Nigel Morgan wrote:

On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 11:03:53 +0100, Graham P Davis
inspired by Deep Thought wrote:

Nigel Morgan wrote:



Over 50 years ago, on the Home Service near eight o'clock in the morning,
the weather forecast used to last five minutes and was a script read by an
announcer - similar to the Shipping Forecast. However, nearby in the
schedule was Programme Parade, a five-minute programme of radio highlights
for the remainder of the day. So what's new?

The fact that nowadays instead of getting five whole minutes we get at
best about 45 seconds of dumbed down waffle that's more often wildly
inaccurate than not! These days trumpet blowing, endless political
speculation, mudslinging and arguing over meaningless statistics (remember
children there are lies, damned lies & statistics!) are deemed far more
important on Radio 4 at this time of the day than religion & weather -
even though thuoghts of a spiritual nature and an accurate weather
forecast are of FAR more use and value to those setting out for work/the
rat (sorry school) run than the endless political drivel that pours out
from Radio 4 at that hour.

Other highlights of the morning were Lift Up Your Hearts - the 5-minute
God-slot, and the Radio Doctor.

Yes I can remember these, and can you remember "Five-to-Ten" on the Light
Programme?


One advantage with the scripted forecast was that all the regions were
mentioned - as in the Shipping Forecast - so that you always knew where
each bit of the forecast referred to. The Radio Times used to publish a map
of Shipping and Land areas every so often. Nowadays I often come to the end
of a forecast realising that I've no idea what the prediction is for my
part of the country. Some of the Radio 5 forecasters don't help by starting
the forecast in the SE instead of Scotland. My brain doesn't get into gear
until I hear the forecast for Scotland, assuming everything preceding that
is the general introduction, so I get caught out when they finish at that
point.

Memories of a Five-to-Ten programme are so vague as to be almost
non-existent. As a "born-again" atheist I suspect my feelings about the
religious slots may differ a little from yours so I'll say no more -
probably said too much anyway.


--
Graham Davis
Bracknell
Entente Cordiale: Being friendly in a tent; Coup de grace: Lawn-mower.
(Archie Andrews in Educating Archie, to Max Bygraves? Tony Hancock?)