I miss the old R4 Woman's Hour. I don't tune in anymore.

[flashbac]

I don't/can't listen to Woman's Hour anymore. It's lost its magic. I miss having it in the background and listening to interesting points of discussion. Now I find it gets on my nerves. It's crap.

I gave up on Jenni Murray years ago but I think she probably wasn't allowed free rein at times.
Jane Garvey is an excellent broadcaster but never quite seemed to suit Woman's Hour. She's at her best when she's sparking off another broadcaster imo.

I do like Emma Barnett, unlike most pp. Her interview with 2 women with opposing views /experiences of Judaism last week allowed them to express themselves without it becoming a slanging match. It was sensitively handled.
Likewise, I found her interview with Clemency Burton Hill (after her brain haemorrhage), moving.

She can be as hard as she likes on politicians, for me. They need holding to account.

I'm not a fan of Emma Barnett and have to switch Newsnight off if she's doing it - she's too abrasive and doesn't listen properly. Not the right fit for women's hour. YANBU

Same , Emma is so combative and rude.

Was a regular.
I have tried.
But
Lots of light subjects.
Too many men.
Ignoring the real feminist issues of the day.

And
Every interview… ‘but how did/does that make you feeeeeeeel?’
Every. Single. One.

Plus Emma Barnett’s interview technique seems to consist of lecturing her interviewees about themselves and what she thinks they think, at great length, and then tacking a short question on the end. That’s when she’s not petulantly berating them. To be fair it did produce one of my favourite radio interviews in a while - with Sinead O’Connor. I suspect Emma won’t be putting it on her showreel though

Do the BBC still do “Points of View” in some format? We should send them this thread.

It's Feedback for radio, and I'm pretty sure they've heard all this already.

Oh yes, of course it is!

Ugh me either. So disappointing. Woman’s hour used to be reliably quality listening. And entertaining! Now it’s just pants, waffly and sounds a bit amateurish to me.

The new presenter who I’ve not warmed to much just hasn’t got the right VOICE/ approach... Everything is a bit pointy, the points kind of nakedly made and sometimes plain superficial rather than being an intelligent discussion where Jane Garvey can gently draw the interviewees out to reveal their true intentions, point out where things are still shit for women, and shoehorns in a laugh wherever she can to lighten the mood.

Never really loved Jenni Murray- but she was credible, intelligent and well just better than the current presenter.

The Friday presenter - Anita Rani. Better voice and seems more credible. Can’t say I’ve listened so much recently.

None of the WH programmes really grab me like they did before!

I don’t feel part of the new radio 4. I’m a middle class, early 40s, self employed, married professional with 2.4 children. Maybe that’s why??

The Fortunately Podcast OTOH ... I switch it on and cook and know I’m in for a total treat... It rocks!

I feel really mean sayibg my opinion on an individual but the new presenter is just in the wrong slot!! She sounds like she’s be better on a money programme or something with far fewer emotional connections... Although I love that programme as it is too!

Abrasive!!! Yes that’s the word. We need better programming for women. There isn’t any left...

Still love Evan Davies. Yes Eddie Mair’s Steven Hewlett interviews were radio gold. Really moving.

The Today programme... too easy on the government and I often feel like the presenters miss the chuffing point and then I’m screaming at the radio... !

But partly I have switched off from Today because it’s just too bloody miserable.

Totally agree, it’s such a shame.

I very much join in with those praising the Fortunately podcast. Its consistently brilliant.

Completely agree. The new presenters are at the extreme ends of interviewing approach. Emma Barnett is abrasive and her guests get defensive and double down . Anita Rani is feeble and sycophantic and comes across as shallow and a bit dim. Her guests spout whatever they want to. And her shockingly rude and biased tweet calling listeners transphobic after her cringe inducing Paris Lees 'interview' was the final straw for me. Neither gets the best out of their guests.
Both Jenni Murray and Jane Garvey asked difficult questions and had warmth and humour. I miss them both. I listened to Woman's Hour every day for decades. I can't bear it now and will actively turn it off.
The Fortunately podcast is consistently brilliant though and something I look forward to and savour every week. A couple of wise, witty women I wish I could welcome into my kitchen more often.

Hadn't listened for a while and had no idea how much it had changed. Caught it by accident today down the allotment and the very young presenter seemed to be perpetually fielding responses fr social media and via text about whether one should wear pants under one's pyjamas no offence but if I want a hundred randoms' opinions on some trivial shite I know where AIBU is - when I tune into Radio 4 I expect more frankly. Also the way it kept going,popping up in the middle of her other pieces, asking the guests who were there to talk about something sensible this facile question - the women, anyway, didn't notice her asking the MAN who they'd got on to opine about the issue of harassment of women in the workplace (!!! Sample remark " let's not make people feel guilty about this, we're all subject to cultural conditioning" 😡).

Seriously I was shocked how shit it was.

totally agree. It’s of no relevance to me at all. Younger people have other channels to listen to . Leave Radio 4 alone!!!!!

Btw I'm 36 so hardly a crone, but I grew up on Radio 4, my mum always had it on in the background growing up and it made me interested in so many things very young. Such a shame they're chasing the whims of a generation that will never give them the loyalty their core audience would have.

@mrpenny

totally agree. It’s of no relevance to me at all. Younger people have other channels to listen to . Leave Radio 4 alone!!!!!

But many of us posting on here have listened to Radio 4 since we were young ourselves. There need to be ways of engaging a broad audience.

@campion yes, I found that interview with Clemency really moving too (totally blubbed like a baby in fact!).

Wasn’t an EB fan initially but I do think she’s settling into the role now. I think she was a bit aggressive to try and make her mark at first but has toned it down a bit recently.

To be fair, I don't listen to radio four now. Seven years clean.

I can't bear it any more - Emma is soooo abrasive and agressive and it's just not an enjoyable noise to subject my ears to. It makes me cross rather than informs me.
Jenni's voice was wonderful.....wistful

Glad to know it's not just me then!

I used to enjoy listening regularly and came away feeling like it was time well spent and it enriched my life. I would learn a bit more about something I'd never have considered deeply before. Now it's like being on shouty social media where the loudest voice and lowest common denominator wins and everything is dumbed down. It is such a loss.

What killed it completely for me was when they had a man interviewing. It is 'woman's' hour. The whole word is run by men for men and WH used to be a special space for women - by women.

I used to listen to R4 all day at work. I stopped about 3 years ago. It was utterly miserable, worthy crap all the time. WH in particular had absolutely no relevance to me or my life at all,and from what I've read since,it's gone even more downhill and is plain insulting and gaslighting women,by centering men if they possibly can.

Agree

Trying to listen to it now and the voices just hurt my ears. The style is abrasive and unnecessarily litigious. It’s not a comforting space any more.

So apart from Fortunately which of course isn’t daily - is there an alternative woman’s radio our there?

We can’t be alone in all broadly speaking - thinking similarly about this!

Is there anything on the times radio?