BBC radio phone-in silences the elderly

[Teddy Bear]

Another kind of bias is levelled at the BBC - Ageism
Bear in mind that these people have been forced to pay for the BBC their whole life, under penalty of a heavy fine or imprisonment if they failed to do so. Only to find that those who have been paying the longest are not welcome to participate if they live around the Solent area.

Notice the contempt that the BBC treats its public at the end of this article: A BBC spokesman said: "We do value our older listeners and it doesn't matter if you're 45 or 105" So why were they banning older listeners from calling in? No word about what they would do now. Just dismiss it with an empty claim.

These aged people lived through a World War fighting for the freedom that the BBC flouts. Bloody Bastard C**ksuckers might well be muttered under a few breaths in Solent.

BBC radio phone-in silences the elderly
By Stewart Payne
Last Updated: 1:58am GMT 15/11/2006

The BBC was accused of ageism yesterday after a leaked memo revealed that phone-in presenters on a local radio station have been barred from allowing callers who sound old on air.

Mia Costello, managing editor of BBC Radio Solent, told her broadcasters: "I don't want to hear really elderly voices."

She instructed presenters to appeal to an imaginary couple she called "Dave and Sue", who would typically be aged between 45 and 64. "Only do caller round-ups about people in this age range," she said.

Her memo was leaked after she axed several of her older broadcasters, including the BBC's disability affairs correspondent Peter White, who had a Saturday breakfast show on the station until last week. Other presenters to go included Pippa Greenwood, the gardening expert.

Mr White, 59, one of the corporation's most experienced broadcasters, condemned the policy. He started his BBC career on Radio Solent, which broadcasts to a large area of central southern England, from studios in Southampton in 1971.

Like other BBC local radio stations, many of Solent's regular listeners are aged in their sixties and above.

Mr White, who is a presenter on the Radio 4 You and Yours programme as well as a commentator on disability matters for BBC television and radio, described the memo as "condescending and contemptuous of older listeners who are as entitled to contribute to programmes as any other age group."

He questioned whether it was in the remit of the BBC, as a publicly funded broadcaster, to "disenfranchise a section of listeners who contribute to that funding as licence payers".

"I am disgusted by this," he said. "It is ageism, and one wonders who is leaning on the managing editor from a more senior level for her to write such a memo."

In it, Ms Costello said "only talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in the 45 to 64 age group". She said listeners were deserting Radio Solent for "more upbeat sounding stations".

She said broadcasters needed to "nurture" younger people and added: "Whatever your view of this policy, this is what the business needs, so please make sure you're doing the right thing." Mr White, who is blind, has presented In Touch, the Radio 4 programme for the visually impaired, since 1974. He was given one week's notice that his Radio Solent programme was being scrapped. Other presenters to go include a jazz show host, Chris Walker, and a veteran sailing correspondent, Dennis Skillicorn.

Mr White, who lives in Winchester, said he believed station bosses were "rattled" by declining audience figures.

Industry figures show that Solent has lost a quarter of its audience share in the last year.

A BBC spokesman said: "We do value our older listeners and it doesn't matter if you're 45 or 105."

[steevo]

It appears to me a 'natural' evolvement in an attempt to spread their liberal/Left ideology. Silence as many as you can reared with Western values of liberty, democracy and Judeo/Christian influence, and monopolize your influence with those more susceptible, conditioned with secular progressive anti-Western values.

Its also another example of their comtempt for true multiculturalism which has always been just a tool, to cause guilt on the one hand and create a self-image of do-good on the other, but deluded and blatantly hypocritical.

The only question for me with Ms Costello is the same I have with many from the Left and their manipulations to control information: how much do they actually believe their justifications?

[Teddy Bear]

Heard a joke today - How many people work at the BBC?

Answer: About a third of them.

Here is the story from a local paper. First there is the actual memo sent by Mia Costello. I would say that she's done it to try and make the station more attractive, but rather than find more attractive formats, presenters, and ideas, they do the most unimaginative thing. It really highlights the contempt they have for their listeners - you know the ones that pay their salary regardless. Roll on the day that a government finally puts an end to the public funding of this utterly corrupt and overly self important behemoth.

Worth actually clicking on the link to this story and reading the comments after it. It shows why people are so turned off this station.

