Saturday, December 25, 2010

A (Christmas) WORLD IN LDN 25 Dec 2010 - Guest:Le Trio Joubran

A WORLD IN LONDON - DJ Ritu on BBC Radio LONDON
Saturdays 8pm - 10pm

!!!!!***Its the countdown to the last show on 1st Jan***!!!!!

...BBC London 94.9 FM and SKY Digital 0152
Tune in, spread the word via the link below.

Listen live or again via iPlayer, WORLDWIDE until Saturday! 
NOW ON BBC I-PLAYER!!!

Sign up here to get the new DJ Ritu newsletter!!

A festive round up of A World In London favourites of 2010
With guests Le Trio Joubran the magnificent oud-playing brothers from Nazareth, in interwiew.
http://www.letriojoubran.com/en 

8-9pm
A WORLD IN LONDON ‘BEST OF 2010’!
PINK MARTINI shchedryk WRASSE
LUIS ALVA la pastorcita CRAMMED
SIERRA MAESTRA a ti , no sale WORLD village
ANGELIQUE KIDJO kelele RAZOR & TIE
GUO YUE empty mountain fRoots
CHARIS ALEXIOU gyrna ekei MONOPOL
SIERRA LEONE REFUGEE ALL-STARS global threat CUMBANCHA
LOS ABAJO Teresa WRASSE
BOB BROZMAN/DONAL O’CONNOR/JOHN McSHERRY a mhaire bruineall Riverboat
DIASPORA a ride on the orient express GREEN QUEEN MUSIC
SUNIDHI CHAUHAN parda PROMO
D.O. MISIANI jaa STERNS
VICTOR HUGO san valentine ARC
AMIRA & MERIMA KLJUCO jo hanino tu hanina World village
SISSOKO & SEGAL chamber music NO FORMAT


9pm - 10pm
In the Guest Room:
LE TRIO JOUBRAN (Palestine/France)
LE TRIO JOUBRAN roubbana WORLD village
LE TRIO JOUBRAN masar WORLD village
LE TRIO JOUBRAN sama sounounou WORLD village
LE TRIO JOUBRAN masar WORLD village
LE TRIO JOUBRAN majaz WORLD village
LE TRIO JOUBRAN laytana WORLD village

FORTHCOMING IN THE GUEST ROOM:
Jan 1st: Greek New Year’s Day with Eve Polycarpou & Martha Dimitri Lewis
JAN 1st is the last ' A World In London' at BBC London.

GOIN’ GLOBAL IN LONDON:

EVERY THURSDAY-Kizombo afro-beats night@ Zoo Bar WC2H
EVERY SUNDAY - Sunday Afro Matinee@Third Space SW9
3rd Fridays El Grande@Colosseum SW9
1st Fridays Retro-Chic@Sway WC2B
1st Friday Monthly Rumba Caribe@Volupte

Dec 31 NYE Kuch Kuch@The Livery EC3
Dec 31 Batmacumba NYE Carnival@Life EC1
Dec 31 Hackney Globetrotter @Rich Mix
Dec 31 Makena Club@Third Space SW9
Jan 7 WOMA +Poetic Pilgrimage/TGU @Roundhouse
Jan 9 Duck Soup@Green Note
Jan 13 Cheikh Lo@Barbican
Feb 4 Spicy Sauce@Darbucka.

SEASONS GREETINGS!
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!
WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE WEEK TOGETHER AT 94.9...
KEEP AN EYE ON www.djritu.com
xxR

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Sign the online Petition

An online petition has now been set up.
We are hoping to get 1000+ people and once we reach the target, the petition will be presented to the BBC so please sign up and pass the message on. All it takes is a few seconds of your time.

The support is growing with Operation Black Vote, Musicians' Union, Music Week, TimeOut all showing their support over the last few days.
With YOUR support we CAN save this show.
Sign up and spread the word...

