listening to I was listening to music no radio sound really about you.

What's your normal?

Podcasts usually audiobooks the music I have listened to Radio 2 and Radio 4 in the past occasion listen to Radio 6 deliver Sunday morning.

Don't listen to the radio that often so neither you seem to be part of the generation.

I was brought up with let you know the first thing you do in the alarm goes off in the morning is turnover and switchover radio usually to in my case to the Today programme and that sets the framework of your day and that's not something that you think your generation is doing so I used to I used to have Radio 4 radio to come on when I go off in the morning, but I think my son got older and time got even more pressed everything and what about you back in Collins when I'm from my parents.

They you always listen to radio so I'm listening to Radio and not in London well.

We asked you to listen to a section of Zoe Ball's breakfast show on Radio 2.

This is a section beginning at 7:30 which included an interview with.

Greatest and actor comedian screenwriter director and novelist is probably most familiar as a member of the sketch comedy team the League of Gentlemen is currently promoting his version of the Dickens A Christmas Carol is a clip to give you a text with the program.

Good morning.

How are you? Ok? Thank you.

I hear you.

Have a strange dream to share this Mark oh my dreams as well.

We listen to a bit of news and then some set sorry didn't find my favourite part phone in where people talked about their dreams and then the interview with Mark himself and so I always describe it as very relaxing challenging.

I would say and a vehicle will you unchallenged when just into it.

It was very pleasant to listen to disable chatting and listen to Like Serena said.

Dreams are dreams interesting program.

They have to be there at the beginning of the month you come to the show they have to be full of energy and drive and tell you to diagnose raining outside.

It's cold and horrible they going to make you feel somehow warm and it's does she manage to do that egneus give you did he really get that feeling.

Yes, she did she did amazingly with the music that you really wants to get up from bed and listen to her.

She had very good voice acerina.

Did you know Zoe Ball before you left this prayer in finding new have you found her career? Yes, I came on stage with her.

I would say because I grew up in a watching her on Breakfast TV and she was just very much a household name growing up and issues to sort of bubbly personality that you would you like to have in the morning cheers? Yeah, I think she's great as it is very personable, but as you say just really warm.

So what about the Mark Gatiss interview Serena

I really like Mark and all of his work, but there is an element of I had read about A Christmas Carol in a magazine before but I thought you did really good job of kind of warming him.

What about you and yes, I do enjoy that.

I didn't find this interesting.

It'll be honest maybe because it's not the person.

I would like to listen to the interview.

What about the music then go to the other key is the music? What do you think about the music and yes, can you enjoy it actually? I like any kind of music really apart from the savvy metal so I like it.

I would listen again and you wanted to do what you want to play music that you know or do you want to play music you know but also some stuff that you've never heard before yeah.

It's nice to listen something new and will be Surprise Surprise this time and Serena was the music to your time not really I don't really like that kind of top 40 pop, but Zoe mentioned the Alison Krauss and Robert

Free on Radio 2 later that evening and I thought I love them and eating well.

I have to ask you at the end of this whether you've got out of your comfort sound let me start with you wear you out of your definitely wasn't something that I would normally listens to you.

I was out my comfort zone and what about you agneska.

Will you listen again to Zoe Ball in the morning? Yes, I will definitely have you any suggestions for other things they might do that would perhaps entice you to listen more frequently the B I really liked is the bit that always a Radio 2 which is that kind of I don't know but that kind of phone in about something trivial it was about dreams this time, but I've always liked you know about politics.

I just quite like way and nice little anecdote some more of that kind of stuff.

I would certainly listen to and then give you anything at that.

You'd like them to do more of Orbit have something they don't do all.

Are you I think the new send think about people's dreams? It's quite funny interesting so this can stay on bro.

Thank you very much for talking to us and for listening to Zoe Ball's breakfast show on Radio 2.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well.

I'm delighted to be joined by Helen Thomas head of station of radio to Helen Thomas has the remit of Radio 2 changed what is it now Roger Radio 2 is a 35 plus radio station and that hasn't changed for over 30 years so we play multi-generational radio station and that is our point of difference from any of the station out there on the market well at least the instead wants to know whether you're marginalising certain types of music in the last 3-years decisions to be made to cut several long-standing shows that increase the depth interest and variety of music aired on UK radio.

