Middle class talk radio is middle class.

Stunning finding really.

Like noting that a majority of The Voice’s readers are heavy on the skin melanin, or even that a majority of listeners (and presenters) on the BBC’s Asian Network have familial connections with South Asia.

Just one of those things that is so surprising.

You only have to listen to the continuity announcers/newsreaders. And yes, they do speak like that in “real life”

Yes, we certainly do speak “like that”, Zeebedee

This article seems to have been cut off before it reached the striking results, unless the headline originally had a in it.

ourBeeb.com a bog standard leftist pressure group.

If going to a fee paying school is the definition of middle class, then both myself (an avid radio 4 listener, at least to In Our Time, the science programming and some of the better comedy) and another 94% of the country are clearly the great ranks of the unwashed proletariat. Truly a feudal society.

Surely better to do it on or normal day not a day when the old guard might be out for a celebration of 60 years on the throne?!?! Still interesting question to ask. Perhaps try it on other stations also. Pretty sure that Radio 1, particularly now Moyles has gone, will have quite a working class listenership and barely any working class people employed. The media, politicians and most other people in power are at least middle class. Pretty much the only people that are working class and famous are footballers and rap/r’n'b/hip hop artists.

The problem with this report is that it does not cover all presenters and guests on Radio 4, which is quite obvious when you look at the short list of names who took part. So any conclusions drawn from the report are faulty.

I did like John Humphrey’s reply to ‘Whats your age/gender/ethnicity?’ of ‘DON’T WASTE MY TIME!’

Aren’t the people the BBC employ by definition middle class and aren’t the people they interview also by definition middle class because they are the ones with information or inside knowledge about the subjects at issue, nearly all of which will be middle class activities of one sort or another ? Who are you going to interview about the Euro crisis, an economist or some bloke down the pub – not that you’d get any more sense from most of the former than you would the latter. You might as well produce a shock survey showing that on a particular day 99% of fish were found to be swimming in water.

And is the Guardian any different?

It would perhaps be more revealing to survey its listeners. Also, I don’t know why you’re throwing grammar schools in with private schools. The whole point of grammar schools was to offer a better chance to capable students who would otherwise have been shafted by financial circumstances. In other words, they’re pro-social-mobility.

JS – “And is the Guardian any different?”

Editor Alan Rusbridger (Cranleigh); political editor Patrick Wintour (Westminster); ex leader writer Madeleine Bunting (Queen Mary’s, Yorkshire); policy editor Jonathan Freedland (University College School); columnist Polly Toynbee (Badminton), sent the kids to Westminster; executive editor Ian Katz (University College School); security affairs editor Richard Norton Taylor (King’s School, Canterbury); arts editor-in-chief Clare Margetson (Marlborough College); literary editor Clare Armitstead (Bedales); public services editor David Brindle (Bablake); city editor Julia Finch (King’s High, Warwick).; environment editor John Vidal (St Bees); fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley (City of london School for Girls); G3 editor Janine Gibson (Walthamstow Hall); northern editor Martin Wainwright (Shreswbury); and industrial editor David Gow (St Peter’s, York), Seumas Milne (Winchester College), the Observer’s Andrew Rawnsley – Rugby School and Cambridge University, columnist Zoe Williams (Godolphin and Latymer).

@ JC

“And is the Guardian any different?”

Well, yes, because it’s a private company, not a state-owned national institution. There’s a reason that people are more concerned about neutrality and representativeness at the BBC than with other outlets.

Sorry, Lydia.

I think this just doesn’t work, because your sample is so incomplete.

eg Janet Street-Porter was a key guest on Womens’ Hour for an important conversation about Boardroom Quotas.

Female, age 66.

The same programme had EmmytheGreat, a 28 year old female. And the Noisettes, who I think are all barely over 30.

See:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jggky

That blows out two of your six key bullet points in 20 seconds.

@ 14 Matt

“That blows out two of your six key bullet points in 20 seconds.”

Eh? How does an anecdote about a single show containing some outliers prove that those outliers aren’t actually outliers?

@chaise

I don’t see your issue.

The author claims to have done a survey involving

“every presenter and every guest ”

And draws blanket conclusions with no caveats.

A quick read about one programme which the author claims was covered demonstrates that the blanket conclusions are wrong.

Ergo the exercise cannot be trusted.

Simples.

The claims that:

“- None of the female personalities were over 60
- No-one of any gender was aged under 30″

are patently false.