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Tuesday 13 March 2012

Today's show 13/03/12


Twitter is a wonderful thing, but my concerns over its use by the BBC continue with particular regard to "personal" and "official" Twitter accounts used by BBC staff. My own view is that somebody in your position Jeremy should have two accounts: one for interaction with their eponymously named radio programme, and one for their personal life. I would choose to follow the former as I wish to be able to interact with you as a broadcaster and to be able to comment on the topics you raise. Not having any interest in football, other sports, your cycling in London experiences, etc., I would have no wish to follow your personal account - if you had one. After all why would I want to know when you may be going to an athletics event, who you may be buying the tickets from and how much (how much!?!?!?!) you would be paying for them? Again, perhaps I should mention this in my letter to the BBC Trust.

Before we move on to today's programme, here is the latest news from the BBC:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113300/BBC-spends-thousands-giving-staff-lucrative-pay-offs--hires-range-salaries-perks-pensions.html
BBC spends thousands giving staff lucrative pay-offs... then re-hires them with full range of perks and pensions on top of new salaries
The BBC has re-hired six members of staff less than two years after they were given lucrative redundancy pay-offs. The six are among more than 1,000 employees who received severance packages worth up to hundreds of thousands of pounds after being made redundant in the past two years. But they are now back at the BBC on a full-time basis, enjoying a full range of perks and pension benefits on top of their new salaries.

I'm sure that somebody at the BBC thinks this is a good use of my money. I, of course, beg to differ.

Earlier this month you discussed the suicide of David Rathband, and in January you discussed the suicide of Gary Speed. This topic is bound to come up again, so perhaps you would like to include this tragedy in your next discussion:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113907/BBC-killed-husband-Bridalwear-shop-owner-says-investigation-broadcast-consumer-affairs-led-suicide.html
BBC killed my husband: Brides' shop owner says consumer affairs show investigation led to his suicide
Devoted husband Alan Edwards was devastated after his wife Carolyn’s struggling bridal wear company was featured on a BBC consumer affairs show. Mrs Edwards told the inquest: 'When X-ray called I told them I was dealing with it and didn’t want to talk about it. Next thing I knew I was woken at 8am by a hammering on the door. It was a huge shock - I thought something was really wrong". Carmarthenshire Coroner Mark Layton recorded a suicide verdict and said the programme may have led to the tragedy. After the hearing in Llanelli, Mr Edward's daughter Kirsty said her family had been 'bullied' by the BBC and her father had been unable to live with the shame of appearing on the show. 'One day I’m going to have children and I’m going to have to tell them why they haven’t got a granddad. And it’s all because my dad was bullied by the BBC and the people working on this show.'

A quick scan of today's news (sic) menu shows that there is nothing of interest for me today - again - so let me explain why...
 
1) HOSEPIPE BAN - As hosepipe bans are brought into large parts of the south and east of the country, we ask: how will the ban affect you? : Ahhhh, London and the South East. I remember them well. It was all a long time ago though as I moved to the West Midlands in 1984 and have rarely returned to the South East since. There is no hosepipe ban here in North Wales and so my answer to your question is: It won't. You said on Ken's show, "Somebody said it rains less here than it does in Dallas, but I wouldn't want to repeat that". Was that just deliberate misinformation then? Next...

2) DIVORCE - After you divorced, did you take care in exposing your children to your relationships? : I don't have any children from my first or current (second) marriages. Next...

3) HIP REPLACEMENTS - Medical experts warn against metal on metal hip replacements. Did your hip replacement go wrong? : I've never had a hip replacement. Next...

4) MY LAI MASSACRE - Following the killings in Afghanistan, how many people remember the My Lai massacre in Vietnam where America lost the battle for hearts and minds? : How many? Lots, probably. Unfortunately I am not one of them. I know of it, but I don't remember it. The massacre occurred in March 1968, and I was less than 10 years old at the time. You would have been approaching your third birthday.
 
Some days you make my life so easy!
 
The Jeremy Vine Show - perfect for divorced Londoners aged over 60 with children and knackered hips

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

'my concerns over its use by the BBC continue with particular regard to "personal" and "official" Twitter accounts used by BBC staff.'

---

As they should.

That a multi-billion monopoly broadcaster can't get its head around the personal and broadcast views of its staff is.. 'unique'.

Anonymous said...

Metal on metal hip replacements have gone wrong for thousands of people & not just "older people". The pain and suffering involved is unbelievably intolerable, yes I am one of those people for whom it went horribly wrong.I sincerely hope you never need a hip replacement, despite the surgery being meant to liberate one from pain and immobility this type of hip prosthesis has done just the opposite. sam

Radio2LunchtimeLoather said...

Thanks for your comment Sam, it is very much appreciated. Your situation sounds horrible, and I hope you are restored to full mobility soon.

Just to make it clear: I have never said that subjects such as this should not be discussed as obviously they are of great interest to anybody affected by this kind of problem.

However, Vine claims to discuss the "issues that affect you", meaning you and me, but fails to do so in my case 99.9% of the time. I count myself as a normal bloke and perhaps I am just lucky in not having suffered health ailments of this magnitude, a hose pipe ban and a divorce involving children - to use today's examples.

Will said...

Ive been lucky so far to not experience any medical complaints so this wouldnt be of any interest to me but I do realise that people may have.However I dont see how listening to 30 mins of JV would change the pain people are in.It may give people ideas on how to cope with the pain better but if it is metal on metal then I would think at the very least medication is what is needed.Im speaking from the view point of my elderly parents having problems(Father housebound and bent over to 90 degrees when walking with his back and has district nurse visit 3 times weekly and Mother who has more or less constant pain in knees).No matter who JV has on then its not going to change their or others situation.

As anyone who reads your blog more than once will know then you always leave geniune issues alone that you realise may affect others but not yourself because unless its affects you in some way then why would it be of interest.

In all fairness I fell that needed saying from someone that doesnt take the 'issues that affect you' as literally as you do;-)

Stonyground said...

May I respectfully recommend this blog:

http://tabloid-watch.blogspot.com/

to anyone who feels inclined to believe anything that they read in the Daily Mail.

The blog draws attention to the abysmal standards of the dead tree press generally. The Daily Mail tends to be the subject of a dispropotionate number of posts.