article from The Daily Mail…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9221421/The-BBC-going-Radio-Ga-Ga-writes-DAVID-HAMILTON.html
Mick O’Dowd… What are your thoughts on the news that radio 2 is telling their presenters not to play 60’s discs and instead play from 80’onwards!
Martin Richter… I think they were asking them to play *less* from the 60’70’s? to be fair – they are following the trend for 80/90’s music – that means *take on me* by A-Ha every hour!
Colin Bell… Martin, Nooooo! that’s too much to bear..
Martin Richter… Colin, perzactly! i was a breakfast chef once (0530 start) and the next person in was at 7.30 – they really couldn’t understand Radio4. <typical morning – swearing ommitted> what’s this? – what’s what? – on the radio? – oh, it’s radio 4 – yeah, but what is it? – it’s the news – but what are they talking about? – oh, the news – *but* what are they talking about!! – well, listen and you might find out 
– <much muttering> – have you had a fag-break – yes – well, go and have another one! (and when i returned R4 had changed to R1) – similar happened most days – always made me laugh
Peter Thomson… I stopped listening to R1 when Moyles bragged that he only played one record every half hour. He really thought people were tuning in to listen to him. I’d have stopped earlier but had three teenagers at home at the time.
Ralph Town… f you want 60s or 70s then best to listen to the Absolute radio stations…..another example of how out of touch the bbc have become and vidicates my cancelling of my licence.
Allyson Breeds… Ralph surely they are trying to stay in touch with other generations
Ralph Town… Well,its typical bbc,all keen on getting down with da yoof but don’t realise they’re listening to spotify. Also, it means that the lefty snowflakes don’t have the kind of sh*t storm over some song from the 60s or 70s like they did this xmas with the Pogues. I listen to radio on my ipad and there’s loads to choose from. I’ll stick with the absolutes radio and talk radio. Dead good.
Jacqueline Morrison… They should keep present format and introduce other years. But to ignore the 60s and 70s would be wrong and a disaster for radio 2
Angela Frances Gardner… They should play whatever the people listening want to hear!
Monica Bane… Totally agree!!
Peter Thomson… I have discovered Smooth Radio for the car. Not an unpleasant playlist and probably what R2 should be. Before I retired and when the late T Wogan went, I started listening to classical on the way to work. Strangely I miss little quirky things like Rick Wakeman’s show on Planet Rock.
Kev Towner… Is this where I have to admit to pretty much living for the dulcet tones of Ken Bruce?
Mike Waghorne… Thats why I listen to radio caroline when in my car
Eric Harmer… haven’t listened to radio 2 for a while is fluff Freeman still on ?
Tim Harris… Eric, I think he’s on after Noel Edmonds
Jim Breeds… My take on it is “TFFT”! I actively avoid stations that play “golden oldies” – I have some very favourite songs from the era I grew up in, but I still want to do what I did back then – revel in hearing new music and the excitement of discovering new bands. Life’s too short to be stuck in the past. For that reason I rarely listen to R2 these days. BBC Radio 6 is good.
Jacqueline Morrison… I used to listen to radio two a lot driving to work as at early hours of the morning they had some good interviews and a cool vibe . But a lot of drivel as well
Paul Sleet… Radio 2 is now like radio 1. Loads of rap and crap
Jill Lawrence… Some of the ” presenters ” are shite ! I only listen on a Sunday to sounds of the 70’s !
Janette Marshall… It means I won’t be listening to radio 2 anymore !!
Gary Jackson… It means listen to online stations for those 60s/70s hits and more
Biff Worsley… Sack off Radio 2 as pointless
Allyson Breeds… Radio 2 mission statement “The remit of Radio 2 is to be a distinctive mixed music and speech service, targeted at a broad audience, appealing to all age groups over 35. It should offer entertaining popular music programmes and speech-based content including news, current affairs, documentaries, religion, arts, comedy, readings and social action output.”. if they want to appeal to everyone over 35, they have to play more modern music than 50/60 year old “classics”. ;D
Kate Recknell-Page… Whoever told their presenters that needs to be SACKED Immediately who are they to define our tastes & as everyone knows music from the 60’s/70’s is THE BEST MUSIC EVER & where loads of later groups got their music ideas from – bloody nerve of them !!!!!!
Barry Upton… Stupid. Why should they decide what we like , we pay them so they should play it all. BBC are beyond belief. Their news reporting is so biased
Judy Atkinson… I like the mix of old and new, where else can you hear Led Zeppelin one minute, followed by somebody very new on the scene like Celeste the next. I don’t like everything they play but if they change to 80s onwards I’ll be switching off (can’t stand 80s/90s techno, Pet Shop Boys
Claire Triance… Ah that is a shame
Margaret Triance… I mostly disliked 80s music so maybe time to play my own playlists and ditch the controlling and out of touch Beeb
Jean Brett… I wouldn’t listen to it then
Carol Arnold… I love 60s music
Hal Crompton…I’m a pensioner studying for a degree in Sound and Music Production. A straw poll showed that not one of the 21-year-olds ever turned on the radio. They listen to Spotify and other streaming services, so R1 is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Change the R1 target demographic to 25-50 and R2 to 50+.
Nick Bloomfield… I think it’s quite funny really and I speak as a 68 year old. Bear in mind that the start of the 60’s was actually 60 years ago which means that if you’re targeting people in that age range then you have a declining audience due to what I would call ‘natural wastage’. Even the start of the 80’s was 40 years ago so I don’t think that the changes are too radical. I speak as someone who thinks that most good modern music originated in the 60’s and since then it has been mostly about increased production values. There will always be an audience but maybe not a large one. Us Baby Boomers are on the way out. I don’t listen to the radio – although I used to in the old days with Radio 4 in my car. Do you remember, when we used to travel?
Mark Randall… I still miss Brian Matthew
Eric Harmer… Eric, me too , I loved his turkey burgers
Alan Parker… Hi, once again someone out there wanting to control us, the world is full of control freaks. I like to listen to music I choose not what someone has chosen for me.
John Porter… Boom radio station starts on the 14th of February on line smart speakers etc
Alan Wood… Only listen to Johnny Walker and pop master ,so not bothered ,,Radio Caroline mostly for me plus Sarah Harvey and Paul Huggett on tinternet
Mick O’Dowd… It started when they moved the Saturday fix of Sounds of The 60’s. Funnily enough just finished reading Poptastic. My life in Radio, by Tony Balckburn and even in the 70’s he was complaining about what they were told to play in much the same vein. Just one of the reasons he left Radio 2.
Nick Bearkeeper Rowland… Planet Rock is a good one to listen to.
Rontenn2001… 60s music is easily the very best of any decade so it should easily be the most of all the music to hear.
Mark Rodrigues… agree
Paul Sleet… They’ve turned it into radio 1 mark 2. Radio rap. How Zoe Ball is worth almost a million more than Ken Bruce is beyond belief!!
Pete Prescott… It’s one of the reasons I have stopped listening to it (apart from the odd show here and there but especially Johnny Walker)
John Warner… 50’s and 60’s the greatest sounds!!
Andy Davies… They’re trying to appeal to the under 70s! When my Mum was a big fan it was Sinatra, Des O’Connor The Swingles etc. That demographic are dead, I suppose most people like the music of their youth until they fade and die! Sadly we’re not around for very long!!
Colin Gibson… Give em another ten years and radio 2 will be full of autotuned nanobots. Like radio 1 is now.
