Read this: 12/04/2020 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts in London but have the corporations local radio stations coming to their own during this pandemic the current crisis has reminded people of the importance of local Ms and Proud people are of their local radio according to my local folk music programs have gone missing BBC care for a rich cultural heritage and also keeping people in these times later in feedback.

I lost the BBC's head of local radio.

What future holds for her stations and weather along with news it includes local culture and my morning's just on the same without news briefing.

Please.

Can we have it will

will try and find out and in this week's out of your comfort zone feature two listeners are moved to reconsider their radio lives in kind of made me wonder about my usual listening habits and whether there a little bit anglocentric find out more about this life-changing experience later in feedback, because we love our counting Gloucestershire love to speak into the woman in charge of the BBC 39 local radio stations Chris Burns producer Alan spoke to Radio Gloucestershire political reporter Hayley Mortimer

Reporting on the floods which had devastated the region before coronavirus strong so as a reporter my day has totally changed usually I be out and about covering Council meetings meeting are MPs going to to meet people affected by political decisions like school head teachers or parents of vulnerable children, but of course with the coronavirus pandemic.

Everything's now either in the office or working from home.

So everything is now done via video call or over the phone so yeah totally different and of course this isn't the first crisis that Radio Gloucestershire and a lot of local radio stations had to deal with flooding is a recent issue.

There's that iconic in Tewkesbury Abbey surrounded by flood water and you've been covering this story as well.

Tell me a bit about that you absolutely so Glos always sufferers.

With flooding was course but it was seriously bad in 2007 but this year was particularly bad as well.

She was set up at GL1 Leisure Centre levels peaked at about 3 this morning police say they've had no reports of further flooding so far radio comes into its own and it is a lifeline for people who are stuck in their communities particularly places like Tewkesbury obviously it's a place where people come to for updates on travel road closures weather of course.

I'm and again providing linking those people with help that they might need and this year and we even presented our whole breakfast show one day from Tewkesbury presenter went out there with the the travel reader and a producer and whole show was done in Tewkesbury just to sort of show the community of Tewkesbury that we really are there for them and that was greatly appreciate.

Think and obviously there are ongoing stories like the flooding story presumably people are still suffering that they've been flooded out of their homes stories get shunted to the back burner when something like coronavirus comes along.

Yeah.

It's a difficult one.

I mean obviously with my role as politics reporter everything else has sort of come to a halt really and I've now been rotated into to covering coronavirus and helping other parts of production for the radio station at the moment coronavirus the focus for all about newsgathering like is good.

I think it's almost a bit of relief to be able to go into work especially for those who loan that are able to go into the office have some social contact we all very much know what an important role playing and that really helps with morel.

I think morality is good at the moment and we really do realise.

important work that we doing

that was Glos report a Hayley Mortimer talking to Alan beach and I'm not joined by England head of local radio Chris Burns thank you for being with us and now we've got Radio 4 and 5 Live and therefore coronavirus news, what can local radio do that? They can't what local radio can do that's four and five can't do it quite the same degree is we can have a real connection with those local Communities and help to bring community together because I think the one thing that's really come through during this crisis is people want that sense of community and I think that's what local radio has been able to provide a lot more to ask you of course but first I'm a feedback list and so had to say about BBC Radio Julia Hart from Penwortham in Lancashire living in the Wilds of the frozen north of his deepest darkest Lancashire we find an awful lot of National

Is rather london-centric so radio Lancashire and Radio Cumbria as we're not far from the border is essential listening for us to keep abreast of local news items hubba from st.

Albans the make a difference campaign surely shows local radio at it's finest using a special reach and the loyalty of its listeners to provide a to those who need it and thinks we can take the lessons learnt from this forward to make a difference in other ways after the coronavirus is over what qualifies for Julian there and make a difference campaign could you tell us what that is make a difference in many respects is highlighting a lot of work.

That's always been done in local radio local always champion community projects and very often work very closely with local charities what we decided those that we wanted to do as part of our coverage.

Two almost actors of virtual notice board for all those community groups that have grown up as a result of coronavirus.

I think there's something like 9 million people involved local Facebook groups and we felt there was an opportunity for us to act as if you like as the glue to bring all those various groups together for example.

There's one gentleman in Nottingham and fortunately he was real.

