Read this: 04/08/2023 Radio 4 Feedback

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts is the BBC getting it right on a change in my experience the BBC present climate change case in an unbalanced way, I think your present to do some accent reporting on climate change the BBC's climate activism impartiality and the Politics of global warming also to clap or not to clap at the Proms irritated getting this year by approach during the movements of symphonies and concertos.

I've been to the Royal Albert Hall to ask Radio 3 and just listening figures are out and it's not good news for the BBC so what is going on? I'm disappointed to hear about the recent drop in radio for solicitor ship the quality of output.

Never put first last week was the hottest week ever recorded climate scientists say the Heat and the rain is driven in part by global warming Justin Rowlatt is the BBC's first ever climate editor reporting from the Frontline of climate change on how it affects our lives and what we can do about it.

He's a busy man.

Who is never out of the headlines put a new report by the European broadcasting Union has warned that relentless coverage can be a turn-off for audiences suffering from climate anxiety so it's a tricky balance to strike informing without scaremongering making complex science accessible while maintaining due impartiality on the biggest question of time here are some of your thoughts.

I am Christopher Samuel 80 years old who served Around the World in the Royal Navy in my experience the BBC presents climate change.

In an unbalanced way, the programs really have both sides of the Debate generally use short time scales and selective comparison the climate programs generally on the future and predict extrapolating data that is generally wrong never having to react the presenters develop a mindset that looks for the Doom scenario and lead arrogant dismissal opinions from Wantage mature students environmental Studies are increasingly seeing time at change affect so many aspects of our lives food production transport energy holidays town planning and of course a young people's mental health climate change quite rightly features highly and BBC coverage during extreme Weather events affecting British people such as recent Mediterranean heatwave however, it is also important to discuss impacts on local people wildlife and wider issues, such as food production.

So, I'm still a Davies from Stowmarket eco future group in Suffolk I think your presenters do some accent reporting on climate change, but it's dealt with as an isolated topic and I'd like to see them use their knowledge and understanding to challenge political guests on the urgency of the environmental impact when they're discussing on the subjects for instant how migration of Transport report on climate change isn't just about reporting on the science of climate change although obviously that's a really important Strand of coverage for us.

It's also about talking about you.

How we tackle the tackle the problem you're not in the territory of objective science you're in the territory of subjective politics and that obviously often does need to be balanced.

So you know if one person says pump oil from the North Sea because Britain's going to need energy in the future as the prime minister's just said that needs rebalance off with somebody who says will think about the consequences.

The policy prescriptions need to be have a different kind of standard of impartiality Applied because the nature of the subjective nature of their cock the relationship between climate change and impartiality at the BBC is it a really big an important topic haven't even in the past few weeks.

We've seen justhype political climate change can be with the prime minister and you or licences in the North Sea and making comments about being the motorist and it seems quite clear that this is going to be a political and politicised shoe in the general election and then may well be policies on which the main parties disagree in terms of the coming General Election and the role that my plan that I mean look at that in the territory of of policy and you and it's not fair on BBC or for me to come.

It's about about policy and we do need dentist of compare the kind of the policies that the different parties rough ring and look at what they suggest in terms of the implications for the so obviously it looks hard for a particular policy to meet the climate targets of the UK then you know that something that we should make clear of the consequences at 4 for the climate more generally so I think it's slightly different one very different standards apply to reporting politics than they do to report in time.

So I wouldn't affect me reporting science but I will be reporting the Politics of climate change to and that requires slightly different impartiality approach because it's been having a subjective does it frustrates you that climate change now seems to be part of the culture Wars

Parties to do is really profound.

You know our Society has been based on the ready energy of fossil fuels formed what two centuries now were facing some big changes are a result of climate change.

It's inevitable I suppose there's going to be Debate and push back about the Solutions that are offered to deal with it.

My name's Jane Ward I used to live in Essex but I'm currently living in dance along with many others are really concerned about the laid-back way are UK politicians are responding to climate change which is such a soft title the un's climate boiling is more like it politicians.

Don't want migrants, but don't seem to realise that when countries are badly affected by soaring temperatures drought wins etc.

Text people to grow food and feed animals not to mention being unable to survive the heat.

This is happening in Spain now.

Not just a traditionally hot countries Francis Daley

The impact and taking steps like reducing flights and encouraging the use of trains more it won't be popular but it provides the reasons it's necessary by educating people.

