Malcolm Laycock - why the BBC should be ashamed of itself
Posted by Radiocafé on 26 Nov 2009 at 11:50 am |
Category: 1. General Music
The sad death of Malcolm Laycock represents the final chapter of one of the most sorry stories in the recent BBC’s history. Last night (15 November, 2009) it paid tribute to the broadcaster by repeating part of a show of his from April. It was introduced by Clare Teal, the young personality who replaced him a few months ago. She announced that “the word presenter somehow does not do justice to talent like this”, and indicated the high esteem in which the BBC held Malcolm Laycock.
But just look at how the BBC treated this man.
First, some facts: Malcolm started broadcasting in the late 1960s, was a producer and presenter on BBC Radio London for 20 years, helped set up and then ultimately save Jazz FM, worked for LBC, introduced numerous big band and other concerts, and spent 14 years presenting over 700 of the best crafted radio shows on air, which he also produced. Each show would take best part of a week to compile and prepare. He spent many more hours researching for his show and attending functions with musicians. Despite being relegated to a graveyard slot on the radio schedule, he still commanded an audience of over 350,000 loyal listeners.
But the trendy, young producers decided to impose big changes to his show. Because, despite Malcolm’s 40 years’ radio experience, not to mention a Sony Radio award among other accolades, and the fact his show was loved by so many, clearly they knew better.
Many of us complained, but the young BBC executives didn’t care for our views. (See our other feature here for ample evidence of this, and the many tributes to Malcolm by his fans).
He was paid £24,000 year or this.
He requested a further £14,000 for also doing the job of producing his show. He was effectively given his marching orders for daring to take make such an unreasonable request, and for putting up some resistance to changes to his show which his fans did not want. (It should be added that at this time, Malcolm was a carer for his terminally sick wife, who died just a couple of months after he lost his job).
Does £24,000 do justice for “talent like this”?
Let’s look at some more facts. If reports are to be believed, Steve Wright makes £440,000 for his afternoon show. Chris Evans is on more than half a million, and this is before his inevitable hike in pay when he takes over from Wogan, who is currently on £800,000 a year. The extent of Jonathan Ross’s salary needs no mention. Radio 2’s current controller, Bob Shennan, earns £212,000.
Malcolm Laycock was paid £24,000.
We suspect his replacement, celebrity musician Clare Teal, earns well in excess of this and we are keen to confirm whether this is true. We also suspect that, as a result of her taking over at the mic, it is more than likely that the audience has gone significantly down.
Yes, the BBC was going to face criticism either way regarding its tribute to Malcolm. At least they didn’t completely ignore the gentleman’s passing, as effectively they did when another of the BBC’s veteran broadcasters recently passed away, the late great Steve Race.
Unfortunately, the timing of Malcolm’s death couldn’t have been worse for BBC Radio 2 management. But then, if reports are to be believed, they are guilty of effectively forcing one of Radio’s great presenters out of a job, over not just a paltry sum of money but because certain middle management interfered in a show they were ill-equipped to understand. It is widely reported that the sweeping changes to Malcolm Laycock’s show were brought about because Bob Shennan’s predecessor, Bob McDowell, disliked dance band music.
BBC Radio 2’s management should be ashamed of themselves. While they rake in thousands of pounds, they continually ignore our complaints and requests and fob us off with bog-standard letters of reply. Because of personal dislike for certain types of music, certain individuals at BBC Radio 2 have shaped the station they want to listen to, not the one that many of us ever asked for. They gladly disregard our views because they can.
And it is clear that some of its management are hell-bent on obliterating so much of which made the station special to so many, for their own personal satisfaction. We just hope you pay David Jacobs a salary that is commensurate with his role as the greatest living broadcaster. Given you have farmed his show off to the worst shot on the radio schedule, we suspect that may not be the case.
It is how it has treated so many of its most honourable servants that is most shameful.
Hopefully, if some good can come of Malcolm’s passing, it will serve to highlight some of what goes on behind the scenes at Radio 2. The sad truth is that the likes of Malcolm Laycock, dance band music and clearly many of his fans were (and are) perceived as being neither young nor trendy enough for these mid-life crisis, rock music fan, overpaid executives.
Radiocafé
November 2009
(4 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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Shameful arrogance. Tragic loss.
I’ve posted this on the Radio 2 Message Board and Digital Spy
Re Clare Tel Radio 2 Tribute to Malcolm.
Firstly, Clare Teal wisely kept quiet during most of the show. When she did speak, she sounded lightweight in comparison to her subject.
Secondly, Malcolm chose and introduced the tracks, spoke engagingly about them from a knowledgeable standpoint It sounded unscripted and spontaneous.
Thirdly, the choice of tracks was varied and interesting - although, I’m sure that the dismay of Dance Band fans will be felt with little of this genre included.
Forthly, David Jacob’s opening to his show with the moving words spoken with real emotion demonstrated that someone more senior than Ms Teal should have handled the official Radio 2 tribute show.
Finally, giving over virtually the whole hour to Malcolm should be a salutary lesson to Bob Shennan of the error of judgement he made by not moving heaven and earth to persuade Malcolm to stay at Radio 2.
The treatment of Malcolm Laycock was lamentable, but let us not turn our anger on Clare Teal. She truly cares about our music, and we should be thankful that there is somebody from her generation anxious to keep it in our ears. We should concentrate on directing our fury and frustration at the over-paid, over-rated BBC producers, who are trampling on traditions that they have been lucky and privileged to inherit. Who is the executive who allegedly ordered that no music recorded before 1959 should be broadcast on Radio 2 without prior consultation? I read this in one of the forums, and just hope that it is ill-informed gossip rather than fact. Terry Wogan is too much of a gentleman to kick out publicly, but I would love to hear in private what he thinks of the direction being taken by the empire he is leaving behind. Is it YOU, Terry? No, it is THEM, and they should be warned that there is a silent majority out here who will whisper away until our protests become a loud roar. SOS … Save Our Sounds.
I’ve written elsewhere here how appalled I was at the BBC’s treatment of Malcolm Laycock, since last November when he was ‘ordered’ to NOT play pre-1939 British dance band music, and then the row over producer and salary in July this year.
I exchanged some heated e-mails with Bob McDowall (executive producer) and tried to get some explanation or discussion on BBC Feedback but they always have the last word and never respond properly to the issues.
