Marriage Takes a Beat-ing.

We spoke recently about Beat102103 and how they are re-imaging with new voices and that ratings are nicely on the upward path, so it's great to see them ploughing ahead even further with the 2 Strangers And A Wedding promotion.

This promo has run from it's beginnings at 2Day FM and SAFM in Oz, to places as far away as 98FM (as it was then) in Dublin and Energy 101.5 in Calgary - where my old ex-CKLG and CKZZ Vancouver buddy Freeway Frank is morning man.

Check Frank out here, by the way (a great jock): http://www.energy1015.com/blogs.asp

Anyhoo, 98, Energy and Beat are all tied together because the man that consults those stations is also responsible for 2 Strangers - (Phil Dowse). Small world, eh?

It's a tough contest to put together and execute it, but no doubt the people in Beat will be more than able to handle it and probably put a new and unique spin on it too.

http://www.beattwostrangersandawedding.com/index.php

Lyrical Marty.

I've always liked Marty Whelan on the radio...yes, even his 2FM breakfast show (OK, so shoot me)!

His style and humour plus the fact that he just sounds completely comfortable behind the mic. You know he's in control, no matter what he is about to do next.

I guess it was a bit of a surprise at first to hear that he would be joining up with Lyric FM, but then the more I thought of it, the more I figured 'Why not'?

I mean George Hamilton is on at the weekends, Gaybo does his thing there too...so why not Marty?

I'm looking forward to hearing him again.

He starts tomorrow (Sunday) from 2:30 to 4:30pm.

http://www.rte.ie/lyricfm/marty

Nothing To 'Snicker' About.

Absolute Radio were visited yestrday by the legend that is...Mister T !

I'm not sure how I would react if I was told I'd have to interview Mister T on air, to be honest. What would he be like? Would he be difficult to control? Would the whole thing spiral out of control?

Well, apparantly the interview with Christian O'Connell was great. Both guys at their best.

Nice to hear.

But for the next person to have to interview him....well, I pity the fool :-)

Stuff here:

http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/djs_shows/shows/breakfast/index.html

4Wrapup.

Well, That's day one almost under the belts.
Gerry Stevens coming up at 7pm, Rock 'n' Roll Friday with Carl Tsigdinos from 9 and Marian Farrell after that.
Good response on the emails and texts and thanks to all for the good wishes.
http://www.4fm.ie

4FM out for the day !

Here's Derek Davis, Jimmy Greeley and the back of Gareth O'Callaghan's head outside the 4FM building today. Evicted already ! 12:55pm.

More 4.

Damien Kiberd in prayer at his desk before his first gig :-) 11:15am.

(More) 4 !

Gerry Stevens scheduling music at 4FM today. Head of News Kerry Graye in the background.

4FM TV advert is here:

http://tinyurl.com/bhfl7l

4FM contd.

Gareth O'Callaghan at the controls this morning.

4FM Launch.

First song: ELO 'Mister Blue Sky'.
Gareth O'Callaghan and Cathy Cregan kicked the station off at 6am.
Jimmy Greeley follows at 9am.
Updates throughout the day or follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/brianmccoll

08:20 - Jimmy Greely has arrived in the building suitably attired in suit and tie. Good man Jimmy! He's on air at 9am. I'm due in the studio in twenty minutes for a chat with Gareth.

09:05 - Jimmy's first link...right up to the vocals! What a jock :-)

On Demand from Canada, eh?

CBC Radio 2 in Canada have set up a neat little on demand service for music lovers.

Called Concerts On Demand, it allows you to listen to people such as Martha Wainright, Leonard Cohen and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra...nice mix.

Loads of eclectic stuff in there to have a root around with.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/

HugaThon.

Dublin's 98's Radiothon for the Childrens' Hospitals in Dublin is coming up next month.

Today the station were based in the window at M&S Grafton Street. The studio in the window and Siobhan from the Morning Crew trying to break the World Record for amount of hugs received in a single day.

I went down to say Hi and to contribute a hug of my own (all in the name of charity, of course).

A live stream to the website from the morning on added to the experience.

The Radiothon is challenging and worthwhile as well as just being great fun.

UPDATE:

Dave Moore from the Morning Crew's latest tweet on twitter says:

"Right, there it is! Siobhan SMASHES the world record, getting the hugs in under 9hrs! She's now trying to get 5,000. Thank you, Dublin"!

Dublins98Dave,(+) Thu 26 Feb 16:57

http://www.dublins98.ie

Wogan This Morning.

Good ole Sir Terry !
Yesterday's report on his upcoming retirement was denied by the man himself on his Radio 2 show this morning.
"Dear Terry. Imagine my delight upon reading about your imminent demise....", he read.
"Sorry to have to tell you, dear listener, but I may be around for some time yet".
Glad to hear it :-)

Wogan Hints at Retiring from Radio 2.

