Feedback: Salford, Radio 5 live and Radio1 Breakfast
Post categories: Feedback, Radio 1, Radio Five Live, Salford
16:08, Thursday, 13 September 2012
Editor's note: This week Feedback visits programme makers in the BBC's new buildings in Salford. You can hear Feedback on Radio 4 on Fridays at 4.30pm. PMcD.
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure dome decree".
And in Salford the BBC leadership did a similar thing.
On the banks of the Manchester ship canal has arisen another pleasure dome, the headquarters of BBC North, now home to the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Sport, Radio 5 live, the Religion and Ethics department and much more, and soon to be the base for Radio 4's You and Yours programme.
Just across the canal ITV is building its northern headquarters and independent producers are clustered around, hoping to catch commissioners over coffee.
The architectural merits of the buildings are for others to judge, but of the success of the rejuvenation of this once derelict area there can be no doubt. It rivals the Olympic site in Stratford, East London, in terms of transformation.
And for licence fee payers worried about the cost of the BBC's contribution to all this, land of course is rather cheaper there than in the middle of central London. Most listeners and viewers, I suspect, could hardly care less where programmes are broadcast from.
What they care about is quality and cost.
I hope to explore the true costs of the BBC building projects in Salford and Portland Place at a later date, but what of the quality of programmes coming out of 5 live? If the programmes sound no different, is that a compliment, or evidence of a missed opportunity?
Should the sound and content of the network be different now it is some 200 miles away from its former home?
With these questions in mind I went to Salford and, with some difficulty, because security is tight, gained entrance to the building on the first of whose five floors, 5 live is ensconced.
Once inside the building we were allowed to go anywhere and ask anyone anything.
You can listen to the show in full on the webpage where you can hear also BBC Radio 1's Director of Programmes tell me what the new Radio 1 breakfast show will sound like now that Chris Moyles is leaving to play King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Typecasting?
Happy Listening,
Roger B.
Roger Bolton Presents Feedback
- Listen to this week's Feedback
- Listen again to this week's Feedback, get in touch with the programme, find out how to join the listener panel or subscribe to the podcast on the Feedback web page.
- Read all of Roger's Feedback blog posts.
Comment number 1.
At 19:39 17th Sep 2012, ineveryage wrote:Monday 17/09/2012 Tony Blair on "Today"
Mr Blair although a minor player in the current conflict with the Middle East still fails to recognise any complicity in this dreadful conflict. Is the "Today" program so short of worthwhile news that they have time to give him a platform for his misguided beliefs.
Very Sad
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 21:32 17th Sep 2012, newlach wrote:On the quality of programming coming out of 5 live, I was much impressed by the Stephen Nolan interview repeated on Sunday's Pick of the Week. A seriously ill elderly caller who takes morphine and who described himself as having a migraine 24/7 spoke eloquently on why he should have the right to die with dignity in this country.
The thing that struck me most in this week's Feedback was the interview with Aaqil Ahmed on Thought For The Day. He dismissed the reasonable concerns of contributors to the programme with gusto and gave the impression that he thought that anyone who asked for non-religious voices to be included in the programme, for fairness, must be a lunatic. That he chose to make this attack on moderate secularism just before the new Director General takes over is perhaps telling. Is the new Director General a weakling who can do nothing about this or did he give him the nod to act?
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 14:55 18th Sep 2012, Stephen99 wrote:I was really disappointed to hear on Feedback there will be no changes to prayer for the day & thought of the day, in only allowing religious speakers to be broadcast. These are the only two items that make me switch off or over. Religious folk pushing their values gets very wearing, it is time both were stopped (too drastic? not for me, but for many others I fear) or at the very least changed significantly (possible eventually?), to allow other non religious decent moral views to be expressed. It will yet again, more than likely, show how slow the BBC can be in changing to reflect current public feelings. There are so many good things about the BBC, (especially R4) but always just a little too slow to move on when needed.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)