Saturday, October 31, 2009

No Pulse.

New York's 'Dance Music Leader' Pulse 87 is now more.
As of 5pm yesterday local time, the station went silent.
The web page is still up and running at http://pulse87.com

In it's 20 months on air, the station pulled in one million listeners in the New York area and their main claim to fame has been the launch of Lady GaGa's career.
Here's how New York's Daily News reported it:

Friday, October 30, 2009

Glasgow venue.


The months are flying in - I can't believe we're nearly at the final Workshop for 2009...but we are !!
November 21st, it's Robin Banks and myself in Glasgow for the day. I'm really looking forward to this one as the response from Scotland to our Workshops has been brilliant.
We have confirmed the venue as the Novotel in the city centre - nice modern facility and right in the heart of things.
If you are interested in joining us - just email and I'll fire off the details.
brian@bmacmedia.com

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Rajars.

UK radio ratings came out yesterday...fun, fun, fun!
In London, Capital have a 5.6 share, followed by Magic at 5.5 and Heart at 4.7.
The ('all-important') morning shows has Capital followed by Heart and then Magic.
Radio 1 breakfast show went from 7.72 million listeners to 7.02 million(it's all relative, I guess).
Wogan's run on Radio 2 sees him go from 7.93 million to 7.76 million.

All the heavy numbers are here:
http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php

Paul Easton has a nice graphic of the London listenership here:
http://pauleaston.blogspot.com/2009/10/london-rajar-q32009.html

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Competition Time.

They give away money??
The concept sounds unusual to this reporter from 1984. Nice turntables and carts etc.
Has it changed that much in the past 25 years though?

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Buzzin' !


Northern Ireland based CHR online station Buzz FM is celebrating 10,000 online listeners each day just from North America.
Buzz have added features to the station output, but still stay true to the 14 songs per hour rule. That could be one of the reasons for the online numbers...very few actual interruptions, other than presenters working the format.
Buzz FM are launching a promotional campaign,initially happen across the North West of Ireland. This will be a fairly major campaign with 40,000 leaflets, free outside broadcasts from all major shopping centres, street promotions and newspaper advertising.
Good luck to them :-) Not too many pure CHR stations in this part of the world anymore.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Station of the Day.


Is this one of the greatest Classic Rock stations in the world?
It's a big statement, but in my opinion - Yes!
Rock 101 (CFMI) in Vancouver has been the city's Classic Rocker for decades and it broadcasts from the fantastic 'Black Tower' in the heart of downtown (sharing office space with 99.3 The Fox, CNKW98 and AM730).

What an on air line-up this station has:
Brother Jake is on in the morning. This man is a legend both on and off air. I remember when he first started at the station (it was weekend breakfast).
My friend in the city called me to say "Take a listen to this guy. He's unbelieveble"!!! (Yup, that was you Laddie). And he was. I was completely blown away. Didn't take very long before the move to mornings :-)



Robin LaRose is on middays. The Electric Lunch is the benchmark of all benchmarks...and that voice. Now there's a Classic Rock voice. That's what it's all about.


Afternoon Drive is Dean Hill and Graham Hatch...two more radio legends! Former morning guys on LG73, Dean & Hatch are household names and have earned that right through being consistently brilliant performers.
Dean & Hatch on location.
Oh , and the musics's pretty decent too !
Overall - it's one powerhouse of a station and displays what Classic Rock can sound like when the people believe in it.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

5 Live.


More BBC news.
Wogan's off to weekends (he'll be brillinat there) and now 5 Live have a new weekday roster.
Starting off with Gabby Logan (her dad is Terry Yorath y'know - used to play for Wales)!
Well, she's gone and landed herself the mid afternoon gig from 12 to 2pm.
Gabby Logan.
Then, it's Richard Bacon taking over. He's finally been brought off the late nights. When I was working shifts last year, I tuned his way in the car driving home and got to like his style quite a lot. He'll be a nice addition to the daytime listen IMHO. Plus, his podcast pleas for the gig seem to have worked a treat ;-)
Richard Bacon.
So who takes Bacon's old gig? 5 Live fill-in man Tony Livesey (10:30pm to 1am). See...there is reward for filling in ! OK, so he'll have to give up the local BBC morning gig (!).
Tony Livesey.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Irish Twits ;-)

Some Irish radio people on twitter that you may be interested in following. These are the guys I mostly follow from the Irish scene. Why bother with Twitter? Well, you don't have to and to be honest, if you see it as a waste of time - then it probably will be a waste of time for you.
However I've managed to learna lot from these and lots of other people through this medium...so for me , it works!

Rick O'Shea RTE 2FM - @rickoshea
Nikki Hayes RTE 2FM - @nikkihayes
Dave Moore 98 - @Dublins98Dave
Dermot Whelan 98 - @dermotwhelan
Adrian Barry 98 - @AdrianBarry98
Niall Power Beat 102103 - @niallpow
Vincent Bradley Beat 102103 - @VincentBradley
Roddie Cleere WLR FM - @roddiecleere
Niall O'Keefe Real Radio - @niallok
Daniel Pitcher Real Radio/Phoenix FM - @Danphoenixfm
Ray Foley Today FM - @rayfoleyshow
Dusty Rhodes DAP - @dustyrhodes

If you have someone in the Irish radio industry that tweets, then let us know - email brian@bmacmedia.com or add the name to the list. Mind you...you could always just tweet it to us !

Friday, October 16, 2009

More Pizza?


I got great news today about one of (what I coinsider) the best talents on UK commercial radio.
The Pizzaman is coming back!!
That's right - Nick Jordan will be behind the mic on Real Radio next weekend doing a couple of overnight shifts 'Live'.
I can't wait to hear him back on air again - especially on a way bigger platform. His last fulltime gig was breakfast on Alpha Radio, but he has stations such as Kiss and Metro on the CV as well as a couple of CHRs in Canada....so he knows what he's about.
The show will come from Manchester and be heard on Real Radio North West, North East, Yorkshire and Wales (don't forget through Sky too)!
Give 'em hell Nick.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Video i.

Latest video from the IRadio camp....

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Hot 107.


It's been a while since we did a Radio Station of The Day thingy...so here goes.
I'm delighted that one of my old co-workers has landed his first major market PD gig. I worked with Russell James back on LG73 and Z95.3 in Vancouver in the early and mid-90s. RJ was always the 'new music' guy and just loved the industry and the radio life. I remember his passion for cars...he drove everything from a Porsche to a Hummer!

Now he's PD at Edmonton's Hot107, the new CHR in town and I hope it goes amazingly well for him. It should do, he knows CHR better than pretty much anyone I've met.

The station launched last week and is rolling out 10,000 songs commercial free to get things moving.
True to Russell's style, the station is very much involved in the Social Media side of things, with links all over the front page of the website to their Twitter feed, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

No presenters announced yet...the site says : "We’re making sure we find the HOTTEST DJs on the planet. Check back soon to see who we’ve found"!
Take a look around and a listen to their live stream for imaging etc.
Best wishes to all involved :-)
Hot 107 Webpage.

Visitor !

Rory Bremner visited Jack FM Oxford recently...

Monday, October 12, 2009

WebCams.

What's your take on studio webcams?
If you are on air, do you like the thought that the listener can watch you go about your business, or is it something that gives you the shivers!
I've often thought it must be a bit of a let down for a punter - really all we are doing in the studio is sitting or standing there looking at computer screens. Nothing too exciting to look at really.
I also always had a problem with the fact that it can take the 'magic' away from radio. Now they can see you, so therefore they don't need to imagine you.
I've never had a webcam on in a studio I've been in, just because I would rather not. Personal preference.
But (!), having said that - I enjoy seeing other people's studios in action.
I got thinking about this after spending a while on the Real Radio site where they have a live stream from the studio cam and I have to say I found it sort of interesting. They've been mentioning the camera a lot on air as well - so it's sort of become part of the station's image. Occasionally the presenters even 'perform' for the camera during links. It's almost like a secret nod and wink to the viewer.
Real Radio WebCam.
Absolute Radio London.

BBC Radio 1.
It is strangely interesting, isn't it !?

Saturday, October 10, 2009

90s Network.


I've been getting a few emails in the last 24 hours asking why The 90s Network website isn't live.
Well, the deal is that at the moment the station is using a '.co.uk' address while they wait for the regular dot com to come back online for them. That would explain that, wouldn't it?
Good luck to Mike O'Brien and his dedicated crew as they launch on another run of this station. It really started to develop an identity during the late stages of it's life last time and I know that the guys behind it have taken all of that experience and are using it to make this one stronger.
The presenters have been given lots and lots of support and encouragement, the programming team have a very definite plan in place and the imaging is top notch (have you noticed that imaging on temp stations is incredibly strong)?

So, head over to http://www.the90snetwork.co.uk and take a listen yourself.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Dabbl.


No, the heading is not a mis-spell. It's the name of the new DAB/Online station from Absolute Radio. It's name is Dabbl (very web 2.0) and has a few stand-out features.
First, they are broadcasting live sessions from the Absolute studios and are also airing live concerts. Lots of 'live' to start.
Then as things progress, they plan on playlisting the station through listener votes.
I'm not sure how that will work, but the Absolute people are very much on the leading edge at the moment when it comes to digital, so no doubt they have it figured out.

Screenshot.
If you're in the UK you can get them on DAB from 7pm-7am and then online at http://www.dabbl.co.uk

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

On Air For Real.


Yesterday was day one for Real Radio - the month long temp licence for Dublin (and surrounding etceteras).
Format? Hot Talk.
How did it sound?
Well, from what I was able to hear (and that wasn't a massive amount)...interesting.
Chris Barry was on in the afternoon with a whole bunch of people in the studio with him including Suzy G. They were talking about David Beckham and then promoting the focus for the next day 'Gay men in sport' and chatting about that.

The imaging by Tony Kiernan is, as you would imagine - slick and focussed.
The one thing that struck me was the music.
Number one, I didn't expect to hear any (and didn't want to).
Number two, it's the same old stuff we hear on pretty much every radio station in the country. A bit of variety wouldn't hurt. They're taking a risk with the format, why play it so safe with the music?
It'd be nice to hear their music person have real fun with the playlist.
Best of luck to the folks there over the next month.
The Real Radio studio.
Take a look at their webstream too, when you get a chance.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

PPI's.

What was the biggest thrill for me at this year's PPI Awards?
The award for 'Music Programme - General'.
The winner being 'The Lock In' on Spin 1038, hosted by one young Dara Quilty.
I first met Dara when he was working part time with the 98 Thunders. He said he wanted to try his hand at going on air and I suggested he make a demo and hand it into Toni Tenaglia (who was the PD at the station).
About two days later, Toni called me into her office and said "You've got to hear this"!
It was Dara's demo.
It's a fabulous feeling when you hear raw talent for the first time. When you can tell the person just has 'it' naturally. Well, that's what I heard with Dara's demo.
From that, he landed some overnights on 98. I was lucky enough to be the person who airchecked him in those early days and I've never come across someone so eager and willing to learn. Also, someone so able to put into practice what he was being taught, while also adding his personality to the mix.
He eventually moved to Spin, doing weekends and fill-ins. This is where he truly came into his own.
Now, Dara holds down the late night show 'The Lock In'.
He also recently started work witrh RTE2 TV hosting a two hour daily show.
This award is proof to me that the talent coming through on Irish radio these days is better than ever. We are starting to see entertainers with real savvy getting the jobs and wanting to make radio great. They know formats, but also know how to use them for the listener's benefit.
That's huge.
Way to go Dara!
The first award of many :-)

Oh and a Huge Well Done to KC in Cork on his PPI award.
Both of these guys are humble enough to be thankful and grateful. They are worthy and classy winners.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Gold Winner.

A big Congratulations to our Overall Winner today: The Gold Award !
It's been a real pleasure organising this first Award for New Presenters in Ireland.
Thanks to all our entrants - it wouldn't have existed without you.
Thanks also to the judges:
Henry Owens, Keith Cunningham, Dusty Rhodes, Toni Tenaglia and Alan Swan.
I will be sending the Winners list to PDs across the country because they need to know the type of talent we have in Ireland.
Listen to the Shortlist and you will agree with me - the future of radio here is in very good hands. In fact, I can't wait to hear this batch of 'newcomers' take over the major gigs...they'll be brilliant.
So - well done and here's to the future :-)

Brian.
http://www.bestnewpresenter.ie

Thursday, October 1, 2009

INN.

Really sorry for the great people at INN.
The service is to end on October 30th, down to the "fall-off in advertising revenue".
The 16 employees were told this afternoon by management.
No doubt radio stations will learn to cope and just get on with things,but that's not what i want to talk about.
It's the people, as always:
Noel Fogarty - a legend in the evenings. Most people working on Irish commercial radio have waited for the cue tones to come down the line and then heard the deep tones say "It's ten o'clock..." and off Noel would go rolling his "r's" and stretching is vowels. Work of art !
My pal Adam Ledwith (who I used to call 'Adam Ledwith-with-with') is one of the strongest and most versatile news people I have seen.
It's a lot for these people to take in right now and I think they deserve the time to lick their wounds and figure out their future.
Good luck guys and hope to hear you all back on air without any gap at all.

Silver Winner.

The Silver Winner of the Best New Presenter Award was announced today.
Congratulations to our two winners so far...the overall Gold Winner announcement will happen tomorrow at 12 noon on the Website.
http://www.bestnewpresenter.ie