Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
I take it you mean views of the 'Slap Gaunty' thing here on Urban as he's on the radio...............
Jon Gaunt in Brixton.
- Thread starter behemoth
- Start date
Best quote since whoever it was that complained about U75, proclaiming ''I pay my TV licence..."
editor
hiraethified
I'm not saying that. But I think you're very wrong to assert that he's not good at his job.
You may not like him or his style or the demise of GLR, but the fact remains that he has proved instrumental in the success of BBC London.
I prefer the old GLR presenters by a mile, but amongst his peers he is clearly highly regarded - how else could he have set a new record by winning three Sony Awards in one year?
editor
hiraethified
I'd be grateful if you and others stopped selectively requoting my sentence.Originally posted by IntoStella
Best quote since whoever it was that complained about U75, proclaiming ''I pay my TV licence..."
Here's the full text, without the convenient snip:
"His escalating viewing figures AND mantelpiece full of Sony Broadcasting Awards would suggest otherwise"
Now argue/take the piss out of the full comment, please.
Thankyou.
Gongs for gonks! 
"You may not like him or his style or the demise of GLR, but the fact remains that he has proved instrumental in the success of BBC London".
Only if your measure of success in listening figures alone. The Daily Mail is "successful" but it's still crap.
We'll just have to agree to differ Mike, but I'm sure you're increasing rapport with him will stand you in good stead for a job at BBC LDN one day.
"You may not like him or his style or the demise of GLR, but the fact remains that he has proved instrumental in the success of BBC London".
Only if your measure of success in listening figures alone. The Daily Mail is "successful" but it's still crap.
We'll just have to agree to differ Mike, but I'm sure you're increasing rapport with him will stand you in good stead for a job at BBC LDN one day.
christonabike
Elm Park Bencher
What do you get a Sony Broadcasting Award for?
Listening figures?
Content?
I dunno
Listening figures?
Content?
I dunno
Look Mike, I don't hate him. I'm fine with a down-to-earth bloke presenting a phone-in on LDN, I would just prefer someone else. Someone with more wit, more insight, more intelligence, more subtlety. The thing about phone-in guys is that they always polarise things: Is it this or is it that? Well, often it's neither or both.
Also phone-ins are the cheapest, easiest type of radio to do and often are shit.
And I don't care how many industry junkets he's been to or how many trophies he's received at them.
Also phone-ins are the cheapest, easiest type of radio to do and often are shit.
And I don't care how many industry junkets he's been to or how many trophies he's received at them.
Dee-dah dee-dah! SOH Failure alert!
It should also be noted that all of Gaunty's much vaunted Sony Awards stem back from 2001, when he was on the lesser known Three Counties Breakfast show.
His trophy cabinet has been remarkably empty since then. And it's fair to say that he's outraged a fair number of people since then - check Gaunty's rigorously moderated BBC boards and a couple of independent websites.
I'd put him in the same category as Kilroy really - a patronising tosser whose mere presence is enough to have me reaching for the remote control..
His trophy cabinet has been remarkably empty since then. And it's fair to say that he's outraged a fair number of people since then - check Gaunty's rigorously moderated BBC boards and a couple of independent websites.
I'd put him in the same category as Kilroy really - a patronising tosser whose mere presence is enough to have me reaching for the remote control..
john x
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by tarannau
I'd put him in the same category as Kilroy really -
Talking of which, did anyone see the tosser on his show this morning. Someone had a pop at his patronising attitude towards people on the bru and he replied "I'm not letting you get away with saying that! I was a Labour MP once, you know?"
What a first class, gold medal winning, prime organic rumpsteak arse.
john x
editor
hiraethified
True. But such a show would make for very, very dull listening in a phone in, and such debate is well served bu other programs.
My point is this: you're absolutely right to dislike the bloke, but I don't think you've even come close to proving that he's "bad at his job".
As a listenership-boosting, wind-'em-up and get 'em all ringing in presenter he's good at his job. Very good.
So don't blame him for doing what he does well: blame BBC London 94.9 Online TriMedia Inc or whatever the fuck they're called these days and ask for a different type of show.
I'd still prefer the old GLR. I don't want Vanessa fucking Phelps. I want eclectic music, intelligent comment, quirky London facts and more stuff like Robert Elms.
And I've written to tell them so... why don't you?
bubblehead
Pokey Pokey Sword
radio remote control, i assume?
And this:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,12636,877113,00.html
And this:
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/showbiz/articles/2999460?source=Evening Standard
There's no denying BBC LDN could be much better -with a mix of music and thoughtful conversation.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/radio/story/0,12636,877113,00.html
And this:
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/showbiz/articles/2999460?source=Evening Standard
There's no denying BBC LDN could be much better -with a mix of music and thoughtful conversation.
john x
Well-Known Member
In all fairness, the 'viewing' figures for GLR were in terminal decline. It is a sad fact of life that quality doesn't always suceed. Ironically with the advent of digital radio, GLR could have survived as a minority interest station, leaving the BBC to dumbdown 94.9 for a wider audience.
john x
being a wind-up merchant isn't being good at his job. it would be acceptable for a presenter to be as caustic and dismissive as gaunt often can be, PROVIDED those characteristics were applied even-handedly.
gaunt doesn't do this, the way he deals with the callers is entirely predicated on the extent to which he agrees with them.
these means the kind of stereotypes and crass generalisations he trades in get perpetuated (and thus for some people, further reinforced) and often decent opposing viewpoints get belittled, shouted down or cut off.
the man's a cunt.
Well -- and I know this isn't the 'right' answer --- because when they totally vandalised GLR and replaced most of the informed conversation/good music with garbage phone ins, they lost me for ever to radio 4. I could not be bothered to retune the radio* before and after Robert Elms, and these days I'm always at work when he's on anyway. They fucked that station up so badly, it's a crime, but now it's out of sight (
) out of mind for me, I'm afraid I've felt no compulsion to write and complain.*Not having fangled pre-sets on my radio, let alone a remote control.
