I was surprised when browsing Ciao to note that there are only (currently) twelve ops on the radio station Classic FM (101.1). Any regular listener will know that they’ve recently been telling us all how well they’re doing in the radio ratings, but are these results justified? Your very own Jaxle will now investigate.
Now, as maybe some readers know, I’m a very big fan of classical music (see my op on classical music) and yes, I must confess to being one of those who regularly listens to Classic FM, and yes, I do indeed prefer it to Radio Three.
I’ll now run through the main programs that they broadcast with my opinions of each.
>> BREAKFAST <<
Unfortunately, this show is completely ruined by Simon Bates (see below). Plays the more popular classical music and is excellent for news and traffic updates in the mornings. On early Saturday mornings (if you happen to be awake before 9!) there is the excellent Mark, Tim and Annie show with the three presenters here named. The witty chat and good choice of music certainly make this show worth a listen. If only it were the same on weekdays too!
This is on every weekday from 11. I have to say I think this is a great idea to fill an hour of schedules. What happens is that every day, the good folk at Classic FM stick around thirty fairly well known pieces of classical music up on the web site (will be talked about later) and ask you, the public, to vote for your favourite. They then play the daily top ten, and on Sundays they do the top ten for the week.
This is a fantastic show in my opinion, because it introduces the public to pieces of classical music that are good, but perhaps not so well known. It encourages the classical music fan to get involved with the sort of music they like and may not know so well. It’s presented by Jane Jones usually, although sometimes Jamie Crick stands in for her. Some find her annoying, but to be honest I don’t find her that bad! She also presents...
>> LUNCHTIME REQUESTS <<
Again, a weekday regular (at 12) and also appears on Sunday mornings and Saturday afternoons. You will find this OK if you can put up with the constant stream of sponsorship messages by whomever they have on contract at the time. Unfortunately, this and other advertising is perhaps the biggest problem with the station as a whole.
I’ve had my requests played a couple of times, although I do e-mail in quite often. You can also phone or text in your requests, as you are told on the program (see also the web site – www.classicfm.com). Some good music is played, although I’m convinced that they seem to favour those who ask for only the most popular (and therefore overplayed) classical music, such as Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ or ‘Zadok the Priest’ etc.
>> RELAXING CLASSICS AT 2 <<
Well, this is a case of ‘exactly what it says on the tin!’ If you’re feeling stressed out then I’d certainly recommend listening to this – the music is varied and interesting, but above all will certainly leave you feeling chilled out. I may be a little biased however, since my favourite Classic FM presenter, Nick Bailey, does this. I shall be offering more positive comments regarding Nick shortly.
>> DRIVE TIME WITH MARK FORREST <<
Again, a very good show that I recommend you listen to. There is less actual music here, although the stuff they do play is again good. Instead, there is a fair amount of talk, adverts (of course), news and traffic, and plenty of opportunities for the listener to contact Mark.
An excellent presenter and a good show – certainly one to have on on the way home from work!
Fairly tedious, slow-paced news from “the world of classical music”. Presented by John Brunning, who is actually quite a good presenter but lets himself down by doing this show from half six until seven. Luckily he makes up for it by hanging around a bit longer for smooth classics.
To be honest, if you want to listen to the news, this is not the program to listen to. If you want to hear classical music, then this is also not the program to listen to. I find myself grabbing a CD to listen to when it reaches half six and I have Classic FM on.
>> SMOOTH CLASSICS AT 7 <<
Like relaxing classics at 2, this is one to listen to if you want to unwind after a hard day at work. There is a bigger range of music played here than on the two o’clock program, which is good. John Brunning also redeems himself by offering intelligent comment on the music he’s playing, and creating an all-round sense of tranquillity. Definitely one of the better offerings from the station.
>> THE EVENING CONCERT <<
This is by far and away the best show of the lot. Nick comes back into ‘Classic FM Towers’ every night at nine, and shares with the listener a massive variety of whole classical music works.
I hope those words don’t put you off – it’s not all just immensely long symphonies – there are some fantastic pieces of music played here and they are all introduced by the excellent Nick Bailey. He really has a passion for the music he’s playing, and this comes across in his presenting. To quote nick:
“Nothing can beat hearing a whole piece of music, as the composer intended, from beginning to end. It makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck to experience the build up of tension or emotion in a stormy symphony, or ebb and flow of an entire choral piece. It's unique [and] it's brilliant."
This show also occasionally brings you live concerts from around the country – one example would be the debut performance by Einaudi (who writes and performs modern and magical piano music) of some of his latest works. This is one area where Classic FM has it spot on.
>> VARIETY OF RECORDINGS <<
This will become apparent if you listen regularly – the variety of different recordings of the same piece is pitifully limited. Sometimes when a new, well-known recording comes out (such as Kennedy’s latest version of the Four Seasons) they may switch from the usual recording to this for a while, but on the whole I’d like to see greater variety here.
>> THE SITE – WWW.CLASSICFM.COM <<
An excellent site with a good amount of information on schedules, presenters, and general classical music information such as upcoming concerts. You can also listen live via the net, although to get the most from this you really need to have a broadband connection. Layout and style are good, and It's easy to find your way around.
>> CLASSIC EVENTS <<
The station regularly broadcasts information about classical music related events happening up and down the country. This is a good idea, but could be SO much better if they were played less often and updated with newer events rather than playing the same thing over and over again. Talking of which...
>> AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT <<
Aside from Mr. Bates (we’ll come onto him later) the one thing that lets the whole station down is the amount and (poor) quality of adverts. Only God knows how often they are played, but I can guarantee that if you listen for anything more that about half an hour, they will drive you completely mad. I appreciate that they need to have adverts on the station to fund the thing, but this is just stupid.
They are all irritating, and they are repeated so often that anyone who listens regularly will know them all of by heart. Sorry Classic FM, but if you’re going to win over more listeners from Radio Three then this needs to be sorted out.
Another problem that could benefit from similar treatment is Simon Bates. It wasn’t so bad in the good old days when he wasn’t presenting the breakfast show, but I can no longer stand the patronising, annoying, meaningless drivel that cascades out of his mouth and out of my radio. He knows nothing about classical music, and as a result is continually messing up by starting talking before the music has properly finished. More mistakes happen on his show than on the rest of the station put together. Please be rid of him Classic FM!
>> OVERALL <<
Generally this is a good radio station for those who like classical music but can’t be bothered with the heavy and sometimes dull pieces of music that appear on Radio Three (my opinion only!) If this is more your thing then I’m sure the continuous flood of adverts and the odd presenter will help to push you over to the BBC.
Several good shows, but certainly some areas upon which to improve – 3/5.
Advantages: Excellent, varied classical music, great shows, many good presenters Disadvantages: Repetitive and irritating adverts, Simon Bates, Natalie Wheen
David8 16.02.2004 (16.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Classic FM
Advantages: Popular Classical Music which is both accessible and delivered in a down to earth way. Disadvantages: The music selection can become repetitive on certain shows.
ostoney 23.01.2009 (23.01.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Classic FM
Advantages: Excellent, varied classical music, great shows, many good presenters Disadvantages: Repetitive and irritating adverts, Simon Bates, Natalie Wheen
David8 16.02.2004 (16.02.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Classic FM
Advantages: Like to find out how my tastes in music compares to the rest of Britian Disadvantages: You can only coice three pieces of work for the vote
wulise 17.04.2001 (18.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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