I think someone and think she talks about what's migration Andy you need a role of climate in migration is kind of subtle but very powerful is something that the UN has acknowledged take the song from North Africa drought affect the fertility of the soil and increase conflict over the last remaining fertile areas underpins another comfort you see in North Africa is underpinned by universe shortage of fertile land and so discerning which is if it's hard to discern so it is quite hard to come to tell what the fingerprint of climate change is in some of these things when it although it is kind of clearly playing a role and I think again you know with.

Complex subjects in reporting that it would be to try and tease out some of these subtleties and kind of help us understand the interplay between different factors.

Is it a challenge to make complex and often you aren't science actually accessible to everyone big piece for BBC One on heat pumps and I did a lot of kind of stories around heat pumps as a resultant exactly all the local local radio and the local radio she radish that it was really interesting challenge as a reporter to have to kind of like you like I said can't explain something genuinely complex and nuanced like that heat pump works.

I think that's a really interesting about communication and my funny ways to communicate effectively with people so I do I do think I do think that that's very important.

We do have to report you know whether

Price of electricity means that they actually cost about the same time as gas boilers and they have date you the additional costs when you install them bigger radiators and maybe need to put some new information in your home, so that all just be reported of making the kind of changes.

We need to and it's really important that our audiences understand that and you know their decisions are informed by the kind of fact impartiality of the BBC even handedness it just didn't do enough when the BBC should have been pushing harder and doing more really is just is not the job of the BBC to be an activist on this issue, and I think we come back to that point but the science is actually really persuasive and becoming increasingly so

Watching people to Action just saying that there is the explaining the nature of the problem.

You need people aren't stupid.

I understand this parallel and you know that hopefully we communicate the science LC that you know we really do need to step up and and and and make the changes that decides this tell us another story to begin to tackle the problem if you'd like to share your thoughts on anything you've heard BBC audio.

You can leave us a voice message as 0345 for standard charges from landlines and mobiles will apply and you can send us a WhatsApp to the same number you can also sweet at BBC R4 feedback know the BBC Proms are in full swing as usual there is a huge range of music festival runs the full gamut from Beethoven to Bollywood there also concerts across the UK including the first weekend long festival of proms at the Sage in Gateshead

But it's home as most definitely the Royal Albert Hall in London and this week.

I got a behind-the-scenes tour from the BBC Prom Queen herself Katie Derham with the added bonus of Isaac anime practising on stage feel like something about when I got over Nicola Benedetti Marin Alsop and Simon Rattle Katie and I find a quiet space to have a chat it you've been doing this since 2010 have the proms in your time.

Obviously they've been around a lot longer than that but in it.

Is right from the word go home? You would wanted classical music of the highest quality to be available to have them those people for the least money and that's still absolutely at the heart of what the Proms Mike Hopkins I live in the Chiltern Hills the Proms has been an absolute revelation I visited it for the first time and she went to the Tchaikovsky 6 concert last week that was I've been listening now that I'm actually know how promising works and the cost £1 a ticket what a fantastic democratic and inclusive idea that is music to my ears.

I mean he's absolutely right.

It is phenomenal what you get for £8 and we're talking about the best musicians in the world can play and it's just for normally good value.

Is it frustrates you when people say that it's elitism when actually I take it is cheaper than yes, it does frustrating.

I am here so much during the summer and I see the people who come to these concerns and they are not elitist and they are not exclusive.

They are all sorts of different people hello I call crimes in Wolverhampton V cbso concert on Thursday night becoming a brother apparently is not going to be televised and I thought what a shame it was the parents of those children that took part in that concert.

I'm sure they would have loved to have seen their children on television even if it was a later date when their children could be with them the prom season is huge all of its on Radio 3 every night of every concert is broadcast on the radio out of those 75 odd concerts televised in a dream world.

I'd like them all to be televised.

I think any of us because we don't have a wonderful of those concerts.

We take a look at the the the program.

To try and make sure that we offer a really good variety, so we'll try and make sure that the international students who are visiting are represented on TV want to make sure that new music is represented on female conductors are seen by a wide audience the northern soul from is being televised the jazz the youth jazz is going to be on TV later this week as well.

So so some of those more specialist niche prams are being shown so that people can see the variety of music that takes place of the Proms but there is also the core favourite classical music as well, so we'll Beethoven 5 Beethoven and Tchaikovsky prom lovely Mozart from all sorts of stuff in a nutshell.

