defcribed wrote:I don't really do Radio 2 so can't understand why people are getting so het up about it,
It was a good show and a useful alternative in the evening to 90 minutes of the increasingly random speculation, guesswork, soothsaying and punditry about Brexit that is Radio 4 from 17:00 to 18:30
The show was originally a light-hearted mix of features (homework puzzlers, cookery, confessions and the like) intermixed with typical R2 playlist music. Mayo is a laid back and competent presenter and had gathered around him a small team, of Bobby the traffic lady, Matt the sports guy and Nigel the chef. Occasional guests would drop in to punt their latest show, film, book and it was all very easy listening for two hours, followed by specialist music at 19:00 Blues, Country, Jazz and Folk on consecutive nights, but possibly not in that order.
Then Carnie, the R2 shirt, who turns out to be wholly incompetent decides to make a name for himself by lowering the age profile of R2 and tinkering with the gender mix. This he does by appointing a woman in her mid 50s with a good knowledge of bands, gigs and festivals, and turfing out two men and one woman
The poor woman was a complete fish out of water. No empathy with Mayo or listeners, attempting joke interjections which just sounded horrendously rude, rattling on about the bands she's met, their latest album, festivals and gigs she has visited and frequent updates on the progress of her children. Words like 'hacks' and 'emoji' were inserted into the features so as to appear down with the kids, but were frankly just embarrassing. Oh.. and 'live gigs' in the studio from bands she wanted to promote, something her husband does for a living. For this she was rewarded with around £6,700 per week ( a little under £500 per hour).
It was the most uncomfortable listening you could imagine, replacing a previously very slick programme.
Any letter questioning this, however phrased, whatever information was requested, however many times it was followed up was rewarded with an identical boilerplate response
Your correspondence has therefore been forwarded to us for a reply, in line with our procedures outlined above.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding Radio 2’s new early evening show hosted by Jo Whiley and Simon Mayo; we are sorry to learn you are disappointed by the format.
We made an editorial decision to pair up two of our most popular and much loved presenters in an exciting partnership. We were delighted that Jo and Simon responded positively to this idea, having known each other for over 25 years. We’re aware that Radio 2 has a very special relationship with its audience and acknowledge regular listeners like you are unhappy with the changes.
Every new show needs time to settle down and so we hope you will continue to listen and give it a chance. Your feedback is very much appreciated and we will take it into careful consideration.
Thanks again for contacting us.
Kind Regards
BBC Complaints Team
People have received up to eight of these identical responses having sent letter and follow-up letters to a variety of people within the BBC who might bear some responsibility.
It was a good show, it's now a Carp show, and even up to last week this identical fob-off was being sent out when the BBC was fully aware Mayo was going to walk.
The woman has been rewarded for her failure with her own two hour show 19:00 to 21:00 four days a week that recognises her abilities (despite the fact nobody there was prepared to recognise her blatantly obvious shortcomings). This forcing the specialist music programmes evcen later into the evening.
Jo Whiley will launch a brand new show in January from 7-9pm, Monday - Thursday, placing her in the heart of the evening schedule, featuring the very best new music and amazing live sessions.
In fact all the stuff she/they tried to drag into a show where nobody was particularly bothered about the music since it was just a background to other things, mostly driving, other commuting or preparing meals.
I'm personally aggrieved because the show was my background whilst preparing Mrs P's meal, and also because of the high-handed way the publicly funded corporation has casually batted away feedback from its funders / customers.
Speaking of which,
Feedback this afternoon on BBC R4 should make interesting listening as they have been threatening to have a second bite at this.
Rob P