Memo from Mia Costello, managing editor, BBC Radio Solent.

Morning all. Whatever job you do on station, make sure this week, you broadcast to DAVE AND SUE - people in their fifties. ONLY put on callers sounding in the 45-64 range...I don't want to hear really elderly voices... ONLY talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in this age range... ONLY do caller round ups about people in this age range. MAKE SURE YOU PLAY 6-8 DISCS AN HOUR - YES 6-8 DISCS AN HOUR!! REMEMBER - even the older listeners (65+) are leaving us for more upbeat sounding stations.... If we don't, our business won't survive!! Our listeners will have died out and we won't have nurtured up any younger people...that's fact - not fiction... the RAJAR figures show this. Whatever your view of this policy, this is what the business needs, so please make sure you're doing the right thing. Any questions, just see me.

You are too old at 65, BBC tells listeners
By Andrew Napier

A STAR radio presenter believes BBC Radio Solent should ditch its controversial new policy aimed at younger listeners.

Peter White, 59, whose show at the station has been axed, described an internal memo leaked to the Daily Echo as insulting and degrading.

An elderly people's charity added that the communication was "clearly ageist".

BBC Radio Solent's managing editor Mia Costello wrote to staff ordering them to aim their broadcasts at an imaginary couple in their 50s. The leaked memo said presenters should:
Only put on callers sounding in the 45-64 age range. I don't want to hear really elderly voices.
Only talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in this age range.
Only do caller round-ups about people in this age range.

The e-mail was sent to staff on October 16 and this week, amid plummeting listener figures, the station announced major changes, axing blind presenter Mr White and Sunday night jazz show presenter Chris Walker, Top Soil presenter Pippa Greenwood and sailing correspondent Dennis Skillicorn.

Age Concern Hampshire director Chris Perry said: "The phrase really elderly voices' is clearly ageist.

"It is the assumption that people's voices go with age. But Julio Inglesias doesn't sound in his 70s, neither does Bruce Forsyth."

Mr Perry said he would be writing to Ms Costello voicing his concerns.

The Daily Echo spoke to Mr White, who lives in Winchester and runs The Mash Tun pub. He said: "The BBC will probably have to change its attitude over this. It's insulting to the age group they are now trying to attract. It is degrading."

A BBC spokesman said: "We do value our older listeners and it doesn't matter if you're 45 or 105. What matters to us is that our output sounds lively and engaging and appeals to the young at heart. Our up- and-coming audience are 45 and upwards and all our research shows that we mustn't be staid. Out of context these notes sound harsh and we apologise if they offend anyone."

The Daily Echo revealed yesterday how Radio Solent had decided to axe several well-known presenters and bring in a new line up of voices including TV's Sally Taylor as well as Georgina Windsor and Lucy Warhurst.

The move is a response to latest figures showing how Radio Solent has lost a quarter of its audience share in the past year to other local stations including Wave FM.

[steevo]

^{I would say that she's done it to try and make the station more attractive, but rather than find more attractive formats, presenters, and ideas, they do the most unimaginative thing. It really highlights the contempt they have for their listeners - you know the ones that pay their salary regardless.}

Yes I believe you're right. So I'll give her some credit

[Teddy Bear]

I think it's not by chance that 'liberal' thinkers are not capable of creativity. All they can do is repeat worn out mantras and deride those who they perceive are right wing. I wouldn't give her too much credit Steevo, certainly none for creativity or respect for listeners.

[steevo]

No the credit just extended to her primary motivation being the survival of the show.

Its a good story. A small taste of satisfaction watching their snooty feet held to the fire.

[Teddy Bear]

"A small taste of satisfaction watching their snooty feet held to the fire"
Somehow the image created by the words 'taste' and 'feet' in one sentence applied to anyone involved in the BBC gives me a queezy feeling. I get the word 'putrifaction' more than 'satisfaction'

[indikit]

"Morning all. Whatever job you do on station, make sure this week, you broadcast to DAVE AND SUE - people in their fifties. ONLY put on callers sounding in the 45-64 range...I don't want to hear really elderly voices... ONLY talk about things that are positive and appealing to people in this age range... ONLY do caller round ups about people in this age range. MAKE SURE YOU PLAY 6-8 DISCS AN HOUR - YES 6-8 DISCS AN HOUR!! REMEMBER - even the older listeners (65+) are leaving us for more upbeat sounding stations.... If we don't, our business won't survive!! Our listeners will have died out and we won't have nurtured up any younger people...that's fact - not fiction... the RAJAR figures show this. Whatever your view of this policy, this is what the business needs, so please make sure you're doing the right thing. Any questions, just see me."