You know we just try and cherry pick a good for my name is Anthony Payne live for many years in Australia I have noticed since my return How Little of the wealth of Australian classical music is included in Radio 3 playlist I am sure that might.

Would enjoy the opportunity to hear more of this rich Bounty I think the Anthony pains got a very good point the wonderful thing is that in a big classical music festival like this.

There's always room to explore different different music from different areas of the world and so on and I would suggest that maybe we should have a little look at the Australian classical music scene and in these programs are planned to 3 years in advance.

It's an epic task.

It's a wonderful job to plan like this and I think that the joys you can cover a lot of ground musically, so yeah Australian music that down Katie a controversial subject clapping between movements.

This is Mr Dennis wheels calling from Portsmouth regarding the BBC Proms at 8 again this year by applause during the movements of

Defender concertos, is it really necessary and do the performers actually appreciate it? My name is not my kind and I'm calling from New York in Yorkshire paths me up at 37 KV applause to the end.

That's my preference.

I think that's a discussion to be had their I don't know if it's between the BBC director producer of the auditions on the night thinking about which what might be appropriate for particular PV cells under Italy from London and I'm the artistic director of the Brock collective as well as being a regular Radio 3 listening.

I've noticed the topic of clapping between movements has come up recently on social media and tensile around strong feelings.

I feel strongly that the should be no unwritten rules or conventions around art music nothing that should make a new audience member feel that they've done anything wrong and shouting.

Clapping between movements would be one of the worst examples of this I have an awful lot of sympathy with your listener Johnny because I must say I think that somebody is enjoying the music and they feel compelled to applaud that they want to then they should and I get rather a frustrated with people who taught or shush having said that I've spoken too many musicians over the years who do feel sometimes at the mood to be broken in a beautiful piece of music that has been written you know with the narrative.

Maybe three movements with a particular kind of mood change throughout and they don't want to spell to presenting it become a couple weeks ago which was pekka kuusisto fantastic charismatic finish violinist who was performing as a soloist and also leading the orchestra and he was performing a wonderful kind of new version of the Valley Four Seasons the people you're absolutely loved it.

Appreciate that so many movements, but I don't think that you think that you have to just try and chill out a little bit about this.

Hi there.

This is Ali and I just wanted to say that tune into the Promise Knightley made me really excited to get to France and being home myself the Radio 3 broadcast team always so passionate and really capture the atmosphere of the night Proms 21 with an exciting take score for vertigo and utterly beautiful and moving renditions of korngold Violin Concerto listening to the broadcast back.

Maybe want to be straight back in the hall and sing it all over again Ellie I'm so happy very very happy to hear that.

That's what we are hoping to try and do you know if you's are listening over and I'm delighted that you enjoyed it.

Katie Derham and of course you can listen to The Proms on Radio 3 and on BBC signs the latest radio listening figures came out this week and they don't make for comfort reading for the BBC BBC Radio 2 has lost more than a million listeners overall since Ken Bruce left his mornings.

Lot to go to Greatest Hits radio radio audiences also down here in the thoughts of a few added Radio 4 listeners diarrhoea from Roscommon in Ireland I'm in abbot Radio 4 on BBC sounds and on long wave.

I'm disappointed to hear about the recent drop and radio for solicitor ship the quality of output is as high as ever news and politics are very well and the flexibility of being able to listen back at anytime 2 shows such as the Today programme p.m.

Broadcasting house and the word tonight is a huge advance.

I know it is important to attract a new audience, but please don't forget about the audience you already have hi.

This is definitely blind from North London I'm going up the radio for all my life, but I just think the outputs changed dramatically with controllers and editors trying to chase and ever younger and diverse audience Radio 4 want to hold onto an older coordinates and sometimes at home listening.

Maybe more than younger Generations they could address the loss of listeners by may be returning to some of their core values and some more high quality program.

So what is happening well here to unpick the stats is the creative director of the radio consultancy firm boulder Media Matt Deegan good morning.

Let's start off with Radio 2.

What is going on there? It's a really big job.

They've lost a million listeners.

It is a big drop obviously.

My Ken Bruce leaving Radio 2 in game to Greatest Hits radio hits has lost 1.3 million listeners, and that's all she had a big knock on to the station as a whole that she says down a million.