Terry Wogan has given the first indicaton that he is looking at the future without Radio 2.
He will be missed when he finally leaves...even though it is inevitable.
Enjoy him while he's there.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4803207/Sir-Terry-Wogan-hints-at-quitting-Radio-2.html

4FM Studio Tour.

Want a look at the 4FM studios?

Nice video here (no, I'm not in it)! :

http://www.4fm.ie/video_walkthrough.asp

Launch day is Friday :-)

Amp in NYC ?

Thanks to Baz for the heads up on this one.
It's the talk of the New York Radio Message Board that we may have another jump to Amp on the way.
The rumour is that Fresh 102.7 may flip and perhaps even change frequency to 92.3 !
Yeah, yeah I know - it's only a rumour. I agree. But Amp has suddenly become the hot brand that everyone is talking about, so I kind of figured it's a newsie type item.
The Board is here if you want to read how a rumour begins (and will probably end).
http://www.musicradio77.com/wwwboard/

Raidio Ri Ra.

Digital Audio Productions launch a temporary multi-city FM service from the end of Feb.

For one month Raidio Ri Ra (sorry, no fadas on this computer) will broadcast total irish language hit radio to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway (in association with Chonradh na Gaeilge.

Live programming will come from DAP's lovely studios in Mount Street, Dublin.

Talk about a fresh angle on radio in Ireland. I know Oifigiul na hEireann has been on the go for a good while now, but to have a non-stop Irish language service without the diddle-e-eye angle will be a nice alternative.

Good luck to them all with their venture.

http://www.raidiorira.ie/

Podcasts.

Here are my favourite Radio podcasts from the past week (in no particular order):

Jonathan Ross - BBCRadio 2.

Interview with Midge Ure on Saturday was nice.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/ross/

Ray Foley Show - Today FM.

I've always liked the pup Foley...and still do. Damn him !
http://www.podcastingireland.ie/podcast.html?id_directory=138

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio4.

Smart, funny and very entertaining. One of the few radio shows that actually make me laugh.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/fricomedy/

Jagercast - DAP.

The two lads have some edgy and funny content - last week talking about music rip-offs was fresh.
http://www.jagercast.ie/content/

The Game Podcast.

All right - it's not a radio show, but I likes me footie and love this podcast from The Times newspaper.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/thegame_podcasts/article4635375.ece

Ezine.

The BmacMedia Ezine went out today and this week dealt with Laughing On The Air.

Why sometimes laughing is not a great idea and how you can send a 'needy' message to your listener with a carelessly placed laugh.

Sign up for the FREE Ezine by getting in touch: brian@bmacmedia.com

Country Mix 106.8

Nice video from the folks at Country Mix in Dublin:

Amp Radio.

LA Talker KLSX is no longer talking !

The flip has been made to AmpRadio 97.1 playing 'All The Hits'.

Radio Insight has the first hour including:

Kanye West - Paranoid

Lady Gaga - Just Dance

2Pac - California Love

Pink - So What

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).

AmpRadio was set up by CBS last year as a teen skewing web/HD2 simulcaster...looks like things have moved on from there.

http://www.ampradio.com/wordpress/

ITV Radio Station Comedy.

So, what's it really like to work at a radio station?

Well we probably won't find out in the new ITV comedy, but it's more than likely worth a look at just to see how they portray what we do.

Has there been a show located in a radio station since WKRP? Not sure.

This is called FM, it's based on an Indie station called Skin FM.

Starts on ITV2 on Wednesday.

You can watch (allegedly) episode one on the ITV website listed below.

http://www.itv.com/entertainment/comedy/fm/

Breakfast with Bernard and Keith.

Keith shows how to play it dead pan on i105107....

More Movin.

So, there we were earlier this week wondering if the whole Movin phenomenon has passed or not...with stations using the Movin format flipping to Hispanic and whatever else.

Now there's another one gone and bitten the dust: WMUV in Jacksonville Florida has flipped from Movin 100.7 to good ole Country Legends 100.7 (Country Classics).

You might think "yeah, so what"?, but it's kind of interesting to watch the slow demise of a format that was promising big things a few years ago. Just goes to show, you've got to keep changing and re-inventing in this business.

http://countrylegends1007.com

On The Beat.

It didn't take former Northern Sound morning Man Shane Pearce very long to get behind a mic again: this morning in fact!

A big congrats to Shane who is the new voice of weekend breakfast on CityBeat Belfast.

Good station, nice market and over all a very nice move.

http://www.citybeat.co.uk

4FM.

