Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Anoraky is that a word? Dunno but it will do and i will try and keep this as short as possible not to bore you, Yesterday i went with my Son to Walton and Harwich, The first thing i noticed on the way was that the 765 AM signal from BBC Essex was still loud and clear as you went though Dartford Tunnel, I always thought it was just some FM stuff which was relayed through there?
First stop Walton to look for the Big L boat thingy but no luck, I guess this may be due to the atrocious weather and they had put in for a while, Also no luck on finding the memorabilia shop they are supposed to have on the Pier,
Then we carried on to Harwich, Halfpenny pier was easy to find and i would estimate there was about 80–100 people on there, We tried to look at the exhibition on the pier but as it is only in a very small room and there were loads of people trying to do the same thing we gave that up as a bad job,
We along with most other people had brought a portable radio to listen to the last moments of Pirate BBC Essex while viewing the LV 18,
When they played Big Lil and the Day in the life and then went silent it was very sad and brought back memories of 67 and looking around i could see that quite a few people were affected and this wasn't all down to the heavy rain,
While we waited for the tender to bring back the DJ's i got chatting to a very nice couple from Clacton who even told me they went to the beach at Frinton to see the MiAmigo when that ran aground,
After talking about a few more things i asked what they thought about the current Big L from Frinton, All i got were blank looks they had never heard of it, Then the penny dropped and i asked them, Do you have the Internet at home? The reply was no we are not technically minded and have never bothered getting a computer,
I wonder how many other people have a interest in certain subjects but are left in limbo because they are not on the web?
Eventually we saw the tender leaving the LV 18 and as it approached the pier i noticed it was flying the Jolly Roger at the rear which i thought was a nice touch,
The Dj's then disembarked and on board were Norman St John, Ed Stewart, Keith Skues, Johnnie Walker and i think Steve Scrutton,
Such a cheer went up from the crowd when Johnnie appeared, It was unbelievable, They spent some time talking to people and signing books etc but i wasn't able to get very close due to the crowd but i did manage to shake Johnnies hand as he left,
On duty was a solitary young Police Woman looking totally bemused by the whole thing,
It was a great day despite the weather and i hope you dont mind me sharing it with you.
Richard
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
That's why Laser558 was so popular. It seems what people wanted was
slick presentation ("never more than a minute away").
I think they wanted more music, as radio was the only real delivery source still. At that time everybody had to put up with bla bla bla inbetween the songs because of the needle-time restrictions. And the commercial sector was mis-firing with the content of the bla bla bla too.
In 1965 the
American voices were a big turn off (SRE), 20 years later Britain was
ready for them.
Not sure about that. The Laser 558 DJs never really said anything did they? The music did the talking for the most part compared to the 60s, so maybe it was more palatable.
wasn't Laser558 instrumental in ending needle
time?).
Yep. It finally disappeared a year later, I seem to recall. That's the biggest and yet most unmentioned legacy of Laser, and one we should be eternally grateful for!
--
* Christopher England just said that *
Richard Sharpe <...> said:
Anoraky is that a word? Dunno but it will do and i will try and keep this as short as possible not to bore you, Yesterday i went with my Son to Walton and Harwich, The first thing i noticed on the way was that the 765 AM signal from BBC Essex was still loud and clear as you went though Dartford Tunnel, I always thought it was just some FM stuff which was relayed through there?
First stop Walton to look for the Big L boat thingy but no luck, I guess this may be due to the atrocious weather and they had put in for a while, Also no luck on finding the memorabilia shop they are supposed to have on the Pier,
Then we carried on to Harwich, Halfpenny pier was easy to find and i would estimate there was about 80–100 people on there, We tried to look at the exhibition on the pier but as it is only in a very small room and there were loads of people trying to do the same thing we gave that up as a bad job,
We along with most other people had brought a portable radio to listen to the last moments of Pirate BBC Essex while viewing the LV 18,
When they played Big Lil and the Day in the life and then went silent it was very sad and brought back memories of 67 and looking around i could see that quite a few people were affected and this wasn't all down to the heavy rain,
While we waited for the tender to bring back the DJ's i got chatting to a very nice couple from Clacton who even told me they went to the beach at Frinton to see the MiAmigo when that ran aground,
After talking about a few more things i asked what they thought about the current Big L from Frinton, All i got were blank looks they had never heard of it,
Then the penny dropped and i asked them, Do you have the Internet at home?
