Read this: 10/03/2023 Radio 4 Feedback

Hello and welcome to a new series of feedback, so has anything big happened well, we've been offered.

I have loved being here with you.

Thank you so much and maybe meet again somewhere.

It's Radio 2 on the BBC latest in a long line of BBC Talent to abandon, the beef for pastures new the host of the most popular radio programme in Europe is off to Greatest Hits radio and from any that's going to leave a big hole.

I feel at the controllers of Radio 2 of lost the plot Ken Bruce Lee is the final straw also beloved BBC singers are being asked just a year short of their 103 of the brilliant and renowned BBC singers in the funding cuts to the BBC orchestras.

Get further attacks on musical.ly Finn this country the man in charge of BBC

Orchestras and choirs will be here to defend the decision which has been described by the BBC zone, Orchestra conductors as devastating to future generations of singers and orange special Correspondents Rob crossan takes a look back at Hyde J's over the years have said their final goodbyes to be made here that go against my principles and I just cannot agree with them the goodbye of Dave Lee Travis aka, the Hairy Cornflake more like I have the patience.

No, I'm Norwich hello, Paul I'm terrified.

Just to be on the Lost Ken Bruce is the latest high-profile presenter to leave Radio 2 after the departures of Steve Wright Simon Mayo

And many others one newspaper has described it as a bloodbath the station says it's just natural charm and is refreshing the schedule and a contract ran until the end of March is final programme was last Friday after the BBC put him on gardening leave many of you think he was treated Shabba hello.

My name is Terry Pearson from Portsmouth I think this whole Ken Bruce affair is just another example of ageism at the BBC the BBC have been a PR campaign saying it's our BBC but it obviously isn't I'm doing a permanent and I live near Truro in Cornwall with my husband Martin Garrix disappointed at the weekend Bruce a loyal BBC broadcaster has been treated recently.

It is appalling that we will lose that a brilliant broadcaster, so suddenly.

There is no excuse for the study treatment of

Broadcast but they're part Radio 2 told us can decided to leave Radio 2 and it's always been known he's leaving in March returning to Wogan house for a week after a month of broadcasting the piano room sessions at Maida Vale provided a natural break we wish can all the best for the future Matt Deegan is creative director of media and radio consultancy firm folder media has been what are the rings of the first thing to recognises a course your favourite DJ leaves are going to be sad about that and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

I'm sure lots of people are sad that the Ken's leaving he didn't choose to leave though.

It wasn't the radio to come through my door off.

He was actually worth £380,000 a year.

He done the show for over 30 years.

They were planning to renew his contract but he decided to leave and then they had to.

Imagine some quick decisions about what they wanted to do the other custom the BBC's prospectus.

I think one can understand that keeping Ken Bruce BBC Radio 2 for a couple of weeks while the Greatest Hits radio were promoting him.

It is really giving them a bit of free advertising does it make sense to you that they took him off early only absolutely and I think you think we could have been another couple of weeks.

Why did he come off one in the commercial radio world pretty much the poison said he was leaving he would have been a frog marched out the building a little more cutthroat.

Where is he got to say goodbye he got to stay on the radio station for another few weeks.

They reduced it by a couple of weeks because you said what they don't want is that he finishes on a Friday and then start somewhere else on a Monday taking a lot of littlest my name is the Reverend Mark Edwards and I'm a clergyman within the Newcastle diocese of listen to BBC Radio 2 from ideas.

I have now reaching all my devices to commercial radio the once great and much listen to BBC Radio 2 since last year in systemically dismantle a new controller who has an effect on staying over 50s are not welcome.

Hello this is Michael Charmouth from Belfast I feel at the controllers on Radio 2 of lost the plot Ken Bruce leaving the M65 no reason to listen to daytime Radio 2 anymore.

I'll be following Canada Greatest Hits as a show on many other sadly is Ken's new showrunner.

Is it going to win pack badly on Jeremy Vine Norman barwin Jeremy Vine to go from Jimmy Young died in 2003 when there was a huge amount of a response to that change.

So this isn't something that was new so station to have to evolve and I think I would say to listeners was entirely respecting their views are on the Change Is to think about how old they were and

Listening to Ken Bruce and then maybe they should be the opportunity for new listens to come in at listening to Gary and Vernon later on as well.

