I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
...
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.


You are right the MetO *desperately need* the BBC contract for services as
it is good for the *brand* and will bend over backwards to maintain it. You
are also right that the R4 forecasts nowadays are pathetic. In the past it
was a full 5 minutes. As for Schafernacker ........ he was head-hunted by
the BBC because the women like his good looks apparently, can't see it
myself :-)

Will
--

On 09/03/2013 01:59, Tudor Hughes wrote:
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.


Couldn't agree more Tudor - it is now delivered at such a gabble that
you have to listen intently just to pick up a few details - appalling
stuff now.

No cheers

James

I'll post this just to show how it used to be done, though the Earth has
swept out quite a bit of space since 1985 when these events took place.

I was posted to LWC with the express intention of eventually becoming
one of the radio roster - probably because of one of the standard
auditions that used to take place on the Advanced Forecasting Course,
which in my case was 3 years previously.

There was no 'slot' when I arrived in January 1985 (a meteorologically
fascinating month of course). However, another forecaster who was
slotted in to the radio roster early in that year got a lot of hostile
reaction and I found myself being 'promoted' in good 'emergency
stand-in' fashion and entered upon the routine of training.

As well as the internal LWC training (essentially being doubled-up with
one of the more experienced forecasters - in my case Frank Greene), I
had a couple of hour-long sessions with a very "old-hand" radio
producer/voice training specialist at Broadcasting House. I had to go
down with a prepared script (and he had other passages I had to read),
and essentially talked me through my efforts in a standard 'talks' radio
studio of the time. He was there to check my delivery in terms of
breathing, pauses, modulation, clarity etc., rather than what I was
actually saying!!

I must have done reasonably well as shortly after the second visit, I
was let loose on the locals, then eventually on the R4/R3 inserts.
At no time did the /BBC/ try to influence my style - that was left to
LWC (Frank), and I was fortunate at the time in that the radio team was
looked-after by Jim Bacon and we also had people like Keith Best and
Gerry Capstick on the rosters so plenty of 'unspoken' help about.

If I'm honest, I probably modelled myself on Frank's style (which seemed
to work) and also some advice from Jim and Jack Scott was also popping
in now and then - though retired, he was then doing the Thames
Television weather and came in for a briefing in the mid-afternoon.

We had (for the two national networks) *fixed* slots of 2 or 2.5 minutes
(and the early R3 was around 5 mins IIRC), and we jealously guarded
these times.

The *important* difference between now and then was that the 'weather &
trails' bits were completely separate from the programmes - i.e., in the
case of PM, the programme finished at 5.54:59 pm (Shipping running on LW
from 5.50 pm), and we joined networks at 5.55:0 pm, with a short intro
by the duty continuity announcer. We all took great pride keeping to the
exact timings as it helped the con. announcers do their job well.

Even when the national anthem had to be played on the hour, it was the
'trails' that were cut, not the forecast!

Martin.


--
West Moors / East Dorset
Lat: 50deg 49.25'N, Long: 01deg 53.05'W
Height (amsl): 17 m (56 feet)
COL category: C1 overall

On Sat, 9 Mar 2013, Eskimo Will wrote

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
...
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.


You are right the MetO *desperately need* the BBC contract for services
as it is good for the *brand* and will bend over backwards to maintain
it. You are also right that the R4 forecasts nowadays are pathetic. In
the past it was a full 5 minutes. As for Schafernacker ........ he was
head-hunted by the BBC because the women like his good looks
apparently, can't see it myself :-)


On the radio?

Not my type, though, whatever.


--
Kate B

PS nospam means nospam. But umra at cockaigne dot org dot uk will get through!

"Kate Brown" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 9 Mar 2013, Eskimo Will wrote

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
...
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.


You are right the MetO *desperately need* the BBC contract for services as
it is good for the *brand* and will bend over backwards to maintain it.
You are also right that the R4 forecasts nowadays are pathetic. In the
past it was a full 5 minutes. As for Schafernacker ........ he was
head-hunted by the BBC because the women like his good looks apparently,
can't see it myself :-)


On the radio?


Schafernacker is on TV as well!
He *is* a good looking chap, obviously works out, surprised at you Anne :-)

Will
--
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
---------------------------------------------

Tudor Hughes wrote:
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.
-----------------------------------------
It's all part of the world downfall. The grumpy old man syndrome that is
really telling people that actually we are right and that things are
worse - but only if you still have any form of intellect. I mean I
wanted to buy a last minute birthday card for a friend so popped into a
local Asda. It seemed that 50% of the cards were fart jokes and
explaining how funny different types of fart were. Hilarious not! No
wonder so many people are just celebrity knowledgeable demonic morons
these days.
Dave

On Mar 9, 8:25*am, "Eskimo Will" wrote:
"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message

...





* *I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. *His latest effort (R4, 5.58
pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like
a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses
all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.
* * For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be
compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as
possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers
and listeners' emails. *An additional feature this week has been that
the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has
emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/
holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. *Hey, what fun!
It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks
of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper
forecast.
* * *This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in
the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. *Radio 4
ought to be ashamed of itself.
* * *The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no
evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required
to.

You are right the MetO *desperately need* the BBC contract for services as
it is good for the *brand* and will bend over backwards to maintain it. You
are also right that the R4 forecasts nowadays are pathetic. In the past it
was a full 5 minutes. As for Schafernacker ........ he was head-hunted by
the BBC because the women like his good looks apparently, can't see it
myself :-)

Will
--- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

How can it do the "brand" any good to be sold in such an
incompetent "shop"?
I think it must be much more of a case of cost-benefit analysis with
the handsome (so I'm told) BBC payment more than outweighing the
damage done to what are mostly pretty good forecasts arrived at with
skill and hard work.
Many viewers or listeners will not differentiate between the
"product" (if we have to use that word) and the medium by which it is
delivered and it is the Met Office that will suffer more from any
incompetence here.
The various payments made are all a nonsense anyway. Both the
BBC and the Met Office are publicly funded and this is just a case of
public money being re-circulated among institutions, contaminating the
product in the process simply to satisfy arbitrary idealogically-
founded commercial imperatives. Thatcherism has a lot to answer for,
at least as the origin of this crass monetisation of everything.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

In article ,
Eskimo Will writes:
Schafernacker is on TV as well!
He *is* a good looking chap, obviously works out, surprised at you Anne :-)

And I bet he can tell his Annes from his Kates.
--
John Hall

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."
Oscar Wilde

On Saturday, March 9, 2013 1:59:42 AM UTC, Tudor Hughes wrote:
I see Tomas Schaffernaker is back. His latest effort (R4, 5.58

pm) was the usual compendium of chaos, jumping all over the place like

a demented grasshopper and the normal incompetent delivery with pauses

all in the wrong places. Some of it was seriously misleading.

For the BBC the weather forecast is just a nuisance, to be

compressed beyond usefulness and to be got out of the way a quickly as

possible so as to make way for really important stuff such as trailers

and listeners' emails. An additional feature this week has been that

the forecaster has had to provide a local forecast for someone who has

emailed in saying they are getting married/going to a rugby match/

holding a tortoise-polishing competition etc etc. Hey, what fun!

It's quite clear from the forecaster's delivery what he or she thinks

of this nonsense and it eats into the time available for the proper

forecast.

This is weather forecasts as entertainment, something that in

the past would be associated with a down-market TV channel. Radio 4

ought to be ashamed of itself.

The Met Office doesn't give a toss; at least there is no

evidence known to me that they do - they are simply no longer required

to.



Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

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