The reply was no we are not technically minded and have never bothered getting a computer,
I wonder how many other people have a interest in certain subjects but are left in limbo because they are not on the web?
Eventually we saw the tender leaving the LV 18 and as it approached the pier i noticed it was flying the Jolly Roger at the rear which i thought was a nice touch,
The Dj's then disembarked and on board were Norman St John, Ed Stewart, Keith Skues, Johnnie Walker and i think Steve Scrutton,
Such a cheer went up from the crowd when Johnnie appeared, It was unbelievable, They spent some time talking to people and signing books etc but i wasn't able to get very close due to the crowd but i did manage to shake Johnnies hand as he left,
On duty was a solitary young Police Woman looking totally bemused by the whole thing,
It was a great day despite the weather and i hope you dont mind me sharing it with you.
Richard
Thanx for sharing that Richard!!! I can understand the feelings of nostalgia that must have been around yesterday and you brought it back to me as If I were there.
Glad to hear Johnny got such a good reception - if you haven't read it his autobiograpgy is a smashing read or listen on CD (which I have here)
Cheers
Orson
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
If you could find a reliable independent source for Caroline and Big L
listeners, you could probably assume that what 90% of them were
listening at midnight 14th/15th, then throw in some 270 listeners if
they could hear it, and a few more from the other stations…yep, 20
million should cover it.
From a then total UK population of 50 million-ish, what you are saying is that 40% of the entire country was listening. Isn't that more than were listening for the Coronation? That seems very high, remembering that large areas of the UK couldn't hear the stations at all, and a huge percentage of the population didn't like to listen to pop music anyway. Discount the folk who go to bed before midnight (most people were well in the land of nod by midnight in the olden days). 20 million seems an immensely high figure and appears to need to include parts of the population who wouldn't normally listen, otherwise it just can't be reached.
—
* Christopher England just said that *
Christopher England <...> said:
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
If you could find a reliable independent source for Caroline and Big L
listeners, you could probably assume that what 90% of them were
listening at midnight 14th/15th, then throw in some 270 listeners if
they could hear it, and a few more from the other stations…yep, 20
million should cover it.
From a then total UK population of 50 million-ish, what you are saying
is that 40% of the entire country was listening. Isn't that more than
were listening for the Coronation? That seems very high, remembering
that large areas of the UK couldn't hear the stations at all, and a huge
percentage of the population didn't like to listen to pop music anyway.
Discount the folk who go to bed before midnight (most people were well
in the land of nod by midnight in the olden days). 20 million seems an
immensely high figure and appears to need to include parts of the
population who wouldn't normally listen, otherwise it just can't be
reached.
—
* Christopher England just said that *
Yes, it does seem to be something of an exaggeration but maybe we can all agree that the fact that we are all talking about "that time" suggests it meant something to most of us . I don't care if it was 20 million or 20 people - all I know is that I was one of them!
So there!!!
Orson
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
I think El Tel, Evans, Ross are great radio people and perfectly placed.
Moyles, we are not worthy, is getting close to my rating of Blackburn.Interesting, although we are about the same age I have never listened to
any of these…may be its because you are in the trade.
Not sure it's to do with him being in the trade; I think Wogan, Evans and Ross are aimed at the core Radio 2 demographic which is sorta 30 – 45 (max!), so unfortunately that leaves in the cold a lot of the older folk, who deserve their own station I suppose. Having said that, I personally don't like to listen to any of them on Radio 2, although I acknowledge it's sounding its best ever these days. Apart from the oldies making me want to kill myself, I find most of the speech content irrelevant to me and my lifestyle or interests. I am more in tune with the speech content on Radio 1, personally.
—
* Christopher England just said that *
Quoting a previous Orson Cart contribution:-
all I know is that I was one of them!
So, that's 19,999,997 left to find then.
