, according to a startling article by Stewart Payne in today’s Daily Telegraph:
…a leaked memo revealed that phone-in presenters on a local radio station have been barred from allowing callers who sound old on air.
Mia Costello, managing editor of BBC Radio Solent, told her broadcasters: “I don’t want to hear really elderly voices.”
She instructed presenters to appeal to an imaginary couple she called “Dave and Sue”, who would typically be aged between 45 and 64. “Only do caller round-ups about people in this age range,” she said.
Her memo was leaked after she axed several of her older broadcasters, including the BBC’s disability affairs correspondent Peter White, who had a Saturday breakfast show on the station until last week.
Do read the rest of the article. An absolute disgrace, quite typical of today’s BBC, and something for which heads should roll, but they won’t, also quite typical of today’s BBC.
Remember, to paraphrase Rageh Omaar’s nauseating BBC adverts from a while back, “It’s not your BBC, it’s their BBC”, and, courtesy of Simon Walters in the Daily Mail a few weeks back (which I meant to blog about at the time), We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News, we have it from the horse’s mouth, well, Andrew Marr’s at least:
“The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It’s a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias” – Andrew Marr
The leaked account of the summit recounted in the Mail also revealed that:
BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians
To which I feel compelled to respond in the vernacular: No shit, Sherlock!
I’ve added the Marr quote to our sidebar, where it nestles happily next to Marr’s earlier quote decrying the apparent lack of evidence of BBC bias 🙂
Radio Solent is my local station, and is fantastically awful. If you feeling a bit bored or depressed, it’s worth tuning in to hear the hilarious newsreaders struggling to read out loud. The EU’s Emma Boninio became ‘Bonio’, Guantanemo Bay became ‘Guatemala’, and Ypres became, inexplicably, ‘Yop’. Then there was the headline: ‘Local businesses accused of dragging thier feet over disabled access….’ I rang them up to point that one out. The there was the ethnic newsreader who pronounded ‘the’ as ‘de’. Trouble is, ‘the regulations’ became ‘deregulations’, which changed the meaning somewhat.
I suppose they are at the bottom of the BBC tree, but they still can’t get a jingle to play at the right time, or a news report tape to play when it should. They can’t stress any OF the right WORDS, but THEY still get paid WITH our money.
The quicker Solent gets bulldozed into Southampton Water, the better.
“The quicker Solent gets bulldozed into Southampton Water, the better.”
Help!
Slightly more seriously, I was struck by the sheer dogged unreality of the BBC statement quoted at the bottom of the article: A BBC spokesman said: “We do value our older listeners and it doesn’t matter if you’re 45 or 105.”
Ummmm – Mia Costello doesn’t. That’s why she doesn’t “want to hear really elderly voices.”
Different topic: Andrew, can I suggest swapping the order of the two Andrew Marr quotes? There would be a certain humour in having the 2001 quote first and the 2006 quote immediately following it.
I’m sorry but this is really extremely amusing. I’m all in favour of banning old people, they are very annoying.
Chuffer
‘Local businesses accused of dragging thier feet over disabled access….’ I rang them up to point that one out.
That is priceless. what did they say?
Cockney
When does someone become ‘old’?
must do some work now.
Chuffer writes:
“I suppose they are at the bottom of the BBC tree, but they still can’t get a jingle to play at the right time, or a news report tape to play when it should. They can’t stress any OF the right WORDS, but THEY still get paid WITH our money.”
Unfortuntely, the same also is true higher up the BBC food chain. R4 has had a (much derided) West Indian continuity announcer for some months now, who struggles with the English language as if it were some sort of rock python intent on strangling him.
It’s curious as the problem isn’t his accent, it’s this question of emphasis: as if he has no understanding at all of what he is trying to read.
Of course, one can only speculate about why he was hired. And why he seems to have tenure.
Morning Gang,
I’ve lived in Southampton so I know how awful Radio Solent is, but try listening to GLR……
While on the subject on ‘regional’ things,living over in Holland after the Six O’Clock “news” there is the ever irritating “London News”.
