Last But Not Least.

The folks at Last.fm have been receiving a lot of comments (apparently) from punters who are not at all happy about the upcoming $3 a month charge for the previously free service.
So much so that they are now 'delaying' the decision on when to begin charging.
Listeners in the States, UK and Germany won't need to pay because there are more of them using Last.fm...it's the rest of the world who will have to cough up their hard earned dough.
On the last.fm blog they're now talking about the fact that they've "postponed the date on which radio will become a subscription service outside the USA, UK and Germany. In the meantime we’ll be squeezing in some additional improvements based on your requests".
Interrresting .
The blog is here:
http://blog.last.fm/2009/03/30/radio-announcement-revisited

PD on eBay.

Unemployed US PD Tim Jones has decided to advertise himself...on eBay !
Nice idea.
Start your bidding.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260383031300

Elvis is in the Buildings!

New markets in the pipeline.

I tend to point a lot of people towards Elvis Duran when they ask me who they should listen to for inspiration. Now, he may not be absolutely everyone's cup of tea (who is)? But the one thing I love about him is that he uses all of the radio basics brilliantly.

In fact, when you listen to him casually, you'd never even know he's using them - it sounds as though he's just doing his thing. That's what makes him so effective. Listen to his links and analyse them and you will be able to see how he uses the 3 Rules in every break...even the ten minute ones!

Well anyway, I've just heard that Elvis is in expansion mode.

Premier Radio Networks have the show (which comes from Z100 NewYork) networked to Y100 Miami, Q102 Philly and 96.5 KISS in Cleveland and with this deal we should expect new market announcements soon.

Juicy Wheels.

Saw this on RadioToday - just thought is looked great.

50 Black cabs in the Liverpool area will be branded like this for local station 107.6 Juice FM. That's advertising on the go :-)

Manchester Workshop.

Quite the day on Saturday at our Manchester Presenter Workshop. We had people attend from all over England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the European continent. Great fun ! Robin Banks was awesome as was our guest speaker Mark Story.
The DVD will be available soon too :-)
Next UK Workshop locations include London, Glasgow and Bristol...just email for early registration and details.
Also Dublin is on the list once more for late April.

Thanks for your support.

Robin Banks during a break on Saturday.

Craig Charles.

Always on the look out for new or different radio experiences, so I thought I'd point you towards BBC 6 Music and the Funk And Soul Show Saturdays at 6pm.

Now before you think "Not my style of music mate", let me explain.

First up - not usually my style either. The reason this show a bit different is the host - Craig Charles.

That's right, the guy from Corrie and Red Dwarf...he was Dave Lister!

I remember him when he was the punk-poet type guy on the Wogan TV chat show in the 80s.

If not for the music, then listen for the passion. Obviously a guy who is there because he wants to.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/funk_soul/

Bye Bye Chum :-(

Toronto AM music station 1050 Chum has dropped their Oldies format and gone All News. Chum have been a music station since 1957 when they began as (what was then called) Top 40. They flipped to Oldies over 20 years ago and have been primarily a music station for the most part of the past half century. They were the station that brought Elvis and The Beatles to the city.

In the 70s, they gave away $1,000 in cash to listeners who answered their phone with the words "I Listen to Chum" (might sound familiar to you if you remember Sunshine 101 Dublin in the 80s)!

chum building toronto.

I understand the business part - music on AM is almost impossible to pull off, but at the same time I'm really sad to see a grand old dame of North American radio fade away like this. It was the same with LG73 in Vancouver - a powerhouse CHR station, now pumping out traffic bulletins 24 hours a day (although their call letters 'CKLG' were adopted by JackFM Vancouver, in a nice nod to the past).

The newly formatted station is called CP24. It changed over a 5am local time today.

http://www.cp24.com

Brian James.

Here's a link to a lovely piece of tribute audio...a celebration of the legend that was Brian James.

It's not just the voice, it's the delivery. It's everything.

Link is here:

http://www.jinglenews.com/2009/03/25/brian-james-tribute/

UK Changes.

Tony Blackburn, Vanessa Feltz and Gary Crowley are to join BBC London from the start of April as part of the new look weekend schedule. Blackburn back at the Beeb, eh?

Do you like a bit of Bully??

Jim "You've Won A Speedboat" Bowen is a new name on 106.6 Indigo FM in Cumbria. He's going to do the mid-morning gig. Can't beat a bit of Bowen!!

Rosko.

Legend that is Emperor Rosko on Star 107.5 in Gloucestershire on Saturdays.

KOMO-KJR Seattle : 1937 !!

We should all start wearing suit and tie again on the air :-)
Awesome piece of video.

Money At Last.

