Call Upon The Author

I wrote this piece a little while back for an online magazine, but I thought I’d share it with our readers too!

Ask yourself a question… when was the last time you listened to the radio? You remember? I’ll bet you don’t. Sure you might remember the last time you had the radio on, it might even be playing away in the background while you’re reading this, but when was the last time you really listened? People said radio died when John Peel did. I don’t but that, but I think right now, as a medium for entertainment, it’s like a punch drunk boxer, hanging onto the ropes to keep itself upright.
Or is it… sure Radio 1 still gets plenty of listeners, but that’s just because it’s what you have on in the office, with it’s rigid play lists it ensures there’s something for everybody, but never enough of any one sound to really draw you in and excite you. And their presenters, do you really think Chris Moyles has a burning desire to unearth new music, or that when Jo Whiley announces she’s found something fresh and exciting you didn’t already see them a year ago on a tiny festival stage or the back room of a pub? Radio 2 (Stuart Maconie and Mark Radcliffe’s show aside) isn’t much better and Radio 6 is so popular that it was supposed to be scrapped (and, let’s be honest, listener figures will likely drop off again when the furore over that dies away).
If you’re prepared to look a little further though, there’s plenty out there to whet the appetite. Digital radio has helped of course (I’m currently in love with Planet Rock as it satiates my need for hair metal, blues rock and a daily dose of Springsteen), but to me it’s the internet that has really invigorated radio. Now you don’t have to listen to what the little aerial on the back of your FM radio can pick up, you can search literally hundreds of thousands of stations across the world to find one that will appeal to you.
Weirdly, in doing that I found a couple of gems close to home. Firstly there’s South:Live on BBC Southern Counties, this show,

John Peel - the cool uncle to so many bands who found exposure on his radio shows

 broadcasting out of Brighton wears it’s shiny “BBC Introducing” badge with pride and, to be fair, Phil Jackson and his team seem genuinely excited every time they unearth something good. I’ve appeared on the show a couple of times as they hold a ‘panel’ checking out recordings sent in by aspiring performers, but unlike the sniping sessions you might expect, the comments and feedback are usually very positive and the spectrum of panel members (I’ve shared the mike with a former music writer for The Guardian, the founder of Great Escape and the guy who produced Doll and the Kicks’ debut album, among others) ensures a wide variety of views and opinions.
Even closer to home, here in Portsmouth, we have a gem of a local station in Express FM. With controllers who let their guys run wild and free there are shows covering everything from old school metal to the Blues and all aspects in between (as well as the usual daytime radio fare of breakfast shows, call ins and topical news pieces). Top of the pile though are two shows that deserve mention all of their own. The Guestlist prides itself on offering the best in local music and beyond. Chris Stoneham and co have an encyclopaedic knowledge of bands who roam South Hants and beyond and when they aren’t putting the show together they’ll be at local venues checking out who is playing and keeping up with what’s popular. It’s this sort of grass roots support that allows an act to really define themselves and take stock of who they are and if you have a show like this locally I can’t urge you strongly enough to support it!

Joel Ransom

The other show is the antithesis of everything that’s wrong with commercial and mainstream radio. The Ransom Family Show began life a year or so ago and was immediately the most ramshackle, chaotic mess I had ever heard. I’ve been fascinated ever since. Joel Ransom and his cohorts have gotten a little more professional as they’ve gone along (when it started, the show was recorded in advance in the former hotel where Ransom lives, these days they go out live from the studio), but along the way, the changing cast, from impish, ukulele toting teen Huw Olesker to the background giggles of Leigh Mary Stokes and impromptu phone conversations with the denizens of Ransom’s bulging phone book have forged a show that harnesses the insanity and makes something that really has to be heard to be believed.
When I started this article, staring at a blank page, I felt we may be the last generation of radio listeners, that it’s a concept that will be alien to younger generations who would prefer to rely on recommendations from Spotify or iTunes. The more I’ve thrown myself into the subject though, the more I’ve realised that, if we truly love music, if we love the endless variety on offer to us, then nobody has come up with anything better, so we should do the right thing and start showing our love for radio… good radio that is, as far as I’m concerned if the BBC wants to cut costs they should start with Scott Mills!