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Welcome Aaron, to the poisoned chalice.

In the introduction on the blog to you joining the 5 Live Now team, Steve Bowbrick said: "We've got a healthy list of blog posts planned - including the follow-up Q&A with Controller Adrian Van Klaveren I've been promising."

So could you tell us all when the answers to the questions Adrian accepted from us are going to appear? We have been waiting since November.

Yes Aaron, I'd like to know that as well.

Aaron, Christmas is coming too.

By way of introduction may I commend these posts to you. Please read the comments.

/blogs/5live/2009/11/an-open-post-what-do-you-want.shtml
/blogs/5live/2009/11/answering-your-questions-about.shtml
/blogs/5live/2010/02/victoria-derbyshire-on-faceboo.shtml

No doubt you are excitedly grasping the poison chalice, but before you inevitably ask for our opinion or feedback it would be great if you could swot up by reading the comments on those threads.

Oh, one last thing, since we've now learnt that Mr Bowbrick spends most of his time in the Radio 4 studio taking photos ("These days I mostly lurk in Radio 4 studios with my instant camera" , are you now in charge of the 5Live blog? Or just a contributor?

How does he does paid for just taking photos ?

Hello! Good luck and as I don't suppose we will hear from you much again, Goodbye.

Cynical? Me?

Come on folks, be positive...................

Aaron, I am looking forward to seeing how and when you get our questions answered. I already know it isn't your fault if there is a delay, you are going to be dealing with the intransigence and almost lack of respect that comes the way of faithful Five Live listeners from your bosses.

Aaron, venture into here with flak jacket donned and a healthy understanding of the murkier end of cynicism, sarcasm, sarcastic cynicism and cynical sarcasm!! The faithful listenership appear to have become deeply disillusioned of late, as I am sure you are discovering if you are doing your homework as has been suggested above...

Hi Aaron,

I don't envy you! I enjoy reading the blogs, but rarely comment for fear of being shot down in flames by the vocal minority who moan about everything the station does. I hope you've got a thick skin, and I trust they won't deter you from pressing ahead with your exciting plans. Good luck!

Big_Dave, I don't moan about Drive, Bacon, UAN (any night), Weekend Breakfast, Sportsweek, Silverton, Pougatch or Weekend news with Pienaar. I only moan about the programmes I don't like or wish were better.

Aaron
If you have been working on Up All Night , the best programme on 5live, ( that ones for Big Dave who belittles himself with his criticisms of posters with wayward generalisations and sweeping statements and fails to take an objective view )you must know that it treats it's listeners with intelligence.Could you then please transfer this format to the daytime output on 5live.Instead of the ' Text the programme with your thoughts about ITV getting rid of the Bill ' type dross we appear stuck with at the present.

Aaron could you find out why the 5 Live Now contact form is not available throughout every programme to enable contact with listeners?

Thank you Aaron.

Aaron, thank you for your feedback, it's fantastic that you've made the time to read those threads. Thanks for the update too.

Big Dave, everyone is entitled to their point of view. I'm sure you wouldn't be shot down in flames if you commented about the station and made comments contrary to others. Sure there's some robust discussion in some of the threads, but this is borne out of frustration, and always directed at those who run the station and usually because they have set expectations that they themselves don't meet, or socialicited feedback and then largely (or totally ignored it) and lastly I'm sure if you're a regularly listener you'll know accept that 5Live today is a vastly different radio station from 18 momths ago.

Mr Controller I am sure takes a very balanced view, and accepts that the blog may not be totally representative, but certainly I think contributors here can be charactised as caring about the station and wanting it to be better. Perhaps if you also share your point of view there would an even broader perspective.

Finally, as with Carrie, I do complain about programmes I don't like or wish were better. I've said here before that Up all Night is the very best of 5Live, especially Rhod Sharp is outstanding, Mark Pougatch is a brilliant broadcaster and 5Live Sport is for the most part world-class. Pienaar is balanced and accomplished also.

i like aaron

"At the moment, we only make the page available during the Breakfast phone-in and Victoria Derbyshire's programme because they are programmes with a focus on audience interaction."