Such as listen to the band swing and show and the Sunday 11 p.m.

Easy listening shows by the dic recent documentaries for than any gaps last spoke to use insurances that we continue to hear past music and other specialist music in the schedules.

It feels like the control and bosses choose to marginalize certain types of music because of their reminded perceptions on missing the cheapest any fuss afraid your to eat and I hope that there is still shows on Radio 2 that you fine and enjoy I mean we broadcast the widest mix of genres that you will hear on any radio station on the planet over 1000 hours of specialist music every year including weekly shows on country folk blues jazz solo musical theatre and rock as well as specials around.

Whole load of other genres for plumber wonders well, I think he suspect you're playing Les Prix 1990s music.

I was a regular Radio 2 listening for over 20-years out of Radio 1 in the 1980s.

I'm afraid my Radio 2 loyalty evaporated with a shift in playlists to greater emphasis on new chart music in my age group to spare and no no listen to Commercial stations, which player broader spectrum of music pre 1990s so Paul you hear the widest range of music on Radio 2 the Newark on any radio station are the hours for example somebody else said that they never bother with big band shows I had gone down and that's a fact as well.

That's true.

We don't have a dedicated Big Band show anymore but we can't.

Every single genre a weekly show on Radio 2 there's only a finite number of hours within a week.

We have the broadest mix of specialist music and anywhere and we do pick moments in the year when we can celebrate genres so we had a radio to celebrate jazz moment where we looked at the music of Louis Armstrong but that's an argument the same way maintaining the Range it's not Naghma st.

In the hours, and it is a fat.

You are reducing the odds in some areas aren't you and notably as we said big bands.

Well.

Just will be back again.

We have a weekly just show that runs 50 weeks of the year.

We can't dedicate every single genre of music.

They just didn't space on the schedule Yvonne button the radio Times last week gave considerable coverage to the Peter Jackson documentary series about The Beatles get back which arouse the Lost fantasy.

And discussion following hot on the heels of radio 4S Paul McCartney inside the songs I've also recently seen the film last night in Soho directed by Edgar featuring music from the 1960s.

Yeah, it is aimed at a younger audience as well as older this raises the question.

Why ignore that era when it is so vital to our culture and provides much inspiration Yvonne well.

I'm sorry to hear you feel that way obviously we have Tony Blackburn doing a male losing business for us every Saturday morning with sounds of the 60s which plays the broadest mix of 60s music you're going to hear anywhere if I want to hear more 60s music in music that is peppered throughout our schedule.

She can go to BBC sounds where there are 8 hours that are constantly refreshed of 60s music as part of Sounds of

1 lies behind this is what and perhaps turbine article in the Daily Telegraph which said that you were targeting his mood man demographic.

I think that refers to women 35 to 44 time for a but the children not that well off and that's the target.

Are you making a fresh effort to reach mood Mum we are always looking to introduce Radio 2 to new people and the mood mum's are one group of people who have been identified as light uses of BBC contents.

So of course Radio 2 the great way in which we can reach people who aren't using as much BBC as perhaps.

We would like them to use we wouldn't do that at the expense of existing audience targeting movement along a range of other groups and people including over 55s Rodger

Fantastic job is the most popular radio station in the country birds of course your side to stay between Scylla and charybdis you got to introduce new listeners to the delights of your network.

Sent.

You don't want to lose to me and are you concerned at boom radio the new digital station that is deliberately trying to poetry fifty5plus Radio 2 audience and set the soundbar distance might try you bothered by congratulations to Boom for what they're doing and I think more choice in the radio market is good for everyone because the listener wins the latest radar figures showed that 14.6 million people are listening to Radio 21 in for people who listen to UK radio are coming to Radio 2 through the week and I'll fifty5plus reach is really holding strong so we are doing something very different from anyone else on the marketplace by push.

