Longitude on R4

[Kilo]

Melvyn & co explaining and contextualising longitude "in our time" on Radio 4 this morning.
Tools down, ears engaged.
Well worth a listen.

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Longitude

 

[Praxinoscope]

Well worth listening to, heard it all this morning but will probably listen to it again, there is an edited version on Radio 4 at 21.30 this evening.

 

[MADRIGAL]

I shall miss programmes like this. It is a shame that the BBC has decided to make R4 an archive channel and to cease making new content for it. Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

 

[DJE]

I can't understand the obsession with getting a younger audience. They eventually grow up and turn into Radio 4 listeners quite naturally.

 

[Caraway]

Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

Really? Gosh!

 

[lustyd]

They eventually grow up and turn into Radio 4 listeners quite naturally.

Not necessarily, younger audiences tend towards other channels to get their content such as TV and the Internet. People aren't growing old and deciding that books are actually great after all, they carry on reading online and on Kindles.
It's not that the content isn't being made, it's just no longer being made for an increasingly irrelevant medium.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=longitude

 

[Ink]

I shall miss programmes like this. It is a shame that the BBC has decided to make R4 an archive channel and to cease making new content for it. Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

Archers in my opinion is truly dreadful. It occasionally raises some worthwhile issues but for long weeks and months in mindbendingly boring.

Ink

 

[mjcoon]

I shall miss programmes like this. It is a shame that the BBC has decided to make R4 an archive channel and to cease making new content for it. Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

Surely that's R4 Extra, not the parent R4...

 

[mjcoon]

Melvyn & co explaining and contextualising longitude "in our time" on Radio 4 this morning.
Tools down, ears engaged.
Well worth a listen.

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Longitude

I shall enjoy comparing it with Dava Sobel's "Longitude". I hope Melvyn doesn't interrupt the experts too much...

 

[Caraway]

Surely that's R4 Extra, not the parent R4...

[/pedant]

 

[Kilo]

[/pedant]

Bit harsh maybe? I was glad for the clarification. I'd hate to lose R4, on the other hand I'm not a fan of the Archers & would happily never hear another second... Over to 6 Music the moment the signiture tune comes on.
4 extra, rarely bother unless they're repeating Goon show or Clue.

 

[Kilo]

Surely that's R4 Extra, not the parent R4...

I hope so.

 

[Kilo]

I shall enjoy comparing it with Dava Sobel's "Longitude". I hope Melvyn doesn't interrupt the experts too much...

I think they got the balance right this time.

 

[mjcoon]

[/pedant]

The distinction is important, especially if going to declare the death of (e.g.) In our Time on that basis!

 

[mjcoon]

Over to 6 Music the moment the signature tune comes on.

That would probably be a rock or a hard place to my preferences, but have never heard 6 Music... Many years ago Humphrey Lyttleton's jazz programme got moved to (IIRC) Radio 1. The audible disdain with which he announced the network each time was wonderful!

 

[roblpm]

I hope so.

I think it's BBC4 tv BBC Four to become archive channel as cost-cutting drive continues

 

[SimonFa]

I shall miss programmes like this. It is a shame that the BBC has decided to make R4 an archive channel and to cease making new content for it. Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

Part of the problem is that podcasts are now a very big thing and you can find some good ones on almost anything and part of the BBC's remit is not to compete against a nascent market.

I found at least 3 podcasts on the subject of longitude. I can't vouch for how good they are I haven't listed but there's never a guarantee the BBC will do a good job.

I wanted to know more about Bismark, the person not the ship, and found loads, including In Our Time. The one I settled on was by a history PhD student and after 20 hours we've only got to the war with Denamrk in 1864. The others range from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, so all tastes covered. The definitive History of Rome podcast from Mike Duncan runs to over 80 hours. The BBC rarely produces that sort of documentary series and when they do they always seem to be dumbed down.

Its a shame in a way, but young people increasingly aren't paying the licence fee and that problem is only going to get worse, they won't suddenly wake up on their 40th birthday and decide they'd better start paying it. Money has to be saved.

 

[GHA]

Part of the problem is that podcasts are now a very big thing and you can find some good ones on almost anything and part of the BBC's remit is not to compete against a nascent market.

Indeed, so many podcasts around now, some very good ones ...
BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time - Podcasts

 

[newtothis]

Apparently, younger audiences don’t tune in to In Our Time and The Archers.

That's why it's called Radio 4 (Old People).

 

[penfold]

Part of the problem is that podcasts are now a very big thing and you can find some good ones on almost anything and part of the BBC's remit is not to compete against a nascent market.

Where is drivel like this from? The BBC was a pioneer in creating podcasts, besides a podcast is just an audio file that can be downloaded, the wireless on demand. Fatuous rubbish from some overpaid shiny-bottomed wazzock. Quite how the BBC is competing with 80 hr death-by-history-athons or verbal grace notes produced by someone in their bedroom is not clear to me.

Many commentators have pointed out that the BBC is rapidly approaching a existential crisis as the young abandon TV and don't get a TV licence, Portillo offering a particularly lucid critique and suggesting it might already be too late to retrieve the situation. The loss of the overpaid wazzocks will not be mourned here.