How often have you thought how things would be different if you were in charge? I’m sure reading this you’ll be saying “quite often Ed!”Travelling from North Hatfield to Easthampton or Northampton (gosh, that seems like a million years ago already!) Linda and I would listen to the radio and say “we’d never have played that on that radio station’s breakfast show” or “why do they keep playing that song again?” It certainly seemed repetitive to say the least.
Having had a taste of radio stardom (!) with our stint as presenters on Valley Free Radio (www.valleyfreeradio.org) we developed a good idea of what makes for a good idea on the radio. We understood that commercial radio in the United States is governed by the advertisers and the record companies, but there seemed to us to be a lack of variety in radio. There was definitely a lack of creativity in the programming schedules or in presenters’ output.
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| Coming in your ear on the weekend! |
So, we started to listen to radio online. In particular, radio from my homeland. It became clear to us that our music show “The Nightclub featuring The Late English Breakfast” was very clearly an English styled show. Lively and informative, our show strived to entertain and educate the listener. It was interesting to find out facts about the artist and the song. For example, did you know Jimi Hendrix’s real name was John Allen Hendrix?
Now we’re back in Great Britain, we’ve listened to a lot of radio. Commercial radio over here has had Linda commenting on occasions “US radio has a lot to answer for!” However, one commercial radio station has got us gripped – Smooth FM 100.4. This station, based here in the North West, encapsulates what a good station should do. Its music, always varied, captures more than one demographic. Good music appeals to all ages. It used to be known as Jazz FM back in the day. We have found Jazz FM to be alive and well on digital radio – more of that later!
This station has become a “ contemporary oldies” station with that important interjection of the best of the best music today offers. That’s OK. Good music stands the test of time and deserves its place on the air, irrespective of how old it is. Stations like Smooth FM know that people still have a desire to listen to the music of their youth for longer these days than ever before! Let BBC Radio One cater to the younger element.
Mentioning the BBC leads me onto that esteemed organization. The notion that you should pay a “tax” (the Licence Fee) of £146 in order to be able to watch television and listen to the radio would send a proportion of uninformed Americans running for their rifles if they tried to bring it in over there! However, here’s the ironic thing - one of the most reliable source of news according to people we spoke to in the USA was the BBC!
We knew that the BBC offered a lot but the quality and depth of programming really is great value for money. I’d like to concentrate on radio. The value for money is really quite extraordinary. It is possible to listen to programmes whose subject matter ranges from old theatres to Lucille Ball to the NFL!
The subject of the NFL brings me nicely onto digital radio. We invested in a digital radio not long after we arrived in this country. The BBC offers the listener the opportunity to listen to its output in crystal clear quality. Football commentaries sound way better on DAB - believe me - than listening to them on the medium wave (AM). Stations have been set up that are broadcast only on DAB (digital audio broadcasting). One such station is BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra. This station offers sports fans extra sports coverage, giving fans a wider choice of games to listen to over the course of a weekend. It also covers sports that are not considered “mainstream”. American football being one of them!
This has pleased both Linda and me extremely. We both miss the USA in many ways. Linda got me interested in American football right from the minute I got to the States. It took me a month to get the gist of the game and now I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s great that we can keep in touch with what’s going on in the NFL over here. One day we’ll have Sky TV and be able to watch games again. I’m eternally grateful that Linda had the Fox Soccer Channel when we were living in Western Massachusetts. One day I’ll repay my lovely wife and have Sky Sports and be able to watch the likes of Tom Brady, Wes Welker once more (glad The Patriots won yesterday by the way!)
James Hunter, man of the people and purveyor of fine tunes, featured regularly on both “The Late English Breakfast” and on “The Nightclub”. We waxed lyrical about him on the show on many occasions and talked about him on this fine blog. Imagine our surprise when listening to Jazz FM we heard that Mr. Hunter was to appear on a show on that station. It was great to hear about a show that features music played at Ronnie Scott’s famed night club in London. It proved to be a good listen. He was his usual articulate and funny self and the tunes we heard, recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s, were excellent. Click on the link I’m providing and see how good he was when he played The Ironhorse Music Hall inNorthampton (Hamp, never No-Ho!) in 2010.
It was great to meet him and one day I’ll show you the picture of the James Hunter poster he very graciously signed for our show. So, not all things British are crap and inferior! British radio has a lot to offer. It’s well worth a try. If you’re not in Great Britain as you read this, go online and see for yourself. If you ever remember listening to our show which paid homage to all things British on a station full of Yanks, you’ll know why Brits like me can talk and put on a good show!Enjoy your music wherever you listen to it and if you have any suggestions for topics, please get in touch. Before I forget, check out the blog my wife and I have created about our adventures in England www.lindaandeddiesexcellentadventure.blogspot.com .
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