[Tunster]

I don't get the slight negativity. I'm personally enjoying the much more laid back Chris. Less pressure to present and some of this week's content has been really funny. Yes, the lack of stapled features is annoying, but what can you do when Global forces competitions on the show almost every week? There isn't the time. Plus adverts will always get in the way of Chris' continuity.

I've noticed some of the news for top of the hour has been getting later and later (one went to 9:10!) I'm just wondering if Chris is letting loose some of his own chains to see how far he can push the exec producers and bosses at Global.

4 weeks off!? I do wonder if Global are willing to keep him on with these caveats ready to move him on to Capital? They've got to look at keeping Capital's growth going. Dave Berry has been there since 2012 and might need a refresh at some point.

[hdsport82]

I don't get the slight negativity. I'm personally enjoying the much more laid back Chris. Less pressure to present and some of this week's content has been really funny. Yes, the lack of stapled features is annoying, but what can you do when Global forces competitions on the show almost every week? There isn't the time. Plus adverts will always get in the way of Chris' continuity.

I've noticed some of the news for top of the hour has been getting later and later (one went to 9:10!) I'm just wondering if Chris is letting loose some of his own chains to see how far he can push the exec producers and bosses at Global.

4 weeks off!? I do wonder if Global are willing to keep him on with these caveats ready to move him on to Capital? They've got to look at keeping Capital's growth going. Dave Berry has been there since 2012 and might need a refresh at some point.

I can't see him going to Capital even with Ashley being in day to day charge (baring a big change in remit/direction). Maybe 5 years ago but if it was the plan after he's done 3 years at Radio X he would be by then in his mid 40s before even starting.

As for the negativity I think the show just no longer feels like the 'event' it used to be obviously the audience is smaller which is a major factor. He is still clearly an excellent broadcaster and Pippa is fast becoming a great 'Moyles producer' in both the off air and crucially (for a CM show) the on air aspects.

He's clearly got freedom that most commercial DJ's would never get but the competitions etc. do just kill the shows momentum for me to the point I often switch off and don't switch back on until the next day. The videos will be more than sufficient for anything I miss. The month long break may have a similar effect when he was last on holiday I forgot completely he was back and had been listening to my normal combination of podcasts and Today programme until I checked Twitter and I just didn't feel that bothered about having missed it.

[Tunster]

I can't see him going to Capital even with Ashley being in day to day charge (baring a big change in remit/direction). Maybe 5 years ago but if it was the plan after he's done 3 years at Radio X he would be by then in his mid 40s before even starting.

I don't get why age matters. Chris Moyles still appeals to a wide spectrum of people, but I feel he's really uncomfortable with the Radio X music format. Whether Moyles is waiting for a BBC Radio 2 move, I'm not so sure. There's plenty ahead of him (I personally don't get how Fearne Cotton has moved there already!)

As for the negativity I think the show just no longer feels like the 'event' it used to be obviously the audience is smaller which is a major factor. He is still clearly an excellent broadcaster and Pippa is fast becoming a great 'Moyles producer' in both the off air and crucially (for a CM show) the on air aspects.

Adverts, competitions, lack of wider personnel... there's probably much more influence from exec producers and top management on the show. I don't think the lack of "millions" in listenership really make much impact. Chris still gets a lot of response on text/twitter etc. Yes it may impact on-air features, but that's down to Chris' creativity. Those R1 days are long gone and maybe the 'event' factor is down to Chris' limitations on-air because of ads and other external influences.

He's clearly got freedom that most commercial DJ's would never get but the competitions etc. do just kill the shows momentum for me to the point I often switch off and don't switch back on until the next day. The videos will be more than sufficient for anything I miss. The month long break may have a similar effect when he was last on holiday I forgot completely he was back and had been listening to my normal combination of podcasts and Today programme until I checked Twitter and I just didn't feel that bothered about having missed it.

I've managed to pull myself back into regular listening by tuning in from 7:30 onwards on my mobile. I'm not allowed to keep my radio alarm on for more than 5 second these days, so I miss the 6:30 - 7am chat). I remember dipping out in the R1 days, but as you quite rightly say; there isn't that feeling that I've missed out. But at the same time, you can easily get back into the shows flow.

I honestly think Radio X brand sucks out Chris' energy by being that "Dad Rock" station. Chris works best with Top 40 and maybe might end up being a Radio 2 style presenter or even could do well as a radio talk show host with limited music (similar to BBC Local). Chris Moyles is a big problem for the Global brand. Where do you put him without potentially disrupting other brands, advertisers? They created Radio X to limit the impact.

