Commercial Radio In Wales : A Case Of London Calling?

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Let me make it clear I don't listen to Jagger and Woody on Heart radio Wales in the morning. Indeed I don't listen to Matt and Polly in Capital FM Wales in the morning either. It's one of those things where personally given I'm a fifty five year old curmudgeon these shows have many factors that don't attract me listening to them. One of them being they're just too young and bright for my ageing soul.

However daughter is a fan of Jagger and Woody and she was horrified to hear the news that these shows were coming to an end. Along with the one for Smooth radio. The idea (apparently approved by the authorities)  by their parent company Global radio is that all across Britain there will be a one show from London interspersed with local weather and traffic.

Now I'm going to focus on the Welsh perspective and not the British one because obviously I don't know the latter but the decision seems stunning to me given that we're talking about popular breakfast shows. My brain is obviously too old to understand how programmes which are popular can be closed down.

Ah say the people from Global radio look at the threat from the likes of Spotify. Well yes. But cancelling programmes is not going to keep people to a particular station. If anything it will drive people away from it. Indeed if there is one type of radio music programme people will listen to it's the breakfast show (the second being the drive time show which though revamped is according to reports still going to be local - making this decision even more odd).

And you could also make the argument that this decision, intentional or not, is anti-Welsh. As I've said before I don't listen to the above shows being as I am ancient. But I would guess that the Monday programme would have been full of Wales' victory over England in the six nations on Saturday. Radio stations in Wales happy with a Welsh victory. I'd be comfortable with that.

However a London produced programme would have mentioned the match probably in passing if at all. It would also have probably been neutral as to not offend the largely English audience. Advertisers of a London based show would not be happy to have unhappy listeners. Advertisers of a Welsh based show would be quite comfortable with a show happy with a Welsh victory over the traditional sporting enemy.

So what can be done? Well irony of irony there is the BBC. There are two radio stations at breakfast time in the Welsh language. BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Cymru Mwy. BBC Radio Cymru broadcasts a radio news type programme and Cymru Mwy broadcasts a breakfast music show. Therefore why can't the English speaking BBC Radio Wales (that just broadcasts a news programme at this time) do exactly the same?

A Welsh based breakfast music show in the morning with news, weather and traffic from BBC Radio Wales. There can be no arguments about "competition" given that commercial radio, supposedly the providers of choice, want to take the choice of  popular Welsh programming away from the listener.

Until the next time.

The Need For Mr Chris Needs

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

As you can tell from writing this on Friday I did return home. I was advised that the main roads seemed fine and that as long as I was careful then everything should be OK. That is how it turned out to be.

Now that does not mean the journey was easy. There was the snow of course and those lorries that thought it was a good idea to overtake me on the motorway (I'm on the inside lane as well)  because I assumed it was a good idea to be slow because of the weather. I know. What was I thinking?

And the double caution approaching roundabouts, the need to follow clear unsnowed tracks on the road as the white stuff encroached.

There was a bit of humour. Perhaps black ice humour. As I was on the M4 the electronic roadsigns advised bilingually of "poor weather conditions". Really? Too late now!

But I got home. Announced to wife and daughter that "the snow warrior returns" (they were unimpressed).

What I do need to mention was my choice of Radio companion for the journey. Chris Needs is the late night host on BBC Radio Wales which is the station I felt I should listen to. His style is a curious mixture of flamboyance and garden fence conversation...but it works.

Now I don't normally listen to him because the music is mainly the disco, europop energy which does not in my ageing years fit to my easy listening tastes. That is not a criticism. That's just an issue of preference.

During the journey he seemed to be concentrating on his friendly chatty gossipy style. It worked for me. It didn't distract me from the task in hand but seemed calming. He illustrates again the difference between television and radio. With radio at it's best the voices can be a friend helping out even though you haven't met them.

So thankyou Mr Needs.

Until the next time.

The Insomniac Meanderings Post : Wet And Windy Edition

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well out there it's wet but not windy. Yesterday was windy and wet. Tomorrow will be weather warning windy and wet. As was Thursday. And that wasn't a fun journey from work.

I left work on Thursday around ten pm in Bridgend to near Sully. It takes about forty minutes along the A48 and is a pleasant enough drive on a normal day especially as there's little traffic around that time. Thursday night was not normal however. It was wet, remnants of hurricane windy and dark. Dark is crucial to this. For there were moments where it was difficult to see the large pools of surface water or the dead fox  lying on the middle of the road which I avoided hitting at the last minute.

And being windy the mighty Kia Picanto was buffeted but unbowed. Taking the pressures and dealing with them. I think I've said before that this was the best car I've ever driven and that night only emphasised it.

I'd picked BBC Radio Wales to listen to in case there was anything I should be aware of on the journey. The DJ for that time was Chris Needs, a larger than life character whose persona is of the slightly loud camp friend you could gossip with through various types of music (a lot of which you could boogie on down to).

That night however I understood that his flamboyance hid an exceptional broadcaster. He knew the right mood for that night. Not screaming warnings of impending disaster but as a concerned friend. Entertaining you along with the music but not distracting you with the task ahead. He was the man for that moment.

As I said normally the journey takes about forty minutes. That night it took me an hour as I was deliberately slow frightened about the consequences of skidding.

When I reached home and mentioned the journey I had all I seemed to get in response was a shrug  of the shoulders from wife and daughter. That was actually understandable. Daughter seems to have got a near flu bug which seems to be permeating around. You have all the symptoms of flu (cold, cough achy all over) but not enough to go over the edge that you cannot do things. I know people at work who have exactly the same thing (and no I'm not the carrier. Apparently kids in her class have this too).

The weather will apparently die down tomorrow evening when I'm working. Hope so. Sequels are normally more louder and brasher than the original.