Well if this jolly-hocky-sticks memo puts paid to anything, it's material proof that the BBC care less about public service broadcasting and more about viewing figures. Mind you, this must be the ONLY mandate ever put into practise by the BBC that actually involves catering for the tastes of the majority over the minority.

I like the DAVE & SUE reference. Nice patronizing touch. I don't know why she didn't go the whole hog and just write "the plebs".

[Teddy Bear]

In a continuation of this story, even some of the BBC presenters are complaining about the ageist BBC.

Age discrimination is rife within the BBC, but they get away with it'
By Stewart Payne
Last Updated: 12:35am GMT 22/01/2007



The BBC faced accusations of "ageism" from its own employees yesterday as a Daily Telegraph inquiry revealed mounting anger from local radio staff who claim they have been told to keep old people off the air.

At the heart of their resentment is an imaginary couple created by Corporation bosses called Dave and Sue, to whom all presenters are told to aim programming.

The BBC is accused of turning its back on older, loyal listeners who make up the backbone of the local radio audience. It is said to be "disenfranchising" elderly licence payers in the search for a younger audience in the face of flagging ratings.

advertisementOne producer, who asked not to be named, said: "Local radio is the closest the BBC ever really gets to the people who pay the licence fee. But we are discouraged from putting the over-65s on air during phone-ins and to find topics that appeal to 'Dave and Sue', who exist in the imagination of BBC focus groups."

Another said she received an internal memo which told presenters not to put "squeaky" voices on air, a reference to the elderly.

"Age discrimination is rife within the BBC, but they get away with it," she said. "They have put pictures of Dave and Sue on studio walls, grinning down on us, as a constant reminder of what is supposed to be our target audience. But we know our audience because we meet them, opening fetes, at coffee mornings and WI talks."

She said the BBC was dumping older, popular, broadcasters and hiring programme controllers and presenters from commercial radio.

"It is not just the listeners who are being discriminated against, it is the presenters."

The Telegraph can reveal that Dave and Sue have a complete lifestyle profile, a young-thinking couple in their early 50s.

They emerged from a BBC study called Operation Bullseye, which concluded that older people are getting younger in their attitudes and interests. Literature distributed to local radio stations said: "Dave and Sue live in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural England". Dave is a self-employed plumber, Sue a school secretary, and both have children from previous marriages. They shop at Asda, wear T-shirts and fleeces, and grew up in the Beatles generation. They have lived through a period of change. One of their children has entered a mixed-race marriage, although the BBC calls this "mixed heritage".

In November the Telegraph reported on a leaked memo to staff at BBC Radio Solent in Hampshire. The email from Mia Costello, the managing editor, said: "I don't want to hear really elderly voices". She reminded her staff about Dave and Sue and said: "Only do caller round-ups about people in this age range."

Although she later apologised to listeners for causing offence, the Telegraph received many calls from BBC local radio staff across the network. All expressed concern that the "Dave and Sue" approach was deliberately alienating older listeners.

One, a producer in the north of England, said: "Yes, it is important to appeal to younger listeners. But the current attitude seems to be to 'bin off' the over-65s."

A presenter, who recently gave up her BBC job in the Midlands in frustration, said: "All the stations in my area have lost good, talented and popular presenters, to be replaced by younger broadcasters who have no feel for their audience."

A senior BBC source said some local radio stations had "shockingly low" audiences in the evening. "If you are not careful, then phone-ins are populated by elderly people, and that may not be the most stimulating radio." He added: "There is no conspiracy to get old people off the air. The trick we are trying to perform is to serve the 40 and 50 year olds and, in doing so, make it an attractive service for all."

Tim Brassell, a BBC regional network spokesman, said: "All we are saying to presenters is to keep in the back of their minds what Dave and Sue would like. But we are still there for our older listeners."