An intelligent informed radio listener WILL switch around ~ as you say you do, but you are (with respect) I suggest over 30?

My point was all about the 30 or less (targeted) listeners who use the station. Its format is designed to ‘keep them there’, at the expense of older listeners. Basically the show offers ONE FLAVOUR RADIO, and neither stimulates or satiates anyone with more discerning, wider-ranging needs or tastes. The ahow has a virtually zero factual/educational content, it’s mainly candy-floss for the mind.

With ONLY 90 second bulletins on the hour, listeners are hardly going to get much coverage of anything, let alone well-informed comment from the (aimed at under 30) presenters?

‘Sacrificing’ two minutes of ‘presenter yap’ could resolve this mis-balance, and provide a News service that made people more ‘London aware’ beyound the shallow realms of award shows, Beyonce, Dave’s Granola and ‘behind-the scenes fun at Capital’ !

How long is a piece of string? Basically, we know the school system is letting a lot of young people down, + DROWNED in media, they are not as aware of NEWS as previous generations, Capital trying to be sociably responsible about news in 90 seconds is NOT possible. In both length and style it is a POOR service to the next generation of the country.

HOW can Capital honestly justify so little News, being in LONDON, in the middle of a Depression, in Olympic year?! They also need to make it SOUND like REAL news, not like something off CBBC with all the drum music under it?

People will LOSE the habit of using radio for News if Capital (and the others ) continue to do this, they are ‘shooting themslves in the foot’

At least THREE MINUTES, in a more formal style, is a DUTY of the radio station, and if OfCom enforced this on ALL stations this would not affect the (precious) figures, their current format ‘bows down’ to.

“Edited songs”

I did this at Trent from 1978 onwards, it’s nothing new. My philosophy was that if an artist was so indulgent as to make a single more than 3.45 long we EDITED it. Of course in those days this meant using carts, but we did it to MANY songs, no one noticed or commented. There were a few exceptions, Queen for one.

At breakfast time people are moving around and are even less likely to notice edited songs!

A radio station’s allegiance is to the audience. NOT the artist’s blown-up idea of the importance, ‘credibilty’ of their music.

Overall, I think Capital’s narrow-cast at under 30s is an irresponsible policy. As there is lessandless ‘commercial music’, and songs have a ‘radio life span’ of just a few weeks, compared to 10-15 in the 60s to 80s, it’s ‘another nail in radio’s coffin’.

Good question: how long does the news need to be to ‘be a decent length?’

I’ve not heard this but your coverage makes me think I have!

The COMMERCIAL pressure on these services is immense and inevitably takes away ‘personal’ elements.

My one observation is two minutes less of presenter ‘yap’ would have allowed the so-called ‘news’ to be of a decent length.

Was there that horrible ‘echoey drum thing’ running all under/with the ‘news’, plus vo’s by an echoey woman dropped-in?

Thank you

Len