The state of BBC Radio London sums up the state of the world as they lose a third of listeners in 2022

Robert Elms interviews Paul Weller

Back in 2019, I wrote a blog detailing how much I enjoyed the Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London. I listed 10 great things in London I'd discovered as a result of the show. My week days consisted of listening to Vanessa Feltz over breakfast, Robert Elms mid morning and Jo Good in the afternoon. Eddie Nestor would finish my radio listening day with his acid wit on the drivetime show.

Vanessa was a very good breakfast presenter. I have to admit, it took me a while to warm to her. Prior to Feltz, there had been a succession of zany presenters, Danny Baker and Jonno Coleman spring to mind. At first, I wasnt overly keen on Feltz's more serious style, however I came to appreciate that she was good at the gig and covered the morning news in a professional and entertaining way. Robert Elms weekday show was a fascinating, entertaining mine of information. Not only that, it was a fantastic resource for finding new artists and shows. Maybe half of the bands I've got into in the last 20 years were first played on the Robert Elms show. When I wrote the blog in 2019, I assumed that Robert would carry on until he either retired or the grim reaper intervened. It didn't occur to me that BBC management would be so stupid as to muck around with a winning formula. Robert has been benaished to Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Every show has a different time and unlike weekdays, I have stuff to do at weekends. Having two days less broadcast time means less new music, less guests, vicious pruning of rather good regular slots. Whereas I caught nearly all of Elms show, I maybe catch the Friday show and hour or two of the Sat/Sun shows. Now whilst it's not 'all about me' and some may find the extra Sunday slot great, the show simply doesn't have the time to do what it did before. 

Vanessa Feltz saw the writing on the wall and slung her hook. She's now on Talk TV in the afternoon which really is of little interest to me. Jo Good is on the graveyard shift from 10pm to 1am. I love Jo but I simply don't listen to the radio then. Eddie Nestor has moved from his drivetime show, where he was brilliant, to the Elms slot, where he is not. The drivetime show is fast moving and interactive. The mid morning show should, in my humble opinion, be slower paced, cover arts and culture and new music. Eddie is lumbered with a play list designed by Bots (if you believe Eddie) or a team of highly qualified musicoligists (if you believe his boss Sara David). He has no new musicians playing the piano in the corner. He has no writers, film makers and show directors talking about new productions. Many of the subjects are quite worthy, some are interesting. Eddie does banter well, but as someone who listens to a London station to learn about my city, it is no use at all. It simply does what LBC was already doing. 

As to the other shows. Vanessa's replacement is Ok. I have to say that when Jim Davis sits in, it is far better. Jim is simply better at presenting a breakfast show and if the BBC management can't see that they should be replaced. Jo's replacement Shay is as dull as dishwater. Whereas Jo was zany and off the wall, Shay is just dull. The subjects are grim and there is no fun. Again it is like a version of LBC.

Eddie's drivetime show has sort of been replaced by the London sports show. This simply doesn't work, apart from on days when there was significant London sporting events and news. Eddie gave a great insight into the news and the last hour was a more adult discussion of issues. Now we get a couple of hours of people trying to make the days sports news in London sound interesting. All well and good if Arsenal are playing Chelsea or Middlesex are in the Cricket final, but on dull Monday nights in February, when there are no games, no manager sackings and no cricket, it is simply boring waffle. 

I was thinking about how they have ruined the station. It is exactly like what Boris and his Brexit Spartans have done to the UK. Like BBC Radio London, most of the things we like about the UK are still sort of here somewhere. The only trouble is it's all become aggro and a load of hassle. Whereas before we'd sail through passport control in France, now we have to bugger about waiting for a stamp. Want to buy goods from the EU? Well you pay for it then get a bill for import duty. Want a tomato for your salad, good luck with that. You can always pay £7.99 a kilo at the independent shops, where they have plenty. I can't believe that even the staunchest Brexiteers can believe that this government has done a good job on 'getting Brexit done'. If ever there was a way to make it work for the UK, Boris and his merry men have seemingly done everything to scupper it. 

Yesterday we had a sureeal moment. We had the Prime Minister telling the people of Northern Ireland that they have the 'best of both worlds' as they are in the single market and in the UK'. No shit Sherlock. What about the rest of us? It seems to me that BBC Radio London is a perfect metaphor for the UK and the Brexit Spartans. They've taken something that worked pretty well and everyone was happy with and wrecked it, whilst claiming they've made it better. The bottom line is that, according to RAJAR, BBC Radio London has lost 31% of it's audience in a year. 

BBC Radio London sees a 31% drop in listeners year on year, down from almost a million listeners in Q3 2021 to 671,000 this quarter.

In any commercial organisation, the bosses would be sacked by the shareholders. Clearly that isn't how things work at the BBC. 

I guess one thing I've learned. Nothing lasts forever, no matter how good (or bad) it may be. Everything is transient. Change is difficult, it isn't always good, but it is inevitable. It's a theme I cover in much of my work, such as this particular song by  The False Dots

BBC Radio London sees a 31% drop in listeners after unpopular schedule changes

 BBC Radio London has seen a massive 31% drop in listeners, according to the latest RAJAR official figures released yesterday  Radio today reports 

BBC Radio London sees a 31% drop in listeners year on year, down from almost a million listeners in Q3 2021 to 671,000 this quarter.

This is no surprise to us.  Back in August we noted that "Project Destroy Radio London" was nearly complete. In October whenthe changes had been running for a month we noted that the changes were ruining the station. Over 7,000 people signed a petition to oppose the changes to times for Robert Elms and Jo Good, pretty unprecedented for a small local station.

I would love to see a breakdown of where the listeners have gone from. It is 100% clear that the changes haven't worked. Of course some listeners will have deserted due to Vanessa Feltz taking the Kings Shilling and going to Talk Radio, but more or less everyone I know who used to listen to Robert Elms and Jo Good have changed channels. I don't mind Eddie Nestor, so I've persisted but I switch off after his show and the playlist has tested my patence to breaking point.

There are still a couple of shows I enjoy, such as the Garry Crowley show and David and Carrie Grant and I try and listen to Robert at the weekend, but it really doesn't fit my schedule and I don't think the show works as well with everything crammed in. I can never remember the times and key slots are on sporadically. The best bits ofter where when the show meandered and that just doesn't happen anymore.

The BBC bosses need to take a long, hard look at what they've done. If they want a younger audience, why do they have such an atrocious playlist. My kids would acknowledge Robert played a decent, eclectic selection of music when allowed, but they hate the playlist and would never listen to the station. I think Jim Davis has done a good job as stand in for Vanessa, so of course he didn't get the gig. 

My biggest beef was that Robert Elms had his ear on the cultural pulse of London and if you listened, you got to find out about new music, shows and other information. Great musicians would do live sessions in the studio and listeners felt energised. The brief for Eddie's show has almost zero cultural content. It is like a BBC version of LBC, which is not what public broadcasting should be. 

Of course, the bosses at the BBC don't care and don't listen. Anyway, as Robert is a Burnt Oak Lad, here's a tune for him.

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How to ruin a radio station - What are the BBC doing to BBC Radio London?

 So we've now had nearly a month to get used to the 'new format' at BBC Radio London. I'm writing this listening to Eddie Nestor on what was Robert Elms former show. I like Eddie and I think he's a great presenter. That being said, he is now in the wrong slot. His former drivetime slot was excellent. I particularly liked the fact that the last hour between 7pm and 8pm was always a bit more edgy. The powers that be decided that the last hour should be a London sports show. This is great when there is football or other sports on, but when not much is going on, it can be very dull. Most people who want to listen to sports shows have talksport. When there is a London match on commentary, BBC London does sports well, but the rest of the time? There is no real logic. 

Eddie's show on the 10am-2pm slot is ok, if you like phone in's. He doesn't get to choose his own music and there is almost no cultural content. Eddie even moaned that he couldn't choose his own music. For me, the music is a problem. Robert Elms, who had some latitude in the slot and guests, often played stuff that you'd never hear elsewhere, I probably have a couple of hundred records in my collection because I heard an artist on his show. Now? This morning we've has such tunes as ELO Mr Sunshine and the Kaiser Chiefs Ruby. A good, public service broadcaster opens cultural windows. This simply isn't happening on Eddie's show. Who is picking the music? I have no idea, but the plan seems to be to play inoffensive bland pop and AOR. To be honest, I'd rather they didn't bother if that's all they can do. Anyone who wants to listen to this sort of stuff has plenty of options. I run a music studio and music on the radio has a vital job of introducing us to new sounds. It is what used to keep London at the forefront of world music. I was naughty yesterday. We had an amazing artist rehearsing in the studio on Monday. I wanted London to hear her. I have no vested interest in her, she isn't signed to us, she just booked a studio for the day to practice for a gig. Yesterday I phoned Eddie and made sure I have her a massive plug. Her name is Miss Baby Sol. Have a listen. She is amazing.

I did this to make the point that from Monday to Thursday we are not getting a fix of new artists as we did when Robert had the slot. Eddie is working to a brief. He does it well, but it is quite simply the wrong brief. Put him back on drivetime where he belongs. I'd be fascinated to hear a show where Eddie plays his own choice of music and has something to get excited about. I'd like to see a few regular slots on his show. But what we have is a sort of LBC light with dull music. It is not doing Eddie any favours and that really irritates me. 

Jo Good was replaced by Jeanette Kwakye for the mid afternoon slot. Jeanette started on the station on the womens sports show. As a sports presenter she is great. She is knowledgeable and engaging. She asks the right questions. When she sat in for Robert Elms, before his show was moved, she did a great job. With all Roberts slots and the feel of his show, it worked. I thought she'd be brilliant. However, her show at the moment isn't working. It lacks the energy and fun of Jo's show. I can only assume that like Eddie, she's lumbered with a brief that doesn't work and a selection of music that doesn't excite her. Jeanette hasn't the experience of Eddie so at times it sounds to me like she's struggling to keep the show going. She should have been given a later show and more latitude to do the subject she has a passion for.

Then there is the new slots for Robert Elms. This is starting to drive me around the bend. He is on the radio on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Every day the show starts/finishes at different times. I have put the radio on, only to find it hasn't started or it has finished. The slots that worked so well in the week just seem to be on at the wrong time. For instance, Robert would always start the show on a Monday with the Listed Londoner slot. I love this slot. It would be the first hour, he'd have a chat and then ask the fifteen questions. Now it seems a bit compressed as Robert tries to fit it all in, as the last slot on the Sunday show. When he started it on a Monday, it would often throw up topics that people would ring up about. Now there is no chance to chew the cud on it, and that is a huge loss. Robert doesn't have the opportunity to remind listeners for feedback, notes and queries and there is far less time for artists and new music. Shoehorning the show into less hours, hasn't made it better, it has meant there is no time to breath. For me it is essential listening, but I am rarely able to on a Saturday or Sunday. Robert is also lumbered with the awful playlist. It simply doesn't work on his show. How some numpty could think that imposing music that doesn't fit the show is a good idea is beyond me.

And finally, we have Jo Good. I don't listen to the radio at night. I made an exception a couple of times for Jo, when I had a bath after football. In truth, Jo is great at that time of night. I am sure that for those who like Jo and like listening to the radio at night it is great. She has said she feels liberated, as she can be a bit naughty later on (when the bosses have gone home). I miss her in the afternoon, as it was always fun listening to her. She is a great presenter. 

If it wasn't for the fact that I feel a degree of loyalty to Eddie and Robert, I probably would have stopped listening to BBC London in protest at the changes. I had a long dialog with Sara David, the boss who imposed the changes. I explained why I thought they wouldn't work for BBC Radio London. I got bland, uninformative responses. She refused to share the new 'show briefs'. Now it is clear what they are, it is clear that she has an agenda to change the station from being one that informs London to one that reflects London. I doubt she listens to the shows very often. I doubt that she has much interest in the culture of London that the station supports. I would guess that she considers herself knowledgeable about local radio and what formats work on paper.  She is lucky to have some excellent presenters that may pull the coals from the fire, but to me the whole things is ill conceived. 

I've been told that one key brief was to make the show 'more diverse'. The execution of the changes, shows how out of touch the bosses were. Robert Elms had a better understand of various diverse music genres than just about anyone. Giving Eddie Nestor a playlist with ELO and the Kaiser Chiefs, shows just how clueless they are. If he was given free range to play the music he actually liked, then this charge couldn't be levelled but, come on. The same goes for Jeanette. A couple of times when playlist tunes have finished, she's sounded as if she's almost dozed off. I don't blame her, I would. 

I spend my days sitting in the reception of a London music studio. I see some of the greatest talent we have on a daily basis. I discuss London culture with them all of the time. For some reason, people think I have some sort of insight into what is going on. I haven't. I've not got a clue why they've got it all so wrong. I don't think they have either.

If any benevolent billionaires are out there, please get in touch. Lets set up a proper radio station for London, that does the job BBC Radio London used to do before the bosses decided to ruin it. It isn't hard. Get great presenters (something that the station has), Give them a degree of free reign to play the music they like, cover the topics they like and interview the guests who interest them. If they are good, the calls from Londoners will flow.

Please sign this petition to save the Robert Elms and Jo Good show on BBC Radio London daytime weekday slot

Yesterday I was shocked to hear the news that BBC Radio London's management are planning changes to their schedule and are dropping the Robert Elms show from Monday to Thursday and moving Jo Good to a graveyard night shift. Robert has been an amazing friend to the Save London Music Campaign that I am involved with. His show is a vital part of London's cultural landscape. He is often the first radio presenter to play artists and is a confirmed music lover. Moving his show will damage the cultural life of London. It appears to me that the management at BBC London simply do not understand how important Robert's show is. The list of gigs I've seen, CD's I've bought, tracks I've downloaded, artists I've discovered through the show is endless. I've also been to restaurants, exhibitions and other cultural events. It's not just that Robert discusses these, he has an insatiable apetite to share them with the rest of us. 

The Jo Good show is also a gem. Her Thursday 'Barking hour' is a one off. Dog owners from across the world tune in. She covers all manner of topics that no other presenter would even think of. A huge number of people, like me, who listen at work, will be absolutely gutted to lose her.

Please sign this petition - https://chng.it/NFMHpq5ZyL - we simply cannot, as a City, lose these radio icons. 

Imelda May Update

The post about Imelda May's Mill Hill connections has proven rather popular and got loads of hits. I've been told she's doing a live session tonight on the Jo Good show on BBC London 94.9 radio. The show starts at 10pm