Is this interaction why VD and latterly, sadly, Breakfast (or the moan-in part of it, at least) appear so dumbed down? - because teh new target audience can't handle anything more complex than a minor foreign celeb declaring his alternative secxuality or the latest gossip from The Apprentice?

More seriously...

Today (30/03/10), listeners to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 5Live, taxpayers and licence fee payers were subjected to what was basically a thirty minute party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party.

I refer to Tony Blair's speech in his former constituency of Sedgefield in which he explained why he thought people should vote Labour at the next election and not vote Conservative. Blair did not mention any other political parties, even though one other big one and several smaller parties are contesting most if not all seats.

Now, Tony Blair is a private citizen. He is not an elected representative, nor will he be standing at the forthcoming election.

So why did the Ö÷²¥´óÐã deem it necessary or appropriate to broadcast his speech live and in full for over thirty minutes on one of its most widely listened-to (apparently) radio stations? If you or I decide to make a speech in which we dispense political advice and advocacy do you think the Ö÷²¥´óÐã would broadcast it live? Then why Blair? Anyone interested in hearing him could have attended the venue or sought a transcript of what he had to say at the event, which is doubtless all over YouTube, the Labour website and any number of blogs.

This was a thirty minute party political broadcast for the Labour Party carried live by the Ö÷²¥´óÐã with no right of reply offered to other parties. The Ö÷²¥´óÐã is required to offer neutral and balanced coverage to political parties, especially at times when a General Election is imminent.

Hear hear Tempus... couldnt agree with you more.

Perhaps you also refer this to ric dot bailey at bbc.co.uk, he is the Ö÷²¥´óÐã's Chief Political Advisor and could perhaps explain why this propaganda was run, uninterrupted, in full and without critique.

Tempus ...you want neutral and balanced coverage on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã ?

Blairs speech was aired on the Victoria Derbyshire programme. You won't get impartial broadcasting with her.You must know this by now surely ?

Here's another Lab stooge - The Justice Secretary (how I hate that title), Jack Straw to entertain us this morning!

As I have said before I am not a tory but what a contrast Jack Straws interview is with the one conducted by Vicky with George Osborne, a couple of weeks back.Osborne couldn't get a word in edgeways due to constant interruptions by Derbyshire.

/blogs/5live/2010/03/5-live-preelection-frenzy.shtml

"Tempus ...you want neutral and balanced coverage on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã ?"

Well, since that is what they are required by their Charter to provide and which I am forced to pay for whether I use their services or not merely because I wish to own a specific electronic device, which has several other purposes than watching Ö÷²¥´óÐã, then yes, I do.

So with the General Election coming, 'there shouldn't be a shortage of things to talk about'? Blimey. I thought 5 Live had been talking about little else for the past three months. Time to hide in the bunker, I can't take much more...

Re Temple Fudge bar

So why did the Ö÷²¥´óÐã deem it necessary or appropriate to broadcast his speech live and in full for over thirty minutes on one of its most widely listened-to (apparently) radio stations? If you or I decide to make a speech in which we dispense political advice and advocacy do you think the Ö÷²¥´óÐã would broadcast it live?

...erm he steered a party to 3 election victories and then took us into a war which frankly none of us wanted. Love him or loath him he is newsworthy....have you done the same? if so perhaps your pearls of wisdom might also be broadcast.

"he steered a party to 3 election victories and then took us into a war which frankly none of us wanted"

Yep - past tense. Was. Has-been. Ex-. No longer PM and applied for the Chiltern Hundreds the day he left No.10, too, eschewing a return to the back-benches, mainly because trying to become the boss of Europe was too time-consuming, as was the lucrative lecture circuit and some photo opportunity-grabbing in the ME. He left politics, particularly British politics, and he left the country in a mess, along with his mate Gordo', Half an hour of electioneering, whilst worth a final item thirty second mention in a half-hour news bulletin, certainly doesn't merit an uninterrupted possession of the airwaves.