This multi-generational agenda, we want to be the station Where grandparents can listen with the grandkids in the car at Home in the kitchen.

You know we're targeting a niche we want to be for everyone.

Well.

I mean you have to get new listeners.

You have to maintain your own list as an any have something in the BBC say remember.

You're also a redirect listen to BBC sounds better be with you want me to take them away from library and send to listen to Sam but you have to do that will BBC sounds is the big digital bets for BBC radio and BBC sounds is a great complementary product to live linear radio.

So it's the place where people can go for a deep dive to collections of our programming away from the line network.

I wonder whether I'm not you know you have to do it but the must a bit of you wish if you really I'm going to lose listeners that way out.

My job is to encourage the Radio 2 audience to adopt digital habits and one of the beauties of BBC sounds is the fact that it's a great for listening to live radio you can pause live radio you can rewind it.

You know you can listen on demand 2 shows that you might have missed that any particular time so as long Radio 2 listeners are listening to Radio 2 content within BBC sounds, but I'm happy and live radio is where it's at Roger but I want to encourage people to experience live radio both from that box in the corner of the kitchen and bedroom but also digitally when they're out and about on the move one of them.

She talked about doing redirecting people of Sounds Adele swear.

There's another received which relates to the amount of training and signposting that goes on and listening my rehearsed as this observation also irony listen to about an hour in the morning and an hour in the

I hear the same ads over and over again once the program has been trails and I've decided I won't be tuning in for it.

It is in very annoying to hear it child again every time.

I tune in we get that complain about Radio 4 as well.

Is this a BBC policy that you know when I could try lots of breakdowns will have a priority and then we're going to trade it too well.

We want people to discover.

What great program is available right across the BBC not just on Radio 2 and would you work hard to try and Taylor these trails to content that we think that the Radio 2 audience will enjoy that radio to you know people listen to this station for longer than any other radio station on average about 11 hours 15-minutes a week.

So it never will be repetition of trails that comes round and I understand that that can be frustrating but we do believe that we want to showcase the best at the BBC has to offer well.

Very controversial question here that I'm sure some of our listeners.

We disagree with this is Kathy I'm phoning from Hampshire I think it's high time but the constant across Radio 2 programmes a phased out they interrupt the flow of the broadcast and they're out of place on National radio traffic news.

It's readily available on demand by your sat nav all the car radio traffic announcement button, it's time to modernise Catherine no plans to get rid of travel on Radio 2 at the minute it communicates headline problems on the roads UK roads and R transport net what I love about the travel bulletins and I hope that the majority of our listeners.

Do is that it paints this national picture? So you know I'm from home and I quite like here.

What's happening on the M62 and when we have major weather incidents that are affecting different parts of the country differently it's interesting to hear what's happening like the snow in 98 mph winds in the north east of England for us.

It's all about creating that picture of what's going on in the nation a bit like a weather forecast I suppose we'll is Matthew has discovered about the sound of radio do we listen to Radio 2 in really does sound london-based nowadays celebrity focused a bit disinclined to get out of its chair and take a look at the world outside, but that's not always been the case John down and Jimmy Young used to take their shows out of factories on the ships to Beijing even Antarctica which does Becca question in Radio 2 prepared to do more to stretch its Horizons and hours, is there any reason for us to listen to live radio? Well haven't Thomas it is the case your budgets have been cut and it's not difficult for you to do.

Big spectaculars outside of London do you regret that for the Christian and I agree with him that as a national broadcaster, it's really important that radio reflects the whole of the UK a good chunk of our programming does come from the northwest from Salford but in terms of getting out and about we have been through a global in the last couple of years which temperature of course you had that effect it be also budget to be the case.

I think that's the point and therefore it is actually more difficult for you.

Isn't it? I'm into your on the one hand alert to the Dangerous sounding too much London based on the other hand you can't get out as much as you could well.

It is something of a priority for us to get close to audiences right across the UK next year.

I'll big live music event which traditionally Radio 2 in Hyde Park 50000 happy Radio 2 listeners all together watching an amazing lineup over.

