[Robert Williams]

I agree - it has improved but it feels very much like radio by numbers with just the very routine "Birthday game" and "Music Police" as regular features, along with the revived Wonder Years which feels more for the benefit of BBC Sounds.   It probably only needs one or two new features to land to improve things further , but feels like more effort went into the extra hour of the Sara Cox show than the two hours that precede it.   

Vernon on the other hand now feels like he owns that slot and that he's been on mornings for years, not weeks.  Especially like the Vernon Vault feature.

I think Scott's show is okay but not brilliant, but it does need some new features and it's time the Music Police were decommissioned, hearing listeners singing down the phone isn't great listening.

I find the extended Sara Cox show is more of a disappointment, though - it feels like it has content, all listener-generated, stretched very thinly over its three-hour running time.  It seems like the budget was not increased in line with the longer running time - the first hour contained just one short new feature, Totally Teavoted, plus one existing feature, the SARAs, moved from the following hour.  The rest of the content in the first hour merely comprises Sara reading out messages from listeners.

When you think how packed with features and guests Simon Mayo's excellent Drivetime show used to be, Sara's show feels empty in comparison.

[Brekkie]

Don't underestimate the importance though of such interaction with listeners - Sara's show feels much more about the listeners than the host.

[all new phil]

Sara's show feels much more about the listeners than the host.

Totally agree on this point, this has always been her strength. 

Pleased to see so much praise for Vernon Kay. He’s arguably had the toughest gig of all in taking over from such an established and well-loved presenter, but I’m glad people have given him a chance. I listen quite regularly and you genuinely feel he loves being there. 

Scott Mills’ show just needs to be a bit more fun I think. There’s a risk of it not landing, but they’ve gone too far the other way that it’s too pedestrian. Maybe I’m just pining for the days of the PR4L and Innuendo Bingo.

[Spencer]

He did often signpost that the interviews were pre-recorded, it rarely some big secret from what I recall.

Originally he didn’t, but then had to due to a change in BBC policy in the late 2000s which meant broadcasters had to signpost pre-recorded ‘as live’ content (possibly in the wake of Sachsgate or one of the scandals of the time).

[strollfan]

Originally he didn’t, but then had to due to a change in BBC policy in the late 2000s which meant broadcasters had to signpost pre-recorded ‘as live’ content (possibly in the wake of Sachsgate or one of the scandals of the time).

I believe that will have been due to a number of incidents where shows were actively calling for audience texts/calls etc, but were pre-recorded meaning those calls and texts could not get through to the show.

[Stooky Bill]

I believe the missing element from Scott's show is Chris Stark - he really built up a great friendship and rapport with Chris, and now Chris is gone, working at Capital, he doesn't have that buddy to chat with and bounce off.

Problem is, if he brings in a new person, it wouldn't look right, as you can't make another friendship like that again in quick time.

Those sorts of things need to happen organically, both in terms of the relationship between the presenter and co-presenter and also on air.

I don't think he and Chris were put together, Chris's role developed over time.

[Stooky Bill]

Don't underestimate the importance though of such interaction with listeners - Sara's show feels much more about the listeners than the host.

Yes and that's not a bad thing. Audience interaction engages the listeners, a friend of mine gets her messages read out on Jo Whieys show fairly often and she's always thrilled when it happens. It's also a good way of finding out who's listening too 

Sara's show is another I've listened to a lot more recently, again having never really listened to her before. It's a very happy show, like Simon Mayos was/is, but a lot more stripped back and simple, which again isn't a bad thing

[dvboy]

I believe that will have been due to a number of incidents where shows were actively calling for audience texts/calls etc, but were pre-recorded meaning those calls and texts could not get through to the show.

Steve will often mention now that if you want a dedication on next week's Love Songs to get the email in by Thursday (presumably he records it on a Friday)

[Brekkie]

He's lost the daily promotion for it to with the 10.15 Love Song slot not continuing with Vernon.