In case you haven't see the line-up for 4FM, you can hop onto the website and take a gander: http://www.4fm.ie/

That good looking, fresh faced boy on from 2-5pm is yours truly. ....I'll hang on until they can actually manage to get their first choice :-)

You'll enjoy Jimmy Greeley, he sounds right at home and will be a big hit on his midday show I reckon.

All good fun.

Gerry Stevens will be holding down evenings, along with his Music Director duties. Big show off. I've known Gerry since primary school...never like him !

Oh and Mark Byrne on the weekend. Really happy to see Mark back in the business he belongs in. Welcome back Mark.

http://www.4fm.ie/schedule.asp

Station comes on air this day week (27th).

Bit of Aussie Radio stuff...

Might kill a few minutes for you...

Movin on Out.

How's the 'Movin' format doing in the States these days? Remember the hoopla way back when Rick Dees joined 'Movin' in LA?

Well, as of 8pm Irish time today, the latest removal of a 'Movin' branded outlet took place. KMVK in Dallas has now become Spanish Hot AC Mega 107.5fm, with artists like Shakira and Marc Anthony.

Movin with the times perhaps?

Si !

http://www.mega1075.com/

Not his biggest fan !

BBC Radio 2 presenter Paul Gambaccini gave a speech at Oxford University the other day...audience included the BBC's Director of Audio and Music, and gave his views on one Christopher Moyles.

"I find his continual presence on Radio 1 unacceptable. Chris Moyles should be gone".

Gambaccini was particularly upset about Moyles' recent comments about Auschwitz:

"He has no sense of responsibility".

He also went after the BBC press office for defending the show.

Bit over the top maybe? I dunno...all depends on how you like your Moyles in the morning, I guess.

Make yor own mind up. Full article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/18/paul-gambaccini-says-sack-chris-moyles

New Voices.

Waterford based Beat102103 launched their new station imaging yesterday on Breakfast with Niall, Vinny and Mary.

Voices are Enda Caldwell and Belfast based 'Olga'.

Beat are really working hard to increase their ratings even further.

http://www.beat102103.com

Love Niall's show by the way :-)

Not All Bad News.

Seattle Classic Hits station KJR-FM have decided to stop talking recession and economic downturn and will concentrate only on good news in their morning newscasts.
"Start your day on a positive note with uplifting Classic Hits and only good news," say their promos.
Could this be the start of something, I wonder...?
www.957kjrfm.com/

Reminder.

New York based radio consultant Valerie Geller will be in Dublin this week speaking at the Skylon Hotel for two days.
If you get the chance - go see her. She's awesome. We all have radio heroes (or heroines)!
She's mine.
I last saw her in Limerick last November and have been lucky to get to know her personally. You'd be hard pressed to meet someone with more knowledge and passion about radio.
http://www.learningwaves.ie

Twitter.

Are you Twittering?
Join me here: http://twitter.com/brianmccoll
Lots of radio folks have joined up.

Unsung hero.

One point I took from the recent JNLR ratings is the fact that it doesn't matter what type of show you do, or when you are on - you can always make gains by concentrating on the basics. One guy who does this every Sunday night is David O'Reilly at Country Mix in Dublin.

David hosts the The Psychic Connection on Sunday evenings and according to his site has garnered the top audience in the market for that time slot.

David's show is very theme specific, granted, but by using Word Economy, Hooking and Teasing and watching the Elements Per Link, he has managed to present a tight and entertaining show (that's obviously working).

One thing David does well that I love - he doesn't repeat his liners coming out of an ad break!You know what I mean...the produced ID says something like "This is the Psychic Connection. Call us now on 123-4567" and the presenter immediatly comes back live saying "Yes indeed, this is the Psychic Connection and you can call us now on 123-4567"! You hear it everywhere.

The use of redundant words just isn't there with David.

So I'd like to acknowledge a who's guy doing it well.

http://www.irishtarot.com:80/tarot-reading-news.html

http://www.irishtarot.com/podcast/

MD Matt.

Delighted for Matt Dempsey - he has just been named Music Director at Dublin's Q102.
Matt has worked on air and as PD at TippFM, RedFM, Dublin's 98 and 94.9 The Rock before joining Q late last year.

He will continue his on air commitments at the station.

Good stuff Matt - Well Done !

Bubble has Burst.

OK, it's not radio - but it's media news and it's Irish so I thought you might be interested to know: Irish Music TV channel BubbleHits has ceased broadcasting.

The station and website were taken down yesterday.

Full story is in The Irish Times here:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2009/0214/1233867936936.html

Manchester Workshop - Announcement.

I'm delighted to announce that the location for our march 28th Presenter Workshop in Manchester can now be confirmed as:

Hilton Manchester Deansgate.

Only the best will do !

Looking for ward to seeing you there for a great day, alongside Robin Banks and Mark Story.

To book your place or get more info, just email me:

brian@bmacmedia.com