What is ready to is a massive radio station is Britain's biggest radio station and so even though it's a million.

It's just a 7% drop now.

I'm sure if you're in Radio 2 7% is still at amount of people that disappeared but I think they will be surprised.

Are you surprised match because I think the last time we spoke to you know we were talking about the idea that the Radio 2 needed w w a 10 planets in a younger people to come in and listen and that perhaps some of the older people might not actually leave now as you say only 7% have decided to decompose.

So that is still quite significant.

I think it is more than I would have expected.

I think when you're dealing with such big numbers and these are these really.

You look at the top line number in think on my god, that's used but you're 7% drop.

It does mean.

There's something like they've retained 8387 percent of of the slot audience.

Where are the tissues then do we think they haven't arrived when you look at the new Radio 2 figures the average ages of drops for that show and for the station is a hold of their own is much more dramatic way than dead.

Hope what is important to know is Vernon Kay the replacement was only on for half the time this was measured.

So it's not it's not full representation.

I probably expect it to recover a little bit in the next quarter, but it definitely that there's some more work to do it Radio 2 if they want to get it back.

How do people really look at these figures types of management.

Look at a look at this and think of it got to try and do something different doesn't mean a change to playlists how.much.does.it kind, so you're is a snapshot, and I think you've got to take some silly got that you got a look at it.

Brewster you've got a c.

Is this a one-off is this a trainers is going to go forward seeing you to give it a couple of quarters.

That's quite scary if you're management because you think I might just going to get better Wi-Fi mess with it.

I'm actually messing with the thing that would sort of fix itself a little bit so I don't see getting much worse for them.

I think this is pulling off the plaster, but will see if the coming quarters remove 90s Radio 4 year-on-year the Today programme figures are actually done 15% Which one is quite significant what's going on there, so the Today programme Radio 4 total audience of Radio 4 as a whole goes up to today programme goes up if it goes down Today programme goes down since the pandemic about 61% gets left out 61% of a Radio 4 audience systems for the day program and that hasn't changed at all now the question is does the Today programme cause ready at 4 to write off.

The rest of the network and it's probably a bit of both really is in a lot of the new stations of have been affected this court.

It's not just the Radio 4 think you've seen that kind of LB and times radio to report from from reuters earlier this month which actually said there's a lot of news avoiders, you know we've been overloaded with NewsNow affected it slightly so I mean I don't think this is particularly a radio for specific issue in the BBC's own annual report it says that it's only got 20000iu regular listeners in a 16 to 34 age group brackets because of BBC signs which doesn't really sound like very much so look at radio the different ages but Union the the younger ages a starting to listen to Radio 4 because they can get some of that in other places now for Radio 4.

Weather audience haven't changed so much is the 65 + audience who I may be a little less digital digital savvy and there's loads of people in their 60s listen to podcasts on the radio but from the sheer scale of a fact about over sixty-five audience a lot of those of she still like listening to the radio station and we've seen from send me your correspondence is the BBC to talk to young audiences too much.

I've had this discussion about Radio 2 and has to balance this is got a great program that brings in you that the next generation of what's the catering for classic heartland audiences for these channels to so when for example the BBC says that the signs is up by 50% which one is huge? Will we actually dig into it? Is it often the case that the most popular downloads is programs are things like test match special and the Archers programs that actually are.

Stables of BBC and and radio for the 50 years of heritage, so it's not unexpected, but they do why any platform that they broadcast any show me that a radio show TV Show podcast whatever takes a while to grow and I didn't want it want it probably also says his for BBC sounds in a new shows you do they need do they need more support.

I'm in the radio stations that have large audiences Travelodge promotional power and sounds is a relatively new service but it's on the holiday sex hurt the baby to work harder to connect their shows with younger because if they don't they don't manage to do that now.

It builds you no significant problem for them in 10-15 years time you so much in response.

We got this statement from the BBC

Radio 2 remains the UK's most popular radio station with 13 1/2 million loyal listeners in tune in each week to the best music from the past 7 decades presented by the country's most loved presenters whilst the Today programme on Radio 4 is one of the most listened to breakfast radio programs providing listeners with trusted in-depth reporting and agenda-setting interviews are digital listening is up significantly and we've had another record-breaking quarter for BBC sounds which is greater the amount of players year on year by nearly 50% Well.

That's all for this week.

Thank you very much for listening and for giving us your feedback.

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