I used to listen to Classic FM quite regularly as well as Radio 3. I've now retuned to BBC Radio 3 full time. Why? Because of those thuggish BGR Bloomer adverts - "An accident waiting to happen......" You're just into a nice piece of Bach or Beethoven and your senses are bludgeoned by some yob telling you that he can drive a fork lift truck faster backwards than he can forwards without spilling his tea. I looked at the ASA's website and note that there have been numerous complaints about Bloomer's advertising campaign in that it incites and promulgates the compensation culture. Shame on Classic FM, basically a good classical music radio station, that they have to stoop so low to generate funding by accepting this advertising 'dross'.

I wanted a request when I was just out of hospital. Did I get it No. What a swizz.

I couldn't agree more....

I am sick to death of being bludgeoned to the point of insanity by these wretched companies telling people to sue for compensation...it supports a society of deluded people who think they can get something for nothing. The best one I ever heard was a man saying he had dropped a hot bucket of pitch on HIMSELF , he sued his employer and got ? thousand pounds...IT WAS IS OWN SILLY FAULT FOR DROPPING IT ON HIMSELF.

SHAME ON CLASSIC FM for going this route and for becoming a so so radio station playing a fairly limited selection of music..." we musn't be too highbrow and scare the Listeners", EDUCATE People, not all your audience are plebian most are more than capable of listening to a vast array of music with open ears and minds...thank god they dumped Lesley Garrat...mind you we now have to suffer Katherine Jenkins, Aled Jones ( Did you not see my Lady) that ones a hoot, and the newest of the manufactured Opera type bands,all collectively ghastly and out for commercial quick gains... So Shape up CLASSIC FM, you are losing listeners daily I suspect, more and more to R3 or R2, free of advertising. I appreciate that commercial radio is exactly that but BE SELECTIVE

It doesn't have to be experiemental, but do we have to (a) hear the same old music day after day with jollification added by some of the worst presenters ever (Aled Jones and she of three voices Lesley Garrat) and (b) be a little more selective in the type of advertisers they put on air, the listeners are I'm quite sure as tired as most of us being directed to sue, or claim against our employers, friends and neighbours, what a community and society that has if not destroyed it will no doubt continue to undermine.

Trust and decency are almost dead...Honor I fear lost its rightful place in this world a very long time ago.

Kindest and non Litigual regards

Andrew

Advertising is what pays for the station.
BGR Bloomer (or whatever it's called) is a legitimate company carrying out a legitimate business, so is entitled to advertise there. And it obviously works because you've remembered the company and what they do! Bet you can even quote the phone number too! You may not need them now, but when the fork lift truck driver hits you.........

Classic FM suits my day, because I tend to dip in and out of it whilst working. I'm lucky if I can catch 10 minutes at a time, so shorter music, with breaks is what I like to hear. The ads is a chance to put the kettle on or something similar.


A

You're not on the BGRB payroll are you?? There aren't too many fork lift trucks in a GP's surgery and no I couldn't recall their tel. number

I too used to be regular Classic FM listener, but rarely do so nowadays. Its gone down the pan ! Some of the presenters are far too smug and condescending, and its surprising how many often get musical facts wrong. Jane Jones and David Mellor in particular make me cringe. Then some of those ads just get your dander up. Ive gone back to BBC too.

You're not on the BGRB payroll are you?? There aren't too many fork lift trucks in a GP's surgery and no I couldn't recall their tel. number
[/quote]


Definitley not!

A.

It's a business, and usually when intrusive or irritating ads like this appear, it means that there's a lack of alternatives. Sometimes there's really good stuff on there, but i can do without Einaudi, the Harry Potter theme or Katherine Jenkins. As for Myleene ''no Klass'' who a few years ago said she was happier doing pop music , well i would'nt shed any tears if she slung her hook either.

I wanted to hear the quartet from rigoletto, and kept hearing Jamie Crick saying "I wanted to play a piece of music for you" in that time I heard the Chorus of the Hebrew slaves twice, Pieces by einaudi daily, Theme music from Harry potter at least 3 times. I was gutted. Its only short and its so beautiful, and means alot to me.

If what Classic FM are doing makes you stop listening - PLEASE - write and tell them.

Radio Stations only survive if they have listeners - if anything makes them swith off, they will want to know.

So - PLEASE - write (or e-mail or comment via website) and let them know.

No - I have no connection with Classic FM other than I know the chief engineer. But I have worked in radio - if you don't get feedback you can't take action. SO please tell them.

John, I did email CFM to make my views known. That was over a month ago but they did not even acknowledge my email. In their early start up days, some 14 years ago now, I agree with you that they would have sat up and took notice. Since winning the Sony awards et al, I think they have forgotten the importance of their listeners.

I did. I phoned and got a snotty response. I also emailed the presenter to no avail.

I'm in the process of switching back to radio 4, or nothing.

But Harry Potter, Superman, Indiana Jones &c is regularly what children ask for. Surely to encourage youngsters must be a good thing? And it is music, after all. Listen to any pop station all day long and you'll get repetition.