Unless they plan to broadcast an unexpurgated speech of Thatcher bigging up the Tory candidate for Finchley or David Steel whooping it up for Cleggy, that is.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Well given that Thatcher can barely string a sentance together these days that seems unlikely doesn't it? And as for 'man of' Steel he never had much to say for himself did he? I suppose they could wheel out Tebbit (bet you love him) although he's busy answering questions in an East Anglian Police station. Truth is its newsworthy, and one aspect being covered that you choose to ignore is that its a dumb idea bringing Blair back because he is universally unpopular, even in Sedgefield ( I heard plenty of clips on Drive of disgruntled constituents upset that Blair was even speaking there). It doesn't account for why 30 minutes should be devoted to him and yes I agree that may well be too much, but it was hardly the Ö÷²¥´óÐã offering a rose petaled walkway to him either and if it stimulates some debate beyond what is essentially the same strategies being offered by both parties then I welcome it.

Right got to go ....need to knit some sandles, eat some dry muesili or some other hilarious stereotype of anyone who doesn't have a Daily Mail subscription

Aaron - as you can see, one of the biggest problems with the blog system is that it is the only place we have left for an ongoing debate during the day. This means blogs off topic quickly and are often closed.

"he's busy answering questions in an East Anglian Police station"

Many think Blair should be answering questions in The Hague...

//Today (30/03/10), listeners to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio 5Live, taxpayers and licence fee payers were subjected to what was basically a thirty minute party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party.//

Try listening to "Seven Day Sunday" - that's a weekly hour-long PPB on behalf of the Labour Party, paid for by all of us.

"Try listening to "Seven Day Sunday" - that's a weekly hour-long PPB on behalf of the Labour Party, paid for by all of us."

I know - and have opined this here before, if you care to browse about. I think it was on the pre-election frenzy post.

The problem with Chris Addison is he isn't funny primarily.

He's also ignorant, "Delighted that Sky are getting one of the Leaders' Debates. Marvellous that Democracy is being brought to those who can pay for it." -- Sky News is on _Free_view

And he's clearly bias as I've highlighted before.

"It's very difficult, if you were brought up as a child during Thatcher's period, to ever contemplate being a Tory. There is no way I can physically bring myself to vote Tory. That will stay with me till I die." --

"My political leanings are decidedly liberal."


"I am fiercely pro-European. I would very much have liked to see this country join the Euro a few years back. Not least because it would greatly annoy the kind of people that I don't generally like."
/comedy/chrisaddison/

Mr Controller excuses his partisanship though as he is a "comedian". That makes it ok it seems.

The panoply of left-wing comedians seem to get away with bias everyday on the Ö÷²¥´óÐã.

I was brought up as a child during Thatcher's period I don't have any problem contrmplating or even physically votring Tory if I thought they were the best bet for the country and my way of life ('cos unlike Addison, I am most definitely not pro-EU. I was but that was before it stole our nationhood from us).

Folks - go to www.wsc.co.uk

Very interesting reader comments to the lead story.

A direct link, since the above referenced is now in the sites archive:-

hahaha, notice how Aaron's last post was nearly a month ago! No more answers. Seems familiar!

Aaron, Steve Bowbrick says you have been busy getting people to answer our questions and comments but it is not apparent where these communications with us can be seen. Have you given up already or could you please give us a general subject we can use without having it closed down as being "off topic". Steve closed "Your questions answered" as he said it was off topic, but in fact it was ON topic mostly. Please do something about this. I alone have plenty of stuff I want to post about election coverage and other matters but there is nowhere to do it but here on "A quick hello".

Aaron, it isn't on to have the Ö÷²¥´óÐã and what you all want to be seen as a major player in the radio stakes, being unaccountable and also aloof.