OT : Brian Matthew dropped from Sounds of the Sixties

[ajsmith]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/27/radio-2-takes-horrible-decision-replace-britains-oldest-dj-brian/


Petition to sign here: www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-brian-matthew-as-presenter-of-sounds-of-the-sixties?recruiter=48298041&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-no_src-reason_msg

[Stephen Byers]

Hi guys. Just a tip - when copying and pasting URLs you don't need to add the tracking variables ... that is only the text to the left of the ? is necessary:

www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-brian-matthew-as-presenter-of-sounds-of-the-sixties

[richardwoods]

Ageist & discriminatory. It's interesting that organisations who are very "careful" about discrimination seem to just end up losing focus in other areas.

[williammcgregor]

If the BBC had shown some common sense (sadly lacking with them these days) then all they had to do was ask Brian if he wanted to continue hosting the show? that's all that was required.

There always seems to be an agenda with the BBC these days

[robertreinstein]

Terrible.

[Stephen John Connett]

Despicable act by a broadcaster that we pay for. To use his absence through illness as a way to push him out is beyond excuse

[ajsmith]

BBC are now compromising by arranging a 'farewell' show. Not good enough!

www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-brian-matthew-as-presenter-of-sounds-of-the-sixties/u/19264532?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=petition_update&sfmc_tk=nTwo44pBo6o%2fkjWNyRUTtTIinqBAvoJnX4MMXcvoOxYeBHNxbgE2RF4yB6v%2bBT9Q

[Kev Hunter]

I'm not being contrary for the sake of it, after all I'm no spring chicken (I'll be 60 this year) but if Brian has been axed purely because of his age then yes, it is appalling; however it's not as if the man is 65 or even 75. He's 88, and while age should never be a barrier to working as long as one is fit enough to do so, I can't think of another profession in which one would even expect to still be employed. After all, few of us even reach 88, let alone continue working up until that age! I don't think this is comparable to, for instance, Moira Stewart being dropped from the BBC news department when she was just 57 years old (and had not even had a period of ill-health).

[robchapman]

I agree with Kev here. I think the decision has very little to do with ageism and everything to do with the fact that for some time now Brian has sounded audibly not well on occasions while on air. Desmond Carrington did his last show not so long ago and signed off for good this week. (Some fascinating obituaries btw - check them out.) None of us are party to what goes in behind the scenes. None of us know the exact state of Brian's health

[Richard Marple]

Same here, Brian has had a few spells of not being able to do SOTS for weeks at a time due to ill health.

The matter seems to have been given some anti-BBC spin by the right wing press.

[Stephen John Connett]

It's the cowardly 'sacking' while he was unwell at home which is the main issue. I don't read 'right wing' papers, by the way

[robchapman]

related to this thread.....just how bad is this new schedule?


www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2017/radio-2-schedule-changes?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_press_office&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=corporate

[stevej]

Mmm. As a regular weekend listener I can't say that fills me with any delight whatsoever. 'Sounds of the Sixties' shunted to an inconveniently early slot, then Dermot O'Leary where 'Sounds of the Sixties' used to be. I would have thought 6-8am is a trifle early for a programme that has a strong element of listener requests and feedback etc, especially given that many of those listeners will be at the mature end of the R2 audience. Will they really be listening at 6am? Why move the show back at all?

it feels rather like 'SOTS' is being gently moved out to grass, along with other hardy perennials like 'The Organist Entertains', 'Listen To The Band' and 'The Sunday (half)Hour' all of which have been moved to either very early or very late slots, almost as if they want to shake off their listeners.

By the way, what happened to the SOTS feature on Radio 4's 'Feedback'? I thought it was scheduled for today's programme, but it wasn't mentioned.

Steve

[Tony Walshaw]

I have limited my listening to Radio Two for some time now. It seems to be in a parallel world populated only by the media - playing obvious records and always talking things up.

I don't think they ever have a rain cloud or a cold breeze; it has to be sunny all of the time. It is patronising towards the ordinary listener. And this is apparent in the new scheduling.

Regarding Brian Mathew, I think the decision to retire is sensible, given his health. His replacement by Tony Blackburn would be a masterstroke, but - the new time slot at 6am is a cynical way of phasing the show out.

"Dermot O’Leary’s show will move from Saturday afternoons (3-6pm) to an earlier slot of 8-10am from Saturday 4 March, presenting a brand new music entertainment breakfast show to entertain the nation as they wake up to their weekend."

Tony is now the ancillary part-time worker who unlocks the gates, does a few odd-jobs then shuffles off home on his pushbike, whilst everyone is still asleep. In preparation for Dermot, the main-man who greets the public later-on.

This is the public that they think needs to be told what to watch and listen to. I don't think the public are like this - a lot more people are capable of making up their own mind than the parallel media world realises.

As the 1960s drifts further into the distance, maybe there is a gradually reducing audience for it? However, it was a very groundbreaking period and much relevance remains today. A lot of younger people are interested. The decline is not inexorable in the way that the decision makers seems to think.

Therefore, whilst SOTS may be justified in removal from a prime Saturday slot, it would have been more sensible to put it on weekdays, mid-evening.

[Stephen John Connett]

It's the manner in which this has all been done and it's not been done for or with listeners benefit but to crowbar in a contemporary celebrity. Just under 10k of listeners have signed a petition already: www.change.org/p/bbc-reinstate-brian-matthew-as-presenter-of-sounds-of-the-sixties and this is as much about listener and license payers right to call the tune for something they pay for.