I heard a comment recently that was very apt. That comment was a reference to the views of a community radio licensee who believes that community radio is not about the presenters on air rather, it's all about the utter. I agree wholeheartedly but I have a location with it too. My problem is a simple one. I hear very diminutive evidence of such a philosophy being implemented in Community Radio generally. Let's inspect at the presenters on community radio. Community radio is not about creating celebrity spot for those presenters. It seems to me that is what most are after. Community radio is about creating spacious local tell. If your reason for presenting on any radio residence vast or minute is simply to become a celebrity then my advice to you is to assume again and do so quick. You survey, Community radio is not about creating celebrities, a small level of local notoriety may be achieved as a result of some decent broadcast talent but that notoriety is usually a by-product and is always short-lived. Local radio has got nothing to do with celebrity, it never has had anything to do with celebrity and it will never be a source of celebrity... thank goodness. Listeners have very short memories and their loyalty to or relationship with any one radio presenter is fickle and best and non existent at worst. If you want proof of that objective ask the presenters who were on your local situation in 1988, if you can remember who they were and obtain the taxi firm they work for now.
Celebrity Celebrity is for the spacious boys, the national broadcasters. If that is your aspiration then it is worth realising that you need to be a celebrity before you score a radio stammer at all. honest retract a spy at national radio schedules and scrutinize how many recently hired presenters owe their fame to careers outside of radio... quite a few! Local radio, community radio (call it what you will) is about swear, well presented. The ability of the management team to drive that strategy forward will lead to a successful local radio station
Two things are required to enact this. Firstly, you need a grand programmer who knows the inequity between a agreeable local radio presenter who knows how to enact apt local deny and the local plumber with a giant ego driven by a zigzag plan of what local radio should be. But who also happens to believe he's Gods gift to radio. If the person responsible for explain on the plot can not distinguish between these two then the station will suffer badly. The second thing required is a kindly salesman. He needs a goods product to sell and that is expansive numbers of listeners. They exist only because of the product created by the programmer... yes you've got it... the situation sigh.
Anoraks Let's bellow for a moment on the plumber/anorak/presenter. I can impart you now that these people are ruining community radio. Why? Because they are the 'anoraks' who always wanted to reveal on Commercial Radio or BBC local radio before Community Radio ever existed but got turned down every time when they applied to because they were simply not good enough. If they did manage to win a job they didn't last very long. I know, I did the turning down (politely of course) but I did preserve some of the demos. I listen to them now and again fair to remind myself that radio presentation is a talent and no matter how some people try they will never finish it onto any radio place.
With the advent of Community Radio, the advent of the unpaid presenter the advent of the 'local pillar of the community' who gets a community radio licence but knows nothing of how a radio set works, means the door is open to those who could not succeed before. I don't blame Mr 'Pillar' he did everything fair and ravishing play to him but if you are faced with a seven day schedule of at least 15 hours of live broadcasting to indulge in and Mr 'Anorak' keeps knocking on your door saying he's the best thing since Terry Wogan landed at Heathrow and will expose your Drive explain for NOTHING...well its difficult to watch a gift horse in the mouth and its happening wholesale across the community network. What's the old-fashioned saying about peanuts and Monkeys?
Lets be distinct Now before you accuse me of being negative let me say that there is some colossal talent on Community Radio, presenters on stations who clearly realise that Community Radio is the modern 'LOCAL RADIO'. There are some stations out there that realise that 'local' means being a catalyst for the status rather than being a pet finding service. There are local programmers who realise that local radio is more than just asking your listeners what 73% of people do before they their brush their teeth (What I do know is 100% of your listeners don't care) . The skill lies in finding these people, training these people, nurturing these people who will go on to do a sector of the radio industry that needs developing and needs developing now.
Will this ever happen? I have it will not because the desire to contain airtime with unpaid, unqualified and frankly uneducated presenters is far stronger than the desire to provide a safe professional sounding local service that may cost a cramped more but would reap ample larger financial benefits. The reason is money or more accurately, the lack of it. It's got nothing to do with community, nothing to do with local drawl and nothing to do with the profitable values of local radio.
