You said: “Given a choice, I would much rather manage a difficult but brilliant presenter who invokes polarising feelings in his/her listeners, than someone easy, bland and unassuming)”.

It’s not the only choice though is it? You can choose to manage someone who is knowledgeable, witty and not rude to guests.

I’m with you on everything except “he’s not a bad presenter”. Although you might be right in one sense, bad doesn’t even begin to cover it.

You say that 6music has a tendency to take its music rather seriously, and yes, that’s the point. It’s like saying that Radio 4 is a bit talk-y, or that they have too much sport on 5 Live Extra. That’s why I, and people like me, love it.

It makes me sad when George’s show starts, because I know it’s 3 hours of my working day that are not going to be “closer to the music that matters” but more “an abrasive collection of airhorns, vaguely offensive humour and shouted 80’s slogans, and some music which is likely to be talked over.”

And really, that’s fine, I know a lot of people do like that kind of thing, I’m not saying he’s a bad presenter – just not to my taste. Imagine if for example Lamby was to take over Wogan’s breakfast slot, there’d be uproar, I imagine, because he’s just not suitable for that time or that station. And that’s how I feel about his 6music show.

Cheers.

I’m not advocating a bland tweedy DJ, or even one that has to be reverential about the output he or she is supposed to be giving us. But if you are going to have a funny, witty, shocking, edge of the line presenter, at least make sure its one with some real talent to achieve that goal. For that you need someone with a real spark, not just a mockney chancer with a shotgun marriage PR agency, selling the myth of talent,

Lamb is a poor excuse for a broadcasting professional in anyone’s books. Even the less than demanding consumers of Big Brother couldn’t stand him. He’s not clever, he’s ignorant in all senses of the word. He’s not witty, he’s inane, childish, arrogant and bigoted, an insult to the intelligence of even a Sun reader. He’s got nothing to offer the station he finds himself on, he obviously has no interest in music or anything other than promoting himself and his career. And even that would be fine if he was any good at ANY of it, but he simply isn’t! How many other DJ’s have been so roundly and comprehensively lambasted on all levels, EVER? If this was commercial radio he’s be long gone, but because he’s funded by an arcane institution with an axe to grind he stays and the audience leaves in droves. But who cares? Certainly not Lesley Douglas apparently, she’d rather bang on about musos and things being ‘blokey’ than actually listen to the demographic she’s supposed to be serving.

So I fail to see how taking apart a station that once had a loyal following and replacing its key ingredients with low rent, unimaginative, unchallenging rubbish like George Lamb is going to help DAB let alone save it, even if you accept that it ever needed saving. I also don’t see how sending out the message that 6Music is crap across most media platforms is going to inspire anything more in the casual listener than a quick dip into his programme and a personal note not to bother buying a DAB if that’s the sort of twaddle they are going to insult you with. They might be inspired to sign the petition to remove George Lamb, but I doubt they’ll ever return to the station while he’s still on it.

DAB was intended to allow more stations for niche content. That means you may have low audience figures for individual stations, and why not? That’s what we pay our licence fee for isn’t it? If the BBC want to populate the station with poor quality wannabe shock jocks gurning at us every morning, why not turn it over to the commercial sector and see how many advertisers want to be scheduled on a station hosting “the worst DJ in History”.

I see from your addendum that you claim not to be singing the praises of George but I have to say it seems that way to me. Perhaps the final paragraph goes some way to explain this position, being as it is so transparently a job application to the new guard at the BBC. I think I’ve read less toe curling CVs in my time. But then I’m not in the meed-ja.

And innovative? I presume you’re old enough to remember the shite that was 80’s R1? How did 6music end up trying to replicate that? It’s a tragedy, and a disgrace

I take the point that DAB should be all about the content – so what the hell happened to the promise of niche broadcasting – alternative broadcasting for every taste – and not just in the graveyard shifts? Lost in a race for the middle ground, it would seem. There’s an interesting discussion to be had there. Shame you didn’t pursue that one instead.

But then – nobody did their career in radio any harm by buttering up Lesley Douglas, did they? Especially with jobs being axed in their hundreds in the commercial sector.

6Muisc is innovative in plcaes and completely distinctive. Muiscally you don’t get better than the Freak Zone or MarK Riley and for, yes, REAL innovative (and entertaining) use of radio look no further then Jon Holmes on Saturdays. Now he does stretch the medium to its limit…

Also, Gideon Coe excites me far more than Lamb, but perhaps that’s because I’m one of the majority of women who put interesting, interested, funny, witty, clever and passionate men higher up the food chain than twittering pretty boys.

Why do you think 6music fans believe they are on a ‘higher pedestal’? I don’t think that argument really has any bearing on the matter at all. You go on to say that they listen to music ‘nobody likes’ and that there are numerous outlets on DAB for these ‘musos’ to get their minority tastes satisfied. To the latter point, no there aren’t! Tell me one place you can go to between 10-1 on weekdays, outside of London, where you can hear alternative music? And alternative music, whatever that may be, is what 6music is about. Even George Lamb plays it, so your argument about the anti-Lambs having taste in music ‘nobody likes’ is proven even more invalid.

Further, your point about the iTunes chart is proven incorrect by ‘Ring of Fire’ above. Look at the BBC podcast charts – it’s the only verifiable figure we have about Lamb’s performance according to audience activities, as 6music will not provide breakdowns of individual show listenership.