--
* Christopher England just said that *
Orson Cart <...> said:
Thanx for sharing that Richard!!! I can understand the feelings of
nostalgia that must have been around yesterday and you brought it back
to me as If I were there.Glad to hear Johnny got such a good reception – if you haven't read it
his autobiograpgy is a smashing read or listen on CD (which I have here)
Thanks Orson (love you user name by the way) Yes i intend to get Johnnies book as soon as i can and he did get a great reception but i wonder if some of the other Guys ever get a bit jealous about all the extra attention he gets?
Also on the pier were people i call the dooers and the posers, All the dooers seem to keep themselves in the background, People like Mary Payne from the Radio London website was there and a couple of other Guys who seemed familiar but i just cant place,
Then you had the posers, People who want you to look at me i might be famous and are parading around everywhere,
Bearing in mind it was tipping it down and we were all wrapped up for the weather, One of these had on just a Big L 1395 T shirt and another a Rohan O’Rahilly T shirt.
Richard
I hope you don't mind, Richard, I have added a bit more with my experience.
Richard Sharpe wrote:
Then we carried on to Harwich, Halfpenny pier was easy to find and i
would estimate there was about 80–100 people on there, We tried to look
at the exhibition on the pier but as it is only in a very small room and
there were loads of people trying to do the same thing we gave that up
as a bad job,
I got there about 11.45am. I was a little surprised that the walk from the station the town seemed very quiet. When we got to the pier there were a few people milling around but not the crowds I thought there maybe. We went into the museum, and although crowded (because of the small room), it was possible to get round. I went to have a look again later, around 2pm and it was packed.
When they played Big Lil and the Day in the life and then went silent it
was very sad and brought back memories of 67 and looking around i could
see that quite a few people were affected and this wasn't all down to
the heavy rain,
Then followed a spontaneous round of applause (not sure why!). Outside the museum was a radio connected to a speaker, which could be heard just around that small section. Personally, I think they should have relayed it around the whole pier.
I wonder how many other people have a interest in certain subjects but
are left in limbo because they are not on the web?
Slightly OT here. I have often wondered when there are radio competitions and they say full terms and conditions are on www .... Does this mean some people are unable to play?
Such a cheer went up from the crowd when Johnnie appeared, It was
unbelievable, They spent some time talking to people and signing books
etc but i wasn't able to get very close due to the crowd but i did
manage to shake Johnnies hand as he left
I "retired" to the Pier Inn across the road ! Then went to the Electric Cinema, where after a short video of the previous broadcast there was chats and q&a from Ed Stewart, Norman St John, Steve Scrutton, Keith Skues, Duncan Johnson, Ray Clarke, Johnnie Waker. Bud Ballou also made a brief appearance. (I hope I haven't missed anybody!). Afterwards Johnnie (who seemed a little surprised; probably tired), signed his book.
I got the train home !
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In article <95...>, ... (Ted Finch) wrote:
Hi Ted
Eric Tesug <...> said:
I rarely agree with the BBC knockers basically because I think a
lot of
the old programming they are compared to wasn't even close to the
quality of material on the Beeb _ post mid 70's.It never did anything for me.
Why was that? In what way?
I think El Tel, Evans, Ross are great radio people and perfectly
placed.
Moyles, we are not worthy, is getting close to my rating of
Blackburn.Interesting, although we are about the same age I have never
listened to any of these_may be its because you are in the trade.
I don't think 'trade' has anything to do with it. I like to be entertained when not working – these guys entertain me, make me laugh. In the same way that Clarkson does on telly.
Well unlike you I liked Elvis, I was also brought up on Buddy
Holly, so I have a reasonable 50s collection..thats vinyl. I don't
mind a bit of country either. I must admit I haven't bought any
music for years, but that is not to say I don't like some of the
tracks I hear on the lady wife's radio selections.
Now you see I respect your musical tastes and they link nicely. E.P., B.H., and country – makes sense to me. Not my idea of entertainment, but if you enjoy it then why not?
Both were equally entertaining and equally talented. That should
raise some old fart comments about Bubbles.Never heard of either_wasn't Bubbles something to do with Michael
Jackson?