There is a challenge here isn't the map to appeal to older audiences and loyal listeners while also replenishing those audiences and making sure that you do have younger listen.

There is coming in as absolutely.

Can you remember Canterbury started the show just over 30 years ago when he was in his 30s and he has stayed on the on the radio station and has been pretty well supported over those the last 30 years and I don't think that they are the BBC at particularly try to not cater for audiences to itself over the last 10 years has grown much older so about 1015 years ago the average age for ready to listen with 50 the average age and after a Radio 2 listeners 56, so it's a bit been growing older with it's audience and A Challenge for any radio station.

You want to make sure that I see your sister Mrs happy and that you was coming so I don't think it's bad Radio 2 2 2 slightly tweak its programming to try and bring the average age slightly down there trying to appeal to 18 year olds you know this is just moving the age to have down from 56 take the closer to 50 so I I don't think it's something that they're particularly ages to isn't there something to be said for making sure that the BBC really does listen to those older voices and make sure that they will cater for is true.

I think we will pay licence fee and so everyone should receive the entertainment in the news that is paying for it anymore the challenges the BBC has is they have significantly less money than they used to you know it's sort of 25.5% by Thurles income like all of us.

They face inflation increases it is much more difficult for them to do what date is strictly done and they have to make some difficult decisions.

We would all of the radio station for us and we're all like that at 3 and Mr BBC can make it high quality way, we would love that.

I think the problem is that it's very difficult to do with the challenges that all broadcasters replacement particularly that would be broadcast thanks, too.

Well.

This is our first episode of 2023 or remains the feedback is here to hold the BBC to account it is your program your access to the decision makers trying to keep the corporation relevant in the era of streaming and podcast would love to hear your thoughts on what you been listening to anywhere on BBC Radio or signs.

Are you can email us to feedback and bbc.co.uk you can leave a voice message on 03330459642 at BBC R4 feedback or you can write to us at PO Box number.

67234 London se1p 4ax the world of classical music has been into uproar over the BBC's decision to scrap the world-renowned BBC singers after almost a century.

It's Britain's only full-time professional chamber choir and performs all over the UK and Abroad the BBC says, it's part of the new classical music strategy that will see 20% cuts across English BBC orchestras and that it helps investment in music education were quick to express their anger at the move.

I'm Francis Bulwell from South East London and I'm a regular concert go and Radio 3 listening of the brilliant BBC singers and the funding cuts to the BBC Orchestra musical life in this country with the BBC used to do so much to promote 20 professional singers and their director do not make huge amount from the BBC budget when put next to the cost of televising an event like Eurovision and long-term benefits to the careers of some of them is talented young singers that should not go through without protest and then come back to laureate until his death in 2019.

Steven loves working with them hiring freelance choirs as and when however good.

They are is no substitute for the shear excellence and quality represented by the singers, but I'm afraid I don't believe excellence is the BBC priority anymore by 20% very much for this is the thin end of the wedge for them to what are the BBC claims my name is Charlie and the Beast London and yesterday to hear of the Savage cuts to the BBC performing groups including the total closure of the BBC singers just try if they're centenary year the absolute privilege of Performing alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra and singers in the BBC Symphony chorus, so I know what outstanding and talented professional musicians, they all are the idea that

Should not have salary professionals in them and instead.

They should all be treated as freelancers in my view is simply wrong and there's been a similarly forthright response from the BBC zone conductors and artists who in an open letter have described the decision as kilometres is the BBC's head of orchestras and choirs.

I spoke to him on Thursday and I asked him how he broke the news to the BBC singers that they've been sacked and the 99 year old was being scrapped Andrea it was on Tuesday morning.

That's right 9 and I went to the space in Maida Vale and we sat with the things you can be there in person joined us on zoom and and we spoke to break the news.

It was very hard for them to hear that.

Yes or no.

I gather there's a body 20%

Hot being planned and salary posting BBC English orchestras across the board, how much money is the BBC planning to save in the area of classical music overall we proposed a 20% cut across the English orchestras.

We have savings to deliver the BBC the actual figures are available for the annual reports and accounts.