A dream I did have a unbelievable idea once, I toyed with the notion that I could become a consultant for Community Radio; I could bring all my management expertise, experience and broadcasting skills to believe on a cramped place that would examine the befriend in listener numbers and revenue if they took my advice. It could win some time, probably longer than Mr 'Pillar' is prepared to accumulate but I know it will work and they could win the credit, I wouldn't mind. Perhaps I could claim a fee based on success of the status only. Perhaps I could sit on the management committee and offer further expertise from time to time and even have a role in coaching fresh talent in the academies. It'll never happen though. Why? Well the truth often offends and a frosty, fair ear on what his set broadcasts will hiss things that Mr 'Pillar' simply doesn't want to hear. A misguided loyalty to those who are systematically keeping his site from real success stands between him and that success. Finally, he suffers from something that other businesspeople do not suffer from. Mr' Pillars' awe of loss is far stronger than his desire for win.
Celebrity Celebrity is for the spacious boys, the national broadcasters. If that is your aspiration then it is worth realising that you need to be a celebrity before you score a radio stammer at all. honest retract a spy at national radio schedules and scrutinize how many recently hired presenters owe their fame to careers outside of radio... quite a few! Local radio, community radio (call it what you will) is about swear, well presented. The ability of the management team to drive that strategy forward will lead to a successful local radio station
Two things are required to enact this. Firstly, you need a grand programmer who knows the inequity between a agreeable local radio presenter who knows how to enact apt local deny and the local plumber with a giant ego driven by a zigzag plan of what local radio should be. But who also happens to believe he's Gods gift to radio. If the person responsible for explain on the plot can not distinguish between these two then the station will suffer badly. The second thing required is a kindly salesman. He needs a goods product to sell and that is expansive numbers of listeners. They exist only because of the product created by the programmer... yes you've got it... the situation sigh.
Anoraks Let's bellow for a moment on the plumber/anorak/presenter. I can impart you now that these people are ruining community radio. Why? Because they are the 'anoraks' who always wanted to reveal on Commercial Radio or BBC local radio before Community Radio ever existed but got turned down every time when they applied to because they were simply not good enough. If they did manage to win a job they didn't last very long. I know, I did the turning down (politely of course) but I did preserve some of the demos. I listen to them now and again fair to remind myself that radio presentation is a talent and no matter how some people try they will never finish it onto any radio place.
With the advent of Community Radio, the advent of the unpaid presenter the advent of the 'local pillar of the community' who gets a community radio licence but knows nothing of how a radio set works, means the door is open to those who could not succeed before. I don't blame Mr 'Pillar' he did everything fair and ravishing play to him but if you are faced with a seven day schedule of at least 15 hours of live broadcasting to indulge in and Mr 'Anorak' keeps knocking on your door saying he's the best thing since Terry Wogan landed at Heathrow and will expose your Drive explain for NOTHING...well its difficult to watch a gift horse in the mouth and its happening wholesale across the community network. What's the old-fashioned saying about peanuts and Monkeys?
Lets be distinct Now before you accuse me of being negative let me say that there is some colossal talent on Community Radio, presenters on stations who clearly realise that Community Radio is the modern 'LOCAL RADIO'. There are some stations out there that realise that 'local' means being a catalyst for the status rather than being a pet finding service. There are local programmers who realise that local radio is more than just asking your listeners what 73% of people do before they their brush their teeth (What I do know is 100% of your listeners don't care) . The skill lies in finding these people, training these people, nurturing these people who will go on to do a sector of the radio industry that needs developing and needs developing now.
Will this ever happen? I have it will not because the desire to contain airtime with unpaid, unqualified and frankly uneducated presenters is far stronger than the desire to provide a safe professional sounding local service that may cost a cramped more but would reap ample larger financial benefits. The reason is money or more accurately, the lack of it. It's got nothing to do with community, nothing to do with local drawl and nothing to do with the profitable values of local radio.
A dream I did have a unbelievable idea once, I toyed with the notion that I could become a consultant for Community Radio; I could bring all my management expertise, experience and broadcasting skills to believe on a cramped place that would examine the befriend in listener numbers and revenue if they took my advice. It could win some time, probably longer than Mr 'Pillar' is prepared to accumulate but I know it will work and they could win the credit, I wouldn't mind. Perhaps I could claim a fee based on success of the status only. Perhaps I could sit on the management committee and offer further expertise from time to time and even have a role in coaching fresh talent in the academies. It'll never happen though. Why? Well the truth often offends and a frosty, fair ear on what his set broadcasts will hiss things that Mr 'Pillar' simply doesn't want to hear. A misguided loyalty to those who are systematically keeping his site from real success stands between him and that success. Finally, he suffers from something that other businesspeople do not suffer from. Mr' Pillars' awe of loss is far stronger than his desire for win.