We are going to be lifting that and taking it out of London so it will be travelling around the country in the summer this year.

We were thrilled to be the first BBC radio station to take live music back to listeners in venues.

We had Texas in Glasgow the Manic Street Preachers in Cardiff Westlife in Belfast and steps up in Manchester trust me our presenters and production teams would love to get out and about more and as soon as we're able to we will have thanks Helen Thomas station Radio 2 and please do let us know your thoughts about that interview or anything else to do with BBC Radio and podcasts.

This is how you get in touch you can send an email to back at bbc.co.uk the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London se1p 4ze.

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It's been one of those weeks on Radio 4 on Wednesday the Moral Maze came off there because of technical difficulties and on Monday the Today programme had its own gremlins.

It was being presented by Nick Robinson and Martha Kearney and always going until this happened larger than life man whose best asset was his ability to talk to anyone to hear that we have a little loving going on here, but when should we wait until someone looks likely panicking carry on for a little bit.

This kind of alarm going on the background then had to make a swift exit wireless stand by Future on T-shirts cover their departure after 15-minutes.

They were back in the studio on earth well as the world news feeds down back in the studio recording my husband alarm over what normally happens and we used to having various fire alarm drill this and you know this yourself Rogers Lights start flashing in the studio, but you don't normally get an announcement going out all at the same time there.

I couldn't various protocols to stop that from happening in the cubicle.

That's what we ready recall at the control room.

They said to a slug just keep going.

Well, we trying to find out what nervous going on because they didn't realise that we could hear the announcement, so are you could hear me talking and kind of slightly filling for time and what I'm doing is talking to the audience at home but also to our producers and Jose I don't really think we can carry on because we've got a very loud message.

So yes Adventures of the producer said so quick thinking say look we're going to put a tape on and then you've got to leave so then Nick took over and you can see him on the video looking to producers eyes.

They now we can go to Nether tawfik.

Yes, never is because you weren't sure that they had that type lined up or not and luckily they did and then we just dashed out of the studio if you have to leave the building or not.

Yes, oh, yes absolutely yes know and I'll studio managers.

Who are the ones you can take control of this situation.

They can have Ashes out down the staircase because you know from.

So I found ourselves, but we normally be presenting a live programme standing outside in the street wondering what was going on.

You know my first thought was I'd read a book by Peter Hennessy and he said in the event of nuclear the way they commanders on on missile submarines will realise if there is anything left is if they switch on it today probably not there Davies image of a nuclear commander switching on and off fine.

He will take a what's happening in the world.

How long we went on the pavement actually I think it must have been maybe 50 minutes or so, but right because I looked this up because I hadn't like you had a memory of Peter Hennessy as finding out about this.

I was wondering whether an urban myth, but I do the goodies is called the Domesday protocol and he's failure to pick up the BBC Today programme is regarded as the ultimate test it but then it wouldn't be over for 3 days and then the commanders are instructed to open and letters of last Resort so hopefully no.

Open a letter of last Resort but what happened was that people could hear the backup tape being broadcast on a.m.

And on FM but notice if you're listening on digital so did 4 minutes of dead as we call it which was very worrying so I had lots of text messages from friends and family say are you alright Martha and nice listeners on Twitter as well got back to stay? Did you have to walk up the stairs under the alarm you in the lift this time when you got rest? I assume back to the studio and then we got round the corner and I'd forgotten my past that they did luckily I didn't have an e in it and it did turn out to be a false alarm so was so try to get to the bottom of exactly what happened, but you must be turned all this because you know on one hand you supposed to set an example.

There's a fire alarms you've got to get out.

The other hand you have an absolute responsibility to listeners to keep on going and make absolutely sure it's not a false alarm I mean if I'm in an office and I'm doing something and there's a llama go out, but I'm not on there.

So you must have been slightly late today when you were in those circumstances.

You just rely on your producers and the team who are in charge of you always off and exactly what they were very quickly said we did need to go and so that's what we do to have you back in the studio.

I know I listened think that thank you very much.

Thank you from this edition of feedback until next week.

Keep on keeping safe, goodbye.