Central West and BBC Midlands Thread

I've now found I can get the Brum multiplex.(Caught a bit of Boyden on his last week on Crapital Gold Birmingham breakfast! Tom Ross back next week from hols. (Anyone hear that story last week about him being mugged while away?))

Tom Manners has been 'burning the candle' at both ends, sitting in for a flu ridden Mollie Green for the past couple of days & doing the evening shows too. He was also sitting in for Daz Hale on Saturday mornings too!

Oh & happy birthday to Doolan too. He's 63 today !!!

(It's Danny Kelly's birthday on Aug 1. He's just mentioned it !)

Wednesday 21st July 2004

During Breakfast, the Midlands Today region got an East Midlands Today bulletin in the 0628-ish slot (on analogue terrestrial and Freeview, if nothing else), but MT was back for all subsequent Breakfast slots.

I wonder what happened

Easy solution, put another item in between each track or jingle!

They'll get all the bugs out of the system eventually, this sort of thing always happens with new studio setups

1st Question - Yup, it certainly was! I should know - I was one of the presenters on the day. It was the first time that WM had attempted such a split (FM/DAB). It was very well received by all!

2nd Question - Who Cares! When we wandered around, we found them out the back of our marquee broadcasting from what looked like an Ice Cream van! (I know that wasn't the question you asked, and this is obviously only a tongue-in-cheek response but I couldn't resist it).

Actually, if I may slightly divert the thread a little - if anyone heard that FM/DAB split - how did it sound on air? I know WM were very pleased with it, technically it was fine, but I'd like to guage further opinion.

That happened a few weeks back too, as per SKY.

Was it converted into '14:9 er' vision, as normally broadcast by Birmingham, or did you lose most of the captions at the bottom of the screen, like I saw it the the other week.

Who was the Birmingham newsreader today?(I'm off work until Monday, so I missed it!)

Last time, Sarah Faulkland was the newsreader on duty. I just assumed either a technical problem(surely LDN at that point normally), or Sarah was late into work. (Possible?)

Don't they need notice to set up a link between Brum & Notts & vice versa, or is this a permanent setup anyway?

Last night's MT, somebody must have read my mind.

Ashley Blake, the 'Thunderbirds' puppet. Can anyone spot the difference?

(Great effect though with Nick & Suzanne in the studio & Ashley on the OB. The more cynical amongst us would have expected a cock up at that point!)

Back to WM, why does Danny Kelly sound louder than Doolan & a few others ? (Certainly via DAB anyway! Somebody have a listen tomorrow about 12.55 pm & see what you think!)

(Plus they've got problems with the phones too off & on!)

The Express and Star have fallen out of love with radio, ever since they were on two failed consortiums for the West Mids 2 (Saga) and 3 (Kerrang) regional radio licences.

I know that radio schedules are given to the local papers, national ones are picked off the PA wires, local is normally e-mailed or faxed to them by one of the programming producers or by the head of station press/publicity.

The E and S's radio listening are very vauge at the best of times. Buy it tonight and try and find the line-up for Kerrang 105.2..

IIRC there's a permanant arrangement where if MT can't be shown, EMT, and the other way round. It goes back to the days when EMT was an opt-out segment within MT.

Well 'Yours Truly' made it to the Pillbox today, along with mother & sister(the sad Trekkie one).

We had a cup of tea, & in my case, a Diet Coke!

Saw Danny Kelly strutting his stuff in the back studio.

Went into the shop & asked for a complete set of WM photos, & they pointed me in the direction of said cafe ! (Didn't have all photos though, no Ade Goldberg for instance, but they had Wonder Moose !!)

Sister thought I was sad. (She can talk, watching bl**dy Star Trek every day!)

Any idea where they hide the boat?

We stood by Tesco Express, & we didn't see it!

What a show this Friday! Worth it just to see them throw open that big door into the studio? Did anyone get any captures of Dave walking into the studio to talk to Simon? It looked much bigger than I thought it would!
And as a bit of a fan, has David lost weight? He's looking good!

Any idea when there will be another split, because I wouldn't mind having a listen next time?

I was reading another forum the other week(can't remember whether it was UK Radio or Digital Spy!), & it mentioned that you were using old WM jingles.(I'm guessing the old ones that have 'BBC Double U MMMM', as the news jingles, or were they of a later vintage?)

Couldn't 'Herr Flick' & co let you have a blank set of the new/current ones instead?

And talking of our friends at the Mailbox, Gaunty's 'live insert' from his London show into the Doolan show, came live from Romford yesterday.

I flicked over later to Radio Shropshire later, & Chris Ashley, along with their Sunday folk show presenter Genivieve Tudor, was live from Ironbridge. I then flicked over to Classic Gold Digital WABC, to note Freshie was doing Drivetime. (How easy is it for the likes of Freshie to accidently say 'Beacon FM' on WABC btw?)

I then returned to Franksy after 4pm.

Caught Gaunty again this morning, to hear our 'beloved' Prime Minister had been in the Mailbox area, & 'ignored' a request for a few brief words to the BBC WM reporter dispatched to catch him, thanks to a tip off from Gaunty, who had spotted his car in the vicintity.

Other than that, the usual moaning about WM management, espicially 'Pollock', who has been left in charge while Herr Flick's on his hols!

Talking of hols, Gaunty's on next week, then you have 3 weeks of the legend that is Tony Butler sitting in.

it was indeed fab to see them open the big door.

unfortunately no captures of david this time - having met him in real life lately i wouldnt say he'd lost weight, but im *sure* any bumps are pure muscle.

Just thought I'd mention that I'm sure I saw Mark Bolton from Central West (?) on Sky Sports News today.