Many thanks from the SAVE A World in London team
 

Monday, December 20, 2010

The end of the world: TimeOut support the campaign

Musicians' Union support the campaign

Don't axe specialist music shows says MU

The Musicians’ Union (MU) has expressed concerns about the axing of two popular specialist music programmes on BBC Local Radio Stations.  BBC Radio London’s ‘A World in London’ and Radio Derby’s ‘Folkwaves’ face the chop at the end of 2010.
 
‘A World in London’ is one of the BBC’s most inclusive programmes, boasting a unique mix of local and international artist interviews, eclectic mixes of new and classic global and UK folk music, CD reviews, and the Going Global diary of world music concerts, clubs & cultural events in London.  ‘Folkwaves’ is a long-running and award winning folk programme which is listened to nationally on the web.

Horace Trubridge, MU Assistant General Secretary says:
“We are very concerned that these two programmes have been axed with no consultation and very little warning.  According to its remit to support minority and specialist music, these are the very sorts of programmes that the BBC should be supporting.  They are also both very popular programmes, as demonstrated by the outcry that has been caused by these announcements. 
“The loss of these programmes would be disastrous for musicians, who would lose out on airplay and royalties as well as publicity for upcoming gigs.  The MU is asking the BBC to reconsider.”

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The BBC’s Strategy Putting Quality First

A new BBC strategy to deliver more distinctive, high quality programmes, improved value for money and greater transparency for all audiences has today been published by the BBC Trust.

Some highlights of the full review include:
  • Put Quality First
  • Second, that a focus on genuinely distinctive content delivers both for audiences – who get the type of programmes they want – and industry, who don’t want the BBC to encroach unduly on their territory.
  • This strategy will result in a more focused BBC with more distinctive programmes, better value for money
  • Firstly, at the heart of Putting Quality First was the rededication of the BBC as an organisation unswervingly devoted to that mission of informing, educating and entertaining through the highest quality programmes and services. We promised to spend more of the licence fee on the task of commissioning and making great content and getting it to the public. And we proposed to make a further significant shift towards distinctiveness, spending more of the licence fee on output which, without the BBC, would not get made at all.
  • The strategy concludes that the established mission to "inform, educate and entertain"  

How can axing A World In London and other such great programmes that are due to be axed such as Folkwaves be justified after reading this from the chairman himself?

The BBC controllers are going against their own strategy!


New weekend line-up for BBC London 94.9 in 2011

The official BBC Press Release with the new weekend line up:

Sunny and Shay from TV's The Family and TV and radio presenter Jeni Barnett are the new voices in BBC London's weekend line-up for 2011.
Sunny and Shay Grewal have joined BBC London 94.9 to present a Saturday evening show. Best known for their starring role in Channel 4's fly-on-the-wall programme The Family, Sunny and Shay take over the 8-10pm slot from 8 January. They have also recently started presenting the weekend breakfast shows on the BBC Asian Network.

David Robey, Managing Editor at BBC London, said: "I'm very excited by the new Saturday evening line-up – not Asian programmes as such, but programmes from Londoners who are Asian."

Sunday morning (9am-12pm) also gets a new look with new presenter Jeni Barnett joining BBC London 94.9 from 9 January. Jeni presented the afternoon programme on LBC until recently and previously was the face of Great Food Live and Great Food Bites on UKTV Food. 

Robert Elms will present his first regular weekend programme (Sat 10am-12pm) from 8 January on BBC London 94.9 as Vanessa Feltz steps down from her Saturday show and takes up her new commitments on BBC Radio 2.

Another Robert/Vanessa swap will see The Best Of Vanessa Feltz replace The Best Of Robert Elms on Sunday from 6-8pm.

Following Sunny and Shay on Saturday nights will be Nikki Bedi, who has been filling the 
10pm-2am slot recently, and, to complete the line-up, is Ray Khan (Sun 2-6am).
To complete the changes, Eddie Nestor and Jo Good are swapping places on Friday and Sunday nights (10pm-2am), so Eddie will be on Friday nights and Jo from Sunday to Thursday.

