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The early days of commercial radio were truly great.  After all, back then, everything was local. Local ownership. Locally originated live output.  Local management. Presenters could chatter away at will and show their personalities; and have a real influence on the songs they played. If you were o…

“I hate the sound of your voice” said a listener text the other day to an old colleague of mine whilst he hosted a weekend show on a commercial music station.  Listeners can be brutally honest. Actually, they can be downright rude. I cannot imagine walking into Tesco, not liking the decor and shou…

From the snow capped mountains I walk across the brown-green fells of the Lake District, up past the noisy waterfall to the placid tarn – a place of mirrors and reflections…  As the logs crackle in the fire and sparks explode when they are moved, thoughts move from past, to present, to future….   I…

Much has been made of the Christmas TV schedule  - but what of the fare in radio-land? Some good stuff, actually, on the 'airwaves', as the press might say. But some things puzzle me.  Why do presenters insist on saying they are 'sitting in' for someone over the long festive spell? …

My favourite focus group participant ever was the woman in the brown parka who returned to the room just afterwards and asked if she could take home the unopened packet of Pringles. Focus groups are seriously bad for the health.  Some contributors make you want to pull your hair out.  But they can …

As 2010 closed, OFCOM confirmed the unthinkable.  The suits at Southwark Bridge cracked open another bottle of branded sparkling water to celebrate the sweeping away of decades of wordy compliance rules, which had caused generations of regulators to chew their Biros at the best of times.  Brand int…

It smelt like a Scalextrix set.  It was certainly one of the first DAB sets in London. There it sat on my messy desk at the Radio Authority in London, alongside the pile of complaints about Talk Radio UK.  Huge transformers, circuit boards and other gubbins mounted on a 1/4" plywood base, asse…

Spangles were so much fun.   Especially cola flavoured, with that fizzy taste which made your cheeks laugh.   Almost as much fun as a sherbet fountain.   Or maybe you preferred stretching out the Curly Wurly toffee from your mouth as the chocolate bits fell off. Sadly, if you really want to get loa…

Outside our new home we have a magnificent black walnut tree, from all aspects of our small apartment we can see the solid grey/brown of its sturdy trunk, at night we hear the wind rushing through the leaves and the soft sway of its boughs.  Its height dwarfs the newly built wooden pavilions; it ha…

The long days of summer are shortening now, but for the last few weeks there have been many days of blue skies and warm sunshine.  Through the shadows of the trees a warm breeze flows playing with the leaves, bringing the scent of the newly harvested fields and the dust of the dry ground.  Copper l…

The question asked may be like leaves that rest upon the silent water; floating for while before sinking to the river bed providing vital nutrients.  It may be like a dropped pebble creating calm concentric ripples, reaching out to the lake shore.  It may even be a vast boulder cast into a placid s…

Snow is still on the ground and the air is driven by an icy chill.  Here in Berlin the grey gritted snow is piled by the pavements and the roadsides.  It should be the time when the buds are appearing on the trees and the first flowers bring colour chasing away the drab grey of winter.  However, th…