Eric Tesug <...> said:
In summary, many stations don't programme stations they let research
groups programme THEIR station – what other business sector would allow an external company to totally control a business. The formats being sold now with names are equally as stupid. Anyone can find employ good musical people if they want to. trouble is for some stations, as C.E. referred to in part, is that when such people leave the station has no replacement. Some would say that's a nightmare, I would say that is purely bad management.

On that I would agree with you entirely. When they compile their list of songs from the research (and for some reason every station seems to come up with almost the exact same list of songs) they never tell the punter that they're then going to hear same those songs endlessly for the next x years until someone can be bothered to change the playlist.

Pirate BBC Essex was a great idea. It was the same as many great idea
RSL's only it had the opportunity to be a big RSL launching from an
existing listener base. Had the station continued, well…..
My question, had I been in BBC Essex, would have been to the PR people. The question would have been 'how do we ditch this stunt, but try to retain some of those who only came as closet anoraks'.

Not entirely sure that Pirate Essex was quite as good as the BEEBs PR claimed it to be, it definitely didn't appeal to the real radio listener

However, at the end of the say we did the final report, not taking a report from a company, with respect to our sister company, that knows nowt about music and/or radio.

The danger there of course is when your sister company suddenly thinks it does know something about radio/music. I've been through that one once or twice, it's not pleasant to watch something you've helped create suddenly fall apart!