Children in need Radio 2

[Welshbeef]

Usually we have had Chris Evans and before Terry Wogan - always with the week of prizes that money cannot buy.

I used to love listening to it even though I’d only be able to take part in the very low value games /Raffles but was amazing to see huge bids etc.
Last year Radio 2 specifically the Breakfast show smashed our way more than £5m.

This year .... nothing oh the Kar-RY-oke 1 day of Rylan singing 24/7. All the whole of Radio 2 raised £2m.


Did I miss something / what was the reason for the change from something that’s been happening for decades and clearly has the ability to draw in huge donations.

I flicked to Virgin Radio too to see if Chris was hosting it on Virgin Radio (for the BBC). Turns out he is still doing car fest and also did some bidding for James Martin [but they didn’t mention Children in need rather one of my favourite charities instead].


What happened? And more importantly why

[powerstroke]

Welshbeef said:

Usually we have had Chris Evans and before Terry Wogan - always with the week of prizes that money cannot buy.

I used to love listening to it even though I’d only be able to take part in the very low value games /Raffles but was amazing to see huge bids etc.
Last year Radio 2 specifically the Breakfast show smashed our way more than £5m.

This year .... nothing oh the Kar-RY-oke 1 day of Rylan singing 24/7. All the whole of Radio 2 raised £2m.


Did I miss something / what was the reason for the change from something that’s been happening for decades and clearly has the ability to draw in huge donations.

I flicked to Virgin Radio too to see if Chris was hosting it on Virgin Radio (for the BBC). Turns out he is still doing car fest and also did some bidding for James Martin [but they didn’t mention Children in need rather one of my favourite charities instead].


What happened? And more importantly why

The BBC are fast becoming and making themselves... irrelevant ..

[Kev_Mk3]

I didn't even know it was Children in need until a friend send a picture of their child dressed up to my wife. Its totally gone under the radar, not how it used to be.

[dreamcracker]

I avoid the BBC until CIN is over.

The BBC already get too much public money.

[98elise]

Welshbeef said:

Usually we have had Chris Evans and before Terry Wogan - always with the week of prizes that money cannot buy.

I used to love listening to it even though I’d only be able to take part in the very low value games /Raffles but was amazing to see huge bids etc.
Last year Radio 2 specifically the Breakfast show smashed our way more than £5m.

This year .... nothing oh the Kar-RY-oke 1 day of Rylan singing 24/7. All the whole of Radio 2 raised £2m.


Did I miss something / what was the reason for the change from something that’s been happening for decades and clearly has the ability to draw in huge donations.

I flicked to Virgin Radio too to see if Chris was hosting it on Virgin Radio (for the BBC). Turns out he is still doing car fest and also did some bidding for James Martin [but they didn’t mention Children in need rather one of my favourite charities instead].


What happened? And more importantly why

The BBC decided it would be a good idea to publish people salaries. Chris Evans got some flack because he earns more than women presenters. He went to virgin rather then suffer the annual flack about his salary.

He owns Carfest and used to give 100% of the money to children in need. It's now shared with other charities.

The BBC was trying to be woke, and ended up shooting Children in Need in the foot.

[Welshbeef]

98elise said:

The BBC decided it would be a good idea to publish people salaries. Chris Evans got some flack because he earns more than women presenters. He went to virgin rather then suffer the annual flack about his salary.

He owns Carfest and used to give 100% of the money to children in need. It's now shared with other charities.

The BBC was trying to be woke, and ended up shooting Children in Need in the foot.

He managed to gee up the public to give well and those who have plenty to give lots too. All up £5m v £2m to charity.

I’ve only had a car with DAB the last two months and even though I’m not exclusive to any radio station I’m on R2 far less often for the time slot so it’s now LBC/R4/ Virgin.

[Welshbeef]

Such a shame the charity lost out.

I don’t get why they stopped doing what Terry Wogan set up of the charity auction 8-9.30am for 4 days of the CIN week then jukebox all day Friday.

[egor110]

Welshbeef said:

Such a shame the charity lost out.

I don’t get why they stopped doing what Terry Wogan set up of the charity auction 8-9.30am for 4 days of the CIN week then jukebox all day Friday.

Maybe it was wogan and evans who managed to get those things to be auctioned off ?

Now there gone the current dj's can't get the prizes or there listening figures are so dire there's no interest from companies donating them free stuff .

[Roo]

egor110 said:

Maybe it was wogan and evans who managed to get those things to be auctioned off ?

Now there gone the current dj's can't get the prizes or there listening figures are so dire there's no interest from companies donating them free stuff .

This^^^^

You need big personalities with big pulling power and lots of influential friends for it to work.

Radio 2 no longer has anyone who fits that bill.

[Honk]

I too enjoyed the "money can't buy auctions" on R2. They've also stopped the Ebay version which I am sure earned a decent amount. I won some interesting things at a more reasonable price point.

[Welshbeef]

Every year i punted lots of texts in to try to get the done and disco (cheap seats).


Also the other part at the start of each auction he would have a child/parent on telling their own story of challenge suffering etc. Always brought a tear and I recall a number of times when it switched back to Chris his voice was so wobbly as he tried to compose himself.

There was one year where a grandparent bid hugely and then won the golf which was to play with Poulter IIRC and then he said on the radio this is a gift for my grandson (my whole inheritance) he’s exceptional at golf and I could see a better way to encourage and reward. Superb.

[Welshbeef]

Hardest bits for me was when they had children on who were at Helen and Douglas house.... from memory the donations at that time ballooned and understandably so.

I think Jeremy Clarkson is a patron of that wonderful charity.

[rdjohn]

Welshbeef said:

He managed to gee up the public to give well and those who have plenty to give lots too. All up £5m v £2m to charity.

The difference was pretty much the amount that they were short on the night. It was definitely Chris’s greatest triumph.

I really enjoyed listening to the astronomic bids for things like the F1, but, like the majority of R2 listeners, could only dream of what winning could be like. Starved of his Oxygen of his own publicity, I feel that Chris will return to being a non-person, just a little more richer.

I do think that the BBC should pay the lowest rates for talent, it's performers can make the mega bucks from the public recognition that the BBC provides for them. They do need talent though, and I do not think that Zoe Ball is worthy to justify the expense. Between the “Ers“ and “Excellent“ there is not a lot of original thought going on.

Not all proceeds of Carfest went to CIN. There were some acts that needed paying as well as Brand Events - partly owned by Chris and his team.

It did make good profits for the charity though.

Looking at the Carfest website for the 2020, they are claiming that only 20% of the ticket price is guaranteed to go to children’s charities - I assume not CiD

Edited by rdjohn on Monday 18th November 18:58