If you ever get the chance to see this “local news and current affairs show” (more like the Mayor Livingstone promotion programme),then you will see the extent in which “our moral guardians” have corrupted local news.
If a visitor from out of space watched it, he would think London was somewhere near Damascus…..
TPO, obviously one becomes old when one decides that modern music is rubbish and is nowhere near as good as the stuff of one’s youth.
That memo from Ms Costello in full reads…
“Morning all, whatever job you do on station, make sure this week, you broadcast to DAVE AND SUE – people in their fifties.
“ONLY put on callers sounding in the 45-64 age range…I don’t want to hear really elderly voices…
“ONLY talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in this age range…
“ONLY do caller round ups about people in this age range…
“MAKE SURE YOU PLAY 6-8 DISCS AN HOUR!!
“REMEMBER – even the older listeners (65+) are leaving us for more upbeat sounding stations…
“If we don’t our business won’t survive!! Our listeners will have died out and we won’t have nurtured up any younger people..that’s fact – not fiction..the RAJAR figures show this.
“Whatever you view of this policy, this is what the business needs, so please make sure you’re doing the right thing.
“Any questions, just ask me.”
Cockney
I’m old!
GCooper –
R4 has had a (much derided) West Indian continuity announcer for some months now, who struggles with the English language as if it were some sort of rock python intent on strangling him.
It’s curious as the problem isn’t his accent, it’s this question of emphasis: as if he has no understanding at all of what he is trying to read.
——-
I think you’re referring to Neil Nunes, and I must disagree with you. He actually has very good enunciation, and does place stress in the right places. He had a slight initial problem getting to grips with very specific R4 things, like The Archers, but that seems to have been ironed out, now.
If you want to hear a REALLY inept broadcaster, listen to Mark Lawson on Front Row most weekday evenings. He has no idea how to read a script, and constantly mistresses and misemphasises words, often hilariously changing the sense.
Cheers
“BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.”
Nice quote, Andrew, and one I think should be enshrined in the sidebar, although Marr’s quote is similar. I keep recommending that article — BBC stars admit bias — to the Reith amalgam, but it seems to never have time to read it. Poor thing.
Cockney
Am I annoying too?
“If we don’t our business won’t survive!!”
Surely that’s the whole point of the licence fee? To provide services to people – in this case the over-64s – who aren’t being served by the market? R. Solent isn’t a business, it’s a service funded by a poll tax, and will survive even if it’s listened to by 3 elderly men and a dog.
(The fact that it’s lousy at providing this service even when it tries to is a different question.)
Didn’t Neil Nunes work as a train announcer at Waterloo before joining the BBC.
I’m sure he was responsible for Wimbly Don (Wimbledon for non SouthWest train users)
“Unfortuntely, the same also is true higher up the BBC food chain. R4 has had a (much derided) West Indian continuity announcer”
i might be going against the grain here, but i actually like that presenter – very soothing, relaxed delivery.
kulibar Tree writes:
“I think you’re referring to Neil Nunes, and I must disagree with you. He actually has very good enunciation, and does place stress in the right places. He had a slight initial problem getting to grips with very specific R4 things, like The Archers, but that seems to have been ironed out, now.”
I can only assume you and I speak different versions of English. I caught him mangling something just the other day – fumbling with his script like a blind man tying some else’s shoelaces.
I have no objection at all to R4 using announcers with different accents (and, FWIW, I rather enjoy West Indian ones), but this chap, to me, sounds tone deaf. I gather I’m not alone in that view.
Sir Trev speaks perfectly decently English with a very pleasant Windies inflection.
“Chuffer
‘Local businesses accused of dragging thier feet over disabled access….’ I rang them up to point that one out.
That is priceless. what did they say?”
The whole story was pulled by the time the next bulletin came on. All those journos, and no-one able to rewrite a headline.
I suppose the only good thing to be said about radio news is that you don’t have to watch two newsreaders, with one desperately trying to think of something to do while the other one is reading. Oh, and they don’t have to wave their arms about Marr-style,or go for pointless walkies around the studio, or gesture at Powerpoint screens which needlessly reinforce what’s being said.(Script: “Inflation target 3.4%” – on the screen: ‘Target 3.4%’)
And you don’t have to watch what should be attractive female newsreaders suffering from the Curse of the Business Trouser Suit.