I must, though, make some points about the first message in this thread. To say that Malcolm Laycock ‘also produced the show’ is not correct, for most of Malcolm’s time on the dance band show the producer was Roy Oakshott and Roy did an excellent job. I think Roy was moved in November 2008 when the dance band music was axed, and Caroline Snooks took over, not sure. I think Malcolm was only told he’d have to also produce the show in summer 2009, and he soon left.
Also to say ‘Bob Shennan’s predecessor, Bob McDowall’ is not correct. Bob Shennan is controller and his predecessor as controller was Lesley Douglas. She was responsible for not replacing Alan Keith (100 Best Tunes) and Humphrey Lyttleton (Best of Jazz) when they died, but I don’t know what her plans were for dance band music - she resigned in 2008 after the Ross/Brand fiasco.
John Wright
Well, at least the R2 managers had the courtesy to pay tribute to Malcolm Laycock last night, although it was rather interesting that the real heart was shown by Russell Davies and then David Jacobs (particularly followed by the simple reverential “good night” at the end of his show). This showed who the real presenters are. Having said that I believe that Clare Teal was sincere and, unusually, slowed down a bit, with the show a good tribute.
Where we go from here - who knows? Do the BBC and R2 powers-that-be read these sites to get a proper feel? I have noted a slight play increase of dance bands by Clare and in other R2 shows recently but we do need something solid and fully representational of dance bands, swing and jazz.
David Tinker
Thanks to all for your quick response on this.
John W - thanks for the corrections.
David T - the BBC generally likes to ignore our comments, along with any letters we send to which it supplies a stock answer. But you are right that it does seem there have been some, very slight increases in the presence of our kind of music in the past few weeks. So perhaps the message is getting across a bit.
Some further details of what actually happened in the lead up to Malcolm’s departure are outlined in some of the obituaries to Malcolm, although I suspect most of us knew all of this already:
Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/malcolm-laycock-broadcaster-who-parted-company-with-the-bbc-in-a-row-over-the-age-of-radio-2s-target-audience-1818180.html
Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6916341.ece (fantastic early picture)
Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/nov/10/malcolm-laycock-obituary
Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/6575899/Malcolm-Laycock.html.
I agree with the sentiments expressed in the Radio Cafe New Thread. Whilst it was nice to hear once again Malcolm’s clear tones in last nights tribute I note that the items picked were within the new policy of the programme of not playing any of the Vintage british Dance Band Music that Malcolm and us so loved of course we all like some of the newer Dance band music and while the item selected were of Malcolm’s original choice it would have been much better if they had ranged from the late twenties to the more recent good dance band music. I think it speaks for it’s self that 80 years after the formation of the Joe Loss & his Orchestra which has and does in the tradition of ‘Joe’ still play the full spectrum of British and American Dance Music regardless of it’s vintage ( and I mean Music ! not the infernal Row that is broadcast on Radio Two for 80% of the time together will most other radio stations) - Bring bach the old ‘ Light Programme ‘ sven on A.M it sounded much better than todays radio Two - J.A.R.
I am so sad that this was the way Malcolm’s story ended. There must be so many people out there who would have leapt at the chance to work with him on new and fitting projects. We will all treasure the many hours of lovely music Malcolm provided for us, the professional and knowledgeable presentation of his show, his kindness in personally replying to listeners’ enquiries, and the many unforgettable artists he introduced us to. Thanks to Roy Oakshott for his words which I enjoyed listening to.
But - how on earth do we reconcile these 2 statements?
“A Radio 2 spokeswoman said: ‘Malcolm was not constructively dismissed. As we were unable to meet his demands of a payrise of 60 per cent in his new freelance presenter contract, he decided to leave.”
Daily Mail, 15 August 2009
“The BBC pointed out that they could meet his salary demands and would have been happy for him to continue.”
The Independent, Obituary, 11 November 2009
The BBC cannot have it both ways. Perhaps they would indeed have been happy for him to continue - if he’d been willing silently to put up with increasingly frustrating working conditions, under the command of Bob McDowall who found dance band music boring and irrelevant.
Having proffered the salary issue as their defence, the BBC now insults us by claiming it was not a problem after all. Shame on you.
The BBC are really running scared on this issue.
Peta on Radio 2 site and Mapperley on digital are tieing themselves in knots
Paul, thankyou for starting this thread, your thoughts and views expressed in the first post were on the mark for me.
I must agree it was a decent tribute and must concur that that it was very fitting that Malcolm’s superb 700th show was used as the foundation. When I heard his voice again it just brought back to me how really exceptional he was.
I must also agree about the fact that Claire Teal kept away from the Mic at arms length, that was particularly graceful and dare I say sensible. However I can only say how bloody angry I feel that Malcolm had been treated in this way. The individuals concerned should hang their heads in shame in the way that they have handled this whole affair.
Recognition of the sincere tributes made by Russell Davies and David Jacobs must be made and are certainly not lost on me.
I have reflected much since his tribute last night and I one thing keeps recurring. How did it ever come to this that this great, yes “GREAT” presenter lost his show,his wife and then finally his life in the short span of less than 12 months. I feel bitter, I really do.
I hope that the execs involved in this saga don’t sleep well and have recurring doubts about their involvement in this sorry saga for many years to come.I am sorry if this seems crude but that’s just how I feel.
The one thing for sure though is that they will never stand tall in the annals history of the BBC.
Gary W
Yes Gary I feel as you do and thought the tributes in all three programmes on Sunday were very fitting.
May I also make special mention of Desmond Carrington’s touching tribute at the start of his programme on 10th November which he followed up by playing “My Kind of Music” by Lew Stone and Sam Browne. It brought tears to my eyes.
I emailed him to thank him and received a heartfelt reply from his producer Dave Aylott who had been a personal friend of Malcolm’s for nearly 40 years.
There are strong feelings out there and not just on these message boards.
e-mail followup please JAR
Sorry but I would rather not reproduce Dave Aylott’s email to me, if that is what you were asking for. Perhaps you would like to contact him yourself?
The latest Radio Times out today has an obituary for Malcolm on page 161 by someone called Jane Anderson.
It says that:
“His recent sabbaticals from Sunday Night at Ten were spent caring for his dying wife and, despite Radio 2 controller Bob Shennan asking him to stay, he felt it was time to leave.”
That will satisfy the casual reader who knows nothing of the BBC’s role in the whole distressing saga.
Outrageous! We will be writing to the Radio Times to complain. What a warped view of reality the BBC has!
Re Jane Anderson - she is described as “radio editor” of the Radio Times.