Here's an interesting thing. Apparently none of the top ten names of children born in Wales last year are Welsh. So names like Gareth, Dafydd and Lowri have fallen out of favour.The worry is that it's seen as the consequence of Westminster's attempts to destroy Wales by merging it with England.

Thing though is that based on my one experience choosing a name for a child isn't easy. As it happened the wife and I quickly came to a decision on what the name would have been if the baby had been a boy but we hadn't settled on a girl's name before the birth. And given that it turned out to be a girl things came (almost literally) to a head.

Eventually we settled on a name. We settled on a middle name as well, which is Welsh. And it would be interesting to know the percentage of parents who've done that. So perhaps the issue is not as worrying as some people think.

Culture is always reflective in children's names. After all in years to come there will be people in care homes named Kylie and Jason. I'm sure they will be singing her hits swinging the zimmer frames as they do (Jason? That I doubt).

Ah well. Wife's awake now. She might have the bug daughter's got. Soon coming my way then.

Until the next time.

English World Cup Success And Welsh Football Fans

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Until the arrival of Kuwaiti money the best title for a football book ever was Colin Shindler's autobiography Manchester United Ruined My Life. That title alone explained what it was like to be a Manchester City fan when Manchester United were seemingly winning everything and their local rivals were forever struggling.

Crucially even in the rare occasions Manchester City did well. United seemed to find a way to top it by doing something just that little bit better.

Analogies can be taken so far. But I suspect that's the position Welsh football fans feel like at the moment.

Outside of Wales the ABE (Anyone But England) reaction to England's World cup success is taken as jealously. Taken as a whole I'd argue this isn't the case. For most Welsh football fans England is the team you love to hate in the same way Manchester City fans love to beat United. Having a main "bad guy" is part of being a sports fan. If you are not in a tournament then you support the team your biggest rival is facing. Simple as. As an Englishman I get this and have no problem with it.

There is though an anger (as I've explained before) at the expectation Welsh football fans should support England. The example of the BBC Radio Wales phone-in asking "Are We All English Now". Or the Principality stadium speculating on the English team for a game (note the Principality stadium) or as I've seen this morning a Twitter ad from Budweiser offering a free drink to celebrate England's success …..in England and Wales only. This sublimation of Wales' own aspirations is something happily foisted upon this nation unlike Scotland.

And of course let's not forget Secretary State for Wales and walking doormat Alun Chucky Cairns happily letting the cross of Saint George fly over the Welsh office in London. Though let's face it who was surprised Chucky didn't argue about that?

What we have also seen is a preview of attitudes by some English people post Brexit. I've written before how Welsh people should prepare to be treated by some English Brexiteers in a condescending master serf like manner that they would not try on anyone else. This has also raised anger here.

Most of all though there is a certain sense of wistfulness that the magnificent achievement that Wales, smaller in the pool of player resources it could count upon than it's larger neighbour, was able to reach the semi finals of Euro 2016 seems now to have been a long time ago. During that time when companies tried to do England team promotions in Wales, were called out and shamefacedly withdrew them.  When Wales became Wales far more than any six nations would allow. When it acted independently from anyone else. When for a short time. It seemed free.

Now that England have reached the semi finals of the World Cup Euro 2016 seems an irrelevance to English fans now. As it should be.

So what can Wales do to return to those heady 2016 moments? Well more knowledgeable football minds than me could do a better job on that issue. Starting with my wife who says the Welsh women could start the upturn qualifying for their World Cup by beating their opponents in the last qualifying match next month.

Their opponents are England.

Better keep my mouth shut on that.

Until the next time.

I Support England In The World Cup. I Do Not Expect Welsh People To Do the Same

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Well as I'm writing this England are in the quarter finals of the World Cup having beaten Colombia on penalties. Yipppee!!! The weather is still hot. England win in a penalty shoot out and you still don't think anything has changed in the world?

England now face Sweden. Who let's not forget defeated Italy to get to the World Cup in the first place. They look like a team who battles for each other. Not unlike England under Gareth Southgate. It will be a tough game I suspect.

Now I've explained in a previous post that I've no problem with supporting Welsh Independence and supporting England in the World Cup. For the simple reason that football is different. I'm not going to repeat myself here but something has happened this morning which deserves a chat. Following England's victory last night a BBC Radio Wales morning phone-in has asked the question now that England are through to the quarter finals of the World Cup "Are We All English Now"?

There is one response (well polite one anyway) to this question

Why?

Fans of Wales should not be expected to follow England. It doesn't mean that you should be condemned if you do. But what's wrong is the expectation here promulgated by the national Radio broadcaster that if England is in a competition and Wales are not then Welsh fans should like good little serfs move to the side across the bridge (yes that bridge).

Trust me also when I say that English fans will have no respect for Welsh fans who do this. And why should they? It's not their team.

Let's take the question to it's logical conclusion. If Wales are out of the six nations rugby championship and England are not should Wales rugby fans support their nearest neighbour? Or if Cardiff City are out of the FA cup but Swansea City are not should bluebird fans suddenly go all Jack? Of course not. It's a stupid, stupid, question for the BBC to broadcast. You have your own team which defines your nation's identity. It's who you are.

This though leads us into a different question.

Why did BBC Radio Wales broadcast it in the first place?

The national radio broadcaster should be representing the nation. Not discussing how it can be a lapdog of English success. Wales will not be respected as a country if it looks East in how it should think or act. For BBC Radio Wales to do this is a national disgrace from the national broadcaster.

If Welsh fans want to follow a team I'd suggest a nation that has relatively recently achieved independence in Europe. Probably the closest nation I'd suggest to Wales.

Croatia it is then.

Until the next time.