Planet Rock, you will be missed

Sad old man that I am, I do like a bit of rock. So much so that I have a DAB in the office, and a newly acquired one by my bed with the simple objective of finding me rocking stations to listen to. A bit of Led Zep sprinkled among the pearls of other guitar led, loud rawk music does me a power of good.

And why not, Barry? We all listen to the music we was dragged up on through our formative later teen years, and I'm no different. Ye Gods and little fishes, I even learn to crank out old rock songs with my guitar 'teacher' (teacher being a euphemism for someone who comes and shows me how he would play it and that helps me work out how to do it properly so it actually sounds like the song. Yes, yes, I know I should replace him with a real guitar teacher. One, sigh, day). Anyway, last time it was Since You've Been Gone, by Rainbow. Not one of Ritchie's finest hours, but anyway I digress*.

I should point out that as I write a four CD set of Grateful Dead is transferring itself into iTunes.

You are, at this stage, beginning to get the idea perhaps.

So you can imagine my displeasure on hearing that on 28 March 2008, Planet Rock will play its last tune and cease broadcasting unless its owner, who I THINK is GEC, can find a buyer.

If I had the money I would buy it. I don't, but I could chip in a fiver. Anyone there got the balance and want to jump in with me?

Perhaps the listeners could club together and buy it. I don't suppose it will be all that exensive if the alternative is closure: that seems to point to it having a value to its parent of around, er, nil.

So I guess we are talking about enough dosh to keep it going for a year or two. With half a million listeners, ten pounds each for a share would be enough. Surely?

OK. I'm glad we sorted out the principle. If someone would now help me understand the practice, we'll get this listener share buy-out underway forthwith.



More digressions: me on guitar, son on drums and step-sod on bass. We're the rockin family comin' at ya.