According to the late, great Miles Kington, the position involves writing “little programme trailers for the Radio Times, or at least for the small remaining part of the Radio Times that deals with radio.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/miles-kington/all-grist-to-the-mill-643757.html
If only the BBC were not so determined to keep adding insult to injury.
I would far rather be spending this week in quiet contemplation… but I keep stumbling across more infuriating examples of the Beeb’s institutional insensitivity. In contrast, at a personal and human level, it was extremely moving to hear David Jacobs sign off his show with a simple “Goodnight”. For a presenter to dare to miss out the inane Radio 2 end-of-show mantra must surely be tantamount to heresy. Thank you, David. You spoke volumes.
Just listened to the start of sunday nights tribute to Malcolm - Sorry there was one British dance Band record included Al Bowlly - I also note that a new series starts on friday nights at 7pm - (The Band that matters) first off Bert Ambrose presented by Brian Matthew - is the BBC trying to placate us . I look forward to the series and you don’t have to burn the midnight oil to hear it. J.A.R
to Eileen Mann, my request for e-mail follow - up was not to do with your thread I had not ticked the box to receive e-mails from other contributors re the new thread. J.A.R.
To J.A.R.
Sorry to misunderstand you.
I was very impressed by David Jacob’s tribute to Malcolm. It was warm, sincere, and the whole tone of his show reflected his affection for Malcolm.
David Jacobs remains one of the true gentlemen of radio and, in my book at least, given all he has achieved and the fact he has been broadcasting for over 60 years, he probably ranks as the greatest broadcaster of all time.
Again, the BBC should be ashamed at giving his wonderful show such a terrible slot in the Radio 2 schedule. Not so very long ago, his popularity was such that we had David every lunchtime AND at the weekends. But these days, the “popularity” of presenters is seemingly determined by their celebrity status, and has little to do with their broadcasting ability and current fan base.
Paul
19 November 2009
About 200 people gathered at Eltham Crematorium today to pay their respects to Malcolm Laycock.
His sons Dominic and Andrew spoke eloquently about their father, and spoke much about how much fun he was. And the same was said by one of Malcolm’s long time personal friends, his best man, who told us some hilarious stories.
We also heard from two longtime friends of Malcolm’s in the music world, Chris Dean (current director of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra) and jazz musician Dave Gelly.
Clearly Malcolm was loved by everyone who knew him, and more than one person has said to me that after he left Radio 2 Malcolm was so surprised by the messages of support from his Radio 2 fans, somehow he just did not realise how much he was loved and how many people he had brought enjoyment to every week.
I was delighted to meet Malcolm’s one time producer Roy Oakshott and one of my favourite Radio 2 presenters, Russell Davies.
I left a card for Malcolm’s family, expressing the enjoyment he had given to the fans of British Dance Band music.
John Wright
Thank you for that report, John. You represented many of us in spirit. I hope and trust the BBC were represented. In Malcolm’s memory we should keep up our quiet but incessant quest for the BBC to keep finding room for the music he (and we) love.
Well, apart from Roy and Russell who are freelance, I was not aware of anyone from the BBC, like management; I expect they were there, and known to Malcolm’s sons, but rightly kept quiet.
Yes, I was thinking management John. After his loyalty and long service, he deserved to have official representation from the BBC regardless of the last regrettable months. Well done on getting there.
www.express.co.uk/po…
Malcolm’s son and friends have broken their silence over the Malcolm Laycock affair, as reported in yesterday’s Sunday Express.
His son was quoted as saying,“I know that leaving the way he did, brought him down,” he said.
“I am stopping way short of saying it killed him, but I know it brought down his spirits after that point and you can infer from that what you like.”.
The paper’s opinion column weighed in by accusing BBC management of being ageist.
You can comment on this on the paper’s website. A pretty hard hitting article.
If John P’s link doesn’t work try:
http://tinyurl.com/y9gf9cu
Note at the end of the article the BBC still claim they have not treated Malcolm harshly and are denying that Malcolm was unhappy with his workload.
John W
According to someone called Steve on Radio 2 site about Malcolm, there is nothing wrong with ageism in Broadcasting.
What a sad state of affairs.
]
In a bizarre twist to this sorry saga have any of you noticed how the content on Claire Teal’s show this weekend had reverted back to an almost identical format to Malcolm’s. This Sundays show featured a number of tracks that were definitely pre 1945 and certainly of the dance band genre. This section also seemed to finish at around 10.30, how strange,or is it just me? This begs the question what was this all about “Auntie”? I know one thing, we lost great a man in the process!
Gary W
How dare they? It was great to hear all those terrific tracks, but … How dare they? Are they trying to make amends, or what? Mollify Malcolm’s listeners, or what? Trying to avert yet more flak, or what? The BBC behaved disgracefully towards Malcolm and forgiving and forgetting is not an option as far as I am concerned.
Evidence of dance band music creeping back has to be (some parts of) the BBC reacting to our complaints - but not in the way we would have wished. It’s still basically a big band programme, with a few swing and dance band tracks chucked in. I don’t think it will tempt back the listeners who liked the old format.
In time maybe we will be able to look at this as a small victory for the music; however, I doubt it feels that way to Malcolm’s friends.
You might be interested in this; the number of staff at the BBC who handle our complaints.
http://tinyurl.com/ycwn9d2
No wonder it takes them so long. When I phoned Capita in Glasgow for the umpteenth time, they said my complaint had been “pended to BIDA” but couldn’t tell me what that meant. Now I know.
I wish to God the BBC would shut up about Malcolm’s salary. They seem to think this is some sort of defence of the way they treated him.
I can’t imagine ever tuning in to Radio2 ever again. After a lifetime of listening pleasure that it should come to this. I am a devoted fan but even a Johnny Mercer evening couldn’t overcome my disgust at the way this once proud station has been brought to its knees. I “listened again” to David Jacobs, my first R2 experience in a year. What was expressed in that final “Goodnight” is beyond words. R2 RIP.
I know that the late, much-mourned Malcolm would echo these words: Give Clare Teal a fair hearing. None of this is her doing, and we are lucky to have a caring person from her generation to carry on the big band/dance band baton. Radio 2 has been dumbing down at an alarming rate, and we with ‘golden oldie tastes’ should be thankful for the crumbs being thrown our way. SOS Save Our Sounds.
Can you all visit Digispy where John Petters is battling against the anti-jazz pro Radio 2 brigade and give him some support.
