Radio Cornwall (Again!)

[Guest Man on the Post]

Copy of a letter received today from Radio Cornwall:-

Thank you for your letter dated October 29. I apologise for the delay in replying.

I am sorry you have been disappointed with the BBC Radio Cornwall sports programme.

The format of the progamme has changed recently in recognition of the fact that the sporting scene in Cornwall has changed. There are now four National League Rugby teams in Cornwall, while the County’s most successful football team, Truro City, plays in Southern Football League Division One South and West. BBC Radio Cornwall’s sports programme has changed to reflect the success and fortunes of these teams and the wide public interest in their progress.

BBC Radio Cornwall Sport aims to be inclusive, entertaining and informative. We broadcast

consistent coverage of our top teams, providing listeners with a mix of local and national action on match days, presented in a format that appeals to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. This means that lower league sides are still featured, but priority is now given to the teams playing at the highest levels.

Emma Vardy is a skilled, experienced presenter, with an extensive sporting knowledge. She is a competitor and qualified instructor in one of Cornwall’s biggest sports.

There have been about 20 complaints about the new format of the sports programme raising similar points to yours. We take all complaints seriously; we value audience feedback enormously and it is always invaluable in planning and assessing our programmes. However, the latest audience figures for BBC Radio Cornwall sport are the best yet. They show that the programme now has the highest share of the Saturday afternoon audience ever recorded for the station.

I hope you do not feel ‘brushed off’. Sport by its nature invokes great passions, keen feelings, intense loyalties and strong opinions. However, this means that in providing a public servicefor the majority of sports fans and listeners in Cornwall, it is inevitable that some people will be disappointed.

Thank you for taking the time to write; constructive and thoughtful criticism such as yours is always welcome and is, as I’ve said, extremely helpful in reviewing our services.

Thank you also for your continued interest in BBC Radio Cornwall.

Yours sincerely,

pp Daphne Skinnard

Pauline Causey

Managing Editor

Be interested to hear what Tom Trust thinks about the audience claim and that only 20 complaints have been received.

[Kappa]

I wonder if Atlantic FM would take up the reigns and deliver a 5.30pm football slot on a Saturday ? I personally miss driving back from away games and catching up on the results/scorers/opinions etc.

It would be great if they did :drink:

[Guest Postie Pidge]

Chris Lawrence who presents on Friday afternoon says he is more than happy to read results but being commercial, music and adverts are a priority.

[Dave Deacon]

but being commercial, music and adverts are a priority.

I can understand adverts being a priority, because at the end of the day the derived income is their lifeline. But, I wonder if they could not tweak the music requirement for say the last hour of the programme.

Yes, the last HOUR, instead of half-hour. Making it a longer review of the day would actually enable music to be played as well. Ok, there would be less music but surely they could get away with it for just the last hour. I'm told the Saturday BBC Sports programme ratings for the last hour have gone down, with the right publicity and build-up Atlantic's could stand a good chance of increasing. What part of the public do we reckon are listening to Atlantic between five and six?

On the Atlantic FM website the programme is covered off by:-

"Chris Lawrence - The More Music Weekend" and if you click on that, one is told .... "All your latest sporting action...Live from 2pm every Saturday Afternoon, we cover all the local games that matter with reporters at most matches, as well as continuing the More Music Weekend"

I know we have all detested music being on a Sports programme, but if the routine was the same every week, one could get use to it and live with it.

Overall, the programme would still follow it's promise. Win, win for everyone!!!

[hedgerow]

A few years ago I was part of the Plymouth Sound Radio medium wave sports show on a saturday afternoon with John Coates. Yes, it only covered the Plymouth and South East Cornwall area but it was sports all the way through from 2 - 6pm with a bit of music thrown in. Regular updates of local and national football/rugby results Gordon Sparks at Home Park as well as local football including the local leagues. It was great fun, but then it finished when the medium wave network went nationwide. John Coates and Gordon went to Radio Devon. Plymouth Sound decided to drop the sports show for music. Money dictates which is the same situation as Atlantic Radio.