[Nicola_Red]

Today I flipped over to R1 for a minute while they played the reverse words pizza call, cos prank phone calls make me feel physical pain, I hate them so much.

When I realised it was Scott and Chris on R1 rather than Grimmy, I didn't switch back to X.

So yeah. I don't mean to be negative but...that's how it is for me now. Argh.

[hdsport82]

I don't get why age matters. Chris Moyles still appeals to a wide spectrum of people, but I feel he's really uncomfortable with the Radio X music format. Whether Moyles is waiting for a BBC Radio 2 move, I'm not so sure. There's plenty ahead of him (I personally don't get how Fearne Cotton has moved there already!)
act.

Age isn't automatically a factor but I don't think he'd be any more comfortable with the music format of a 15-34 station anymore. Radio 2 is probably the best fit music wise in that he'll be able to play more older stuff that doesn't fit Radio X but not sure there's going to be a weekday opening for him anytime soon. The priority (although not confirmed) will be to get a female voice on daytime when one of Evans, Bruce, Vine, Wright or Mayo leaves.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/ ... nter#img-1

The other factor is Capital Breakfast (and drive) isn't national is it? I think Heart Breakfast (London) is now on DAB thanks to Heart Extra but it would need Ofcom approval for it to go national and that seems unlikely as it would be spelling the end of what little locally produced radio Global still does.

[Misfit]

I don't get why age matters. Chris Moyles still appeals to a wide spectrum of people, but I feel he's really uncomfortable with the Radio X music format. Whether Moyles is waiting for a BBC Radio 2 move, I'm not so sure. There's plenty ahead of him (I personally don't get how Fearne Cotton has moved there already!)
act.

Age isn't automatically a factor but I don't think he'd be any more comfortable with the music format of a 15-34 station anymore. Radio 2 is probably the best fit music wise in that he'll be able to play more older stuff that doesn't fit Radio X but not sure there's going to be a weekday opening for him anytime soon. The priority (although not confirmed) will be to get a female voice on daytime when one of Evans, Bruce, Vine, Wright or Mayo leaves.
.

I reckon Steve Wright will be next to go. Even my dad who used to love him is moaning its the same thing day after day. Digital spy users hate him. I don't mind serious jockin but the rest of the time is tedious at best.

Sara Cox will get a regular slot I think.

Misfit

[hdsport82]

I reckon Steve Wright will be next to go. Even my dad who used to love him is moaning its the same thing day after day. Digital spy users hate him. I don't mind serious jockin but the rest of the time is tedious at best.

Sara Cox will get a regular slot I think.

Yeah I agree she's the obvious choice for any of the daytime slots, except perhaps Vine's which might be more suited to someone like Vanessa Feltz (out of the current presenters). Wright has been doing the exact same show for decades and it soon must be time for him to go.

[G-Sizzle]

Wow, they are milking these reverse words aren't they? Any chance of new material???


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tico987]

Yeah I agree about competitions as well - they're only really of any interest to the person on the line who might win. It's much different to stuff like Carpark Catchphrase and what have you where listeners were just for the craic and would largely be Chris taking the piss out of them or something.

Listening to the scripted nonsense about how Brand ABC is offering you the chance to win X....Brand ABC is great, blah blah blah.

Appreciate this is all a little churlish.

[Tunster]

Wow, they are milking these reverse words aren't they? Any chance of new material???

Yup. I love them, but as a once a week feature though. I get a feeling they're not able to or want to embed regular features through-out the week because they need to jump on anything that gets a reaction out of the audience.

I don't feel this is Chris' influence though as I'm sure the last RAJARs have upped the pressure to avoid a media attack on a new radio brand only one year in.

Yeah I agree about competitions as well - they're only really of any interest to the person on the line who might win. It's much different to stuff like Carpark Catchphrase and what have you where listeners were just for the craic and would largely be Chris taking the piss out of them or something.

Listening to the scripted nonsense about how Brand ABC is offering you the chance to win X....Brand ABC is great, blah blah blah.

Appreciate this is all a little churlish.

I've managed to firewall the ads and Global pushed crap when listening as I hate changing around. It's Chris' innovation vs Global's bland radio rubbish. I'm more interested if Chris can convince Global to change their ways and loosen up a bit.