Dave Townsend: I’m sorry to say that I agree with your sentiment on this. I still tune in to Russel Davies and David Jacobs but not much else. And I know many of the former Radio 2 folks (musicians, arrangers and presenters) who lost much of their livelihoods, too, due to these radical changes. The rot set in around 1990 and the few, last remnants of the old Radio 2 soldier on until I guess they retire.
Norman: you are right that none of this is actually Clare’s fault. But the reality is that most of us will vote with out feet, and take our ears elsewhere, if only to listen to older recordings of Malcolm’s and Alan Dell’s (if we are fortunate enough to have these). I relive Radio 2 of yesteryear these days. I am in my late 30s so I guess Radio 2’s model demographic, but I can honestly say the quality and variety was much better 20 years ago than it is now, right across the board.
Howard: the problem with Digitalspy (and some of the BBC message boards) is that a number of the individuals who frequent the boards do tend to verge on bullying at times. We respect the good work Digitalspy does, and the fact that they encourage free speech (but not the BBC message boards which frequently moderated any criticisms we made, however justifiable), but we’d prefer not to be part of such an environment as it can be demoralising to be faced with online abuse, which is one of the primary reasons we set up this site. We are pleased some of you dare to do so and report back here some of your findings. We’ve been hugely impressed at the quality of posts here and respect that everyone shows other users.
John P: keep up the good work. It is a cause worth fighting for.
Jazzmin/Gary/Eileen/John W and everyone else: thanks for the updates - please keep us posted!
Howard is correct. It would be really useful for members here to post on Digital Spy and the Radio 2 Board. Our opponents think that this is a personal obsession on my part regarding Malcolm, which it isn’t and that only John Wright and I are pushing for change at Radio 2. They are clearly wrong. But they need to be shown that they are wrong.
The denial of my Fredom of Information request as to the relative costs of Malcolm and Clare’s shows raises important issues over the official BBC line.
We do need to be vocal over this and move outside our comfort zones and take these people on with clear non emotive arguments.
Mapperley on digital has now asked for that thread to be closed, using concern for Malcolm and his family as a reason.
What hypocrisy; I can’t remember them supporting him when he was alive.
“howard spencer
Can you all visit Digispy where John Petters is battling against the anti-jazz pro Radio 2 brigade and give him some support.”
I have just signed up to Digital Spy (with misgivings as it seems to attract some rather unpleasant contributors). I should be able to post comments by tomorrow.
My first post on Digital Spy reads as follows:
I have just signed up for this forum and do not intend getting involved in any slanging matches:
1) I fully support John Petters in his very reasonable request to the BBC’s FOI department for information about the comparative costs in producing Sunday Night at Ten both before and since Clare Teal took over. In my opinion it IS important because whenever the BBC is asked about their reasons for dumping Malcolm Laycock they trot out the same old answer that it was because they could not meet his salary demands, full stop.
2) I think that Radio 2 is NOT fulfilling its Service Licence Agreement because it is not providing popular music of enough variation to cover the many specialist, albeit minority, genres. Pop music there is in plenty but it overlaps far too much with Radio 1 and the commercial stations. Radio 2 should be giving us music which is not available elsewhere. A great job is done by Desmond Carrington, Russell Davies, Alan Titchmarsh and David Jacobs and the occasional series e.g. Benny Goodman and the current Dance Band series. But where else can we go to hear good, popular (as opposed to pop) music? Radio 2 may pride itself on being the most listened to station but it is placing quantity above quality.
3) Personally I enjoy a wide range of different types of music from jazz, big band, 50s/60s pop, 30s/40s dance bands, musicals, ballet, light (Eric Coates, Robert Farnon, Leroy Anderson etc.), music hall, the Great American Songbook, Gilbert & Sullivan and even (a little!) opera. This is because I grew up with the Light Programme which was on most of the time at home and I couldn’t help being exposed to all sorts of different types of music. The BBC was doing its job then to ”inform, educate and entertain”. The other BBC radio stations seem to do this, but Radio 2 seems to have lost its way.
I’ve just signed up to Digital Spy with, despite my reservations expressed here earlier, every intention of supporting John and Eileen and all the other promoters of our cause over there. But again, I read some of the posts and the unnecessarily aggressive, negativity of the comments has put me off making a contribution.
For example, the latest post in response to Eileen’s polite and eloquent contribution reads:
“And it makes no difference what you say, what you are doing has political undertones - to attempt to discredit the BBC by any means : service licence, production costs, playlist etc. As someone else said, it’s not a campaign, it’s a crusade. You even thanked Eileen for giving you her “vote” of support. I didn’t realise we were having a poll.”.
I just think our efforts are better spent spreading the word about our campaign (not crusade) by getting more like-minded souls to head here, rather than having to fight unnecessary battles with people who do not show fellow users the respect they and their views deserve.
In recent months, we have had contributions from musicians (such as John), singers (such as Mike Redway) and music experts (such as Brian Reynolds), and of course the many of you who demonstrate an incredible knowledge of music’s heritage. This gives us hope that the message is catching on and more are becoming involved in our campaign. The more like-minded people we can get involved here, the better, so do keep spreading the word about the Campaign For Real Music.
While we ourselves simply cannot face the barrage of negativity of posting on these other forums, we very much support those of you who are putting effort into these other sites and appreciate the efforts you are putting into this important cause.
You have captured my feelings and sentiments, Radiocafé. I too could not bring myself to follow up the excellent input from John Petters and Eileen Mann on Digispy because of the sinking feeling that, regardless of what you say, it will be pulled apart.
We are the silent majority and we must keep on whispering until our case becomes a roar that will make the insular 30/40-somethings running (I almost said ruining) the BBC sit up and take notice. What baffles me is why in this digital age they don’t find a slot for (excuse me if you are younger) a Golden Oldies radio channel. This need not only cover our kind of music but all topics that would hold our interest. There are a few million of us at which to aim.
I have spent my working life in the media, and know better than most about the workings of the Beeb. They have a huge shock coming their way if (perhaps when) there is a change of Government. The Tories will be rewarding the Murdoch organisation for their support by cutting Auntie’s wings. Watch out for falling feathers.
Folks, like it or not we are in a war situation over this and in war hard decisions have to be made.
Whilst I can understand the reluctance of some posters getting involved in the rough and tumble of Digital Spy, it is read by the media.
My thread on the FOI request had over 2000 hits yeaterday. If we are to keep the pressure up, we need to be seen there in numbers - and different people are an important part of that.
The opposition have assumed that John, Howard and I are the only people on what they call a ‘crusade’. To be credible we need numbers.