I've always thought of Classic FM as an alternative way of listening to classical music.
Radio 3 does it well if you want to sit down and actively listen to a concert, but I don't think Classic FM was ever intended to be like that. I'm not saying one's any better than the other - just different. If I went to a live concert I certainly wouldn't be thrilled to be constantly interrupted by 'a word from our sponsors', but during a working day, or even at home, as background music Classic FM is OK by me.

It's fortunate that we have a choice as listeners.


A

I'm not sure its fair to criticise them on the basis that they didn't pick your choice to go on air. They must receive hundreds of requests and if more people request Harry Potter or Star Wars than Rigoletto then it makes sense for them to play it.

It may be a relatively short piece but even if their 1 hour slot only has a hundred listeners a day thats still 36s per listener, and i don't think the quartet is quite that short.

Obviously it would have been nice for you to get your tune played particularly given that you've been ill recently but equally it would have prevented other people from getting their choices and no doubt they would have been just as upset.

Yes the adverts are annoying, especially the car one, but its a commercial venture that needs to make money. Would you rather have it with the adverts or not have it at all? And for all its failings i'd far rather keep it.

I liked their test signal before the thing started - you could tune in and listen to birds. A couple of us used to have fun turning any piece of music into the classic fm jingle - or slip it in to a hymn or something without anyone noticing - mind you the servers are quite good now at recognising Twinkle Twinkle.

The adverts drive me bonkers but I do listen to it as background music when I am doing other things and listen to radio 3 when I want to lie on the sofa.

I dont really see what the problem is. although, to be fair, the adverts are very annoying (i listened to classicFM in the car for 3 hours on the way to norfolk, and by the time i got there, and was about to scream if i heard the clavinova advert again. " your own digital orchestra", "sounds exactly like a grand piano"! HA! it doesnt sound or play anything like a grand piano. clavinovas are horrible, and are only good if you want to use headphones to play in the evening, apart from that, i think they're horrible!). anyway, back to what it was saying; i dont really see the problem with it all. you still get to listen to lots of classical music, which is what the radio station was meant for. although, harry potter or the titanic theme every other piece does get rather annoying!

Jacob.

Classic FM is a commercial radio station - if you don't like the ads don't listen or pick another station. I don't always like what they play either, but then the nature of a commercial station is that they have no choice but to be populist or they don't generate income. My main critisism is their habit of not playing complete pieces, just single movements (though having said that, the overture to Tannhauser, whilst undeniably wonderful, is quite enough Wagner for me at one sitting!)

You may prefer tiger stripes but you can hardly critisize a leopard for having spots.

Besides, their only serious competitor in the UK is radio 3: I once heard a radio 3 program (in 1989 admittedly) feature a recording of a Tibetan Goatherd Yodelling (I jest not!). I changed channels half way through that item and have rarely returned.

It is a disgrace that there has been no Tibetan Goatherd Yodelling on Radio Three since 1989. Sadly there has been no Tibetan harp music on the wireless since 1967.

But if you listen to Late Junction there's plenty to make up for it

Radio Three is a national treasure.

Best wishes

barry

I don't think it's that bad - it is a commercial music station after all. I'm really envious of you all having so much choice re: music stations - I can tell you that for those of us living abroad the choice is much more limited and the advertising even more annoying.

I was watching a concert on a local channel here in Italy and the following commercial came on: picture the scene, it's a hotel bedroom, a young woman is alone, she runs a bath and slips off her clothes, yes all of them, and eases herself into the water. Suddenly we realise she is not alone, a man has entered the room - what is he going to do? Why leave her a basket of freshly picked mushrooms of course!

It's not the commercials that get me - they're all over the radio.

No, it was the volume difference between speech and the music - the music would be very quiet, perhaps the ending of a nice bit of Vaughan Williams....and then the presenter comes in speak REALLY LOUDLY. Not good when you're trying to get to sleep!

That's what gets my goat.

I go through phases of listening to Classic FM. I used to listen in the car as their compression made it easier to prevent loosing the music to road noise or being deafened by the loud bits. The adverts and presenters drove me insane. THe thing that really upset me was only ever playing extracts and single movements. I now listen to R3 or R4 and have fingertip volume control in my car!

I do listen to Classic FM now - but only when I'm after background noise eg when I'm working. I find R3 too interesting and sit listening to it, the popular classics approach means the other noises of the office are blocked out but the overall sound doesn't distract from my work.

I agree - the adverts are incredibly annoying, though I like listening to it in small doses such as going to pick my daugher up from school or whatever. Sometimes they play a piano piece and I think "hmm I'd like to learn that" - though more often than not it'll be too difficult.
As this thread relates to the media I hope it doesn't go the same way as THAT OTHER ONE!

I used to listen to Classic FM but it's definitely changed (for the worse). I used to wake up to some lovely soothing music, now its some screeching thing or some DJ who just loves the sound of their own voice, so I'm really grumpy first thing.