Another note, I'm glad Chris convinced Dom to join the show. Without him, the show would be without the nuggets of comedy gold.

[VMPhil]

They've been messing around with the on-screen song information recently, so they've appeared on the Compare My Radio database:

http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/Oooh_P ... s_An_Idiot
http://comparemyradio.com/tracks/Frothy ... abestation

[Yudster]

I reckon Steve Wright will be next to go. Even my dad who used to love him is moaning its the same thing day after day. Digital spy users hate him. I don't mind serious jockin but the rest of the time is tedious at best.

Sara Cox will get a regular slot I think.

Yeah I agree she's the obvious choice for any of the daytime slots, except perhaps Vine's which might be more suited to someone like Vanessa Feltz (out of the current presenters). Wright has been doing the exact same show for decades and it soon must be time for him to go.

Vanessa Feltz is ABSOLUTELY APPALLING. Her show is really really horrible - thank goodness that I mostly only get the last garbled repetitive fake fawning awful and technically incompetent ten minutes of it. Its enough.

[hdsport82]

I reckon Steve Wright will be next to go. Even my dad who used to love him is moaning its the same thing day after day. Digital spy users hate him. I don't mind serious jockin but the rest of the time is tedious at best.

Sara Cox will get a regular slot I think.

Yeah I agree she's the obvious choice for any of the daytime slots, except perhaps Vine's which might be more suited to someone like Vanessa Feltz (out of the current presenters). Wright has been doing the exact same show for decades and it soon must be time for him to go.

Vanessa Feltz is ABSOLUTELY APPALLING. Her show is really really horrible - thank goodness that I mostly only get the last garbled repetitive fake fawning awful and technically incompetent ten minutes of it. Its enough.

Oh I agree she's appalling the reason why I say she'd be more suited than Sara for Vine's slot is that it is more of a talk-based news and current affairs show (aka Daily Mail FM) and she did something similar at BBC London where as Sara hasn't really (not to say she couldn't). Of course it would be better if they found someone else I was just suggesting someone out of the current lineup.

[rocka23]

I've enjoyed Anneka Rice when I have heard her, think she could do the Jeremy Vine slot well.

[Misfit]

According to a post on digital spy

"Chris Moyles is taking 4 weeks off in August, starting next week.
The first 2 weeks will be ‘best of’, and Vernon Kaye will cover the other 2 weeks."

I find it hard to believe a national station would schedule two weeks repeats/best of at Primetime!? that's shocking!

[bmstinton93]

Today I flipped over to R1 for a minute while they played the reverse words pizza call, cos prank phone calls make me feel physical pain, I hate them so much.

When I realised it was Scott and Chris on R1 rather than Grimmy, I didn't switch back to X.

So yeah. I don't mean to be negative but...that's how it is for me now. Argh.

As much as I still have to listen to Chris Moyles, Scott and Chris are the best radio show going right now. I thoroughly enjoy turning over during the adverts.

[neilt0]

S'CAPITAL!

[Misfit]

You know the whole "pranking by messing with the digital radio read outs"

they were doing it in 2006

http://chrismoyles.net/soundvault/sound ... ileid=1564

[fish heads]

Interesting posts here – firstly I find the four weeks holiday thing a bit outrageous. I don’t blame Moyles for taking it, but it’s a bit suicidal of Radio X to agree to it. Very unusual outside of Christmas for a primetime radio show to be pre-recorded, never mind a “best of”. I do know occasionally in Australia in drivetime they do play out best-ofs when the main hosts are away, but never at breakfast. I get the impression that whilst Chris likes Vernon, but he knows a lot of people tune off Radio X whilst he fills in (myself included, I’ll be back to Radio 1 for the duration). The conversation he had about “who would you like to fill in for us” the other week whilst a bit jokey had more of a hint than “come on, anyone but Vernon”. Now it should be said I like Vern, but he isn’t really a breakfast DJ. The only semi-serious suggestion seemed be Elis and John – I can’t seem them doing it though. Long shot – I’d get Colin Murray in when he leaves Talksport. Was great on music radio and is a broadcaster who learned his trade on the radio.

