It’s always been the case….

...that presenters switch between BBC and commercial radio stations. I recall Tony Butler in Birmingham switching between BRMB and BBC Radio WM in the 1980s. And then back again it the 1990s. And then back to the Beeb. And then back on commercial radio in the 2000s. And, of course, Ed Doolan, who also shone … Continue reading It’s always been the case…. →

“I never make predictions…

...and I never will” is a quote attributed to the English footballer Paul Gascoigne, who clearly knew the philosophy behind our natural desire as human beings to have a go at guessing what things will be like in the future. Most of the time we fail, which is why now is a good moment to … Continue reading “I never make predictions… →

Some of my favourite presenters…

Then, when I became a professional broadcaster in 1982 there were colleagues who I enjoyed both listening to and making programmes with. Still do, in fact. At the BBC World Service in the late 1980s there was the Geoffrey Stern, working as a presenter alongside his London School of Economics lecturing job, who made my … Continue reading Some of my favourite presenters… →

From the archives: September 1989

How to write about radio, about the experience of listening? Here's a piece from an industry trade paper, in September 1989. It's a review of a tape of a live show I'd recorded onto cassette in June of that year and then posted (by Royal Mail) to the magazine. How else was a journalist in … Continue reading From the archives: September 1989 →

From the archives: 9 April 1992

Here's the start of BBC Radio York's election night results programme in 1992. An example of local live reporting... I'd gathered up all those clips during the course of the campaign trail to build this audio montage. It was a busy night for the BBC Radio York team, reporting live from every parliamentary constituency count … Continue reading From the archives: 9 April 1992 →