Radio 2 why so dumbed down

[Parsley1234]

I cannot stand the relentless drivel that is Zoe Ball oh my god yesterday Stacey Soloman and her diatribe of awfulness and now replacing Graham Norton with Claudia just why ? I am Mrs Brady moany old lady for sure what else can I listen to 🥴

@Authenticchicken

Yes *@spaceghetto*! Graham Torrington

Graham Torrington is on Boom Radio!

@ScienceSensibility

Ken Bruce is the absolute backbone of Radio 2 and the best thing on it.

Great humour and really knows and respects the music. His voice is just right and he manages to construct sentences without using ‘like’ every other word.

( Unlike Steve fucking Wright who talks or sings over the best bits of any given track.)

There has to be a place for proper old school Radio 2. All the experiments and tinkering just don’t work.

Johnnie Walker is great on Sounds of the 70s but I loved when he did Drive Time. From memory I think he stopped doing that when he was having cancer treatment?

Alan Carr should never be allowed near a microphone. His voice is physically painful to listen to.

Tony Blackburn should never have been removed from Pick of the Pops. His voice is excellent. So enthusiastic, articulate and knowledgeable. Gambaccini is for serious documentaries!

If they remove Ken that will be the end of Radio 2 for me and I suspect millions of listeners.

I agree though I don't have a problem with Paul Gambacini

Gary Davies is a good replacement stand-in for Steve Wright and I like 'specialist' DJs like Trevor Nelson

@Authenticchicken

I agree about Vanessa in Jeremy's slot. V good.

Agrre with this. Vanessa actually listens to the interviewee's answers and comes back with a pertinent point whereas J. Vine is evidently not listening a lot of the time. They both seem to do 2 or 3 different media jobs ever day but I bet there is a significant difference in pay rates.

Having said that there was a very useful section on Vine's show today about how the parcel waiting text or email scam which is going around works. Went into detail and there is more about it on Radio 4 Money Programme at 12 pm Saturday, I think. Sorry if off topic but it is a widespread scam and many have been caught out by it.

I like Ken Bruce. Love Sarah Cox.Don't mind Steve Wright.I have to turn off Zoe Ball when she is interviewing as she talks too much and always seems in awe of who she is talking to.The other person doesn't get a word in.

@FuzzyPuffling

I still love Ken Bruce.

So do I

I also liked POTP but they hardly play 60s/70s now.

Also like sound of the 60s/70s

Steve Wright's music choices are ok

I voted YABU, not because I disagree with you but you seemed to have failed to notice that the entire BBC broadcasts to you like you are a particularly difficult to educate six year old. Even their sodding web site. Have you seen that fact check bollocks on their news site where that woman waves her hands at you slowly as she speaks very clearly to inform you everyone is telling you "fake news" apart from the straight and always ever so truthful no agenda not ever biased BBC.

The BBC has always been up themselves whilst insulting the intelligence of all not employed by it...bloody always. It's not referred to as Auntie Beeb for nothing. The bit they don't tell you is it's actually Auntie Karen

(sorry, never usually use the Karen thing but it does fit with an organization that thinks it knows better than everyone else and everyone else should do as they're told. I am actually also convinced that the whole beaurocracy supporting Big Brother in 1984 is based on Orwell's time working for the BBC)

The whole Karen meme is so tedious- it is the thing I would most like to ban from MN

The BBC’s website at its inception was a thing of beauty. Now they assume that everyone has an IQ of 15.

“what is a vaccine?” “What does someone who works in a vaccine factory do?” “how many vaccines are made in a factory?”

And then, as ds calls it, the Ripleys Believe It Or Not bar at the bottom, today featuring a 24-year-old three-legged potter with long covid running ceramics classes for unemployed circus performers.

@ginghamtablecloths

I wonder if ZB is perhaps considered by the powers that be a bit old for Radio 1 but IMHO she isn't grown up enough for Radio 2. Couldn't she be shunted sideways to Radio 6? I think she babbles, going slowly and then speeding up in an over-excited manner - not good for radio. I simply cannot listen to her or Ms Winkleman. I can't understand why Steve Wright has a daily afternoon show and Sunday Love Songs - surely someone else could do the latter? I put Classic FM on before and after Ken Bruce who I believe has been called 'the last grown up' on R2. If he leaves I'll probably desert R2 for good. I also cannot listen to Jeremy Vine, he's not capable of thinking on his feet. Like SW he suffers from over-exposure.