Yes, that was the humour of the guy Damon on Britain's Got Talent. His act was based around a monkey miming to edited Jackson tracks – it was hysterical. I must have watched it a dozen times when I first saw it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1xY4vLS-M8
don't, but you have so many options I am sometimes left wondering
if some have ever moved on from 14 August 1967.No not really, oh well maybe 1970 for RNI. Judging by the response
to PRE I am far from being alone.
There I think we are back to like-minded groups gathering together. Making a judgement based on a group such as AN will quite naturally receive Anorak responses. People who you would consider the ideal people to have around for a dinner party would normally be people you can exchange similar views with.
offshore,
for me, was giving me a great mix of music inc NEW STUFF. NEW
CHANGES,MOVING FORWARD whilst having the best from the previous
years.
Yes, I would agree with that, but on this weekend of all weekends,
lets us old timers reminisce.
Absolutely NO PROBLEM, I have no issue with remembering and/or respecting things from the past. I equally support days of remembrance for people who have served there country. A significant factor in RTI not airing commercials and playing nothing but respectful/classical music during a day of tragedy in Slovakia. I'm still saddened that other stations showed little or no respect for there country by doing nowt.
There is a great place for talky radio and music radio _ but it
is up to
the stations to make the phone, SMS, E-mail and Skype burst into
life.
And if the audience don't agree then they change channels _ that
bit isn't rocket science.I agree, I enjoy talky and news radio. The rest of it is far too
new fangled for me.
By new fangled I guess you mean both the delivery systems and the ways in which people communicate with stations. On the first point there's no real growth in analogue delivered services – there's no real point. I mean would you start a business based on something you know is going to stop – no naturally not. So for growth, especially in talky and news radio, I would suggest the economic costs will determine where talky and news growth can be found. It will be via digitally delivered services.
And whilst on that subject, the BBC does offer programming for a
wide
range of the community. However, there will always be 1 or 2%
that are > > outside the reach of some _ that's life!!!!Only sport for me. Long live Test Match Special!
I have to congratulate TMS for the way it delivers it service via satellite telly – very simple and yet clever at the same time. And hey check out youtube, I was at a special cricket tournament in Bratislava a month or so back. Thank gawd it rained, I was about to face some former pro players from India, now retired, and they bowl – er very fast.
Fed up ness over _ work calling
I'm glad you are feeling better.
THANK YOU
TTFN
(Ah a Jimmy Young fan!).
As it goes I was. He was an excellent guy who also reinvented himself so many times – I didn't agree with his rant when he left the Beeb and I think it was a good time for him to retire. I prefer to remember him on air as a good host, not a tired one.
Cheers
Eric
Quoting a previous Richard Sharpe contribution:-
It was a great day despite the weather and i hope you dont mind me
sharing it with you.
It was a really good read. Thanks for sharing!
--
* Christopher England just said that *
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
To get in the Tardis and go back to 1967 (I'll take Elisabeth
Sladen/Sarah Jane Smith as my assistant please),
Rose Tyler for me every time.
Of course R1 was hamstringed by needle time..what was
it 07:00–19:00 with some of the tracks recorded in the BBC studio to get
round the needletime limit, then it was time for "as Radio 2"
Actually, a lot more than post 7pm was 'as Radio 2' in the early days.
I think I'm right in saying that mid-mornings and afternoons were also 'as Radio 2'. I think the only show playing actual records was the breakfast show and a 'What's New' type show (reviewing records was non-needle-time for some reason) in the afternoon. In lots of ways, the Musicians Union (who were the controllers of needle-time) strangled Radio 1 before it was born. So, it was never going to properly replace the pirates, and was always going to leave those wanting music-radio of the pirate stylee out in the cold.
I don't suppose that the DJs could sip on cans of beer or possibly
imbibe in stronger substances during their show….
Aha. Now then. There are stories of a stoned life in the BBC...!
R1 then spent years and years going nowhere.
Again, I'd blame the MU. For the BBC it must have been as bad as trying to launch a TV station but not being allowed to broadcast vision! So, thank-you Laser for finally killing needle-time many many years later!
—
* Christopher England just said that *
Christopher England wrote:
Not sure it's to do with him being in the trade; I think Wogan, Evans
and Ross are aimed at the core Radio 2 demographic which is sorta 30 –
45 (max!), so unfortunately that leaves in the cold a lot of the older
folk, who deserve their own station I suppose.