This means moving outside our comfort zones and giving the BBC and others a hard time when required.
Barry did this with his complaint earlier - which was fobbed off. But we must keep trying.
I have over the years taken on sevaral banks / credit cards, the Musicians’ Union and my local council and beaten them all. One of my adversaries claimed I was a devious litigant. I’m quite proud of that.
The fact is that all of those organisations were bigger than me and all tried to obstruct, obfuscate and just generally make life difficult.
The BBC is no different.
We are coming up to a General Election and politicians will be looking for our votes.
We need to be thinking about how we can get the issue of Radio 2 on the political agenda.
I have another close friend who has independently complained to the Trust and who will not let them off the hook.
Our biggest enemy is our own complacency.
Ideally, we need someone with the time to orgainse the campaign. That cannot be me because I have a very busy working life.
We also need to move it outside the ‘Malcolm Laycock’ umbrella as that is too restricting.
We need to be championing all ‘good’ music and not only our owm tastes - that is only right and fair.
We need to be monitoring the Radio 1 & Radio 2 Playlists and working out the percentage duplication and publishing it.
As I said previously, I think this website is the ideal focal point - but we do need to constantly post to DS and Radio 2 and keep the profile up.
Well said, John.
I am exhausted against the lying and deceit of Mapperley and Mint.
people, Please go over there and support the two Johns.
I will post on Digispy ASAP, John. Like you, I am too busy to get involved apart from with a supporting voice. But if enough of us shout (scream even) then ‘our employees’ at the Beeb will have to take notice.
I am assuming you are the drumming John Petters? My partner, Jackie Jones, and I tried promoting jazz in the Wessex Area, and threw in the towel last year after losing hundreds of pounds in two years. As Ronnie Scott (who went to my East London school) once said: “I’ve found an entertaining way to lose money.” We could not attract anybody under 50 to our concerts despite featuring top jazz musicians of the calibre of Alan Barnes, Roy Williams, Alan Ganley (RIP) and Bobby Worth.
I wonder if we should be channeling our energy into demanding the BBC give “us” a radio outlet of our own? Radio 5 Sports Extra is often sitting there with nothing on it. Food for thought. Meantime, I will toddle off to Digispy and brace myself for the flak.
I still think we are better off approaching the media directly. To this end, we send our newsletter directly to many individuals in the media, including Gillian Reynolds and all the major papers, which takes them straight to the articles here and vitally to your comments.
The newsletter also goes to just about everyone involved in radio at the BBC. Today alone we have read receipts from Caroline Snook, Rosa Padfield, Roy Oakshott, Dominic Coles, Rachel Dorman, and DG Mark Thompson. Yes, many of these will be read by their PAs, but there is surely something there for them which is worth reading and - slowly perhaps - the message will filter through.
The problem with Digital Spy et al is that the media will not be interested in the in-fighting that goes on between those posting comments. Surely it is better to have quality, reasoned comments than a large quantity of abuse? It is definitely better to have input from valued contributers than being watered down by negative comments and disrespect, or trying to win arguments with someone who is never going to be won over?
I think there is perhaps some merit in putting occasional posts on these forums, as at least the topics themselves may get some attention or raise some eyebrows. But query whether the battles over reporting people to moderators and misquoting one another etc. is in fact best use of time?
Our energies here at Radiocafe can be better spent writing new articles on this Talk site, and focusing on our plans for pushing for BBC Eight Light (Norman - you may wish to see http://www.radiocafe.co.uk/talk/archives/88 if you have not done so already. Singer Mike Redway and music expert Brian Reynolds are fully behind this, and hopefully will lead to others getting on board, too).
Unfortunately, in running this site we do not have the time - let along the energy or inclination - to fight battles on message boards with what is in essence a bunch of online bullies. We tried that years ago and it did not work.
But we WILL make the time to add new items and express our views and those of our friends and supporters and also those who disagree here. And to promote this, our Campaign For Real Music, as much as we can. But in a considered manner and showing respect to others.
We also offer the opportunity to anyone else who wants to do the same. We are not limited to any genre of music, which is why we cover a quite diverse spectrum of genres. If any of you want to add an article to this site which fits in with the broader Campaign, please email your article through to info@radiocafe.co.uk.
What we can guarantee - which the forums usually cannot - is that your article will end up on Google, usually on page 1. Search for our latest post “the best of BBC radio”, which we put up a few hours ago, and you will see that this works. Search for “dance bands” and we’re even within the first couple of dozen entries for this, too.
Through this venture we have garnered support from a varied and wide range of individuals, including the likes of composer/arranger Neil Richardson, Radio 5 Live’’s DJ Spoony and even singer Leo Sayer. As they work in the industry, they can help spread the message from within. We need to encourage more people on board and what we do perhaps ultimately require is for us all to come together as a unified whole. We don’t want to become the music campaigning equivalent of the boxing federations, after all!
Which is why we are happy to be the hub for any campaigning, doing what we can from here to bring people together who share one common theme: a love of music.
In the meantime, however, good luck to all of you with your efforts over at Digital Spy. Don’t let them get you down!
.. plus ultimately it always ends like the Digital Spy thread has just done:
“A number of off-topic and disrespectful posts have been removed from this thread. Please refer to our terms and conditions to see what is/is not acceptable.”
Chris Dean and the Syd Lawrence Orchestra are also petitioning against the BBC failing to meet its requirements by neglecting older listeners - see http://www.syd-lawrence-orchestra.com/campaign/tabid/86/Default.aspx
We will see if we can get Chris involved.
I have made a gentle contribution to DigiSpy, leading in from Murray Mint’s obnoxious suggestion that we should “lay the Laycock debacle to rest” …
It is out of respect to the memory and momentous input to Radio 2 of Malcolm Laycock that it should not be put to rest.
As a fitting memorial to a man who devoted much of his life to keeping alive the sounds of the dance and swing bands, the BBC should find time and space on Radio 2 to feature Malcolm’s type of music (that continues to have a huge following). Try to buy a ticket for the Jack Jones concert at the Palladium on Sunday. No chance.
Whether they like it or not, the BBC are the servants of the people and are required to give us what we want. Today’s producers have inherited a fine tradition and should not be allowed to trample on it.
Speaking as somebody who knew Malcolm in his role as President of the Sinatra Music Society, I assure you he was treated with contempt by the BBC in his last months. The least they can do is keep his memory alive by giving more airtime to his (and our) kind of music. SOS, Save Our Sounds.