Secondly to the show itself. Some belting posts here, but I was thinking this morning, if this is the last week of “lives” for four weeks, Moyles will be next back on in September. So that means the show is pretty much had a year on air now, and for me the biggest problem is that it just doesn’t have an identity. I don’t think it helps he takes so many breaks so the show never seems to get going – he had a massive run up to Christmas uninterrupted which I can understand, but now it’s so disjointed. I don’t listen all show every day but the show isn’t really built around anything regular. There have only been two instances where I downloaded the full show from here to listen back, and those have been interviews. I also think the show is a bit ill at ease with the rest of the Radio X content – compare it to drive and Johnny Vaughn (which I think is a very good show) and it’s a completely different station. That should be Radio X’s problem rather than Moyles’s, granted, but it must be hard to build and retain an audience like that.

How to put it right though – well I don’t know. As David said, it isn’t a bad show, it’s actually a good one. But it isn’t excellent and Moyles has been excellent in the past. Hard to put my finger on, except to say it still feels like a show that is “bedding in” after a year on air. The characters are right – Dom and Chris are a dream team, but I think they are bit more reserved with what they share on air compared to the R1 days and Masterman has fit in perfectly and knows what good radio sounds like. I think Pippa is a good foil to the boys too. That said, there is only so many times you can hear “tell a friend, get a DAB radio for your car, how can we increase listeners conversations”. Have those conversations off air – it makes you sound ill at ease with your own content. That does make me sound hypocritical as some of the best Moyles links have been them discussing problems on air, but jeez guys there is only so many times you can joke Radio X is a tinpot station before the public believe it.

On the upside, I genuinely think Chris is enjoying the show and being back on air, but I wonder if he’s coming up against more resistance than he anticipated. Despite what was said earlier in the thread I can’t see him going to Radio 2 (Steve Wright especially ain’t going anywhere. He gets 7 million listeners, even if a handful of people complain on Digital Spy, it’s one of the biggest shows in the country). If he did, he’d have to adapt a bit from the current zoo format. The only other options are probably Absolute – Christian O’Connell again is going nowhere – or Virgin. Virgin as it stands is probably a lot better fit for Chris, even if it’s playlist is all over the shop. I wonder if they approached him before Radio X did. I imagine if they did, I bet Radio X’s (limited) FM reach probably swayed him. That could change now they have been bought out by Murdoch though. Talk Radio might even be a good fit – although that is a bit tin pot.

[MitchOnAStick]

The show definitely has no identity. I can't say that I've heard any other Radio X show but I would be surprised if it didn't feel like a different radio station. Even on Radio 1, Moyles kinda set the tone for the likes of Fearne and Scott. It didn't feel out of place and the station as a whole had a purpose. In that regard, I'd be inclined to think that Radio X itself has an identity crisis and that's not really good for Chris, but they just want someone to bring up the ratings. I imagine Radio X will find itself long after Chris has departed.

The first half hour of the show sounds as good as can be expected, although it does hammer home how much an extra team member would add. As soon as the first half hour is done though, it feels like an admittedly better version of any commercial breakfast show you hear anywhere else. I know I'm treading old ground on this, but I made a point this weekend of going through the show archive and choosing any random R1 breakfast show from 2008 and comparing it to today's show on its own merits. The difference is frightening. The conversations are so different: less "so I was in California" and more of what felt like real people living lives not too dissimilar to ours. The rotating cast also brought new tales to every segment and no one ever became annoying through overexposure. How I miss the days of "_____ will be in after 9 so we can catch up with them". The lack of songs and adverts also helped the flow of show, but we all know this already. It is crazy how much fresher and better and urgent the old shows felt though.

Ultimately I don't think the difference is Comedy Dave or the adverts or the lack of team members or the overexposure of Pippa/Masterman or anything else. The key difference to me is and always will be that Chris Moyles was a man proving himself on the grandest radio stage against all doubters within his own institution, and is now a proven commodity who is doing a favour to a friend whilst he packs his bags for California. Do we really think that plopping Dave Vitty into a seat next to them will fix everything? This is what the show is now. It's better than nothing, but if Chris takes any more holiday then we'll be closer to the latter than the former.

[JayE]

Oof...... http://radiotoday.co.uk/2016/08/rajar-q ... nd-brands/

Chris Moyles has 82,000 less listeners than he did three months ago nationally at breakfast, with his weekly reach down from 776,000 to 694,000. The national station has also lost 51,000 listeners quarter on quarter taking it down to 1.18m weekly reach, but is a 33% increase compared with 12 months ago.

