Adventures in Radio...

by Alex
•
16 Jan, 2019

10 Years: Evening Radio: Pop Stars: Mystery Punctuation.

It turns out that this week 10 years have passed since I arrived at the legendary Castle Quay in Manchester to join Lucy Horobin to present the Bauer evening show – then known as 'In:Demand' (still not quite sure what the : really stood for and I’m not sure I ever asked). Following a lengthy, intense, and sometimes emotional, demo process, I was definitely considering making a run for it when I finally joined Lucy on the show.

I look like I’m auditioning for a role in ‘Twilight’ as opposed to starting my dream job. I was wearing a brace for the first six months in the job so didn’t even attempt to crack a smile. You would be right to wonder whether me or Lucy had just spent a year presenting overnight radio.

The In:Demand journey eventually lasted five years, the latter half of that time flying solo as Lucy moved to Global. It was, at times, an exhausting gig, but it always exciting, fun and no two days were the same and in the end I was lucky enough to interview many of my favourite musicians and ended up spending far too much time with Little Mix.

With 10 years passed since my first proper pop star interviews under my belt (Kelly Clarkson and Lily Allen) now seems like a good time to start chronicling such encounters (and having looked through my diary entries there was a hell of a lot of them).

If you love music and you love pop stars then there'll be plenty to read about here and hopefully you'll have heard of them all (there's not much to say about Gary Go or Natalia Kills tbh). There will be only (mostly) positive and good stories to tell - and anyway, pop stars are much more fun to read about than Brexit right?

The Importance of Student Radio

by Alex Atkinson • 24 September 2019

With the new university term officially underway I wanted to reflect on the importance of student radio and the vital part it continues to play in preparing students for the big, bad, world of work that awaits beyond graduation.

My time with Fuse FM at The University of Manchester during its early years helped determine the kind of work I dreamed of pursuing and gave me vital experience in how a small station, operating on an RSL (you might need to Google that), needed to function in a professional, but still fun, manner.

Every student radio station is different: there are some that have bigger teams than others; there are those whose budget is rolled by the student union or university and those who will fundraise and rely on their members to provide vital cash. Differences aside, they will, of course, have many other things in common. All stations will need scheduling, they will need music, talk and news content, and they will need bright minds to operate the tech and ensure smooth running of the daily operation.

All things combined, student radio has the power to bring together many different types of people, from all walks of life, working together to deliver a common goal, and this is where it matters most. It is a microcosm of any bigger business and workplace - whether radio or not.

Many of the people I met and worked with (cos it was work) at Fuse FM went on to pursue countless different types of careers. Barrister, International Charity Manager, Stand Up Comedian and Teacher are just some of the eventual jobs that spring to mind.

Then there were those who knew that being part of the station would provide those all-important skills and CV boosters that would be essential when attempting to make first steps on the media career ladder. Myself, wanting to be a presenter, meant that being able to host my own shows was a crucial part in the process of finding my ‘voice’, whilst running the station helped me earn a lifelong respect for the many different pieces of the jigsaw that collectively create a professional radio station.

Throughout my career I have met countless people who all maximised their time at uni, joined their fellow student radio brethren, and honed their skills, began making professional connections and discovered what it might be that they would be passionate enough about to build a long term career from. To name but a few, the ranks include: national breakfast show producer, production and imaging manager, political correspondent and national drive time presenter – and there’s that rather talented bloke from Radio 1 of course.

Vital in helping develop and discover new talent for all parts of the industry, for those attending university, student radio remains one of the most fundamental experiences for anyone building the early blocks of their career (whether radio or otherwise).

In Praise of Father Simon & Sister Cox

by Alex • 14 January 2019

Everyone has people in their line of work that they admire, look up to and continue to be inspired by. Most radio presenters and broadcasters will willingly reel off a list of their broadcasting idols whose style, success and delivery are a source of admiration. Two of mine have been making headlines more than ever of late – and through all the sound and fury they have continued to be the most brilliant of broadcasters.

My young love for commercial radio would often fight the natural teenage desire to seem cool – and that’s where Radio One played its part. This is where I would find two people on the radio who I continue to admire from afar and can only dream of being as good as. They sit on a radio pedestal next to my commercial faves.

