6September

Congratulations to Muxco, who have won the license to broadcast in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. They beat off an identikit offering from GWRCapital; we're particularly interested to hear the four new services not previously seen on DAB.

Boo yah sux to OFCOM and Kerrang; the West Midlands' worst radio station will now play just 33% new music, making up the balance by playing the same old Foo Fannies and Blue Cold Chilly Pappas nonsense they played an hour ago.

Changes at Radio 1 from 12 October. Cliff Moyles gets an extra half-hour, starting at 6.30, and Greg James takes over the 4am spot, but that's the extent of the changes to daytime; Whylie, Bowman, Mills, Lowe, In New Music, Murray, all hold station, though Whylie's Wednesday New Music slot goes to Huw Stephens. The Session In The Nations moves to midnight on Weds/Thurs, and In New DJs We Trust enters at 2am Friday. The scent of major change on Friday - Annie Mac moves in at 9pm, Dave Pearce's Darnce Anthems moves to 11pm, Judge Julie, the Inessential Mix, and Annie Nightingale - the latter moving from 5am Sunday to 5am Saturday.

The change is at the week-ends: Nihal takes week-end breakfast, with Ben Bernanke and Sara Cox ensuring that Saturday is Bolton day. Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates host a request show from 4, then it's Trebor Nelson, The Right Reverend Westwood, Reggie Dancehall, Fabio and Grooverider, and the 1xtra Takeover. No, us neither.

Ras Kwarme at 5am Sunday, then more Nihal. And then - Dick and Dom on da Radio at 10am Sunday. Interesting. More Cax at 1, then it's the chart show, now to be hosted by Fearne and Reggie. It's the first time there's regularly been a female announcer hosting the top 40 on the BBC, and the first time someone moderately well-known has come to the show since Goodiebags in 1990. Indeed, Fearne will be the only presenter to move from Top of the Pops to the 40. Annie Mac at 7, then Kelly Osbourne gives advice on living at 10pm. Rob da Bank closes the week-end.

And where are Jay Kay and Or Joel? Hosting Play It Back: DJs on Champion FM 2007. Result!

In praise of Bern Leckie

Responding to Tuesday's note about the chief programmer of Core, Life, and Chill, regular reader Quirks notes:

Interesting that he suggests that there is consensus behind the notion that this summer's best music was primarily of the Got A Good Beat variety.

It read here that Mr. Leckie found more unrubbish tunes coming from the rap 'n' bollix side of things than from the guys with guitars. There's an argument that the pool of talent promoted in the UK is far smaller than that available for airplay (why, for instance, has it taken Core two years to start playing Tokio Hotel?) However, within that limited area, he has a point: rock has been a bit rubbish lately.

When you have the rights to air the colonial chart show on Saturday afternoons, it's scarcely a surprise that you're first to air the songs that are mysteriously popular in those territories.

There's no mystery, it's all to do with who sends the most pieces of green paper to Clearchannel and Infinity. We've long argued that there should be a European hits programme somewhere on the radio, but that's the sort of public service broadcasting the BBC should be undertaking.

Core invited listener comment on the songs they played first under the tagline 'Pump It or Dump It'. I believe songs that received a negative listener reaction were removed from contention for playing altogether, and popular songs got playlisted; how this worked was never made clear.

It may have been a gimmick to promote an illusion of interactivity. It may have been a check on Mr. Leckie's choices. Whatever, it was a good idea, and one that fitted in with the station's stated ethos.

Still, it provided a feedback loop, which presumably provided part of the head of steam for a few hits (Umbrella, certainly - I think it was MySluts that gave Foundations impetus, and it's worth noting that Core have a presence there themselves).

Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris, Lady Chavereign, McFly, Nerina Pallot; the vestigial website shows more hits than misses. Here's a playlist from early 2005.

There is an article to be written about hits made over the interwebs, but it's very difficult to sort out the genuine hits (Marillion, Katherine Nash) from the genuine hypes (Sandi Thom) and the ones we're not sure about (Lily Allen, Amy MacDonald). One for someone else.

Leckie's choices for Life have frequently been nothing short of inspired. I'll let him off for choosing Bouncey... he was the only programmer in the UK to realise the talent of Melanie Chisholm.

We have a lot of time for Mr. Leckie, he's got his head screwed on, his ears open, and a passion for radio, and that's all too rare. Oh, and this. Allegedly.

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