Personal note to Murray Mint: You have made some blistering criticisms on this thread, without the courage to reveal your identity. I would respect your views more if you did not hide behind a pseudonym.
Paul - it is possibly a fault at my end but I failed to get onto the SLO site by clicking on your link in post 46. I went direct to their website, clicked on Campaign and signed up. It’s good to know that more professional musos are now getting involved.
You referred to your newsletter which you send to the media. Is this available anywhere for us to see?
Thanks Eileen - there was a rogue dot at the end. This link to the SLO should work:
http://www.syd-lawrence-orchestra.com/campaign/tabid/86/Default.aspx
And here is a link to our newsletter exactly as it appears in the email:
http://www.radiocafe.co.uk/email-november-2009.html
Some of you will have received this.
Paul
For those of you who have given up on Digital Spy’s bickering postings -
My 2nd posting:
The Office for National Statistics states as follows:
(1) The population of the UK is ageing. Over the last 25 years the percentage of the population aged 65 and over increased from 15 per cent in 1983 to 16 per cent in 2008, an increase of 1.5 million people in this age group.
(2) The fastest population increase has been in the number of those aged 85 and over, the ’oldest old‘. In 1983, there were just over 600,000 people in the UK aged 85 and over. Since then the numbers have more than doubled reaching 1.3 million in 2008.
Perhaps the problem with Radio 2 is that it is aiming at a target audience aged 35 and over. Bearing in mind the UK’s ageing population, that covers 2.5 - 3 generations. I am sure it is true that many 60 year olds enjoy and are happy with the current Radio 2 output but these days the age of 60 is only two thirds of the way into one’s life. Where can people in their 70s and 80s go to find the sort of light music they would enjoy? Shouldn’t BBC Radio be catering for them too? Apart from Carrington, Titchmarsh, Davies and Jacobs plus a handful of other evening programmes, there is not much else, and they are likely to be at home all day and probably, I say probably, not internet-savvy.
This is a polite request for ideas and information.
My 3rd posting:
Yes, the market has to be taken into account but on the other hand people up to the age of 75 pay the same licence fee as everyone else (and have done so all their lives or since licensing began) so should be considered an important, if minority, group.
I should also have added in my 23:44 post of yesterday that if us “oldies” (I’m 67) were given our kind of music at some time during the day, you could well find younger people tuning in out of curiosity or by mistake and suddenly thinking “Hey - I like that! Why have I never heard that before?“
This would not turn them off their usual music of choice but could make them aware of the wealth of good popular music of years gone by which didn’t succumb to the “hear it, enjoy it for a while then throw it away to make room for the next new fashion.”
Well - it’s a thought.
I apologise to all of you I asked to go to digitalm spy.
I’ve never come across a more vindictive, bullying, deceitful lot of people in my life.
One of them even got us moderated because we had the temerity to ask his real name.
Good luck, John Petters and Eileen Mann.
Howard,
No need to apologise. As I said before, the opposition is real and serious. We can post to our hearts delight on this cozy website, but in the real world we have to be able and willing to stand our ground and not be intimidated by bullies.
Eileen, some truly great posts, well done!
Norman too. And Norman, yes I am the drumming JP.
There is a standing joke in the jazz world about how to become a millionaire playing jazz. You start as a billionaire!. Being a promoter, I know how easy it is to lose money with jazz ventures!
As far as DS is concerned this issue must not be seen as a two Johns campaign otherwise it will not be treated seriously. We need more people to post on DS and the Radio 2 Message Boards.
Paul I can understand your apprehension, but if the bullies think they can win they will push even more. If we reply in numbers it evens the balance - so frustrating as it seems DS is a forum I think we need to be present on.
Scott aka Murray Mint has started yet another spurious thread suggesting Light music should go on R3!
Yes they are starting to attack Eileen now.
I am wondering if this is some kind of poitical campaign.
Even when you point out the truth, they ignore you.
Beware of Murray Mint in particular; I have had five years of his tricks. He found my e mail address once and targeted me. Now he has found me on facebook and invited me to join him. He has been banned from many sites; I wonder how long he will last on digital.
Howard, thanks for your support. There are some very unpleasant people on the DS site. Here is my latest posting:
Robin, I am not going to get drawn into retaliating in response to your remarks about my supposed political views.
I don’t wish to encourage the elderly to turn in on themselves or become “sad reactionaries” as you put it. Of course we should encourage them to be outward-looking and not be afraid of trying something new. But, without meaning to be patronising, it is an unfortunate truth that many old people who have become a little frail and perhaps have health worries, just do not have the energy or good eyesight or manual dexterity to embrace new technology.
How terrific if they could just switch on their radios at a certain time during the day and enter a familiar world. Far from isolating them, the music would raise their spirits and dredge up long-lost memories which they could then chat about with their friends. Their grandchildren might even be amazed at what Granny got up to in her youth.
What is wrong with that Robin? Surely people from across the political spectrum would be sympathetic to that view?
Paul, should I copy this to the BBC Eight Light thread as it is also relevant there? I don’t want to be repetitive on two threads.
I wouldn’t bother with those Digital Spy forums, they are a waste of your energy and time. You are better off here among adults than in the internet playground with bullies. The best way to deal with bullies is to ignore them. Put your efforts into the real campaign here I say. The intelligent folk will follow, and our message will not be watered down by a bunch of aggressive idiots.
Dave
I have been reading some of the posts on D/Spy and I agree with David.
Arguing with people who like to use “geriatric” as a term of abuse is a waste of time.
Maybe we ought to be writing to Bob Shennan to say we liked “The Bands that Mattered” and can we have more of the same. Carrot stick.
One interesting thing that did emerge from the D/Spy wasteland was this link about the R2 service review;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/nov/30/bbc-trust-radio-review
Scott is busy being himself again. His photo shows him in a baseball cap (why am I not surprised…)
I feel somewhat guilty that it’s been a while since I contributed to this thread. I did go onto Digital Spy, but then remembered the advice Tony Benn was given by his father, “Never wrestle with a chimney sweep”.
There have been some encouraging developments of late, not least what one correspondent in this week’s Radio Times referred to as P.D. James’ skewering of Mark Thompson on the Today programme. Yesterday an independent report by the BBC’s former head of strategy, or some such title, was critical of both the way the BBC spends the licence fee and the failure of the BBC Trust to hold it to account. And this excellent article has just appeared in the Guardian:
The Forgotten World of Pre-Rock Pop Music
Conventional wisdom has it that pop music began in the 1950s, but as early
as the 1920s, dance bands were soundtracking British life in the same way.
by Maddy Costa
London Guardian, January 15, 2010
When Bert Ambrose died, on 11 June 1971, he was down on his luck. He was the
manager of singer Kathy Kirby, whose career was in terminal decline, and his
own heyday was buried in the rubble of the second world war. Once, he had
been one of the highest-paid musicians in Britain, a pop star before such a
term was coined. He performed every Saturday night on BBC radio, recorded
countless singles, and was renowned for having an unerring ear for a hit.