Do you use Last.fm often?
I never really took to it personally, but know lots of people who have the app downloaded and think it's great.
Up to now, they have provided the option of paying three euroo a month which removes advertising and allows for playback flexibility.
Now though, if you live outside The UK , Germany or the USA that three quid fee will be mandatory.
That's right - you'lll have to pay no matter what.
“In the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, nothing will change," posted Last.fm co-founder Richard Jones on Last.fm's blog. “In all other countries, listening to Last.fm Radio will soon require a subscription of €3.00 per month" or the local equivalent. The Last.fm social website and all of its features will still be accessible for free in the rest of the world, but in the vast majority of the world's 200 or so countries, as Wired.com confirmed with a company spokeswoman, the €3.00 monthly fee will apply".

Ad rates in the three countries listed is strong enough for a free service to continue there.

Oooh,, that damn recession !

http://www.last.fm

Meteor Videos.

Meant to post these ages ago...but anyway :-)
The promo nominee videos made for the Meteors...

i Roar :-)

i105107 are holding their Roar Off on Breakfast with Bernard and Keith. It could be just me, but I think this is the funniest morning show in the country. Bernard is hilarious and Keith's dry sense of humour and delivery is spot on. Personal opinion, of course.
The first qualifier in the Roar Off came from Naas (A Nice Place To Shop)!
Overall winner grabs a week in Spain.
Today's video:

All Heart.

As of today, twelve more stations in England are now under the Heart brand.

Early January saw nine outlets flip to Heart, so now along with the already established ones in London, East Midlands and West Midlands the total is twenty four.

The latest arrive in:

Bristol (GWR)

Bath (GWR)

Wiltshire(GWR)

Reading (2-Ten)

Oxford (Fox FM)

Plymouth (Plymouth Sound)

South Hampshire (South Hams Radio)

North Devon Lantern FM)

Exeter (Gemini FM)

Torbay (Gemini FM)

Somerset (Orchard FM)

Gloucester (Severn Sound).

Expect loads of TV and billboard advertising to support the launches.

Heart is now the largest commercial radio network in the UK.

The Goom Show.

Have you heard of Goom ?

It's a service that is due to kick off in the States later this year aimed at the 'internet generation' (whoever that is).

The blurb on the homepage talks about the top presenters, top music and top shows.

Here's a quote: "We also give you all the tools and knowledge you need to create and influence your own radio station".

They are accepting sign-ups for a Beta invite and even though I'm not in the States I figured I might as well stick the email on there just in case...ever the optimist.

There is a French version available here: http://www.goomradio.com/goomWeb/home.do

Here's the US URL : http://www.goomradio.com/us

Bear Fight.

Edmonton's 100.3 The Bear stunt.

Lots of conflicting opinions from 'genius' to'moronic'.

What ya reckon?

Irish Stations on RadioTime.

I noticed Dublin's Country are available on the RadioTime system.

I mentioned RadioTime about a year back and still love it. It's a way of recording shows and streams to listen back to over the net or download to your MP3 player. I've been using it on and off for ages and it gets better and better.
There's a free trial if you want to take a look. Purchase fee though is pretty cheap ($29 US).

Other Irish stations on there include Dublin's 98, Power FM. 2FM, Spin 1038, TCR, ABC 94, Radio 1, Freedom, NewsTalk, the RTE Digital stations, Hot Country, Q102, Dublin City, 4FM, Power FM, Today FM, All 80s, Phantom, FM104, XFM...phew !

That's as of today.

http://www.radiotime.com

Colin Murray.

With the direction his career has been taking lately, I guess it was only a matter of time before Colin Murray moved off BBC Radio 1 completely.

The Northern irish man is to take up a new full time role on 5Live.

Granted, he's already there with the brilliant 'Fighting Talk' on Saturday mornings (best sports quiz on radio IMHO), but this will also be added to with a Friday and Sunday gig too.

Not forgetting his TV work on 5ive (what's with the number 5)??

I remember when it was Colin and Edith on Radio 1 afternoons...things keep on moving.

Meteor Winners.

So, the pup Foley wins again eh? There'll be no keeping him quiet now :-) 'Best radio DJ - National'.

I'm a huge fan of Ray...I just love the way his brain works. A lot of people think his job is easy, but I've seen first hand exactly what it takes to make that show successful and it's an awful lot of work and dedication from the whole crew involved.

The fact that he makes it sound so easy is what makes him so good.

Also good on the Morning Crew from Dublin's 98 (Best Radio DJ - Regional).

Dermot, Dave and Siobhan have been plugging away for a few years now and were also given a rough ride at the start. They have come into their own with a distinctive style and humour and I'm delighted to see them pick up this award.