You don't have them at the moment.

We do have them and we start a consultation tomorrow with the musicians' union and will be talking through those figures in detail with them and that's where that conversation happens and what I need to do respect than the nature of consultation that starts tomorrow afternoon and I'll be entirely transparent in those conversations that reason for that Andrea is also but I'm very open with you about this their role in this is very important of course for their members important to have that consultation where they have a chance to challenge what we doing.

Doing it and I welcome you say it's a consultation.

Does that mean that this is not a donedeal does that mean that you might roll back on the decision to scrap the singers is no plan to roll back in every change we bring in our business.

We can represent our employees.

That's a very important part of the process and that's where I certainly the Union can challenge our approach to understand this if you tell them that they're fired.

I'm not quite sure what role that consultation means in that sense something what what role can the unions play if you've already made the decision to scrap it at this stage.

We need to make sure he gets everything right by colleagues and and by audiences as well.

So you have a consultation with Union to ensure the sex with taking taking in the right way.

And this is very hard for our colleagues and we accept that but where we have a job Simon and I never assume my job is safe when you take on the job like this.

It's you have to make beta to see I take it you've seen the Open Letter to you and your senior colleagues that signed by conductors and artists from BBC orchestras in it say that the ramifications of such short-sightedness are incalculable not just for them.

They go on to say for future generations of singers and indeed for composers.

I mean who they impose for BBC singers is as you will know the the only professional choral choir in the UK they call some of the jargon that you've used like reinforcing the BBC orchestras nonsensical and they say it's bit-by-bit erosion.

How do you respond Andrew I have that letter from run Wigglesworth came yesterday and Ryan

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and find composer as well.

I know most of the conductor's on that list all of them I reach out to Ryan straight away and we'll try to arrange the second but if I could just clarify the BBC singers is the only full-time professional salaried choir in the UK they're not the only professional choir there to get paid if you're asking you asking people to you know young people to aspire to be the very best that they can be musically they need to get paid otherwise.

This is a part-time.

This is something that they do in their spare time in the garden work elsewhere so a lot of our audience find it difficult to imagine that if you're not going to pay people then you're not going to be able to get the very best for you and that is what BBC was it was known for excellent.

This is a world-renowned choir the biggest singers a full-time salaried professional quiet the other professional choirs.

Don't have that so basically just had

Clear about that.

I acknowledge that but there are very fine choirs doing excellent work up and down the country and we need to find a way to ensure that we are working with those quiet to reach audiences the question.

I've had to answer and it's very hard question to answer a college that is with the resources.

We have what is the best way to invest as the BBC in reaching audiences and absolutely understand, but it's very hard for people to hear that when we're talking about the closure of an ensemble, but we have limited resources to make a decision is there any way that if there is an eye cries there clearly is from those whose livelihoods depend on these jobs and also from BBC licence from some of those today and music lovers as well as the whole classical music music seen that you will decide that you were going to go back on any of these plants.

There's a

We have to find that person I welcome back discussion with with conductor colleagues.

I don't know them personally.

I know quite a few of them personally and also I'm speaking travel each other's this is this is really important than having set out our plans.

I need to listen to the reaction and I'm hearing that so that's why I'm here today to answer these questions and I used to do that.

I am listening we do have to deliver savings for the BBC as the whole BBC does this is not just about the savings in classical.

This is about the position of BBC is in how we serve our audiences and that's are that's the motivation of course I fully understand that they need to make hearts but you talk for the Narrow path.

Forward does that mean that there could be some leeway here to some changes.

This is the consultation that will have the musicians' Union I've set out what I believe is necessary to achieve what we need to achieve and in a way that I think does.

Support or future as a broadcaster classical music this is really important that we are the broadcaster of classical music live across the UK to our audiences and I'm trying to find you I setup my soul I will consult with union tomorrow the first thing I did before we met any nonsense across with to talk to the Union to let me know our plans and I really welcome a response that will be and probably a challenging conversation, but I welcome mat and that's the next stage and following that will deliver our savings working as best we can to consult with the audience with the licence fee payers last April and that Review looked at the position bcvt oxygen choirs in the wider orchestral sector and in their review certainly a very wide range of people usually taken and listen to and that Review was published.