PR

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

BBC Local Radio Service Licence

EXTRACTS FROM THE BBC LOCAL RADIO SERVICE LICENCE

BBC Local Radio

This Service Licence covers BBC Local Radio in England. Each of the 38 individual stations is described in Annex II of this licence
Part I: Key characteristics of the service

1. Remit

The remit of BBC Local Radio is to provide a primarily speech-based service of news, information and debate to urban and rural communities. Speech output should be complimented by music. The target audience should be listeners aged 50 and over, who are not well-served elsewhere. There should be a strong emphasis on interactivity and audience involvement.

4. Overview of aims and objectives

BBC Local Radio programmes should exhibit some or all of the following characteristics: high quality, original, challenging, innovative and engaging, and it should nurture UK talent.
BBC Local Radio should deliver its remit by providing accurate, impartial  and independent news and programmes that set local issues in context.
The output should be relevant and act as a trusted guide to local and other issues for its audiences. BBC Local Radio should champion the local area and call to account decision makers. It should also reflect the diversity of communities served.

The presentation style and tone should encourage participation. Programmes should offer listeners the opportunity to contribute, and there should be opportunities for listeners to tell their own stories 


Output should be all speech at the breakfast peak and the service should be speech-led in daytime. Music output should be mainstream in peaktime and include specialist in off-peak hours. Specialist music should be appropriate to the area. Current and recent chart hits should represent a low proportion of weekly music output

BBC Local Radio should use some non-broadcast methods to extend its
reach, and that of the BBC, into local communities.

5.2 Reflecting the UK’s nations, regions and communities
BBC Local Radio should make a very important contribution to this purpose amongst its audience, primarily by placing local and community concerns at the centre of the output.

...Where they exist, local minority audiences should be catered for.

5.3 Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence

BBC Local Radio should contribute to this purpose amongst its audience. It should provide opportunities for new and emerging musicians from the local area and support local arts and music events by providing event information.
Music output should be mainstream in peaktime and include specialist in off-peak hours. Specialist music should be appropriate to the area.
 


5.5 Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK
BBC Local Radio should play its part in contributing to this purpose amongst its audience, primarily by bringing the world to the UK. Its news bulletins should cover key international events and issues  


And with particular reference to the London remit...

It should aim to meet the needs of the ethnically diverse audience in London, including regular programmes for particular communities in London.

Monday, December 13, 2010

More messages of support come in

The decision to end Ritu’s show is clearly ill conceived, unjust and unpopular. In my opinion, it runs contrary to the mandate laid down to BBC local radio stations. I would like to see the decision rescinded immediately”.
JAH WOBBLE

Yemen Supports You / Abu Bakr and the group all send their support:
'God bless you. If we r 2 do something 2 support Ritu and her programme, it'll be our duty & pleasure. Please convey this to Ritu. We are surprised to know this stand of BBC'  



World Circuit & Toumani Diabate join the campaign to save the show
Leading West African kora player, says: "A World in London is a great radio show, and the music played reflects the diversity of this wonderful city.  It’s one of the few quality world music shows on radio in London and I always listen whenever I’m in the UK. It would be a great loss to the airwaves."

"You cannot make this programme any cheaper and is NOT about the money. I am writing here as a director for Green Queen Music ...small independent record labels like ours are going to feel the full force of this decision right away. Ritu's show has supported us a great deal in promoting our products in a market dilapidated of sales, shops, outlets..."Luca Gatti

Sheffield based Gondwana Sound support SaveAWIL 

World Music Central get behind the SAVE AWIL campaign and support DJ Ritu too. Its a music portal dedicated to World Music in the USA with a wide reach... 

Mondomix get behind the SAVE AWIL campaign. It is the essential online resource for worldwide music and culture...

They came first for the folkies, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a folkie.
Then they came for the jazzers, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a jazzer.
Then they came for the blues fans, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a blues fan.  
Then they came for world music, and by that time no one was left to speak up.  
...Then they came for the BBC and by that time no one was left to speak up 
Courtesty of Ian Anderson & Deborah Dickinson

Friday, December 10, 2010

A WORLD IN LDN 11 Dec 2010 - Guest:Ian Anderson fRoots Critics Poll

There are only three, yes THREE more weeks left of this great show.
Make sure you listen in to catch Ian Anderson - fRoots editor discuss the Critics Poll 2010 results which were announced earlier this week.

A WORLD IN LONDON - DJ Ritu on BBC Radio LONDON
Saturdays 8pm - 10pm

!!!!!***Its the countdown to the last show on 1st Jan***!!!!!

BBC London 94.9 FM and SKY Digital 0152
Tune in, spread the word via the link below.
Listen live or again via iPlayer, WORLDWIDE until Saturday!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7yl


8pm-9pm
MARIA VOLONTE la luz de un fois NETWORK 785965951337
MUHA the morning song MUHA MU 004
HOSSSAM RAMZY om faraon ARC 5019396231627
JAH WOBBLE cherry blossom of my youth 30 HERZ 5024545589221
VICTOR HUGO america ARC 5019396230927
SAFARI SOUND BAND pole musa TAMASHA CDTAM 543
SUNIDHI CHAUHAN udi tere PROMO
DELICATESSAN pusztito PROMO
GEORGE PAPAVGERIS vassiliki PROMO
MARIA KALANIEMI fjol RITO RECORDS 6420613440156
TABU LEY ROCHERAU loyenghe STERNS 740042305625
MASSA + MARJAN BHADAT navai PROMO


9pm - 10pm :
In the Guest Room: IAN ANDERSON (fRoots Magazine)

BELLOWHEAD yarmouth town NAVIGATOR 5052442000198
DAHMANE EL HARACHI kifeche rah STERNS 3700426913102
CHEIKH LO warico WORLD CIRCUIT 769233008428
EMILY PORTMAN pretty skin FURROW 5060104290580
DANIEL WARO degaz anou vitman COBALT 3521383417140
MANOS ACHALINOTOPOULOS smile UNIVERSAL GREECE 0602527447193
BABA ZULA efkarli yaprak DOUBLEMOON 3694999009100
SNAKEFARM sadie PROMO 07863676872 Y
DUCK SOUP valse du peril fROOTS promo

FORTHCOMING IN THE GUEST ROOM:
DEC 18th Greek Kreesmas with Eve Polycarpou & Martha Dimitri Lewis
DEC 25th LE TRIO JOUBRAN (Palestine)
JAN 1st Best of A World In London Guests 2006-2010
*******JAN 1st is the last ' A World In London' at BBC London*******

GOIN’ GLOBAL IN LONDON:
EVERY THURSDAY-Kizombo afro-beats night@ Zoo Bar WC2H
EVERY SUNDAY - Sunday Afro Matinee@Third Space SW9
3rd Fridays El Grande@Colosseum SW9
1st Fridays Retro-Chic@Sway WC2B
1st Friday Monthly Rumba Caribe@Volupte

Dec 12 Los Desterrados@Artsdepot
Dec 17 Emanuel Jal@ULU
Dec 18 Kuch Kuch Kissmas Party @Apt EC4N
Dec 23 WOM@TT Xmas + 3rd Birthday with Mosi Conde &Keith Waite@Tabernacle
Dec 31 NYE Kuch Kuch@The Livery EC3
Dec 31 Batmacumba NYE Carnival@Life EC1
Jan 7 WOMA +Poetic Pilgrimage/TGU @Roundhouse
Jan 9 fROOTS@Green Note
Jan 13 Cheikh Lo@Barbican..


THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!
WE ONLY HAVE three MORE WEEKS....
xxR

Londoners angry at BBC decision to axe capital’s only World music show

A big furore is developing following BBC Radio London’s decision to cut the station’s only world music programme A World in London (AWIL) from its schedule. The two hour weekly show hosted by DJ Ritu will be replaced in January by a chat show as part of Station Controller David Robey’s plans to transform the BBC Radio London into a speech-based station. It has prompted an angry backlash from the show’s devoted listeners who claim the BBC is failing multi-cultural London by ignoring its official remit to ‘represent its communities’ and ‘to bring the UK to the world and the world to the UK’*.

The BBC’s decision to axe the capital’s only world music radio show has shocked and incensed lovers of global music and culture and London’s ethnic citizens, prompting a huge outcry and a campaign to save AWIL. A Facebook page launched by the show’s fans generated over 600 signatories in the first week, while London based artists have pledged to stage a musical protest. The London Mayor, MPs, GLA members, trade unions and ethnic community leaders are also being asked to lend their support and lobby the BBC to keep the show.

BBC Radio London’s Saturday night world music programme was started by Charlie Gillett in 1995, gaining a strong and loyal following. Renowned disc-jockey and BBC broadcaster DJ Ritu inherited the slot from the legendary presenter back in 2006 when Mr Gillet was forced to retire through ill-health. Renaming the show A World In London to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the city, DJ Ritu’s show has become a much-loved institution. Regarded as the BBC’s most inclusive programme, it boasts a unique mix of local and international artist interviews, eclectic mixes of new and classic global and UK folk music, CD reviews, and the Going Global diary of world music concerts, clubs & cultural events in London.

During the past four years, AWIL has lived up to its billing of ‘music from all 4 corners of the world’, featuring artists and songs from over 50 countries. Alongside championing unknown talent and music, DJ Ritu has also pulled in some of the biggest music names on the planet, including A R Rahman (India), Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Omara Portuondo (Cuba), Jah Wobble (UK), Tinariwen (Mali), and Tarkan (Turkey), picking up listeners across the country and abroad. AWIL’s listener figures have grown continuously and are now on a par with Tony Blackburn’s show; when Ritu broadcast her exclusive interview with Tarkan, AWIL became the most listened to online BBC London show for three weeks running.

Currently AWIL is BBC Radio London’s only world music programme, as 90% of the station’s output is speech based. With the majority of the capital’s residents said to have been either born abroad or with foreign ethnic roots**, AWIL is a rare platform to showcase their rich and diverse cultural heritage.

Iranian music expert, Fari Bradley, who recently featured on AWIL, asked, “How can two hours of global music and culture be too much for London? BBC Local Radio should be doing far more to represent both my musical heritage and that of many other ethnicities in our massively diverse city.  AWIL contributes positively to our better understanding of each other. After all, we almost live on top of each other – but when do we talk?”

Global music promoter and WOM@TT director Debbie Golt added, “In the run-up to the Olympics, AWIL should be given more airtime, not axed! Alongside the music, you have artists talking about their lives, values, and traditions, giving listeners a wonderful insight into their neighbours’ worlds. We call on the Mayor and community leaders to throw their weight behind the campaign to save this unique treasure that epitomises the best of multi-cultural London.”

Ian Anderson, editor of fRoots magazine, said, “Robey is out of kilter with chairman Sir Michael Lyon’s vision of the BBC*. AWIL ticks all the boxes. It fulfils a role that is simply not being addressed anywhere else on the airwaves, and doing so in a truly excellent and entertaining manner.” Anderson continued, “There are few better examples of programmes that so perfectly fit the BBC's public service broadcasting remit and on a virtually negligible budget.
ENDS/ 

 

Notes to Editors:

*Reshaping the BBC, speech by BBC Chairman Sir Michael Lyons to the Manchester Statistical Society in March 2010: "And let me remind you of what those public purposes, as set out in the Charter are:
·         To sustain citizenship and civil society
·         To promote education and learning
·         To stimulate creativity and cultural excellence
·         To represent the UK, its nations, regions and communities
·         To bring the UK to the world and the world to the UK"
** Stats from Office for National Statistics: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=2235


