tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post9107758932800140781..comments2024-03-05T10:14:38.181+00:00Comments on CLASSICAL ICONOCLAST: Short-sighted BBC Proms programme policy.Doundou Tchilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469682216179706743noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-45805521059724767922013-08-31T18:35:20.334+01:002013-08-31T18:35:20.334+01:00The BBC response I had follows very much the line ...The BBC response I had follows very much the line that Jonathan describes as having been put out on the Proms Facebook page. It read:<br /><br /><<<>>>>>><br /><br />Jonathan is also right about PDFs. These are universally readable on all systems. Why was the BBC obsessed with finding a format that couldn't be saved or printed out? (Pages can of course be saved by taking a screen grab anyway.) Once you release information, you release information. So don't do it grudgingly. Or did advertisers in the printed programmes complain?<br /><br />The BBC's sales of printed programmes was protected by the online programes only being available after the concerts. To produce PDFs wouldn't be so "time-consuming" since it could be readily integrated into the production workflow of the printed version. it would be just a matter of stripping out the ads -- no big deal since they are in blocks around the editorial text and not within the editorial text.<br /><br />Not only would the online programmes give the sort of information that Jonathan wants after a concert, but also information for radio listeners and TV viewers who of course make a large contrbution to the funding of the Proms through their licence fees but at present only have available the extremely sketchy notes on the Proms website.<br /><br />The BBC could also usefully start adding PDFs of programmes to their archive of historcal information on Proms concerts, which they laud, but which is pretty sparse data as a historical source,Roger Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12448938150029875105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-65689703458318426752013-08-28T09:50:09.010+01:002013-08-28T09:50:09.010+01:00Thank you Jonathan. Roger (see above) wrote to the...Thank you Jonathan. Roger (see above) wrote to the BBC and got a dumb reply. Let's get something rolling.<br />Doundou Tchilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07469682216179706743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-40286549004726844992013-08-28T00:39:00.009+01:002013-08-28T00:39:00.009+01:00I am a regular prommer who used to browse the prog...I am a regular prommer who used to browse the programme notes when I got home. As I already spend £15 on rail fares for each concert, I'm not going to pay for a programme that I will probably only read afterwards becasue, as you say, I don't want to be distracted from the music while there, and in the interval there are usually too many interesting people in the area to chat with.<br /><br />In a reply to complaints on their Facebook page, the BBC cited the fact that they couldn't find a solution that worked on all devices as a reason for not putting them online. They previously used a Flash-based reader to stop people downloading the notes. Funnily enough, this year they produced some sort of free interactive Proms guide that only worked on Apple iOS devices. Funnier still, iOS is the one platform that can't view Flash. Make of that what you will. The best solution would indeed be to put PDFs online, and only after the concert to stop people printing them out and damaging sales. PDF is standard, they could be viewed on all devices.<br /><br />Not only can I no longer read about the music I've heard (and have to make do with information from Wikipedia) I'm sad that I can't see the list of orchestral players. I feel the BBC is denying them a fair credit, a bit like cutting the credits from the end of a TV show. But then the BBC likes to squash credits up so you can't read them and talk over the theme music, so what should we expect?Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00010610614398629418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-416983732847060845.post-63965951346148070332013-08-18T08:57:40.209+01:002013-08-18T08:57:40.209+01:00Roger says:
It seems to me the BBC beancounter you...Roger says:<br />It seems to me the BBC beancounter you portray is even more pettily mean-minded than you suggest. Erosion of programme sales at the venue in previous years was covered by the fact that online programmes were not available until after the concert -- or at least until the concert was under way (I can't remember which). So the only loss would have been of customers who went to the concert and waited till they got home to read the programme on line.<br />As a cost-cutting exercise -- or is it just pure laziness? -- removal of the online programmes would not have saved much money. Once the system is set up, creating an online PDF is only a mouse click away when you are preparing a PDF for the printers. Roger Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12448938150029875105noreply@blogger.com