[Stooky Bill]

Out of interest why do people seem cool with local stations being gobbled up by  GHR/other brands but are simultaneously aghast at BBC local radio changes?

I don't think most people are happy with it but it's normally only a short term thing. Their breakfast DJ does his last show on Friday morning and on Monday it's a different station. Some like it, some go elsewhere and they soon get forgotten. Also it's on a very small scale, especially with GHR the majority of the stations they've replaced have been small very local ones. Very different to the big heritage stations that were replaced by Heart last decade.

There are several differences between a local station becoming GHR or Heart and what's happening to BBC Local. 

* BBC locals are public service and publicly funded. And they're meant to be local with local content.

* the listener/presenter relationship on a BBC Local is more close than those on commercial music based stations. Many of them have been doing it for 20+ years.

* what it's being replaced with isn't a quality product. You might not like Heart or GHR but they are quality products, plus their owners know how to handle the transition and integrate the stations. Commercial radio listeners have lost fairly average local DJs and gained experienced and very good national DJs.  

As discussed in the other thread, the BBC local changes have been terribly handled. They're losing their friend from down the road and getting someone they've never heard of from two counties away