But by 1971, popular culture had forgotten him.
Ambrose and his contemporaries in the 1930s dance-band scene, such as Lew
Stone, Jack Hylton and Ray Noble, were by the beginning of the 70s revered
only by the nostalgic, and those for whom rock’n'roll and everything that
followed it represented an unlistenable racket. They were beginning to
receive appreciation from jazz fans; in the same year that Ambrose died,
Albert McCarthy, a leading jazz writer of the day, published one of the
first books to celebrate the dance bands. But these refined music-makers
from an alien era had nothing to offer to kids raised on electric guitars.
Nik Cohn wrote them out of pop history in the opening chapter of his
scabrous book Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom, published in 1968, when he was 22.
Modern pop, he declared, began in the mid-50s and was raucous and wild,
while the music of the 30s was “soft, warm, sentimental… snug like a
blanket”. It was old people’s music, and it deserved to be buried in dust.
It’s true that the British dance bands of the 1920s and 30s don’t conform
much to post-rock’n'roll notions of what constitutes a pop act. They looked
more like orchestras: a bandleader up front, often with a conductor’s baton;
musicians divided into sections of rhythm, brass, wind instruments,
sometimes strings; singers who were essentially anonymous, their names only
rarely credited on recordings. Yet they formed the soundtrack to British
life, and helped to shape the pop industry that we know today.
Their existence coincided with the birth of both radio and record companies,
which freed musicians from an existence confined to theatres and music halls
– and allowed pop fans to experience their favourite songs at home without
having to play them themselves on a piano in the front room. The dance bands
quickly realised the commercial potential of these new media, and exploited
it fully. One of the more lamentable results of this savviness was a
preponderance of novelty songs in the dance bands’ discographies, from The
Teddy Bears’ Picnic to Makin’ Wickey Wackey Down in Waikiki.
Equally prevalent was the sentimental ballad, the quivering, lachrymose
music that Cohn found so distasteful. It’s true that songs like Goodnight
Sweetheart or Love Is the Sweetest Thing, both written by Ray Noble,
threaten to clog modern ears with treacle. But it’s also remarkable how
little the sentimental ballad has changed in the decades since singers like
Al Bowlly, Britain’s answer to American crooners such as Bing Crosby,
learned how to negotiate a microphone. And these 1930s songs have a
wonderful purity of emotion, comforting in its tenderness.
In between these two extremes, the dance bands adopted myriad styles and put
their stamp on a preposterous number of songs. They worked almost
ceaselessly: the leading bands performed once a week on radio, but also
nightly in a West End hotel or nightclub, plus afternoon sessions in the
recording studio, committing up to 12 songs at a time to wax. And dance-band
life presented irritations at every turn. Playing live to high-society
audiences, they had to play waltzes and foxtrots at a volume that was loud
enough to dance to, but not so loud as to disturb anyone’s conversation. It
was “oom ching, oom ching, all night long”, wrote Sid Colin, a guitarist
with the Ambrose and Lew Stone bands, in a memoir of the era. Song
publishers were in charge of the music industry, and controlled which band
could record which song, and what they could do to it. Meanwhile, the BBC –
directed by John Reith, who believed culture should provide edification, not
entertainment — frequently betrayed misgivings at allowing pop bands so
much airtime. Most strikingly, in 1929 the Corporation made the bewildering
decision to ban announcements of song titles, and even the singing of lyrics
that made the title obvious. Public outcry ensured that this edict lasted
only a few months.
If more American songs from this era are remembered today than British ones,
that’s partly because so much of the dance bands’ material was sourced from
the US. It’s in their attempt to assimilate American music — and
particularly African-American music — that the dance bands most set a
precedent for the decades of British music-making that followed their
decline. They couldn’t always pull it off: the Ambrose band’s 1933 recording
of the Johnny Mercer song Lazybones, with its deep south inflections
translated into cut-glass English by singer Sam Browne, is just execrable.
But at their best, the dance bands managed to marry an English restraint and
sophistication with a more loose-limbed style of playing adopted from
African-American jazz to create a music that thrilled “teenagers” two
decades before they were identified as a separate tribe.
Some of the jazz-inspired recordings of the 1930s are startling for their
modernist, even futuristic sounds — sounds that continued to reverberate,
decades later, in surprising ways. Message from Mars, one of many
electrifying instrumentals composed by Ambrose’s reed-player and leading
arranger Sid Phillips, contains whirring melodies that anticipated 1950s and
60s space-pop; the instrumentation in the Tornados’ 1962 chart-topper
Telstar may be different, but the sentiment isn’t. Slicing through Lew
Stone’s arrangement of a Bing Crosby hit, My Woman, is a snarling melody
that will sound familiar to anyone who knows Darth Vader’s theme music in
the Star Wars films; the same melody sampled gave a sinister undercurrent to
a 1997 No 1, Your Woman by White Town.
The sepia-tinted spectacles through which the dance bands are viewed today
wash out that modernity. We see the musicians impeccable in their evening
dress, entertaining glamorous society crowds; we don’t see them finishing a
West End job at 2am and rushing to one of the underground nightclubs such as
the Nest, a hangout for London’s almost invisible black community, to
passive-smoke pot and jam until dawn. To be fair, radio listeners of the
1930s didn’t see them that way either: it was a widespread complaint among
bands that the conservatism of audiences prevented them from being as
musically adventurous as they would have liked.
That became a problem when American dance musicians began to rethink their
relationship with jazz. Benny Goodman got the ball rolling in 1935, when his
band performed some 1920s arrangements by the black musician Fletcher
Henderson, and thus invented swing (the same process by which white singers
in 1950s America appropriated black rhythm and blues songs and created
rock’n'roll). Swing was brash, energetic, unfettered: by comparison, Sid
Colin later wrote, British dance music sounded “effete and fussily
old-fashioned”. And swing heralded other developments, notably the schism
between jazz and youth-oriented pop: on the one hand, young black musicians,
exasperated by this colonisation of jazz, evolved a more abstract music
dubbed bebop; on the other, the singers who appeared with dance bands
reacted against their accessory status and began solo careers.