Sport in Devon and Cornwall has changed big time. It is a shame that a radio station could not do more to promote local sport irrespective of the game and I am sure a sports show would not be left struggling for local/regional sports info.

One think for sure this subject will not close until something is done about it

[Phil]

I wouldn't mind if music was played between reports, just get the scores right and cover all the divisions within Cornwall would help.

The three minutes of music would also allow the presenter time to do some research between reports, an hour long show starting at half four would make up for the music.

I rarely listen these days, but if i do, normally hear a load of UM'S and uh's from the presenter, also i don't need to know the premier league results either, these are widely available all evening from other sources.

Emma Vardy may have a good C.V. but doesn't seem to have a clue what she's talking about locally! ,

Bring back Dave Deacon and let him pick his team of reporters. :thumbsup:

[Tommy Matthews]

20 complaints perhaps, but they have clearly not taken account of the scores of caustic remarks and general ill-feeling about the programme voiced here on this forum.

If the figures have geniunely gone up then it's time for some other station to put out a slot on a Saturday as suggested and they're certain to get an almighty influx of listeners overnight.

When there's a growing band of listeners just waiting, I wonder who's got the courage to give it a go, after all, they all claim to have "all the latest sporting action"?

[Guest]

Radio who. As I have said before BBC Radio Cornwall has gone the same way as BBC Radio Devon in that you listen to complete Plymouth Argyle match reports. Unfortunately Cornwall does not have a professional league football club so all you are going to get is Radio Rugby. In any case I thought the said lady was on her way out

[Tom Trust]

Just seen the thread. I was out of Cornwall on the 14th and this topic had obviously slipped down the screen by the time I was looking yesterday.

Yes, I'd heard from Ross Ellis that audience figures were up for the first couple of hours of the programme but heavily down for the last hour. I must arrange for an edible hat to be made. However, as a scientist I would love to know where the audience figures come from. Oh, yes: "Questionnaires, diaries" filled in by a "cross sample" of the public. Well, I'm pretty old and I know and have known a lot of people over the years. I know someone who knows someone who won the Readers' Digest Prize Draw; I know someone who has won a couple of thousand on the National Lottery; I was at school with Lennie Tompkins who played for Crystal Palace in the old First Division in the early seventies; one of my best mates has an income of about 3 million a year; another old school chum is richer than Kevin Heaney and was the British Saloon Car Racing Champion in the early eighties; I saw a Goldcrest in my garden last summer. But I have never met anyone who has ever seen one of these infamous broadcasting questionnaires from which RAJAR or whatever they are called compiles its figures. In Cornwall my acquaintances are mainly from the world of football and they are turning off Radio Cornwall in droves.

So who ARE these extra listeners? I imagine the attendances at Pirates/All Blacks/Redruth/Mounts bay would be higher if their games didn't feature so much on the new programme. I don't think the demography of the average sports fan would match a genuine cross section of society.

But given the figures it is obvious that the last hour of the programme needs to be returned to its original format with NO interruption from Miss Vardy as, notwithstanding the comments in the letter to Man on the Post, anyone with ears can hear that the presentation and delivery of the programme are considerably worse than they used to be. Of course, I have to own up to having had minimal training for broadcasting, as was the case with Dave, Ken, Tommy Matthews and others who nevertheless seemed to strike up a connexion of genuine warmth with the sports fans out there.

A chocolate ribbon round the hat would be nice.

[Ken Reed]

Tom - I had to put sprinkles on mine but I still don't think there is a cat in hell's chance of things going back to how they were.

Like you, I would like to know where the BBC get the information from regarding numbers listening, my guess is from the same people that do the Family Fortunes programme, you know; "100 people surveyed said".

With Luck we won't have to wait for someone new for too much longer if the stories are true. :smiley20:

[David Bray]

Tom, perhaps those extra listeners were those switching in at 5.55pm waiting for the Jeff Barker's 'Rock & Roll Party' to get started.

[Guest Man on the Post]

I'm not sure why non-sports fans would tune into the programme, but Radio Cornwall seem to be delighted that they have attracted more of them. Based on this success I understand they will be changing the format of their Sunday morning religious programme to attract more atheists. :yahoo: