RIP Sir Jimmy Young.

We all have people we credit with getting us interested in radio. It might be a person we know who encouraged us to listen to some show or other, or you may have listened for music and stayed because you liked the host.

When I was a very young lad - before I even appreciated Radio Luxembourg - I knew about Jimmy Young.

As a family, we travelled to Liverpool a lot to visit relatives. I used to think we were actually FROM Merseyside ;)

I have memories of sitting in a kitchen, the transistor radio on and rushing over to turn up the volume as Jimmy Young and Terry Wogan slagged eachother, joked around and generally had fun as one took over from the other.

There was nothing quite like it on Irish radio. It was cheeky, funny, irreverent and sounded completely off the cuff. A far cry from the staid, straight back RTE offerings.

I loved it. They made me laugh.

Earlier this year we lost Sir Terry. Now he has been joined by his pal. Maybe they're having a good old laugh again. 

I learned it's possible to entertain and try to be funny and cheeky while maintaining your class and style, from Jimmy Young.

I owe him.

Big time. 

A Great Radio Producer.

I'm a massive fan of Katherine Boyle.
Katherine and Iain lee have produced some of the most innovative, creative, funny and absolutely surreal radio I have heard in years.
Together they have built up an understanding that goes beyond most radio partnerships.
I've written about their current late night show on talkRADIO on different forums, but usually from the perspective of the presenter.
However, without a great producer - great radio like this can't happen.
Katherine Boyle is more than the producer of this show - she is a personality in her own right with an instinct for what makes radio great...plus the ability to deliver it.
This stuff can be taught up to a point...then, the pure talent and genius takes over. There - I said the word!
So I'm thrilled she agreed to contribute to this series today :)

Radio Thoughts from Professionals.

I'm a big believer in the fact that if you work in radio, you contribute to radio.
Whether you are aware of it or not.
Every time you open the mic or line up a call or edit a feature, you are contributing to how the industry sounds and is received.
I always say to new presenters - when you are on air, YOU are the radio station. YOU become the programme.

We get caught up in ratngs battles and how our promotion is bigger than theirs - but the bottom line is, we all work in the same industry. We all go through the same challenges. How we face them, is down to personality and experience.

As a broadcaster, what you do impacts me and everyone else in radio. Likewise - I impact you.  The better you are at radio, the better the industry becomes.

With that in mind, I asked some people I admire (presenters, producers, podcasters) to share their thoughts on radio.
I thank them for doing this - these people get the fact that even if we are competing, we are also gaining and learning from eachother.

The first contribution is later today - here, on twitter, facebook and instagram.
I hope you enjoy them.

New Radio Feature.

Secret Weapon They Don't Teach You.

Ever see one of those ads that claim "Here's the secret they don't want you to know"?
Well, at the risk of sounding like one of those...here IS somethng they don't tell you about - but usually it's because they DON'T know.

One of your most important weapons as a radio presenter is your voice. It's obvious, right? You have no career without a voice. It's the ONLY way you can make a living as a radio presenter.
So, how come we are never taught how to USE the voice?

We are airchecked about mechanics and elements per link and hooking and teasing etc. All very important, but once you master these and know them unconsciously - then what? How do you deliver your message as YOU?
Your voice.
I don't mean the 'sound' of your voice. I mean the way you use it as a tool for communication.

Do you know about the different effects a quiet or loud word can have on your listener? How you can change their emotion with a whisper or yell and how to harness the wonder of your voice to hit exactly where you want to?
Do you know how Olfactory, Auditory, Kinaesthetic words can impact a listener?
How saying "Let me tell you" and "Let me show you" attracts different people?
How vowels reveal your true emotion and how you can create that emotion with your listener?
Most PDs and consultants don't talk about this because they are not aware of it.
But you CAN be.
I call it the Thinking Behind The Talking. You do it every day in 'real' life.
Learn how to use your voice and learn how to make your words work for you.

Delivering words alone is like driving a Rolls Royce to the corner shop and back wearing a blindfold.

Z100 for the first time.

When I was a kid...(no, it's not a 'Good Old Days' post) whenever I, or one of my friends, went away somewhere we always brought back some tape of local radio.

Especially from the States.

I remember one time a pal of mine arriving home from a trip and handing me three cassettes full of radio from Boston, Hartford and....New York!!!  I spent hours listening to the presenters (the 'DJs'), the imaging, the callers...everything. Mind blown before 'mind blown' became a thing. This really was the only way to hear US radio - you had to literally travel there. 

Now, with a little bit of  streaming creativity, you can listen to pretty much any station you want. Anywhere.

One thing you notice now is how inter-changeable stations have become. That CHR in New Orleans is the same as the one in Phoenix as the one in Boise. Big corporations buying up and playing safe etc. 

Once again, the main difference at any station is the presenter. The presenter is the real voice of the radio station. That's why I still get excited when I hear something new and fresh. It's like listening to Z100 for the very first time.

What gets you excited about radio?

What gives you that 'mind blown' feeling?

If you can figure that out and draw on that emotion, it will help you as you become the presenter you know you can be.

When Great Gigs Happen to Great People.

I'll admit it - I LOVE when great people land great gigs!

Two success stories for you.

Tracey Lee.
Tracey is an Irish presenter who has been living in Malta for the past few years (who can blame her - what a place). Tracey had a lovely career on Irish radio working with South East Radio and nationally with Today FM, among others.
Radio took a back seat to her family life...until last month!
Now you can hear the Irish lilt of Tracey Lee on XFM in Malta during lunchtimes Monday to Friday.
Malta is a tough nut to crack (sometimes the so-called 'smaller' ones are) but she has cracked it and they're lucky to get her.



Erin Wilde.
I first met Erin when we both worked together at Z95.3 in Vancouver in the mid-90s.
Erin was always fun to be around - positive, engaging, smart, funny and mischievous. Perfect combo for a radio presenter :)
Erin ended up in Calgary presenting for a long time on a particular station...until the radio industry did what it is good at sometimes - eating it's young! The job disappeared.
NOW, you can catch Erin on afternoon Drive with KISS959 in Calgary. Her positive never-say-die attitude got her back in the saddle (a pretty great saddle too).

I'm delighted for both presenters...class is permanent.