British musicians wanted to respond to these changes, but as the 1930s
proceeded, the rise of Nazism became a more pressing concern. The outbreak
of war in 1939 didn’t put a stop to the dance- band scene — people still
needed entertaining, to keep morale up — but it did eradicate musical
innovation. And even when the war ended, British pop remained in stasis. New
bands came into being, notably that led by Ted Heath, previously a
trombonist with Ambrose and Geraldo, and many musicians clung to this
existence for several decades. But as the 1940s drifted into the 50s, the
only thing that passed for change in the pop scene was the unassailable rise
of the singer — and British audiences were not especially enamoured of
British singers.
It’s salient that when the American bandleader Tommy Dorsey — who had, in
the early 1940s, helped to launch the career of Frank Sinatra — invited
English singer Denny Dennis to join his band in 1948, Dennis’s British
career was in the doldrums. As far as the British were concerned, the one
vocalist who compared favourably with his American contemporaries was Al
Bowlly, and he had been killed by a bomb in April 1941. Week after week
following its launch in 1952, the NME singles chart was packed with American
names. The exceptions — Vera Lynn, Dickie Valentine, Lita Roza — had, like
their American counterparts, chiefly started their career with a dance band.
No wonder Bill Haley and the Comets’ Rock Around the Clock had such a
seismic impact on British teenagers when it arrived here in 1954: it was the
first new sound they had ever heard. Even so, the next few years of
rock’n'roll copyist British pop output were also dismissed by Cohn as “pure
farce”, sealing the impression that no British pop before the Beatles is
worthy of attention.
Not everyone has shared this dismissive attitude, and much has been done
since the 1960s to keep the dance-band sound alive. Much of that activity
has been on the fringes of pop culture: there are still bands who tour the
country performing this repertoire, plus several independent labels
dedicated to reissuing dance-band material, and internet-based radio
stations that play nothing recorded post-1960. But some of it has had a
striking effect on the mainstream. During the 1970s and 80s, film-maker
Dennis Potter did much to revive interest in the dance bands, notably with
his 1978 TV drama Pennies from Heaven, where the dreamily nostalgic
soundtrack of 1930s popular songs contrasted sharply with the dark and
challenging storyline of adultery and murder.
A revival was in the air when Potter was working, and that was reflected by
the BBC. From the early 1970s until 2008, 30 minutes of Radio 2 time each
week were dedicated to the dance-band era, latterly in a Sunday night
programme presented by DJ Malcolm Laycock. That ended when the Radio 2
producer with most responsibility for this music, Bob McDowell, decided it
was time to integrate British dance bands into a bigger picture of
-international big band music. In keeping with the BBC tradition,
established in 1929, of infuriating dance-band fans, this break with
tradition has caused uproar among listeners, who have been petitioning
furiously to have the programme reinstated.
In their way, today’s nostalgia enthusiasts are as conservative as audiences
were 80 years ago: it’s hard to imagine a compilation of music by Lew Stone,
or Ambrose, let alone the black British dance bands, topping a 21st-century
album chart the way Vera Lynn did in August this year. Because the dance
band scene atrophied while Britain was at war, the temptation to
sentimentalise this “golden age” is irresistible. But the era contained more
variety, and more excitement, than this sentimental picture gives credit for
– and until that is recognised, the dance bands will remain separate from
British pop history, buried in dust.
________________________
Britpop in the 30s: Five Classics
Lew Stone and the Monseigneur Band: My Woman
Lew Stone was renowned as one of the best arrangers in the business, and
this rewrite of an anodyne tune originally sung by Bing Crosby shows why.
Behind a vigorous Al Bowlly vocal, every note bristles with unrequited
passion and petulant fury.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqH1Q1Pe8J0
Ray Noble Orchestra: The Very Thought of You
Another Al Bowlly vocal, this time in creamily sentimental mode. The
whispering piano, shuffling percussion and mellifluous violins are
practically anaesthetising: to listen is to swoon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVoN-xmVtNA
Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra: Too Many Tears
One of 124 songs released by Ambrose and his orchestra in 1932 — and no
wonder they were so popular. The lyrics, smoothly sung by Sam Browne, may be
mournful, but the playing isn’t: it’s crisp, acerbic and blazing with
attitude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hekpj1UbFBI
Lew Stone and His Band: Tiger Rag
Stone again, this time in “hot” mode — that is, conducting spirited
jazz-inspired music that called on the fine soloists in his band, including
trumpeter Nat Gonella and trombonist Lew Davis, to razzle-dazzle with their
individual improvisations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9em5H1PfQY
Jack Hylton Orchestra: Hylton Stomp
Jack Hylton was a populist with a penchant for daft novelty songs. This 1932
instrumental, however, is something else: a heady concatenation of jazz
solos inspired by Hylton’s great hero, Duke Ellington, that shows how
thrillingly British musicians could swing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3V3LmsikHI
……………………………………………………………………………………………
As for myself, soon after Malcolm’s death I emailed McDowall on the subject of his conscience. A week later I received a letter by email from one of the BBC’s Compliance Editors, which was marked Not For Publication. It said he was aware that I was aggrieved by the decision to reduce the amount of British dance band recordings featured in Radio 2’s “Sunday Night at Ten” (and that I erroneously held Mr McDowell to be solely responsible for that decision. (Again, this is sophistry, because McDowell made it abundantly clear from the outset in his response to complaints that it was his decision). He went on to write that I had been in correspondence with McD over a number of months (untrue) and that I had also been in correspondence with the BBC’s Complaints Unit (true). He said that he was also aware of a number of postings on various message boards and blogs about this matter which the BBC continue to monitor.
He stated that in the light of Mr Laycock’s recent death my message was particularly inappropriate and insensitive. He said it was also extremely upsetting for Mr McDowell who had known Malcolm Laycock as a colleague for a number of years. I was asked to refrain from corresponding further with Mr McDowell about this matter.
I replied as follows:
I have to acknowledge receipt of the attachment which you have sent me on Mr McDowall’s behalf. It was actually unnecessary, given that my good friend Malcolm Laycock was laid to rest yesterday.
Just for the record, Mr McDowall replied to the initial complaints, from the tenor of which response I and many others understood it to have been his decision. Further, the subsequent escalation of my complaint resulted in an apology for the way in which it had been handled.
Nevertheless, if I have misjudged Mr McDowall’s involvement then I owe him an apology, which I now give.