Looprevil radio

I had a successful meeting with the team at Looprevil Radio and have been lucky enough to land myself a two hour slot on a Monday morning!

All week I have been thinking of show ideas, names, avatars and all of the aspects of a radio show that I might use or need going forward.

I've come up with names such as 10 AM hangover, the morning after, walk of shame, the morning after the night before, the Monday morning hangover… The latter being my chosen show title.

I have spent the evening (morning) organising music, my twitter, which is @MondayHangover and email: themindaymorninnghangover@gmail.com

This afternoon, I began organising idents (jingles), using some free sounds online and GarageBand through my Mac. All the wonders of modern technology.

Tomorrow, I intend to keep it straightforward as it will be my first go. In the coming weeks, I would like to have local artists regardless of the genre in the studio with me.

I went to a gig tonight and met a chap called 'Giles' who managed to get through some of the X factor. I spoke to his manager and he was quite happy for me to conduct an interview with Giles when they are next in Liverpool; which means field recording....

I also met another lad tonight as work that he would like to share on the show and a couple of nights before, was able to grab a card of an artist I really enjoyed at an open mic night.

Something tells me, this radio thing is can be quite fun!

Jon Jessop

So I met Jon Jessop on Thursday gone. I made my way to Southport and met him at the studio, chatted for about half an hour before he began his show. Coast radio 1079 is an Internet based radio station from which Jon broadcasts.

He was kind enough to allow me to sit in on his show while he interviews by telephone a band based in London. I learnt and noted down how he directed the interview and then took a phone call during it from the band's manager asking to wrap up the interview as they were running late for the next one! It took me back a little to the conference rooms at work when I worked in banking in London. I could picture the band sitting around a triangular speaker phone on a desk in a conference room with still and sparkling water, a tray of sandwiches and a basket of fruit with their manager on his/her Blackberry at the edge of the room silently coordinating.

Jon started the small talk by complimenting the band on the single they were trying to promote and then asked a series of questions including:

"Where did the name, 'Turin Breaks' come from?"

"Where are you playing [on tour]?"

"What's the genre/style?"

"What did you listen to growing up?"

"What's in the pipeline for next year [2014]?"

During some background music, we chatted and then just before I left to make my way back to Liverpool, he put me on the air talking to his audience about my future in radio.

Jon is a very inspirational and informative person to chat to. He told me stories of when he started in radio including some of those he now swears by when delivering a show.

"Don't come in with a hangover and complain, don't come in talking about last night, don't come in complaining you didn't get your leg over with your missus[!].

You have ONE listener.

She lives on the 15th floor of a tower block, with a budgie. She's got one leg and the lift breaks down three times a week; forcing her to use the stairs. When she's in her flat, mate; you are her best friend."

He still has ties with City FM in the heart of Liverpool (up the tower) and has offered to take me up there on a tour as his personal guest, knowing that I am in search for work experience. Quite aware that I am looking for a work placement, unfortunately this show is so small that I was unable to assist Jon in his broadcasting endeavours, however he is a very useful chap to have in my network.

I was sent home with a spring in my step knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I even bought some headphones on the way back just to listen to his show during the 45 minute journey back to Liverpool.

Learning agreement

Creative Music Project

So, the learning agreement is nearly complete. I have a couple of book reviews to get organised and submission is Friday.

The learning agreement is in place so that we don't waver to far from our initial intentions from what I can understand. The CMP is quite a broad subject and although there is scope to do just about anything related to popular music, it must be a difficult piece to mark. Writing it has enabled me to think more about the theories that I may implement in the planning stages and also how the critical essay will form following the production.

Here is an excerpt from my learning agreement, which I am now not using - but gives insight into my intentions on a critical analysation level:

This entire process will be an experiment as radio is not something I have delved in before. The candidate will have compared at various music events and speaking publicly is something he would consider himself to be good at; but producing and presenting a radio show will be a new experience.


Using research that I glean in the first few weeks by reading and exploring various source materials, I intend to experiment with forms and structures of potential shows during the design and planning stages. Form experimentation will occur by designing itineraries to include matter such as interviews, music placement, commercial and advertising frequency (if appropriate), live music and any other aspects lending themselves to form part of a radio show that I may explore during the process.


These ideas will form an article that I would expect a conventional audience to be familiar with. Conventions such as existing radio programmes and articles that I research will enable me to form useful analysis that will ultimately attribute to the design and function of the completed article. I will be able to experiment with different conventions in order to explore my own research and ultimately; target audience and final product.


Another aspect to be experimented with and analysed in detail is the use of language. I intend to address not only the language that is spoken but the choices of music or subject matter. I will need to decide on whether to give the show a national or local identity and explore advantages, disadvantages and aspects that the use of spoken language can dictate. Because radio does not feature communicative confirmation (where the audience are able to confirm an understanding of the information they have received), I will need to look at (from both a producer and presenter point of view) how the language is delivered to make sure that it is universally understood. This may relate to local slang and other linguistic substance.


Technique is something that I believe (at this stage) I can only get right once in the studio. Learning the technical aspects of running a show are not something one can master from reading, though one of my source materials talks about general layouts and equipment found in a radio station. Techniques in my remit I would suggest will be technical actions such as cueing music, working with ‘talk-over’ and keeping a show flowing. I refer to this as mechanical technique, but I will also experiment with technique in delivery of linguistic presentation. 

I know, I know. Looks like a lot of waffle, but I can categorically confirm that a lot of thought went into that!

On another note, I have a meeting this evening at the SU (Student Union) with the student radio station 'Looprevil'. With any luck, there my be a regular slot for me to fill as a producer/presenter, which would be the absolute ideal result given this project, which also leads me to the below....

Work Based Learning

I have checked with my tutor, Simone and should I not be able to attain work experience with a company, I can use Looprevil as the basis for this work (if I get a slot).

However, I have to raise a glass and a note of thanks to another girl on my course Ramena, who kindly organised a contact for me with 'Jon Jessop' of Coast Radio in Southport. I spoke to Jon on the phone with a view to organising some work experience and he has kindly agreed to meet me next wednesday at the studio for a coffee and to talk further!

Exciting stuff... Watch this space!

Understanding Radio

Understanding Radio by Andrew Crisell; if I can read this book from cover-to-cover, it will quite literally be the first time I have done so in nearly 15 years. Terrible, right?

Well, I should be a little proud of myself. I'm on day three and have made it past the halfway mark of chapter one... It's a great read (it really is) - the book is designed for people like me who are looking for somewhere to reference; it even states so in the introduction. The general consensus of chapter one is describing what radio is as a medium; how it compares to other informative media and it's influence on the imagination of the receiver.

For example, when we speak in person, we often use 'communicative confirmation'... (Understand?..) This is not possible in radio communication, but an advantage is that one car transmit to a mass population of receiving ears. The said receivers cannot see what they are being told and as descriptive as the sound may be, imagination MUST be used in order to complete the picture.

Equally, where radio provokes the use of the imagination, we able to complete other tasks at the same time (now that radio receivers are smaller) - these tasks can however 'detract' from our full attention on the information (sound) coming from the radio. Interestingly, chapter one opened with a great quote:

"When you ask some people if they listen to radio, they say, 'No'. The you ask them if they drive to work and they say, 'Yes'. Then you ask them if they rive to work with the radio on and they say 'Yes'. They don't listen to it, they sit in it."

(Tony Schwartz, US advertising executive) 

Ain't that the truth!

I have decided that in order to complete a successful and more informed radio-type presentation, some ground work needs to be covered, hence the books. My education in radio simply does not stretch far enough to pull off an informed and professional production. Also, if I am to land specific work experience as I intend to at a local station, I should have a little more knowledge than I currently do.

While we're on the subject of a work placement, my classmate Ramena kindly gave me a contact for Jon Jessop of Coast Radio in Southport. I called him up today and talked him into going for a coffee with me to talk about radio and with a view to organising some work experience. He said on the phone that he wasn't quite sure what he might be able to get me to do but that a meeting would be a step in the right direction. Keep your fingers crossed... Mine are!

First deadline due

Oh boy. An email has come through with instruction to get the learning agreement organised.. Looks like a trip to the library tomorrow to choose mandatory reference material and suss out exactly what buzz words will assist in attaining my first good mark ... :-/