He's got a young family.

He was putting his own health at risk by going to the shops.

So we were able to put him in touch with somebody who could do the shopping for him.

We have somebody else who was a key worker the car broke down there and able to get to work and we were able to link them up again with somebody who would fix the car from the sacred get to and from work.

Well, when he recorded this part of their make a difference campaign ok, let's catch up, then we can make a difference desk and a very busy afternoon.

What people articles put out of heels and hopefully link them up with someone who can help so earlier we heard from area Roland Evans he's training to compete in a Bobsleigh at the 20-22 winter we had last week actually she wanted some weights.

She got some weights for someone who phoned in but then needed a barbell to do the training so we put out that appealed this morning and somebody has come forward, so you can say hello to see if he's on the line Steve able to offer I've got a weight bar earlier hoping that this campaign will continue if you like that you've learnt something from it will go forward into as it were regular local radio coverage when were through this crisis.

Do they have like there is a value in a sweeping if you like the make a difference Brand and using that in the future because what I've seen during the last few weeks is a real desire.

To connect with Communities and for local radio two kind of bring people together and you know I want us to build on that because I think that's a really important part of what a local radio station can do and that's why we're different if you like to 5 live on the radio for Martin Nguyen from Bletchingley Surrey local small-scale campaigning is hugely important and the BBC is a trusted Media source or mostly and I think it falls into the category of essential services.

I hope when this is all over for the BBC reverses.

It's plans to reduce local radio and TV funding aggregate encounters programming overnight for example is sensible but from the morning to evening drivetime programs the content needs to be very local what does Chris Burns think the policy towards local will be working situation with funding now local radio has suffered cuts and had to cut some local programs and replacing Samantha was shared material with had a call from.

Wants to know whether this will stop as any chance of getting back to purely local programming got to be realistic about how much localness we can provide I have to operate within a certain budget and therefore I need to prioritise if you like where that spend should go and you and I both the majority of opposite goes into a daytime output having said that where we have to share some material.

I think rather than that if you like being seen as a land grab from one area to another what we should look at doing is building programme where you've got a community of Interest so for example if you look at the east we do share some music programming.

They're largely because if I have to be living in Derby I'm very likely to be going to Nottingham for some of those gigs because actually it's not that far for me to travel.

True in all areas but in some places it can help us create programming that of the right standard and quality to our audience won't have got it will be very careful on the question because we've had some very upset but specialist folk music has been dropped from your schedule here is Alison Brackenbury BBC Radio Lincolnshire marvelously managed to keep its folk music on air if radio Lincolnshire can do this, please.

We'll BBC management other local stations to do the same including Radio Gloucestershire who has stopped Johnny Coppin find show and Radio Shropshire do I stop Genevieve Tudors much-loved Sunday folk who is plenty of evidence online of how much listens value of these programs Steve mundy from Hampshire

I'm emailing device my display at the suspension of the wonderful Genevieve Tudors Sunday folk programme on BBC Radio Shropshire as always been a good program in a regular fixture for us travel times and is also known as lifeline postcode field from Gloucester I've just noticed that Jenny Coppins acoustic music show is not scheduled for next Sunday talking to other music fans.

I gathered that this is not the only regional stress this music show that has been axed musicians are already suffering badly with the cancellation live performances soap response.

Have you singled out for programmes to because I mean in the view of some listeners.

Have you got an anti folk music Byres quite like folk music what we decide to do very early on in this particular crisis.

We wanted to ensure that we maintained local.

As long as you possibly could until he went all the started we didn't know what a absence rate was going to be like weather presenters will be able to come in because people have had to self sorts of different reasons so we decided to launch a temporary schedule, which was a much simpler schedule and I did that working with the regional heads and local radio and also with the Editors and cells will be coming back then it was introduced to cope with a unique set of circumstances the likes of which you know you and I have never seen before that's what you did.

This is not saying that this is a schedule.

We are going to be having when everything gets back to normal again, but can't commit to individual programs coming back and I appreciate that.

Can you come into folk music being as fully represented on local radio as it is now.

Local radio in terms of its specialist music offer can do something that network doesn't necessarily offer because you can tap into particular community of interests and I know that you know folks has got a special place in lots of people's hearts and parts of the country is a really important driver in terms of the cultural heritage in those places need to actually surface that within local radio and will continue to do so.