Simon Mayo and Sara Cox could not be further apart in their style, but something about the pair of these broadcasters has always stood them apart from their peers. I don’t hesitate to say, for me, they are both genius.

Mayo’s just short of sarcastic patter and wink-of-the-eye delivery demonstrates his remarkable humour; a humour that brings the audience in on the joke despite no obvious joke or punch line being made. Listen to any of his ‘Confessions’ series and you’ll hear this style in action. How many broadcasters have been able to take a concept like ‘Confessions’ on such a journey through so many iterations?

He is often the calm in the radio storm. Seemingly laid back in his approach, his programmes are never loud, over the top or unnecessarily frenetic. This calm was proven quickly after a transfer from music radio to BBC 5 Live and having to provide a devastating commentary on the 9/11 attacks. I can still remember his description of the towers coming down – a feat that proved his incredible radio prowess.

And Coxy? She was the voice of every morning at university (I like to think she was just as hungover as I often was) and an actual break from all radio norms. She seemed messy, the content appeared ad hoc and it was all quite brilliant. Her charm and realness have never changed. Coxy is simply the only presenter who can reduce me to fits of laughter when describing the most normal and mundane parts of life – whether these are her own stories or when she is regaling the life of the listener.

She is the mistress of storytelling, a whizz with language and every programmer’s dream: she is the presenter you absolutely want to go to the pub with, although in the late 90s she may drink you under the table. Her innuendo is never played for cheap laughs - that tongue is consistently wedged firmly in cheek.

I remember during my university summer break in 2000, whilst working at my local commercial station, I would look forward to the daily handover from Coxy on breakfast to Mayo on mids. Their daily interaction was effortless comedy – both coming at the world from different angles but their individual styles integrating to create a brief moment of magic every morning. Mostly it was classic Coxy innuendo forcing Mayo into a deliberate dry and eyebrow raising response. I was obviously overjoyed when they were brought back together to present as part of last year’s Radio 1 Vintage – the ultimate indulgence for any radio geek, the chemistry between the two of them still sparky and unique.

Who is Evie Street?

by Alex • 14 January 2019

On my daily drive to and from Radio City in Liverpool I had started thinking about devising a story that could tie together lots of the places I love and how one character could be the protaganist that would link them all together.

Evie started life as a young boy and he would have ultimately been a secondary character in the life of a couple who were suddenly given the responsibility of looking after him following a tragic event that forced them together through no choice of their own. It was going to be an adult mystery/thriller – that idea didn’t last long.

The opening of the book remains the same as it would have been with Evie as a boy, that is pretty much the only thing that hasn’t changed along the way.

As soon as I finished the opening section I knew that a young girl could carry the story much better than a boy – she could be a strong female character, just entering her teens, having to deal with family tragedy but with a mission bestowed upon her that could help her recover from the events of the book’s opening.

Over the last few years The Lingholm Estate in Keswick has been much frequented for many weddings and weekend breaks. It is one of the most perfect places to spend time – it is also full of history and stories that made it an ideal location to use in the book. The same goes for Whitby.

Having grown up in Yorkshire, Whitby was always a place to go for day trips and my Mum happens to be quite the expert on the town and Captain Cook, having taught the history to countless students over her years as a teacher. Essentially all the places in the book are real (as are all the historical figures) you can visit them and enjoy how brilliant they are.

I finally started writing in May last year and tried to develop as much as I could in between radio shifts and during my spare time through the Summer. Having progressed enough for the story to no longer be just a bit of fun I spent the majority of September and October completing it.

I have spent some time trying to find an agent and editor that might eventually take the story on – this is, understandably, a tough process ( and I though radio was hard!) I am going to keep looking - but in the meantime have decided to pop the book online and see whether people enjoy the story of Evie Street and The Clock Shop. If they do I have plenty of ideas of where she could go next.

If you are a big kid or if you have any teenagers in your house that love a bit of adventure and action then this is definitely one for them. I have dedicated this to Grace, Aoife, Molly, Lily and Daisy – but is for any young girl who has some fight in them and enjoys wearing baseball shoes!