Classic FM Reviews 316

Classic FM was wonderful when it first appeared but it's now ruined by the constant loud, inane, repetitive advertising. I turn the volume off when they come on, but it's got too much and it's lost a listener now. Anything but relaxing. You can only squeeze the golden goose so far

I used to love listening to classicfm and it's sister station, Gold. However The parent company, Global seem to have discovered the cashcow of selling opportunities for a listener to win a large sum of money each Friday. So this lottery is continually promoted 24 hours a day to make money for Global. The advert for "a life-changing sum of money" interrupts the flow of programs. It feels like it's lottery is promoted after every single peice of music. Unless this changes, my listening taste WILL change.

Classic FM is completely “over the top” promoting its own gambling agenda every few minutes. The organization has greatly lowered the standing of the radio station. It is now a cheap tacky shadow of its former self.

I've given up with Classic .So boring REPETITION CLUB YUK

It is being downgraded by this new Cash Call. It would be less annoying if it were merely added to the adverts. but putting it in the mouths of presenters is horrible.

The current use of cash call to generate funds is both cheap, irritating and encouraging gambling as a more subtle level.

There’s way too much repetition of certain composers and pieces which is limiting the enjoyment of this once fun radio station. Surely there’s a wealth of other composers and performers that can be promoted rather than trying to attract populist audiences.

It’s also very sad that some of the original presenters who had such charming manners and presence have all but gone; sometimes it feels like I’m listening to a sales pitch with some of the presenters really having no inkling about classical music.

Time to find another radio station that’s serious about music me thinks….

Please stop doing these stupid cash calls. Its tacky and very annoying. I turn classic fm off when they advertise it.

Can't stand the devotion to Einaudi and other trite composers. Might as well be EinaudiFM. There is such a vast range of wonderful classical music available, but ClassicFM continues to trot out just a tiny subset of that wonderful repertoire. The idiotic prattling of the presenters and intrusive adverts make the station unlistenable.

Hi Classic FM, I've done a review a few weeks ago, gave 4 stars. Said i turn off radio when adverts come on. Got tired of that, pressed preset to radio three everytime adverts started. So nice to hear a variety of music and no utter rubbish mind insulting adverts. You've lost another listener. Sorry.
Nice knowing you.
Cheers ian.

This is an updated review after my previous gripe about their irritating cash call competition, which had been going on for months. I had enough and now listen to Radio 3, it's excellent.

However one month on, I thought I'd try AA one more time, but guess what, he's still promoting their stupid cash call! Shame on you Global for ruining a good radio station, and shame on you for promoting gambling! I'm NEVER listening to the station again.

Stop Cash Call immediately. It's tawdry and common.
Stop plugging it as often as you play Gershwin and John Barry (whose repertoire was more than Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves).

What was, a number of years ago, a really good radio channel that we could listen to every day. Its been highjacked - over Christmas was the final straw with its encouragement of gambling to win “life changing amounts”. This looks like it will be a regular daily/weekly/monthly feature. …. and every presenter seems to overjoyed to share this with us. We have overlooked(suffered) the down grade of presenters but enough is enough. It seems the only way to make our point is to “stop listening”. Happy to read any comments for a proper high quality replacement.

What has happened to Classic FM that I once found a station that instilled a bit of peace and tranquility in a crazy world. Just turned it off again, as music being played I would expect at a funeral. Aled Jones seems to pop up relentlessly, often with Coral Music which in my mind is not classical. Such a shame.

Sick to death of their bloody raffles being aired every 10 minutes and a very repetitive repertoire. If they would prefer another channel to do what they are supposed to do many listeners would be happy to change.

I entirely agree with the comments about the Cash Call, it has been ABSOLUTELY awful and now it is going on in January. It is so obtrusive and I wish, as others, money was going to charity.

Cash Call ruined Christmas for me. It’s CONSTANT! It doesn’t exactly appeal to the best instincts in people, does it? If it had been for charity well, fair enough, but it’s just a money making scam. I hoped it would be over by New Year but no, it appears to be every month now. I generally liked the music and most of the presenters (though what Dan Walker knows about classical music is anyone’s guess…). How can these people prostitute their talent appealing to peoples’ greed? Well, no longer,I’ve deleted the app and moved to BBC3.

I’ve been a regular Classic FM listener for many years, but the experience over Christmas, New Year and now well into January has been seriously undermined by the relentless promotion of their cash competition.

The frequency and repetition of these announcements is excessive and intrusive. Even allowing for the festive period, it’s disappointing that this has continued long after Christmas with no sign of easing.

I’m also uneasy about the nature of a paid-entry cash competition being promoted so aggressively, which raises legitimate concerns about the encouragement of gambling - something that feels completely out of place for a station that presents itself as calm, cultural and inclusive. Who would have thought that Classic FM would be come a gambling den!

I should say, I'm not totally anti-gambling (in the right place) and Classic FM still has much to offer, but unless these cash competitions come to an end, I’ll be looking elsewhere for my classical music listening.

It’s no longer possible to listen to Classic FM on an apple Homepod. It’s been like this for a couple of months.

I can't understand why Classic FM are giving away thousands of pounds to random listeners... It's up to half a million next week. It's appalling, they have no idea who it is going to, they may be filthy rich already! Give it to charity if the station has so much spare cash. Luring listeners with the bribe of thousands of £? I'm appalled

What I am about to bring to light does not only cover Classic FM but all the radio and television stations that are at this time of year pushing competitions for large sums of money to be won. They take in the elderly which I have a close dealings with who spend hundreds of pounds on these competitions which is wrong because they do not have banking apps so will never be able to access the money even if they do win.
Most are still using old phones. It's so wrong that itv, Classic FM Smooth radio and many others are encouraging this.
Always the elderly are the ones wasting their money on these competitions every day. Wrong!
I see it every day.