Jingles, and the first jingle disendorsement/bitch: BBC World news jingle remix

I have loved radio and TV jingles for as long as I can remember. Back in the mid 1980s, Melbourne’s EON and FOX FM (two of the first FM stations in Australia) radio had excellent jingles. I still remember a 1987 TV ad for Fox FM with its ‘fox’ mascot skiing on some slopes, with their catchy “have a good time with the Fox” jingle playing along. Those were the days.

I used to sit by the radio and wait for the jingles to be played – then recorded them for later listening, such was my obsession.

Eon FM, later rebadged Triple M, had numerous exceptional jingles in the late 80s/early 90s. The best was their 3-minute instrumental station theme song, a guitar and drum extravaganza played very rarely, and worthy music in its own right. If I find it, I’ll post it here. And endorse it! [note: after a bit of Googling, I found the darn thing! Awesome! Watch this space]

I am not alone in my Jinglephillic ways… there are several sites and forums dedicated to radio and TV jingles. Why do jingles have such a profound effect on so many people? Reminders of certain life experiences/periods? Station-pride? The power of marketing?

Older jingles seem much more compelling than those we hear today, which tend to be too techy and less thoughtful. Why?!

…Which brings me to today’s bitch: The remixed BBC World News theme is RUBBISH! This includes the 40-second jingle leading up to news at the top of the hour. The previous (2005) version was among the best jingles I’ve heard. The new one sounds crappily ambient – no guts, no feeling, just some background rubbish that’s best left for an elevator or airport restroom. WTF are you doing, BBC?

Grr.