Almost the same words as Keith Skues and Johnnie Walker used at the Electric Palace Cinema yesterday. A vast section of the community do not have a radio station that they may enjoy. Radio 2 seems to be chasing a younger audience.
Having said that, I
personally don't like to listen to any of them on Radio 2, although I
acknowledge it's sounding its best ever these days.
Surely a contradiction ? How would you know?
Apart from the
oldies making me want to kill myself, I find most of the speech content
irrelevant to me and my lifestyle or interests. I am more in tune with
the speech content on Radio 1, personally.
Or you can listen to LBC and have speech all day on London's Biggest Conversation !
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Martin Rosen <...> said:
I hope you don't mind, Richard, I have added a bit more with my experience.
No problem at all Martin, Its a shame sometimes that we on here don't know what each other looks like as it would have been nice to have a chat,
I "retired" to the Pier Inn across the road ! Then went to the
Electric Cinema, where after a short video of the previous broadcast
there was chats and q&a from Ed Stewart, Norman St John, Steve
Scrutton, Keith Skues, Duncan Johnson, Ray Clarke, Johnnie Waker. Bud
Ballou also made a brief appearance. (I hope I haven't missed
anybody!). Afterwards Johnnie (who seemed a little surprised; probably
tired), signed his book.
I also wanted to go to the Electric Cinema but my Son who ran me up there had to be back to start work at 8 pm, So we left as soon as we saw the Dj's escape into the hotel opposite.
Richard
Richard Sharpe wrote:
No problem at all Martin, Its a shame sometimes that we on here don't
know what each other looks like as it would have been nice to have a
chat,
I did exchange mobile numbers with someone and met up there. Also somebody who I knew over 30 years ago "found" me ! TBH I wouldn't I wouldn't recognised him, but he said he asked three people before me if it was me, because he thought I would be there. If you are reading this and was asked ... I was found !!!!!!!
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Quoting a previous Martin Rosen contribution:-
Radio 2 seems to be chasing a
younger audience.
Not sure that's true. I'm pretty sure it was aimed at the 30 – 45 year olds when it was called the Light Programme.
Having said that, I
personally don't like to listen to any of them on Radio 2, although I
acknowledge it's sounding its best ever these days.Surely a contradiction ? How would you know?
Re-read the wording. I didn't say I haven't listened. I tend to listen to every radio station for a couple of hours a month each, always have done, in order to be able to talk about them with some degree of 'authority'. So, I can tell Radio 2 is sounding good and on target, even though it's not for me personally. I also speed-read the demographic listener research.
I am more in tune with
the speech content on Radio 1, personally.Or you can listen to LBC and have speech all day on London's Biggest
Conversation !
I'm finding LBC harder and harder to be entertained by. Again, I can't find a lot of the daytime output relevant to me any more. Evenings, well, Iain Lee is getting on my nerves. It's like tuning in for exactly the same programme night after night. And Clivey is a have-to-be-in-the-mood-for listen, although he is my favourite. Well, behind Nick Abbot who is laugh out loud brilliant, of course. So, sadly, for the moment for me, LBC isn't offering me anything to listen to for the vast majority of its output.
--
* Christopher England just said that *
Hi Martin do you have any idea why the tender seemed togo on a bit of a walkabout before it finally tied up at the pontoon thing near the pier?
I wonder if this was to give the TV,Press and others who were there to greet them more time to gather?
Richard
Richard Sharpe wrote:
Hi Martin do you have any idea why the tender seemed togo on a bit of a
walkabout before it finally tied up at the pontoon thing near the pier?
I believe it was so that the documentary could finish and then they could broadcast live from the pier. It obviously would have been more sensible to delay their departure from LV18 ... but still... !
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In article <vGAIzOCAttwGFwX$@rad.io>, ... (Christopher England) wrote:
Quoting a previous Ted Finch contribution:-
To get in the Tardis and go back to 1967 (I'll take Elisabeth
Sladen/Sarah Jane Smith as my assistant please),Rose Tyler for me every time.
OH YES – fully agree
