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Posted by: Moleman Mar 16 2012, 03:10 PM

So farewell Newbury Sound. In a few weeks, Celador is replacing our local station with "Breeze" - a formulaic, safe, soulless, regional snorefest of lift music that has about as much local identity as Tescos.

On their own website Celador say "Newbury Sound is THE local radio station for West Berkshire, covering the towns of Hungerford, Newbury and Thatcham. The station reflects the lives of its listeners on a daily basis with regular local news, sport, weather, travel and event information, mixed with intellegent speech and great feel-good music".

And of "Breeze", they say "The Breeze broadcasts 'the smoothest sounds' and is the best place to hear soft adult contemporary music".

I know what I prefer, and it is radio with Newbury Sound's stong local feel, rather than yet more regional soft smoothness. But as Newbury increasingly loses its identity and becomes a bland copy of the worst of everwhere else, perhaps that is all we deserve

Posted by: xjay1337 Mar 16 2012, 03:45 PM

Great so it's another Heart FM coming our way...
The same 4 songs all day long no doubt and annoying radio DJ's who suck through their teeth everything 2 minutes....SHHSHPHHHH we have some Lady Gaga coming up soon....SHSPSPHSOSHHHHH and then some Take That, but here's Mark with the News...playing the same middle of the road crap that doesn't upset anyone, cutting out any bits of Rap (eg the snoop dogg bit in Katy Perry California Girls anyone else notice that?)

Of course they will all be well spoken, boring people, like all the people on Heart are...and Jason Donavon, ugh I want to smash him in the face with his boom-microphone.
It's why I don't listen to radio anymore really...only the Club Classics on HeartFM...and uhh all the other time I use something called an ip-od.

Posted by: user23 Mar 16 2012, 04:29 PM

Buy a DAB radio, there's a few decent stations on DAB locally.

Posted by: Blake Mar 16 2012, 05:13 PM

Heart is so plebby and utterly superficial it makes me lose the will to live..

Posted by: NWNREADER Mar 16 2012, 06:55 PM

Heart is no longer local in any way I recognise. Traffic information about Banbury? It is a national network with regional add-ins.

If the 'local' Newbury station is going the same way that will be a sad move.

Posted by: user23 Mar 16 2012, 07:06 PM

When Global Radio re-branded some of their stations as Heart they also merged what used to be 2-Ten FM (or Radio 210 in old money) and Fox FM based in Oxfordshire; That's why we get news about Banbury. Of course much of the time the output is from London anyway which is even less local.

It would be a shame for the community station based in West Berkshire to become just another bland, middle of the road channel with occasional travel reports from the area.

Even the BBC are looking at cutting some of their local broadcasting time and relaying 5 Live some of the time on their local stations.

The only alternative is to set up something like http://www.thesourcefm.co.uk/. Without time, enthusiasm, know how and a little start up money this could never become a reality though.

Posted by: NWNREADER Mar 16 2012, 07:51 PM

Perhaps some local go-getter with past experience with setting up vibrant local radio could come to our rescue?

Posted by: JeffG Mar 16 2012, 09:03 PM

Last time I looked there was a station called Kick FM. Is that what became Newbury Sound?

Posted by: Strafin Mar 16 2012, 10:36 PM

That's the one!

Posted by: Jo Pepper Mar 16 2012, 11:43 PM

I've never listened to it, nor any radio recently. Is there really a need for such local broadcasting in this Internet age?

Posted by: Andy Capp Mar 16 2012, 11:52 PM

Many people might like to hear the radio regards local news while they work in non-Internet access environments. Newbury Sounds did do things that NWN do not, like live interviews with local people.

Posted by: Biker1 Mar 17 2012, 10:16 AM

OK unless you want to listen in the car.
Do they make DAB radios for the car yet?

Posted by: JeffG Mar 17 2012, 10:19 AM

Why not try googling 'dab car radio', like I just did?

Of if you want to be patronised, just http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dab+car+radio

Posted by: Biker1 Mar 17 2012, 10:20 AM

Posted by: Adrian Hollister Mar 17 2012, 10:31 AM

I've a DAB radio in the car, but reception is patchy. Will be much better I hope when we fully switch to digital.

As to the demise of Newbury Sounds - it's a sign of the changing times and the listening habits of people. It's a wonder that local BBC radio still survives.

Posted by: Andy Capp Mar 17 2012, 11:05 AM

I wouldn't count on it. there isn't the money in radio as it once was.

Posted by: Penelope Mar 17 2012, 05:05 PM

Bye bye local radio, we will miss you. R.I.P.

Posted by: gel Mar 17 2012, 06:41 PM

Not forgetting for all those on broadband you can get thousands of stations with an Internet radio,
or via one of the new so called Smart TV's.
DVR's/ some TV's now often have a USB port where you can stick in
a wireless dongle, so your TV can indirectly connect to the interweb, if it's not
one bought with Internet capability.

Posted by: user23 Mar 17 2012, 07:29 PM

I think the point is however many there may be on the Internet, there aren't thousands of stations specifically for West Berkshire and very soon there may be none.

Posted by: Blue Mar 19 2012, 05:53 PM

Kick FM/Newbury Sound is lame already.

Snow Patrol and Keane are about as cutting edge as it gets on there.

Then again, I guess it's music that caters for the masses that counts.

I prefer BBC 6 Music personally, which is of course a digital station, but can be accessed via the internet and, I'm told, there are phone apps to enable digital reception on car radios......

Posted by: Andy Capp Mar 19 2012, 05:55 PM

Many people are just happy for the air to be filled with something not too challenging.

Posted by: Rosewinelover Mar 20 2012, 09:44 AM

Not looking forward to the change.
We have NS on because between us in the office we cant agree. I would have Radio 2 on, another wants Radio 1, another Radio 4 etc - Luckily we all agree on Heart being rubbish so NS it is.

Posted by: xjay1337 Mar 20 2012, 09:59 AM

What a nice office you must work in, to have the Radio.
Anyone who wants Radio 4 should be given a walkman with a radio book in it.

At the office here we have no music or anything so I just listen to my iPod..one earphone in so I can still hear people, I don't often get calls (let's face it who would want to talk to me) and I'm far too busy pretending to be working to be able to do anything whatsoever..
Just joking I do quite a lot actually.

Helps pass the day.
Like right now I am listening to Childish Gambino's new Album called "Camp*" - the track at the moment is called "Firefly".
And I'm like, ohkayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....okayyyyyy.

*ninja edit.

Posted by: Rosewinelover Mar 20 2012, 10:57 AM

I couldn't work in the office without music...Luckily i'm the boss so I decide as one here would prefer it off