Some people slam the Meteors saying it's easy to win - you just need to convince enough members of the public to vote for you. Maybe - but people won't vote just because you ask them to. They will vote because they like you and they want to.

Let's give some credit where it's due.

Good job to all nominees and to Ray and The Morning Crew - enjoy your moment guys :-)

Three Things.

One: Thanks to my pals at Bob FM in Ottawa, JR and Sandy. It was fun being with them on their morning show today.

Two: Great to hear Mark Byrne back on the air with 4FM this afternoon.

Three: Good luck to all the radio nominees at tonight's Meteor Awards.

Shortwave is Back.

Today (St. Paddys Day) sees RTE crank up the shorwave gear and point it towards Africa.

It's aimed at Irish people living the more remote areas of the continent who may not have access to the internet or satellite radio and who just want an old fashioned radio signal on an old fashioned radio. Nothing better than shorwave for that.

Basically the content will consist of one hour of RTE programming each day and can be heard on 6220 Khz. The main areas covered will be East, West and Central Africa.

Brings back memories of Radio Luxembourg SW....ah the good old days :-)

Mark Byrne.

Lots of people have been on to me in the past few weeks asking about Mark Byrne.

When is he going to be on 4FM, they ask (not all at the same time obviously)?!

Well, I can tell you.

Tomorrow - Paddy's Day.

Captain Byrne will sit behind the mic on Golden Lane at 4pm for his Paddy's broadcast.

Now you know.

http://www.4fm.ie

Paddys Day !

If you happen to be near a Wi-Fi radio tomorrow then why not tune it towards Bob-FM in Ottawa Canada between 11:30am and 12:30pm.

Why?

I will be on air with my pals JR and Sandy for their breakfast show 'The Morning After' talking Paddys day and all things Irish (sort of).

Jr and Sandy.

They're a great team and are always well worth a listen.

http://939bobfm.com

Mad For Metal.

If Metal is your music of choice and you feel that you just can't find the music or the mix that you like, then you may want to take a look at the new service available from AOL Radio - Noisecreep.

Lots of metal and hard rock on here as well as links to other metal websites, news and videos.

Rock on.

This joins other AOL Radio services Spinner (rock), TheBoot (country) and TheBoombox (hip-hop).

http://www.noisecreep.com

http://music.aol.com/radioguide/bb

Beeb 2 Weekends.

The BBC Radio 2 weekend schedule is out and it sees Alan Carr take up Saturdays 6-8pm from April 25th. The show will be co-presnted by Emma Forbes and will have lots of chat apparantly and music to set up your Saturday night.

Sunday has Paul O'Grady On The Wireless from 5-7pm. One of the competitions is called Tea For Two on 2, where a listener can win tea with Paul and his production team.

Beats a CD, I guess !

Johnnie Walker will do a 70s only show before that.

Looks pretty decent. At least they're cleaning the weekends up a little. Smart idea getting a pro like Emma Forbes to help out with Alan Carr.

I'm not a massive fan of comedians hopping onto radio all the time (like, the job is that easy)? She will keep things ticking along professionally.

The one 'solid as a rock' performer in there will be Mister Walker. That kind of experience can never be replaced.

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

Super Q Kansas City (Late 70s).

Good old aircheck. You can see the jock in studio wearing flares and a massive wing collar with carts and vinyl all over the place.
The man in question is none other than Barney Rubble.....oh yeah :-)
Enjoy.

Positively Red.

I wrote a bit not long ago about a station in the States (KJR in Seattle) that has decided to cut out all negative news on it's AM newscasts and concentrate only on the 'good news'.
Comments ranged from 'nice idea' to 'is there a point'?
Seems the philosophy has reached our own little fair isle, as RedFM in Cork spend tomorrow (Friday the 13th) in a good news zone with 'Feel Good Friday'.
No bad news and only positive stories.
Can't hurt for one day, can it? I mean there are plenty of outlets to get your bad news...so why not?
Or maybe I'm missing something.
http://www.redfm.ie

Manchester Workshop.

Booking for the Manchester Workshop closes tomorrow.
We will be at the Hilton Deansgate on the 28th of this month for five hours of radio...and a game of pin the tail on the donkey (!).

We?

Who's this 'we' I speak of?

Well...former Kiss London, XFM London and Virgin Radio man - Robin Banks.

Plus the legend that is Mark Story. From the BBC to Magic London to head honcho at Emap/Bauer. Is there nothing this man can't do? (Thanks to Homer Simpson for that line).

Also - all attendees receive one month FREE prep from www.txmediasuite.com (worth 59 quid).

Oh and a bit of lunch on the day as well. Gotta eat.

We have people cming from all parts of the UK as well as Irelaand and Continental Europe.

Just drop me an email and we can sort you out.

brian@bmacmedia.com