I tried listening to it while in the car and for a 1 hour journey, I noticed that they must have played the theme from Pirates of the Carribean at least 4 times. Once I can understand, but 4 times?????? They didn't talk over that but on one of my favourite pieces, I was just getting into the flow and the DJ decided he wanted to hear his voice again which gave me radio rage.

I don't listen to it anymore, I just take my classical music cds with me and listen to those instead (and I don't get interrupted!!!).

I've largely stopped listening to Classicfm, having always had it on in the car in the past. The adverts have always annoyed me, but somehow they seem to have got worse. I know they need to raise money, but surely they can employ somebody to sell air space rather than have to depend on the same advertisers at every break? I also feel that they play the same music too often, as others have said.

I do enjoy having classicfm on in the run-up to Christmas, though.

Perhaps somebody should e-mail them with a link to this thread? It has been mentioned that they need feedback on which to act. I think it might be best to leave it a while, though, to see if there are many more similar resonses, to give it more clout, if it's really the case that they tend to ignore e-mails.

This is what put me off, along with the DJs, and that was several years ago so I hate to think what it's like now. I no longer listen to it, except very occasionally in the evening when they have an evening concert which isn't interrupted.

It's not the principle of advertising I object to because it's a commercial station, but as you've said Dulciana, it's the fact that the same commercial is repeated ad nauseam. I can't understand the advertisers not changing the commercial regularly - I can only presume that the ads are still working for them, but how much better could they work if they changed them more frequently?

Similarly the ads drove me round the bend and I never listen to Classic FM these days.

Just a thought, but all these folk that complain about the ads on Classic FM -
do you only ever watch the BBC on television


A

Well I think to be fair the ads on tv might be a bit less repetitive than the ones on C FM - but I wouldn't know really because I hardly ever watch tv !

I don't watch a lot of TV either, but I can tell you where to get your double discount/pay later/free delivery sofa in time for Christmas! And your 'not just' mince pies - mince pies from that shop that Myleene gets her clothes from!!

I suppose the point I'm making is that advertising intrudes on all our experiences. Even the BBC seems to have endless trailers for other programmes on the radio. Classic FM isn't really any different to any other medium when it comes to that. I guess I've just learned to swith off to it, although from my previous sentence, maybe I haven't!

A

If I every get back to driving, I will still probably drive to it, though I'm just as likely to listen to a CD or an MP3 Audio book burnt onto a CD. Although Radio 3 and Radio 4 are getting to be more and more likely contenders.

The only advantage with Classic FM is the kids like the movie music. Thats easy to solve I put a CD of Movie music into the CD player.

I suppose I am completely disinterested in Classic FM, as I can't listen to it without screaming. So I don't listen to it. I'm a Radio 3 baby ... till I left parents' home, it was the first thing I heard in the morning and the last thing I heard at night. An intelligent, annoying, fascinating, educational friend. We're darned lucky to have it. I've just finished reading Humphrey Carpenter's history of it ('The Envy of the World'), and it made me realise even more what a gem it is.

I was amused to realise that my all-time favourite programme is only nine months younger than me - Composer of the Week (it's 43 in December) is constantly a delight, bringing such a wide variety of music in such an informative way. In its own way it is as much a landmark of British broadcasting as more popular programmes such as Desert Island Discs, ISIHAC or Just a Minute. But more educational.

If I switch off Radio 3 it's because it's annoyed me, in the way a friend might intelligently challenge ones prejudices. I never switch on Classic FM because it just annoys me with its banality. So there.

GOM

Stopped listening 3 years ago when they cut half a bar out of the last movement of Tchaik 6 with a tampax advert or some crud.
I used to listen to it loads as a kid, and liked it. When I grew up I realised they never touched the heavy serious stuff. It's all "relaxing" or "Smooth" or "chilled".
They never mention the War in Shosty 7 or the incest in Wagner's Ring. They just don't PLAY the heavy intellectual stuff.

Oh and I once found a porno channel in Holland with a show called Late Night Lisa. No joke. It was great.
The CFM version was terrible.

Another of my complaints!
The channel is known in my house as crappic fm. (Not my terminology - the kids')

The constant referral to Karl Jenkins as the greatest living British composer annoys me.
What a shame that the reception for it here is so bad!

John Rutter is still well alive and composing as I write.

TV and adverts. We have a PVR. Its easy want to watch something on an independent channell. Sit down partway through the programme, skip the adverts, and the programme will still end at the same time!

Unfortunately the freeview box upstairs isn't quite as versatile!

I still think their request show is a swizz, and could be more varied. If they've played "pirates of the carribean" on monday, surely than can wait a week before playing again, there's plenty of other contempoarary movie music that is also requested. I actually like most of it, but at what cost? The request show could be used to broaden horizons as well as cheer people up.

(especially if its also been played for the school run)

It's the limited repertoire that bugs me more than the commercials. I'm not expecting complete schostakovich symphonies, but a slightly larger range of "lollipops".