For more information about Ritu, AWIL and the campaign to save it, please visit:
1.     http://www.djritu.com  
4.     http://saveawil.blogspot.com – includes the official (inadequate) response from the BBC

Contact:
For media, please contact Ipek Ozerim at Prickly Pear, ipek@prickly-pear.org or 0777 623 0466 / 020 8988 7880
For campaign related enquiries, please email: saveawil@gmail.com   

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Second Official Response from the BBC

Thank you for responding to my e-mail and for your additional comments and questions regarding the BBC London schedule changes as they affect DJ Ritu's programme.
I'm afraid I can't enter into personal communication with everyone who writes to me and, although I acknowledge the passion of your arguments for world music, I'm afraid my reasons for changing the schedule, as outlined in my first e-mail to you, still stand.
I do hope you will take the opportunity to enjoy the BBC's world music programmes on other services more suited to specialist music.
Regards
David Robey
Managing Editor
BBC London 94.9
T: (Nicole Alcee) 020 7765 0231
E-mail: david.robey@bbc.co.uk
Web: www.bbc.co.uk/london

BBC to axe Folkwaves on Radio Derby

News just in that BBC in the East Midlands are axing their long-running and award winning folk programme Folkwaves on Radio Derby at the end of December, using similar arguments. This is another showed listened to nationally on the web. It may indicate that there's a wider BBC plot afoot to axe "minority/ specialist" music and that a bigger campaign may be in order. Unity is power!

Facebook campaign grows

The campaign has been running for a week and we now have over 600 supporters on Facebook.
Thank you to everyone who has signed up so far... we still have far to go so keep posting and making your voices heard.

Many of you will also have had David Robeys second NON response which doesn't address anything.The BBC expect us all to just 'accept' their decision.... Which of course we will not. They have not taken into account how many communities they are disregarding by axing this show. Remember the BBC are here to serve us, we pay for their salaries through our licence fees. So we have a right to let them know what we do or don't want on our airwaves and that we wont let this show go without a fight!

So please keep posting your messages on facebook, this blog or join us via twitter
We will be passing these messages and your opinions onto the BBC trust.

Thanks again from the SaveAWIL team

Saturday, December 4, 2010

DJ Ritu on AWIL tonight

Make sure you listen into DJ Ritus show tonight. BBC 94.9fm or online where she will be making the public announcement of the planned axing of the show. Email in your messages of support to DJ Ritu

The guest tonight is Fari Bradley - sound artist, musician and trained journalist.

Friday, December 3, 2010

BBC announces public consultation into diversity strategy

The BBC today (10/11/2010) launches a public and staff consultation to ask audiences and employees their opinions and perceptions about its ongoing diversity work.
Amanda Rice, the BBC's Head of Diversity, said: "For the BBC, diversity is about having the most talented staff from the broadest range of backgrounds and making original programmes which reflect the diversity of UK audiences. We want to consult with you on the BBC's ambitions for diversity and to ask you what you think of our plans." Read more

Make your voices heard by filling in the form and take part in the consultation here.

More messages of support

Proper- the largest independent distributor in the UK, get behind the SAVEAWIL campaign.... 

 

"DJ Ritu's show A World In London is a rare oasis on the BBC for world music and global voices to be heard. It is a unique and valuable celebration of the incredible cultural life of this city. As a world capital of diversity, London needs this show."
Jody Gillett, Mondomix

 

"This has to stay, in memory of Charlie Gillett whose show it was, in honour of DJ Ritu who has moved it one and made it her own, and above all for the show which is unique and irreplaceable. Do we have support too from Radio 3? - this is the network that opened up first to Kershaw and after him to Gillett himself, so it must surely speak up for the true successor."
Robert Maycock
BBC Music Magazine world music columnist, Independent critic, and more)



 

Thursday, December 2, 2010

World Cup 2018... NOT

Oh dear the World Cup will NOT be coming to England in 2018! Could it be that the voters heard that the BBC do not want A World in London? So why should England be given the world?!