As regards taste and attitude towards Lamb’s failings – yes, you’re right, that’s opinion. But put it this way, there are 6music followers and supporters who are compiling lists of ‘events’ and certain utterances from Lamb that have been utterly abhorrent, particularly in areas of minority sensitivity, for instance, nationality, disability, gender, race and class. This is not just controversial, it’s wrong. Take Howard Stern as a comparison – he’s sexist, but that’s his raison d’etre. It’s quite clear where he’s coming from; he’s a shock-jock and he’s overtly controversial. Lamb, on the other hand, is evasive and cocky, and in denial about his position regarding ‘the other’, whoever that may be. He’s on a station that isn’t supposed to be about personalities – it’s slogan says it’s the music that matters.

If we, the 6music audience, wanted controversy from the mouths of our presenters, then we’d listen to Chris Moyles or whoever. Which brings us back down to audience expectations and demographics again, points that Lesley Douglas has attempted to address by stating that George Lamb’s appointment is the result of an attempt to make the station more female-friendly. This is utter nonsense. I’m a man and I’ve been offended by some of the ridiculous and misogynistic spiel that Lamb comes out with. Part of his ‘lingo’ involves such things as ‘chirpsing’ ‘birds’; is this female-friendly? Yesterday’s (22nd July) show had Lamb discussing men and their attitude to their au pairs in highly questionable terms with the band in the hub, having a good old manly chortle about men running off with a younger model. In the face of complaints against this bluster, we’re given pacifying statements about Lamb’s ‘irreverent’ and ’surreal’ humour. I think there are points when irony becomes ineffective against the content of what has been said in Lamb’s case. Is he being ironic when he terms something ’straight estate’, or calls a person a ‘pikey’ (which he’s done more than once)? He’s constantly putting his foot in it, and has to apologise all the time on air for it. His show is also filled with massive silences, pauses, ‘erms’, mumbles, off-air/on-air confusion, which are all points where his complete inexperience and lack of compunction to do anything about it are brought to the fore.

Trent, your post is similarly opinionated. You say Piggott’s article exposes what anti-Lamb people neglect, that Lamb’s show ‘is exciting, innovative radio that captures attention’. Exciting because it’s offensive to minorities, infuriatingly amateur? Innovative how? By its reliance on stolen catchphrases and jingles? By its 80s production values and style? Captures attention by the most brash and insensitive approach to broadcasting? To a number of complaints about a failed interview with Stephin Merritt, Lamb said ‘If you didn’t find that funny, then turn off and tune in again at 1pm’. I would challenge anyone to listen to that interview and find it funny. If even his fans don’t think it’s funny, then is he trying to tell people not to listen to him? If that’s the case, if he’s so sensitive about criticism, then he’s going to lose what little support he has and end up the butt of 6music’s jokes for a longer time than his fans would like.

Chris Moyles called HIMSELF the saviour of afternoon radio, no one else did. And he did that because he KNEW no one had ever heard of him. It was a publicity stunt dreamed up by himself to emphasise his anonymity. (He actually said “If you’d told me people would believe that, I’d have replied yeah, and my arse can play the trumpet.”) Even now, with his ratings measured in millions he would never claim that it was a fact, whereas Lame has occasioned no discernible rise in listening figures whatsoever. “Inflation adjusted” as it were, for the rise in DAB sales, it’s actually fallen since he came on air.

If I want that sort of humour, there’s Steve Wright, Chris Moyles, Russell Brand and more. If we want someone to just play us records – even stuff from the charts, for fork’s sake – we have an increasingly small pool of people to choose from.

And Lame absolutely isn’t one of them.

The ITunes charts are based on the number of new subscriptions (previous 24 hours I think) rather than total subscriptions, so new shows with few listeners can get quite high for a short while. If you look at the BBC listing you can see it’s real position in the food chain despite national advertising on numerous media channels.

My guess would be he’ll drop down the Itunes chart and creep up the BBC one to lower mid table obscurity.

I can only guess you’re a whipper snapper Trent, coz as somebody who lived through the god awful radio wasteland that was the 80’s, my first reaction to GL was ‘Oh no! not this crap again.’

Yes George has produced lots of column inches, the vast majority negative because he’s plain rubbish. Not just subjectively, but in ’sub hospital radio doesn’t know what he’s doing’ kind of way.

Your insight into quality broadcasting seems stop at ‘the show with 11 listeners must be better than the one with 10′…you’re pushing for a job with Lesley Douglas aren’t you?

I think Mr Piggott’s post captures the main point that the Lamb haters are missing – the GL Show is exciting, sure it’s controversial, it probably doesn’t really fit the 6Music remit as closely as other shows on the station, but it’s exciting, innovative radio that captures attention – while I am also a big fan of Gideon Coe, he just doesn’t excite, and he sounds far better in his current evening slot.

As for the argument that it’s just boring, childish rubbish for people with an IQ lower than their shoe size, well, that’s just opinion, and it’s more often than not the opinion of people who see themselves on a pedestal above people who are able to have a laugh and enjoy themselves. There are plenty of alternative places a) in the 6 Music Schedule and b) on Digital Radio and c) across the internet where the Lamb haters can get their fix of music nobody else likes, but DAB needs something that’s going to make it viable, and George Lamb will hopefully be the start of a trend that makes it so.