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Underground > Radio & Music >

BBC Radio 3 Schedule Changes

RichT's boring old name

21:20 / 20.02.07

For years, the graveyard shifts on Radio 3 have kept broadcasting programmes on new, interesting and varied music- with 'Hear & Now' covering contemporary composition and 'Mixing It' for more eclectic unpigeonholeable fayre.

Since the new schedule changes have come into play this week 'Mixing It' has been axed (to be replaced with 'Building a Jazz Library') and 'Hear & Now' has had 30 mins cut from its time slot.

I just feel they are making it more difficult for people to hear what people are doing with music today, and what they are doing is marginalising an already marginalised audience- and therefore stifling innovation.

This is Mark Russell (ex-mixing it presenter) had to say on the subject.

Not only has their broadcasting schedule been revised but also their messageboard community, the New Boards now are based solely around specific shows (none of which directly involved in new music). Their classical and New Music Boards contained a wealth of experienced musicians, composers and influential members of the classical/new music community.

Since then most have gone off to make their own board leaving the new one full of bile and moderating bloodbaths (can't really link to anything as it'll probably be moderated out by the time anyone reads it) of anyone posting anything either criticising the BBC or being remotely 'off-topic' especially the 'Music Matters'.

or, as King Kennytone would put it:

Might be worth complaining, although I think they've already had plenty- a few more can't hurt can it?
www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

lord nuneaton savage

08:25 / 21.02.07

'Building a Jazz Library', eh? What about those of us who already have a jazz library?

And what about those of us who already have a jazz library mainly thanks to programmes such as Mixing It?

09:24 / 21.02.07

This is hardly a surprise to be honest: BBC music radio programming has been absolutely piss-poor in recent years, with any half-decent programmes being systematically marginalised at every opportunity, or so it would seem.

The existence of Radio 3 with it's "high-brow" programming and low listenership is often singled out as a good example of the wonders of public service broadcasting, but seems even they're not immune from some ding-bat in control deciding that whatever they're broadcasting at midnight on a Sunday isn't attracting a high enough % of the 16-24 (or in this case 56-64??) audience and replacing it with some tedious, thrown together market research inspired 'lifestyle' crap.

But hey, who knows, maybe 'Building a Jazz Library' will kick ass ; maybe they'll blasting Pharoah Sanders in between live demonstrations of whacked-out hepcats welding together real big fuck-off metal bookcases to house millions of LPs within.

Probably not, but hope springs eternal.

RichT's boring old name

11:39 / 21.02.07

A New Remit has been set out for 'building a jazz library':

"5 GOLDEN RULES:

#1 Dont talk over the records
#2 No fade outs
#3 NO TAPAS
#4 No roving reporters doin' 'tie-ins' with crapola business ventures
#5 NO FLIM-FLAM/NO SELL OUT

I mean, it's not a lot to ask, innit?"

I've got no problem with the Jazz library show in itself, just the fact that one of the few forward thinking shows on Radio 3 has been replaced on a more retrospective one..

anyway still looks to be pretty good.

*thinks of power tools*

17:20 / 22.02.07

Late Junction is still safe though, yeah? I can handle no Mixing It if Late Junction survives, afterall it does serve a similar function, has a similar remit, and is on almost daily.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:07 / 23.02.07

Hmmm, I think I will complain about that. They mentioned it in their first New Years show and I assumed that it was their decision, the fact that they got kicked off pisses me off completely.

RichT's boring old name

20:17 / 23.02.07

They've moved Late Junction to a later slot, along with Andy Kershaw's show- so more brushing the new under the carpet going on then.

Although I do occasionally listen to late junction it does feel like a 'diet' version of Mixing It(almost came out as 'mincing it' then..) and Hear & Now- I can get away with putting the 'listen again' on at work without drawing complaints of "turn that weird shit off!"

23:08 / 23.02.07

Yes, in objective terms, Late Junction plays some very good things.

Unfortunately though, I'm rather put off my it's policy of only playing good things that won't raise any eyebrows if my mum puts them on in the background at a dinner party.

OK, not really a valid criticism since I passed the age of 15.... but still, the idea of a show that purports to showcase new, eclectic musical blah blah and then purposefully limits itself to one very specific aesthetic mood (woozy, subtle, tasteful drifting-off-to-sleep type stuff) kinda rubs me up the wrong way.

The presenters sound smug as all hell too, which doesn't help.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

05:45 / 24.02.07

'Mixing it' got me into some great music, 'Third Eye Foundation', the whole 'Godspeed' lot and their various alter egos, Boards of Canada, Andrew Hodson, they did fascinating interviews with Radiohead, P J Harvey and Bjork about the specific musical influences on atrack by track basis for their albums. It's a real shame they couldn't at least transfer to Radio 6.

RichT's boring old name

20:44 / 27.02.07

I've heard that Mixing It will continue, but on the fantastic but incredibly underfunded Resonance FM (only broadcasts to some areas of London, although also works online)

They're also looking into making podcasts and putting all the past playlists up on a website, so there is a future for them- but undoubtably a smaller audience

nedrichards is confused

23:14 / 28.02.07

The bebb have been gutting their message board communities as well haven't they, I the memories of the 'Today' purge are recent...

Mon Oncle Ignatius

00:55 / 01.03.07

Here's the ResonanceFM notification:

MIXING IT:TERMINATED AT BBC RADIO 3 RESUSCITATED ON RESONANCE 104.4FM

In February 2007 stalwart new music programme Mixing It was
inexplicably dropped by BBC Radio 3 Controller Roger Wright after 16
years of broadcasting. This was perceived by many as a grave moment
for composers and performers of experimental musics, since a major
highway to mainstream audiences had been denied, it is also
reflective of the increasing conservatism that BBC Radio 3 has been
infected by since the appointment of Roger Wright as Controller.
However, Mixing It is back on the air courtesy of Resonance FM.

"Resonance FM has always welcomed refugees - with regular programmes
by Somalian, Congolese, Iranian and Serbian groups. We're equally
happy to provide a haven for broadcasters expelled by the BBC,"
explains programming director Ed Baxter, who recently wrote a
Guardian feature about the influence of "Mixing It".

Mixing It's first broadcast goes out on Wednesday February 28th 2007
from 11:00 - 12:00pm.

See here too.

for more information.

RichT's boring old name

20:07 / 01.03.07

The beeb have been gutting their message board communities as well haven't they

they now have to talk like this so that threads are on topic and not moderated

Mon Oncle Ignatius

20:48 / 01.03.07

That's some quality sarcasm, that is:

This Music Matters Message Board is fascinating

is nice, but another few snippets from the thread linked above (assuming they last much longer) are great:

I've just been modded for commenting on the pronunciation of "opus" and "agnus".

I'll be getting an asbo soon.

Barbelith needs more disgruntled Radio 3 listeners. More than it already has, of course.