I've not seen anything about this on the Forum, and I know that it's not related to TV presentation, but I thought it would be of interest to TV Forumites to hear the new audio identity for the BBC World Service.
I personally like the 'triple-stab' jingle device, obviously an audio reminder of 'bee bee see', but I'm less keen on the "BBC, BBC, BBC" voiceovers.
I have never listened to BBC World Service so don't know how these have changed but the "three stabs" bit is fairly similar to some of the jingles used on Radio Scotland.
I somewhat liked the cello. I hope they didn't change Newshour's theme, as that was so authoritative that it should have been used across all of BBC News.
There's a distinct lack of authority in this new identity. It's hard to describe, but the only way I can is to say it sounds cheap. I really don't like it.
It's a bit of a mixed bag, really. Some of it's really disappointing, and the last identity was fantastic. IMO that should have been used across BBC News.
(I'm not saying that the drums and beeps are no good, but this musical identity for the World Service is quite underwhelming.)
Ok, i know it's not exactly the same but certainly reminded me of one of my favourite childhood programmes. David Lowe a fan of helicopters by any chance?
It all doesn't sound very David Lowe does it?
Some identities are nice -Europe Today's one definitely more than nice-, others sound a little cheap and definitely not very innovative and maybe not quite suitable for an all-news radio channel.
I loved the cello identities, the were quite unique and authoritative, I'm not sure I can say the same about these new ones.
First heard it the other day.... didn't like TOTH jingles at all, alright for a radio for younger people like GCAP media but the W/S it just didn't sound right at all!
I agree that the TOTH ident is the worst of the bunch (this is an international news service, not a discotheque). The TOTH headline bed is also rather dire, but
Europe Today
,
World Update
and
The World Today
seem to be the better ones.
Somewhere I've got a tape of a Radio 4 closedown and the old David Arnold TOTH headline bed - if I find it, I might upload it for comparison.
alright for a radio for younger people like GCAP media but the W/S it just didn't sound right at all!
Sorry but that's nonsensical.
GCap Media is not "a radio for younger people" - it's a group that as well owning some stations designed to appeal to teens, also owns Classic FM and the Gold network (former Classic Gold & Capital Gold networks).
That point aside, the World Service is presumably trying to avoid sounding like it's not for younger people. It needs to appeal to a broad age range and, presumably, this was part of the brief that led to the new sound.
