Sir, - I welcome (RTE) Radio One's acknowledgement that the interests of listeners will be better served by discontinuing the overemphasis on current affairs which has prevailed over the last few years. Not so welcome is their statement that the station, in presenting more music programmes, will be trying to attract the younger listener (Tile Irish Times, August 23rd). Younger listeners already have numerous stations catering for their tastes. In my opinion it is almost impossible for a driver to tune in to any station which is not directed at the younger listener. The older ear which was shaped prior to the mid 60s cannot appreciate much of the popular music which is being broadcast by the Irish stations. Try as we may, we hear it only as noise.
What the average older listener wants is music with a strong melody. This does not mean being continued to a diet of pre 60s music. Much has been written since then that is tuneful and pleasant to the unsophisticated ear and requests to both the afternoon show and the now almost extinct, late night show indicate that this is what people want to hear. Despite this, one gets the impression that a broadcaster who plays this type of music feels that he is corrupting the musical taste of the nation. Your correspondent, Patricia Wall (August 21st), calls for more opera. Why not? How better to get one started in the morning than with a rousing operatic chorus: much better than Pachalbel's dreary Canon which, in the past, Radio One tended to play at least once a week. There is also Irish music available that most listeners would love to hear more often.
On the positive side, Radio One's early evening programmes are interesting and entertaining: the shift of the Arts Programme to the afternoon has ensured that day time listeners can share in these goodies. On two successive Mondays recently, having finished my journey, I sat in my car for no other reason than to listen to the programmes on Frank Sinatra and Maria Callas. These were unexpected treats in the middle of our wet unsummery weather. Give us more of that, Radio One, and brighten up our days. - Yours, etc.,
Crossgarvey, Balkill Road,
Howth, Co Dublin.