'Today's best music.'' If Beat 106's slogan is a promise, a declaration of intent, it should be simple enough to keep, right? Wrong. Changes at Beat 106 following the recent #33m takeover by Capital have seen the station abandon any commitment to what might be regarded as ''today's music''. Revised schedules will see the evening and night-time slots, where the non-mainstream programming can currently be found, replaced by 30 additional hours of dance music. Beat's slogan hides a soap opera-sized saga remarkable given its short existence.
And yet it all seemed so simple. When the central Scottish radio licence - ''the Holy Grail of broadcasting'' - came up for grabs, bids were tendered by supporters of every genre from traditional to easy listening. However, it seemed certain that Scotland's burgeoning independent music scene - including Brit winners Belle and Sebastian and the recently Mercury-nominated Delgados - would finally have a voice, a radio station to call their own. And indeed that's how the voting turned out, with the bid spearheaded by Stuart Clumpas - the man behind T in the Park and the King Tut's live music venue - beating off a challenge by Alan McGee, best known for discovering Oasis. McGee has already spoken out over the take-over, and describes the latest changes as ''another example of corporate globalisation and another nail in the coffin of individualism''.
The first six months didn't make for pleasant listening, truth be told: a diet of recent chart hits amounting to no more than a facsimile of Radio One, minus the boy bands. However, specialist evening indie and dance shows softened the pain of what was surely a station playing it safe for the time being (a similar station in London, Xfm, previously foundered with its attempt to run effectively a John Peel playlist 24/7).
Some saw this caution as a portent however - Alan Woodward of Glasgow label Chemikal Underground said: ''I gave it a short lifespan anyway - the damage was done initially by a conservative daytime playlist''. Indeed, many saw the appearance of soft-metal act Bon Jovi on the airwaves as the final straw. Good listener figures justified this caution, however, as managing director Bobby Hain points out: ''In just over six months on air, we have more
15-24-year-old listeners than the other stations.'' It's worth mentioning that Beat's charter states: ''A fresh dynamic mix of new rock and dance music for Central Scotland for listeners below 39.''
Unfortunately, the figures were seen as the cue for the owners, Clumpas included, to sell out to London's Capital group (ironically the same group who ''bailed out'' Xfm, headed up by former Radio Clyde man Richard Park). The casual observer might have imagined Capital wanted a foothold in Scotland, but their record shows they are ambitious. DJ Bobby Finn, axed overnight, agrees. ''Capital wants to be No1 in Scotland by Christmas. I believed we could have been in two years, but they want it now.''
ALL this, despite Beat being awarded the licence to provide an alternative to the current variety of stations and increase listener choice, not tempt listeners away from existing stations. A broadcaster's remit is set by the Radio Authority, a Government agency which has 300 stations under its control nationwide. However, as Kerry Curtis explains:: ''The Radio Authority has not been approached by Beat 106 regarding a change to its format. Neither have we received any complaints concerning the station's output.'' She also points out that the authority is complaint-driven and relies on the public's input.
Some observers have - at the risk of sounding parochial - pointed out that a London-controlled company may not understand the needs of the local community. Managing director Bobby Hain disagrees. ''The daytime playlists are just as when we started, and listeners don't care who has the majority shareholding . . . we have liaison with London, but we're not following orders - we're part
of a group benefiting from central resources.''
Unfortunately, these centralised resources include job losses among the Glasgow backroom staff. The DJs, however, are staying, for now. They have little choice. As Jim Gellatly, presenter of the axed Beatscene show says: ''Beat 106 was my dream gig. Unfortunately, with changes in music policy, Beatscene no longer fits in with the direction Beat 106 is going.'' Having moved from Aberdeen's Northsound when the station started up, Gellatly remains optimistic. ''I'm still hopeful there can still be a place for new music at Beat 106, and that I can be part of it.'' Finn seems less hopeful. ''It's sad that commercial radio is ruled by facts and figures - I'm glad
to be out of the presentation side as I need to believe in the music I'm playing.''
So who's to blame? Woodward perhaps summed it up, saying: ''The music's there to break up the adverts - it's musical wallpaper.''
Unfortunately, at the
moment, Beat 106 is painting the town magnolia.
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