On Wednesday 21st June the House of Commons hosted a reception celebrating 50 Years of Commercial Radio, so you know I was there! Radio is my life and sometimes I think I should get a life…but on a serious note I was so glad to be invited.
Radio is family, let me explain; we disagree, we moan, we “he said she said”, we “how come he’s doing that”, or “how come she’s got that invitation” there’s even been “how come they got that job” but when the time comes to open that microphone regardless of how we feel, we want the best because we LOVE the medium, we LOVE Radio, just like we LOVE our family members even when they get on our nerves. Regardless of the department: Sponsorship, Marketing, Social Media, Online, Digital, Outdoor, Production or Presenting we’re all in sync with the outcome, we want to hear authenticity, passion and reality.
Commercial Radio used to be the lesser loved or respected medium. The feeling used to be that working in Commercial Radio didn’t require brains or intelligence but what a turnaround. More big hitters from the BBC are crossing over to Commercial as it presents more reality whether you work in the music or speech sector.
There’s a tendency to lean towards what is politically correct when broadcasting on BBC channels and what is politically correct isn’t always authentic, social media has definitely altered that.
LBC’s Nick Ferrari gave a speech that was strong but on point. Having worked in television and print media, he confirmed that the instant and live passion of radio can’t be replicated with the other mediums. Print can be out of date once the print run has been completed, television can be edited to manipulate a story, whereas radio is instant, no edits, authentic and real, which is probably why it’s dubbed ‘theatre of the mind”.
Being in a room of ‘family’ members that I’ve know for 27 years was such great fun, a feeling I can’t put into words. Names I’ve known for years and even voices I’ve heard for years and being able to connect the faces made it a worthwhile family reunion.
So proud to have been a part of this medium, and as long as there’s a voice coming out of my mouth, I’ll be there.
