If only the listeners could choose the music!

Hilary · Post by **Hilary** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:42 pm

Hi All,

I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend. The weather is good for September isn't it?!

Wouldn't it be great if we, the radio listeners could choose the music that was played on some of the radio shows.
Yes, there are good music show that we all listen too on both local and national radio. As much as we like the radio presenter we sometimes have to re-tune because the music is PANTS!

I'm sure that just like us, you have probably noticed that when the music is selected by the listeners it is........better!
If only the heads of music would take note that some of the artists that are not popular with them are in fact VERY popular with us, the listeners!

I guess that they think they know what is best for us to listen too just like the TV executives think they know what we should all be watching on TV!
It's a good job that we all have minds of our own and take no notice.

In a way it is very sad because A LOT of very good artists are not heard on the radio much. Maybe we could start our very own radio station and that way we could put ALL the great artists listed here in Matt's forum, on our playlist!

As there are now many forum members here, we could have a collection and see how much money we could collect between us! How much money do we need to set up and run our own radio station?! A small fortune I should think!

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:32 pm

Hi Hilary-that sounds like a dream come true to have our own radio station with our own music.

However Hilary--there is a little drawback to your plan--although we all love Matt, we are not all agreed about our other favourite singers--and songs--and basically I guess--one man's [or woman's] meat is another one's poison.

That is why I still miss "Prime Time Radio" so much---they consistently played great, listenable to music, not too many interruptions---but it was shut down !!

I listen to Radio AOL a lot, as they have all types of music, and you can listen to your own favourite genre. I am permanently on "Sinatra Style"--it is perfect, no talking, Music all the way, plus you can give each track a rating, and it also gives the song title , singer, name of Lp/Cd/, and a link to where you can buy [although the link does not always work as it should ,as I guess some of the tracks are too old].

And that is another reason why I love my I-tunes and Ipod--that is as close as I am ever going to get to my own personal radio station--at the moment, I have over 3000 tracks, all of my own choosing, that I know I will like, and being so many, I do not listen to the same one every time---unless I want to. Plus no unwanted chat!!

Marian

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:42 pm

Hi Hilary and Marian, it does sound a great idea but as Marian has said we do have different tastes in singers. For instance Jon doesn't rate Frank Sinatra,

I'm still in state of shock (only joking Jon)

but this does happen.and it can. Look at Angel Radio station for instance. The people who run this are all over Seventy and they play nothing beyond 1960. They even play the old 78s, but people request them.

GMMY Web-site have there own radio station and that is guaranteed good music. Frank plays music from the 30s right through to todays including a lot of Matt's music , just barring heavy metal rap and crap as he calls it.

Then there is Saga Radio, but very little on BBC Radio except on Sundays.

Hilary · Post by **Hilary** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:30 am

Hi Marian, Lena and Harry, (and Hatty too!)

Yes, I suppose it would be a little difficult to agree on all the other artists. We would probably end up falling out with each other over which other artists too play on our radio station!

One thing is for sure, we wouldn't be playing YMCA otherwise Paul wouldn't be very happy!

We should be able to receive DAB radio here in Oxford sometime in November when we will be connected to the real world - Looking forward to hearing Saga radio and many others too in better sound quality.

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:31 pm

I would demand that we play YMCA at least twice a day, just to annoy Paul

only joking Paul. By the way Paul, do Americans have the same sense of humour we Brits have

mariana44 · Post by **mariana44** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:06 pm

Hi Hilary--I cannot get Saga Radio on my Dab---I think it vanished along with Prime-Time---they were connected I believe. I do not know if anyone else can tune in to Saga Radio??

And Robert, judging by some of the American sit-coms the American sense of humour is quite different to ours--although some of the US programmes have been very funny--I loved "Rosanne" "Cheers" "The Golden Girls" amongst others.

Marian

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:16 pm

We also loved those three American sit-coms Marian, and of course American people have a sense of humour Robert. Our friends certainly have. We are constantly in conversation on the phone and they are the wittiest and the funniest people we've ever known.

paul jh · Post by **paul jh** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:38 pm

I've heard that the American sense of humour is different than the Brits ... that the British humour relies more on irony. Perhaps. I do know that I haven't watched an American situation comedy in over 25 years. I find them completely unfunny, and that includes the three mentioned below along with Friends, Seinfeld, etc. I loved the old comedies: Andy Griffith, Brady Bunch, Family Affair, and I Love Lucy/The Lucy Show. But I laugh out loud at some of the things Sarah Kennedy and Ken Bruce say. When I book the QE2 I now tell the Cunard office in California that I want to be seated with Brits. On my first trip I didn't state this and was seated with 7 Americans who talked about computers, gardening, and haute cuisine the entire week. So I learned my lesson and always ask not to be seated with Americans. That's worked very well. In the three successive trips, seated at my table were only one American (a dance host on the ship), four Canadians, and the rest were Brits. We had a blast each week and they teased me incessantly (kind of like you Robert

).