Call Anne's the everything has come from that was that was a listening exercise at the same time.

I continue to listen to it's not too late for us to get in touch with us and tell us they think about this.

I think it's really important to do and I think it's really important that we listen that doesn't of course necessarily mean that we make wholesale changes to our plans but we need to understand as the BBC pelvis impacts on our audience is this is ultimately about reaching wider audiences across the UK that is what we're trying to do within the finance is there a bit available to us Simon webbe? Thank you very much indeed for joining us on feedback.

Thank you know the arts of the radio goodbye after all the thousands of words presenters and final sign off on their last day of their last show is the one that lives on the lasting Legacy to leave the audience in tears.

Aim appointed bar, but you're presumed to be former employer or just drift away on a hunting man.

It's a tricky art we heard Ken Bruce's farewell to Radio 2 Live feedback correspond and Rob crossan takes a look at I can spotting short Compares with DJ's of the past how much congratulations and you did it in a Ken Bruce kind of weight of ocular laced with Caledonian humility it was the same encountered through a fug of silk Cut smug and essence of Bacon fat in my granny's Kitchen nearly 40 years ago.

How old is Ella million 8:43? Can you know most heartening was how you avoided all those cliches and excesses of your former colleagues and contemporaries when faced with the final goodbye and I really want to put the record straight and I thought that you ought to know first changes are being made here that go against my principles and I just cannot agree with the goodbye of Dave Lee Travis aka cornflake occasion speech but only just perhaps because when I came to the Elder statesman of radio, we still had Jimmy Young over on Radio 2 9 years later.

I would do his last Prague and he couldn't quite can.

He's ranker the last program today as you well know I don't want to leave you.

It's true to say but nonetheless that's what's been decreed.

So that's what we have to do.

Thank you very much for the last 29 years today every minute of Our Time God bless.

Take care and for the very last time.

I'm here bye for now mind you when Eddie Mair left radio 4S p.m.

Programme in 2018 brilliantly devious approach simply not turning up for his final shift on Monday after an archive recording of Morecambe and Wise was discovered after more than 5020 judge that what one of the BBC's most serious news programs needed.

What's a cover version of a Morecambe and Wise classic Bring Me Sunshine

Racing across the car park to the other ways the last wake up to Wogan the modern benchmark for radio goodbyes was on the lights Terence of Logan in 2009 was a farewell address that was warm intimate touch lucky.

Yes, but like you can't he put the focus where it was needed on to the listeners that years together with you and only been a pleasure but a privilege you allowed me to share your lives with you when you tell me I'm bored.

I've been in your lives.

It's very moving you've been every bit as important in my the Night-Time sign off you make a different tone a Chandler S11 under a smear of Fog with one loan, streetlight is Arnold did when she made her song before well.

Shuffle listeners in 2012 in that most intimate spaces right between the shipping forecast and the national anthem good night, but also saying goodbye.

It's been a pleasure and thank you so much for listening.

Now that's more like it understated taciturn but fair dripping with repressed emotional grief Alice you missed your true calling which I Still Believe was at Green siren of the 1930s.

I want a special word of thanks to Kenneth Robinson it's been an integral part of this program unlike Robinson who in a hammer horror moment raised his side and sit down on poor old Richard Baker and all the listeners to start the week in 1986.

I'm not getting 3 days notice after 15 years and it's a bloody disgrace they what is a parting word from Kenneth Robinson parsimonious this with Language is always more effective than endless verbosity a lesson that I think you've learnt rather well p2419hc to the greatest of them all Alan fluff Freeman

Thanks lowrance nothing smokes your sentimental just 12 words and here.

They're alright alright.

Playwright was not by choice, but simply because his producer selected the Year 1982 for his final Pick of the Pops as a result got Renee and Renato Save Your Love by The Beatles you're a very lucky man.

See you down the centre of love.

You take is equal to the love.

You make I have loved being here with you.

Thank you so much and maybe meet again somewhere.

Feedback correspondent Rob cross and they're on their final sign off for me just yet have been taking notes.

Let's hope that I'm back next week and thank you for listening and giving us your feedback.