My thanks to Chris Burns talking to us from her bedroom.

She's BBC England head of audio and digital that's head of local radio to you and me do let us know your thoughts on that interview and 18 hours to do with BBC Radio local or national origin BBC sounds.

This is how you can get in touch you can send an email to feedback at bbc.co.uk the address is feedback PO Box 67234 London se1p 4ax you can follow activity on Twitter at BBC R4 feedback, or you can call us and leave a phone message on 03345 standard landline charge by but it could cost more and some mobile networks all these details are on our website.

BBC Radio listeners to step out of their comfort zone's and listen to a program that would normally be on their radar this week.

We have dogs from Sevenoaks in Kent and Sam's apart from York the sense of your normal listening tastes.

Joe what would be your top 3 programmes if you were stranded on a desert island discs my number one through two radio programme.

I'm a big fan of Woman's Hour every day and I very much enjoy lost word and sound what about you? You're free.

I enjoy a good read stacking up books on my bookshelf faster than I can read them.

I enjoy a book at Bedtime and I think at the moment especially p.m.

To listen to the Forum on the BBC world service and episode called guide dogs for the blind a history that is available of course on BBC one here is Gladys Evans the founder of the South African guide.

Remembering those first days with her dog Sheena and the obstacles he faced to go on the buses that was the greatest thing first of all I had to get third party insurance in case they said they would give me a trial run to see if so, how would you describe the program explain what it's all about the epitome of the whole remit of the BBC and I suppose in particular if the world service it takes the subject and then looks into it at quite great because it's an hour's programme when I'm used to 30-minutes on Radio 4 programmes and as well as looking at the history of it is how people from different countries around the world so that you learn how a subject is dealt with in different countries, which I found fascinating and somewhat about you.

Did you think

Innovative in style or was it that not matter the fact that it was a basically discussion with three people and a presenter it was really interesting to hear how people had worked with guide dogs in other countries it kind of made me wonder about my usual listening habits and whether there a little bit anglocentric actually because I found it and novelty to have so much in-depth stuff somewhere that was so definitely elsewhere if that makes sense that sometimes a bit prickling or listening that these programs actually give you a perspective on the world which we do you get from Radio 4 usually I wouldn't want to speak for radio for as a whole but I think my personal listening habits could be a bit Parochial I think about it at least I'm aware of thinking about a different way having listen to this.

What about you? Did you feel the contributors from around the world really did broaden the discussion.

I'm very much so and very much like some.

Made me think Josh we really do listen to programs if that had been in touch.

I don't suppose they would have mentioned.

How guide dogs are dealt with another country and it goes huge step learn that it started in Germany and that especially I found it touching thinking of a country that South Africa with the poverty there and their attitude to dogs.

It was interesting to guide dogs in South Africa to see how guide dogs themselves were given limited access in some places and so it was a whole different side of have been sighted person that I hadn't considered that they may not be allowed to take their dogs everywhere.

They went which is something we've been used to doing in this country.

I think from the 1950s from what the program was talking about the poverty involved in South Africa that where we partially sighted people here were to take on the responsibility for feeding their dogs in South Africa they may not have the resources to do.

It was very interesting to see it from many different aspects and so how about the presenter Bridget Kendall lots of people will remember her from way back when she was the Moscow correspondent, but still do the chairs.

Yeah, I think it was I found it a little dry actually and a little bit distant singing maybe it's an age thing.

I found her little bit too formal and I would have enjoyed someone who was a bit more relaxed but that was just my perception of it.

Did it sounds a common room conversation it sounded like a sort of staff room conversation with a head headmaster.

Did you think that she was a little too thick to Bridget Kendall was a little headmistress absolutely wonderful and I love the way that she didn't get in the way of any of the in.

I thought she made them relaxed she enable them to speak clearly about their subject and her personality didn't ever seem to get in the way of the flow of the conversation is exceptionally good.

It's difficult to compare the programme with the melvyn Bragg In Our Time which sadly is odd ones out there at the moment, but they're not doing original programs for obvious reasons there just re-running fantastic.

I then got the format is as good as that have been in our time when you said roger that it was a classic format with 3 speakers and a chairman.

