'Mixing It' booted out the back door by Beeb

[NoSleep]

http://web.mac.com/mjrussell2/iWeb/Site/Mixing%20It.html

"Last November Roger Wright (Controller Of Radio 3) took Robert & I into the DG’s office at Broadcasting House in London for a short meeting (5 minutes max). His exact words were, and i remember them vividly because they puzzled me briefly, ‘I’m giving Mixing It a break and I have no plans to bring it back’. He offered no explanation other than to say it didn’t fit into his new schedule. He said he wanted Mixing It to fade away quietly - no publicity or big fanfares - he wanted his new schedule to get all that."

"Some listeners wondered why Robert & I didn’t make a statement - and the reason is because it wouldn’t have been broadcast.

We recorded our final show yesterday a few hours before it was broadcast. A BBC Senior Editor sat through the whole thing. I can’t ever remember that happening before."

Bastards,eh?

Mixing It has immediately returned, via Resonance FM, so it can be heard via the net, at least. First show Feb 28th, 11.00pm.

This was the show that presented Derek & The Ruins, live, back in '97 (which I thankfully taped), one of my favourite radio moments of all time.

[Neil]

butnut told me about this on last.fm t'other week.  Shocking state of affairs, particularly the way they were made to pre-record that final show.  I don't listen to radio much these days, although (as luck would have it) was just trying to spend more time listening to Radio 3 as benthalo mentioned their terrific jazz line-up.  Anyway, I had heard a few episodes* of this show, and it would have been a life-saver had I discovered it pre-internet.  Seemed great.

* Although didn't manage to grab all of the one with the A Hawk And A Hacksaw set on it before it vanished from the server, dammit.

[butnut]

Yeah, axing Mixing It is just one of the bad things that has happened to R3's schedules. There does seem to be much less interest in new music from those on high: Hear and Now has had its time reduced, and I think Late Junction is cut down to 2 or 3 evenings a week now.

And stop me before I go on about the fact that, apart from the Proms, they won't be broadcasting any concerts live ever again.

[The Mumbler]

A Radio 3 producer told me a few months back that Mixing It was for the chop because of low ratings. Yep, you heard correctly, and she was shaking her head sadly as she told me, but yes: Radio 3 is seemingly becoming concerned about ratings. Which was never what Radio 3 was about.

[NoSleep]

And stop me before I go on about the fact that, apart from the Proms, they won't be broadcasting any concerts live ever again.

That reminds me. One friday last year, whilst awaiting Mixing It to come on, I caught the tail end of a concert of Mozart that ended with a certain member of the audience loudly booing. I was going to say I'll miss such occurences, but I'll probably be part of the decrease in the overall ratings of R3 from hereon. 10-20 years ago I was sometimes listening to R3 on a daily basis. Where does a chase for ratings end for a station like it? Chopped-up 'best little bits of classical music' a la Classic FM?

[Famous Mortimer]

I seem to recall some wonderful soul ages ago having a zillion episodes of Mixing It up on some site or other. Radio 3, you can suck my balls. That really does suck.

[Pilf]

I didn't know it was back on via Resonance! That is good news as I was gutted about the end of Mixing it, especially how it was done.

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

Mixing It has immediately returned, via Resonance FM, so it can be heard via the net, at least. First show Feb 28th, 11.00pm.

YES!

I was thinking of dropping them a line to suggest Resonance as a new home, but they're obviously much more up to speed than I am. Only thing is, Resonance could be off air in a few months...

[The Mumbler]

Mixing It would immediately be the highest-profile show in its entire schedule, though, so hopefully whatever audience it brings with it (it was getting 100-200,000 anyway apparently, which really wasn't bad going) might dig deep.

[The Mumbler]

Quite apart from anything else, why the hell is Composer of the Week now being repeated nightly at 8.45pm? it used to be on at midnight. Now, it means that Kershaw and Late Junction don't start till 11.15.

[NoSleep]

Mixing It has immediately returned, via Resonance FM, so it can be heard via the net, at least. First show Feb 28th, 11.00pm.

YES!

I was thinking of dropping them a line to suggest Resonance as a new home, but they're obviously much more up to speed than I am. Only thing is, Resonance could be off air in a few months...

I Imagine they know Ed Baxter quite well, as it was he who organised the Derek & The Ruins gig that I mentioned in the first post.

[benthalo]

Resonance really is the rest home for cancelled shows.  The same happened to Coldcut's programme for BBC London.

I'm not sure it will affect ratings, unless they have it as an on demand mp3. After all, the crossover between Mixing It listeners, Wire readers and Resonance supporters must be immense.  I'd hate to draw the Venn diagram.

Great news, all the same. And well timed after the transmitter adjustments, which means I can actually hear the station on analogue again.

[butnut]

Here's tomorrow night's playlist for anyone interested:

Spoiler alert

01.  Ergo Phizmiz: Aubers Vespers Farnaby Absalom Mix
track 9 Nose Points In Different Directions-Music by Ergo Phizmiz 2001-2006 Womb Records

02.  Soulsavers: Jesus Of Nothing
track 2 on cd single - from album "it's not how far you fall, it's the way you land" v2 records

03.  Yoko Ono with DJ Spooky: Rising
track 2 from "yes i'm a witch" parlophone

04.  Henryk Gorecki: String Quartet No 3 op 67 ".... songs are sung"  3rd Movement, Allegro Sempre Ben Marcato - Kronos Quartet
nonesuch records out march 20th

05.  Fulborn Teversham: Count Herbert II
track 2 from album "count Herbert II" Pickled Egg Records

06.  Luc Ferrari: Saliceburry Cocktail (2002) part 3 and a bit of Part 4
tracks 9 & 10 from "Son Memorise" 1976-2002  Sub Rosa

07.  Stabmaster Vinyl: Bear In A G String
track 5 from "the soft, smooth, luxurious sound of high quality recordings" compilation

08.  Duo Baars - Henneman: Ruby Slippers
track 6 from album "Stof"  Stichting Wig Records, Amsterdam

09.  Feedle: Everything Slow
track 4 from album "leave now for adventure"  Illicit Recordings

10.  David Toop: Auscultation
track 2 from album "Sound Body"  samadhisound

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