Come to think of it, there’s a lot to be said for radio news – if only they could find someone trained to read aloud.
There is no disputing that there is a stark difference between the way black and white crimes and crimminals are treated, my own personal point of view is that the BBC is to scared to upset anyone who is not white and for this reason i havent paid my licence for nearly 6 years now.
All 3 of my children ( and we are white ) have been mugged by blacks,my oldest son was hospitalised after they stamped on his head, no one was arrested and i could see the fear on the polices face when i told them the crimminals were black.
After no action was taken by the police, i took the law into my own hands and delivered a piece of English justice, needles to say they will not come anywere near my family again.
The sad part though is that all my children hate blacks and no matter what i tell them, they will have nothing to do with them.
My youngest son said to me one day ‘ they get away with Murder’ and in a way he was right.
You dont keep going back to a dog that bites you all the time.
I’m seriously thinking of not paying my Council Tax, so I must be getting old.
Sean wrote;
“After no action was taken by the police, i took the law into my own hands and delivered a piece of English justice, needless to say they will not come anywere near my family again.”
The sad thing about your story is that you knew who the guilty people were and yet the police failed to uphold the law.
I’m so old that when I read the newspapers I look at the Obituaries first to see if there’s one for me.
the BBC don’t like older people – they’ve got long memories.
Don’t forget that Radio Solent’s number is 0845 30 30 961
Feel free to ring ’em up and complain about the cold/talk about the good old days/ask for some Glenn Miller/ask where you can get denture cream/ etc etc
All 3 of my children (and we are white) have been mugged by blacks, my oldest son was hospitalised after they stamped on his head, no one was arrested and i could see the fear on the polices face when i told them the criminals were black.
Figures recently published under the freedom of information act state, of the 58 people killed because of the colour of their skin almost half were white.
87,000 people who were black or ethnic had been victims of racially motivated crime.
They had suffered 49,000 violent attacks. But the attacks on whites reached a staggering 92,000 with 77,000 being very violent attacks.
I think we need to worry….
For clarity please could commenters make it clear when something is a quote – e.g. the first paragraph of Charlie’s post above.
Also, please could general comments be made on the general thread.
archd said: “….might be going against the grain here, but i actually like that presenter – very soothing, relaxed delivery.
archduke | Homepage | 15.11.06 – 11:59 am | #”
No going against the grain here – I like the guys voice too. Soothing is about right. ten times better than listening to the likes of Naughtie of a morning.
whoops – apologies for OT post above…
This woman should be sacked instantly. The BBC is bought and paid for by licence payers – and “old” people have paid proportionaltely more. But of course, the elderly are not “Nu” and trendy, and as another writer has pointed out, they have long memories.
They are not a “client group” of “victims” and they are usualy dismissive of spin and PC-ness.
They are patriotic, by and large, and supporters of the family and of law and order. Yes, exactly the kind of people the BBC doesn’t want as listeners.
Chuffer:
Don’t forget that Radio Solent’s number is 0845 30 30 961
“Feel free to ring ’em up and complain about the cold/talk about the good old days/ask for some Glenn Miller/ask where you can get denture cream/ etc etc”
===
“How horrible, fantastic it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing. I am myself a man of peace from the depths of my soul.”
Boy the way Glen Miller played
Songs that made the hit parade.
Guys like us we had it made,
Those were the days.
And you knew who you were then,
Girls were girls and men were men,
Mister, we could use a man
Like Chamberlain again.
Everybody pulled his weight.
Didn’t need no welfare state,
Gee, our old Mini ran great.
Those were the days.
Is there a broadcasting standards authority in the UK?
The ‘leaked account’? Would that be the seminar which was broadcast live on the website and to which newspaper journalists were invited? The same tabloid journalists who printed those lies. This story has been totally discredited. But then it suits you to take the Daily Mail as gospel. Wonder why that might be…? Yet another example of BBCBias’ bias.
Discredited by who? By the likes of Simpson John and reith John? With unimpeachable sources like that, I’ll stick with the “tabloid lies” – which had the DG so worried he started writing thinly veiled apologies/justifications/mea culpas in the selfsame enemy press!
But of course, the elderly are not “Nu” and trendy, and as another writer has pointed out, they have long memories.
Very true. Liberals view the old as they view soldiers, sailors and airmen – as a bunch of racist throwbacks who probably vote Conservative, so screw’em.
To think, my grandad spent four years in the jungle strangling Japs for this.
To think, my grandad spent four years in the jungle strangling Japs for this. Pete_London
Don’t worry, come the revolution we can spend four happy years strangling cry-me-a-river liberals.
The BBC really does have it in for the old ‘uns!
‘Bag ladies’ sought after theft
Two elderly women are being sought by police after a wallet was stolen from a bag that was taken off a train.
British Transport Police (BTP) issued a CCTV picture of the pair of grey-haired women clutching the bag on a platform at Sunderland Railway station.
The bag is believed to belong to a student who was travelling on a Metro train and while it was later recovered there was no sign of the wallet.
Officers have urged anyone who recognise the women to contact them.
The CCTV images show the women, thought to be in their 70s, with the bag as they walk out of the station in Sunderland city centre.
Both were wearing knee-length skirts, white shirts or blouses and carrying shoulder bags. Both are described as having grey hair.
A BTP spokeswoman said: “We are appealing for anyone who may recognise, or have any information regarding the identity of the women to come forward in the strictest confidence.
“We believe the two females may be able to assist with inquiries into the theft of a wallet from a bag at Sunderland Railway Station.
“We have released images of the suspects and are appealing for anyone who may recognise, or have any information regarding the identity of them.”
Biodegradable
Well blow me down: “BBC publishes photo and description of suspects shocker”
“Bag ladies”
“Pair of grey haired women”
“Both were wearing knee-length skirts, white shirts or blouses and carrying shoulder bags. Both are described as having grey hair.”
There’s a touch more detail in there than the usual “Asian” or “plumbers”, I must say.
Simpson John
‘The same tabloid journalists who printed those lies’
That’s the second laugh you’ve given me today.
Of course you omitted the fact that most contributors to this site are the secret love-children of Martin Borman & Rudolph Hess.
There could be sinister motives behind this.
‘Well blow me down: “BBC publishes photo and description of suspects shocker”
“Bag ladies”
“Pair of grey haired women”
Next time a sensible person is explaining why it is necessary to profile certain people who may be suspected of being suicide bombers, some BBC moron will leap all over them citing this very grave offence committed by to little old white haired ladies.
The bag is believed to belong to a student who was travelling on a Metro train and while it was later recovered there was no sign of the wallet.
Believed by who?
What are the grounds for this belief?
Did a student report the theft of his bag?
Did a student report that he’d unintentionally left his bag on a train?
Recovered by who?
Perhaps the person who recovered the bag stole the wallet?
Perhaps the wallet was stolen before it came into the possesion of the old ladies?
While there is CCTV footage of two old ladies apparently in possesion of a bag, is there any evidence that the bag contained the allegedly stolen wallet at that time?
Why was the bag at no time handed into the police or railway staff as a security risk – it could have been a bomb?
Too many questions and not enough answers.
The BBC has always massaged the voices heard on the airwaves. When I told a friend still working in the Beeb that I could get on any R5 phone in 5 minuts by giving an Asian or African name he told me I could do it in 1 minute if I was an Asian or African sounding female.
The BBC prefers “regional” and “working-class” voice on phone-ins and among its on-air staff. “BBC” voices are frowned on. It’s about the deep guilt of the production class desperate to show they are not the privileged class they are. When I did my first R4 show I was taken aside by the editor of the programme and told that I sounded “too BBC”. She meant it as a criticism – I took it as a compliment.
PS “John Bosworth” may not be my real name but I did work for the BBC on air as a presenter and off air as a producer and I do still care – like a anxious nephew – about Auntie.
Blogs like yours are read by BBC people and let’s hope they see the error of their ways. However blind arrogance is their biggest problem.