It didn't come across to me like that at all because we were travelling to different countries it felt very much as if it had a very wide geographical scope and because it was radio we were travelling to those places, so it didn't feel like a tight cliched format at all and some what about you? Do you think that you need to give the choice between In Our Time and

Watch which one would you choose? I think it probably depends on what they're talking about but I still think I'd be inclined to go through in our time.

Just think because of find melvyn Bragg really quite listenable and personable and yeah, I think the things that they talk about always really interesting to find Melvin a bit grumpy.

Do you yeah? That's part of the appeal ok? Well the question.

We always ask towards the end of these things but let me put you some first.

Would you listen again it given the choices available you're going to pick this program out and switch it on again.

I think I might do yeah.

I'd like to give it a bit more of a chance and listen to some of the other things it was really good at helping me learn something about an area.

I had not thought about at all before and actually when you dive into it's incredibly interesting and I think that programs like this are really really good at doing.

I would definitely secret out again and will you give it another go go go Chef definitely I've subscribed to it and I've looked into the back catalogue and I will definitely be looking again and it's all made me think that I will listen a lot more to the world service thanks to judge from Sevenoaks in Kent and to Samsung party from York and do let us know if you would like to take part in that feature and go outside your comfort zone and I just before we go let's catch up on the main items in our inbox this week and I'm joined by feedback producer Kate Dixon and reprise me is coronavirus coverage donating a game.

This is hard to say from Epsom what I would like to know is why so much of the Queen's historic statement to the nation with detailed almost.

Entirety before the actual broadcast by the time 8 a.m.

On Sunday we already knew what was about to be said taking away the impact of the speech by all perhaps a general synopsis in advance, but so much detail well.

I'm afraid it's standard Media strategy now you give out details of the speech to get it reported in the morning and then you have in the evening and you hope that gets reported the following morning.

I think the palace is just following president.

However will forgive her majesty for dumping our programs last Sunday but also happy with the changes that have been happening to the schedules in general.

This is a definitely no to sing the changes and especially those who are awake at 5:30 in the morning.

We've received a lot of happy emails about the disappearance of the news briefing on Radio 4 Roger Clark without warning or explanation this excellent 15 minutes news program has disappeared.

News briefing provided all the essential information News weather newspapers Sport business diary and historical events that day plus prayer for the day.

It's a terrible loss.

It's OK what's happening with the news briefing.

Can you tell us well listeners will be pleased to know that this is a temporary change as a result of the coronavirus crisis The Corporation just like many other organisations are facing challenges with staffing and I'm just unable to have all their staff on site.

So hopefully news briefing will return in better times, but I think that absolute better now.

We know some listeners have been complaining of too much misery on the airwaves, but have there been many plaudits as well.

Yes, we always get emails Fraser BBC programmes here is a selection starting with a comment from Drew Goldie on Radio 3 the essay.

The fight about Paul Robeson and surely why the essay was thought up sometimes quiet sometimes thoughtful and reflective sometimes opinionated and even provocative but always inform leaving us to think reflect and all five are knowledgeable and not afraid of being critical of something Robeson did so even more opinionated ones are engaging this was good radio good Radio 6 best hello Marion Grace from Bedfordshire your program goal taken was a gripping piece of journalism brought to Life by the reporting of lorry I listen to the entire podcast over 2 days this story should be made available to a wider audience perhaps televised for those not fortunate enough to be added Radio 4 this again.

Thank you BBC Anthony Bowers I have just listen to the last version of the patch on Radio 4 the idea of sending your reporter tuam.

Selected sport in the UK and ask her to dig out a story is brilliant the last program focusing on Helens was successfully contextualized within the current lockdown and in the space provided case illustrations of what the pandemic might mean for people living in the town by the end of the program.

I felt like to come to know them.

I normally never send feedback on BBC I just listen or watch but in this case I want to congratulate you on a simple if novel format.

I'm not supposed to declare my own views on programs, but I do think the patch has some extraordinary and original stories which I never previously heard.

It was truly fresh reporting next week will be talking to the editor of Radio 5 Live's coronavirus news from the same stable as a brexit cost.

So please tell us who is telling you what you want and need to know until then.

I hope you're having a happy and Easter as possible.

And keep safe keep separate goodbye.