A few weeks ago, on the Radio 4 forecasts there was an experiment
in which the forecast was given in the style of the Shipping Forecast,
i.e. just the facts you needed to know, organised, no chattiness, no
weird use of English. The best exponent of this was Peter Gibbs and
it was brilliant, like a breath of fresh air. Of course, it couldn't
last, and didn't. We are back to the shambolic Wet Witterings of
Tomas Schafernaker and the robotic dentist's-receptionist's squawk of
Laura Tobyn. I expect the BBC found it all a bit too grown-up and
scary. Not entertaining enough, at least to media fluffies.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey