Ron Ridley, Subscriber
I started listening with my wife Therese from about the start of 1976. The idea that this would be a classical music station that was going to play good music was a delight. They just played music in those days with no announcements. Now you can have four announcements in a row.
Author: Nick Sharman: What encouraged you to subscribe?
I am passionate about music, that’s number one, and number two is, that this is a volunteer organisation, so they deserve our support. Even though I’m a bit less enthusiastic about advertisements and the takeover of jazz three nights a week.
Author: Nick Sharman: What do you like best about 3MBS?
Bill McGlaughlin is a genius; he can talk and play music; it is wonderful you are always learning things. Mark Shepherd’s early music program is great—he should have at least two hours. The nostalgia program, wouldn’t have been allowed by Brian Cabena. I also quite like Ian Lingard’s Sounding Brass on Saturday morning.
We love Peter Mecoles’s program, he has a wonderful way of giving intelligent commentary. He also realises once he has talked for a minute that people will have forgotten who he is talking about, so he always back-announces before he plays the music.
Brian Cabena used to give his quarterly manager’s report. He had a very flat Australian accent, and he’d say, ‘We’ve got a lot of people 'round here who want to be announcers well you’ve got to have a proper kind of voice to be an announcer.’ His voice was anything but proper.
Henry Jamieson was on Saturday night with Bach to Bernstein; it was a wonderful program. The program had a quiz, and we won the prize several times. The prize was brilliant it was for a French restaurant at the end of Toorak Road run by Kevin and Lorraine Golding. The food was marvellous, and we had a free dinner for two.
3MBS made a thing about moving on to women composers in a big way. That’s a good step because many have been forgotten when there are some wonderful women composers.
Author: Nick Sharman: Can 3MBS be doing more for their subscribers?
I don’t look at what they are doing for me I look for what the subscribers can do for them to keep them on air. If they just play good music, they’re fulfilling their ultimate purpose and that’s wonderful. We’re so lucky to have 3MBS.