[hdsport82]

Oof...... http://radiotoday.co.uk/2016/08/rajar-q ... nd-brands/

Chris Moyles has 82,000 less listeners than he did three months ago nationally at breakfast, with his weekly reach down from 776,000 to 694,000. The national station has also lost 51,000 listeners quarter on quarter taking it down to 1.18m weekly reach, but is a 33% increase compared with 12 months ago.

I can't say I'm that surprised. I wonder what the odds would be of Chris seeing out the whole 3 years of his contract let alone extending it. The impending month off seems like an even stranger decision (even if it's to compensate for the uninterrupted run from launch to Christmas year), surely when he returns there will need to be some changes to the show.

The other thing is a the ad campaign that started during Euro 2016 fell during the last couple of week's of fieldwork for these results maybe it will have an effect in Q3 but with the month long break and summer holidays who knows.

Interesting that (the new) Virgin Radio without any FM presence and on the less widely reached D2 multiplex has got 490k from a standing start.

[Yudster]

... jeez guys there is only so many times you can joke Radio X is a tinpot station before the public believe it.

What's not to believe? It IS a tinpot station. Its credentials as a national broadcaster are flimsy at best and in reality non-existent because the fact still remains that for the vast majority of people who listen to the radio are like me, they still want to be able to switch on the RADIO and listen. I can do that and hear Chris Evans. I'd prefer to be able to hear Chris Moyles, but Evans is good enough. The idea that we have to change our habits in order to be able to accommodate our entertainment is bonkers. Entertainment needs to slot in with people, not the other way around.

[bringiton]

Grateful he's back, waited ages for the return but damn the show is just not good It's August now and i'm still waiting to hear Aled or comedy Dave interrupt with something daft for Chris to go barmy over. The past is the past but if the future is dire I just can't enjoy it. He plays a lot of music now because I think he just can't broadcast like he used to, though to be fair all the years being on radio i'd have nout left to say, but the playlist is bad and repetitive. I hope the 4 weeks is a time for a re brand and a different step towards the show but I doubt it.

[welshblob]

... The idea that we have to change our habits in order to be able to accommodate our entertainment is bonkers. Entertainment needs to slot in with people, not the other way around.

I know I've selectively quoted you here but I find this comment a bit "bonkers" to use your phrase . I think, in general, we all make allowances to seek out entertainment that appeals to us, I know I do. In the context of radio though I am getting the impression, based on Moyles' rajars, that there is a large % of listeners that just have a radio tuned to their usual station and as long as its "good enough" and they will just accept it for the period they listen to it, maybe more as background noise. There will of course be listeners who engage with the content, seeking it out, and those who are put off by it and make and effort to retune to something else. This is what i think happens with R1 and R2. I'd therefore be interested to know if there are any calculations that can me made based on the ratings that moyles has currently, and other DAB national stations, to extrapolate them to being on national FM.

One other thing R1 and R2 has is the backing of the BBC and how it opens certain doors and enables a show to feel current. So things like access to Wimbledon, F1, Olympics, comic/sport relief which all fit in with what is happening at the time and also integrating into these being promoted across the rest of the BBC. Would Moyles being on radio x get to run with an Olympic torch if they were held in london this year, not a hope in hell. Also its clear that any celebrity promotions happening then the BBC shows will have the guests at around 8. Whereas Chris may get them after 9 and maybe off the back of some promotion they are doing for other Global shows. I'm sure Chris knows this and expected it to some degree after leaving the BBC and why Nick Grimshaw and Chris Evans should make hay whilst the sun shines. Evans even more so having had a recent taste of unpopularity outside of the comfort of his breakfast show.

One concerning thing for me is the comment that Chris made this morning regarding "This is the show, like it or leave it", paraphrasing there but that statement feels like it won't progress or evolve which every show needs to do. There appeared to be more effort on the old show around contract resigning time to freshen things again and trips down to the pub to think of new ideas. So maybe Chris being too comfortable is a bad thing as there is nothing really pushing him to innovate or have a wider appeal. I still think he needs regular features at regular times for a breakfast audience to anchor their morning around. Not necessarily the old features but new ones that allows Chris to bounce off and riff which is what he is good at.

So yes I agree the show isn't the same/as good as it used to be for some of the reasons above. Some aren't able to be changed, some are within Chris' control so its up to him. However its still good enough for me to put the extra effort in to seek it out, listen to at other times and to the podcast.

Wow that was quite serious. Anyway I'm a moron and I love horses, they are the best of all the animals.