And to establish the rule #1 for our radio station: YMCA will be banned from the playlist.

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:06 am

Yes Paul, banned from the playlist for the first week, ONLY

Paul, do you now live in Australia, as you said the three sitcoms are mentioned below. You should have said above, shouldn't you

Lena and Harry, your American buddies funny and witty, they're not Steve Martin and Ben Stiller are they

Lena & Harry Smith · Post by **Lena & Harry Smith** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:13 am

They very well could be Robert, except that they are husband and wife.

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:43 pm

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:06 pm

Ahh - American sitcoms. I had quite a good 'diet' of them as a child, patriculalrly 'The Brady Bunch'. I started off quite liking it before it started to annoy me! There was always a moral in every story, usually dished out by Alice, the housekeeper - but I haven't seen n episode for 30 years or so! But of that era, 'Bewitched' (with the original Darren!) was fantastic, and still makes me laugh today. Some of the regular characters, such as the nosey neighbour and the befuddled Aunt were fantastic creations played some great comic actresses.

My Mum never missed an episode of 'Mary Tyler Moore' and 'Rhoda'. These were more urbane, and certainly the fantastic and incomparable 'Frasier' is an update on this style of comedy. In its early days, when it featured many other characters from the radio station, it was brilliant, The episode where Frasier trys to recreate a 1940s mystery play on the radio is a classic piece of comedy, worthy of comparison with 'Fawlty Towers'. And even when the Niles/Daphney story line took over, the outrageous snobbery of Frasier and his brother always brought a good ending. The other epsiode that sticks in my mind is where they buy a restaurant that has recently closed to restore it its former glory

British sitcoms tend to get a good press around the world, mainly because of Fawlty Towers I think, which was fantastic. I've never like the Office, it is just too cringeworthy! I think it is just too accurate in some of its depictions - I worked for the Prudential for a few years, and many of the managers were very sales-orientated and were very much of the David Brent line. But for every good sitcom, there is a bad one! We may remember the Good Life, To the Manor Born, and Fawlty Towers, The Liver Birds, Butterflies, Dads Army, One foot in the Grave etc. But there was also lots of mediocre ones! Terry & June was ok in a predictable kind of way, as were Don't Wait up & Allo Allo. Hi Di Hi and Are you being served were more hit and miss, and lets even talk about It AIn't Half Hot Mum.

Freinds is probably a generation thing - it started off very well, went off the heat in the middle, and managed to come back towards the end. I guess I can associate with it because it was aimed squarely at my age group. Freinds was kind of daring in some respects for US TV -The British response, Coupling, was far more daring and down to earth. Again, its an age thing - I laugh at every episode of this, but it successor, 'Two Pints of Lager and apacket of Crisps' is a bit too down to earth for my liking!

Finally, some of the funniest monologues I have heard are by Bob Newhart whose imaginitive situatations always make me chuckle - The Driving Insructor, Flight to Hawaii, and Returning a Toupe to a Dept Store

michduncg · Post by **michduncg** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:25 pm

On the subject of radio stations though, Magic seem to play a good variety of music, and I also like R2. Always have done since listening to Terry Wogans Breakfast Show as a child. And I also like the Saturday line up if we are driving a long distance - a good mix of chat, music and comedy. Sarah Kennedy has got such a calm voice - a great way to ease you into the day! Just don't employ Dave Lee Travis or Jimmy Saville at the new station!

I must admit that I've not really heard YMCA being played on radio in the UK so I don't think we've much to fear there!

On behalf of my mum - I would ask for a ban on 'Where the boys are' by Connie Francis, and 'Paper Roses' by err... whoever sang it! Marie Osmond I think, but I'm sure that wasn't the original.

ROBERT M. · Post by **ROBERT M.** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:13 pm

Yes Mike, Bob Newhart was a genius

I think you must be the only person to have watched the sitcom "Freinds"

we all watched Friends.

Do you or anyone else listen to Elaine Paige (I know L&H do) on Sunday?? I don't as I cannot stand to listen to her uppety voice

sorry about that.

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:21 pm

Ive always liked Radio2 as well, especially Sir Terry in the mornings. Sarah Kennedy is a different matter. I cant stand the way she prattles through those newspapers every morning, and the constant talk about her 'beloved'. Its all me, me, me!! You should read what they say about her on the Radio2 message board. Hope shes not thin-skinned