God no! The presenters on radio 6 need to be actual music enthusiasts, and knowledgeable about music. Which Zoe Ball is most definitely not.

@Chrispackhamspoodle

I like Ken Bruce. Love Sarah Cox.Don't mind Steve Wright.I have to turn off Zoe Ball when she is interviewing as she talks too much and always seems in awe of who she is talking to.The other person doesn't get a word in.

She loves everyone doesn't she? So breathy and a bit fake at times.

@IndigoApple I have cassettes with some Nicky Campbell R1 shows I pre taped to take on my Erasmus year. Purest proustian throw-back.

Listening to Simon Mayo right now so thank you to the person who told us he's on Greatest Hits 👏👍

Irmafaylear I was saying that to the kids, how good the BBC website was.

It's all a bit tragic these days.

@LookAChicken

Irmafaylear I was saying that to the kids, how good the BBC website was.

It's all a bit tragic these days.

Yes on Scottish baby names story this week it said ‘statisticians think the increased popularity of Billie is down to Billie Eilish’ - because you need a degree in statistics to figure that out!

Is Greatest Hits radio on DAB?

[quote fiestasprimavera]@IndigoApple I have cassettes with some Nicky Campbell R1 shows I pre taped to take on my Erasmus year. Purest proustian throw-back. [/quote]
Nicki Campbell used to do the news on radio 1 late 70s I think?

My late mum once pointed out that Vanessa Feltz’s speaking voice sounds just like Julie Andrews’.

I can’t unhear it now, and consequently find myself having the surreal experience of listening to Julie Andrews leading a discussion on post-Brexit fishing quotas/vaccine uptake among the over-50s/horse meat/whatever.

And don't get me started on his Sunday Love Songs programme! I really don't want to hear hours of people asking to say hello to the best husband/wife/whatever in the world. When I have had the misfortune to come across it is is excruciatingly bad.
I was going to say the same. Whoever thinks i know what will put me in a great mood this beautiful Sunday, listening to people sending gushing shout outs to their other halves and dedicating depressing sounding slow songs to them?

I listen to a lot more podcasts than I used to.

Maybe an idea would be to just play "radio 2 music" with a 2 minute news update every 5 minutes.

Would do everyone a favour.

@tttigress

I listen to a lot more podcasts than I used to.

Maybe an idea would be to just play "radio 2 music" with a 2 minute news update every 5 minutes.

Would do everyone a favour.

Meant every 15 minutes

I found Simon Mayo Drivetime on Greatest Hits Radio. Listening now

I'm 48. Radio 2 has really kept me sane since March 2020/lockdown 1, along with MAFS and Glow Up when they've been on TV.
I love:
Sara Cox (funny and genuine)
Vanessa Feltz (am often up doing school work during her early show and it's always a disappointment at 6.30 am when ZB comes on. She's great when standing in for others too)
Ken Bruce (kind, calm, witty, genuine, makes it all look effortless. Love Popmaster. Don't like Richie Anderson)
Gary Davies (warm, comforting, love 'Sounds of the Eighties')

I like:
Rylan (good music, funny, like Couch Potatoes)
Jeremy Vine (entertaining discussions, sometimes for the wrong reasons)
Lisa Tarbuck (have got used to her now and she plays some different music)
Michael Ball (always sounds like he's having a great time)
Elaine Page (because I love musicals, but can't stand that fake, gurgly laugh)

Don't like:
Zoe Ball (fake, annoying. Everything is 'beeoodiful' or 'thank you, lovely lady')
Steve Wright (knows where the bodies are hidden. Singing over records. Just no! Serious jockin', no -g. Just no! Although when Angela Scanlon and Cat Deeley have sat in for him, they showed that he does at least have a bit of personality)
Fearne Cotton ('Sounds of the Nineties' - annoying and very amateurish)
Dermot O'Leary (dull and smug)
Claudia Winkleman (annoying and that thing with the kids? Just no!)

I feel very middle aged now, doing a rundown on Radio 2 DJs on a Friday night :)

Sunday love songs makes me feel ill.
' we've had our ups and downs .. love them loads.. never wanted to murder them ever ..'
Yuk yuk yuk!
Sentimental tosh.