PAUL BEDFORD
Station Director

Hi there. My name is Paul. Here at Replay Radio we aim to bring you the best music on Planet Earth from the 40s - now. So why did we start Replay Radio?

Well let me begin by saying as a 40 year old I grew up listening to great stations such as Radio Luxembourg, Radio Nova, Laser 558/729, sadly these fantastic stations are only memories of a great era of broadcasting, hence I decided to start Replay Radio and with some fantastic help from who I like to call my good friends, Rodney Collins and Mike Knight  from the legendary 208 Radio Luxembourg Replay Radio was born.


Laser 729/Radio Caroline also gave us Cowboy Blake Williams with his unique Sounds of Enchantment, also from Irelands Radio Nova Henry O’Donovan who now runs a superb site Bonditunes.com  and who is not a dj just a mere newsreader though we disagree, Henry is a great presenter like all of our presenters they all have their own unique way of doing radio which is what makes great radio.

The whole idea of Replay Radio is to bring fun, entertainment and great music from around the world with our great team of worldwide presenters to bring real radio to an audience that deserves better.

BLAKE WILLIAMS
Head of Presentation

Born in a Southern Arizona in 1958, Blake is the son of a cotton farmer.  At age 12, he began hanging out at the one and only little AM (medium wave) station in his home town of Casa Grande.  On his 13th birthday, the staff let him do a 2 hour radio program introducing records and reading commercials.  That is where his career began working every day after school and both days on weekends.    Blake worked in Tucson the same week high school wrapped up in 1976.  He worked at a top 40 AM station during the week and on weekends he did a couple of shifts on the only FM rocker, KWFM.  Soon after he moved to Phoenix to work at the heritage rocker, KDKB and eventually KUPD.   

He left the deserts of Arizona to join up with the Laser team and ended up working with Radio Caroline doing afternoons.  From England the next stop was Guam for several years in the 1980s then back to Tucson to be Chief Engineer and an Announcer at KKLD.  In 1994, due to health challenges, he stopped working full time and has been doing free-lance production for radio and TV stations around the globe.Still undergoing chemotherapy, Blake lives in the high deserts of New Mexico on 5.5 acres with his horses and many dogs.  The “Sounds of Enchantment” is produced in his home studio near Route 66 and relates the southwestern feel in the program.  It's eclectic Enchantment. 

MIKE KNIGHT
I started out in the Disco world working for a company in Manchester, designing and building speakers, supplying local DJs and installing them in clubs. Working as a DJ was sort of a progression from a keen interest in sound equipment – that – and the fact that DJs had more fun and earned more money than speaker designers!

Working up through the ranks of the Mobile Disco market in and around my native Manchester, I also spent time working quite a few of the Manchester Clubs in the late 60s early 70s – somewhere down the line, I got offered a job DJing in Norway, after six months there I ended up working the clubs in Luxembourg – where I got to know all the Radio Luxembourg team – and in a classic case of being in the right place at the right time – was offered the job as Station Manager at Radio Luxembourg. For that I will be eternally thankful to my good friend Bob Stewart, and the sadly missed Stuart Henry – who took me under their wings and helped me get my start in radio under control. My duties were to look after the DJ team and make sure 208 played all the commercials and music it should – and that all the DJs turned up. We also ran a local FM service called RTL Community on 92.5FM. The 208 DJs hated doing it – so after a lot of badgering on my part, and no doubt a lot of help from the fact that no DJs wanted to work the shifts – PD Tony Prince finally let me loose on air. At the time – it was not self-op – you worked with a Tech-op and got used to a weird set of hand gestures to control what he did. We had a lot of fun doing that as you can imagine! Many (many) shows later – I guess you could say that I had cut my milk teeth on air doing live shows – albeit for a baby Radio Luxembourg! I recorded trailers and commercials for 208 – but only ever did ONE show – just prior to the closedown of the MW service – Jeff Graham let me do a one hour special as part of the closedown – fame at last!

After Radio Luxembourg – I was part of a team that applied for, and got, a local FM licence in Luxembourg. Sunshine Radio was born in 1993 and I ran that up to the point that we sold out to a local mobile phone company some 7 years later. Sunshine was a real learning curve – we were a very small team, mostly volunteers, and we did EVERYTHING ourselves. From constructing the transmitter site and tower – through to building the studios and cleaning the toilets – we did it all. New DJs were given their first break, and quite a few of the Radio Luxembourg team appeared on air (most notably, Mike Hollis and Dave Christian) and we had a great little station – which attracted a large audience, but never made enough money to do anything other than survive.  Would I do it again?  Probably not! …Did I enjoy it? …Hell yes!!

RODNEY COLLINS

Rodney Collins started out working for local newspapers in Surrey and then the music press as a journalist for Record Retailer (now Music Week) and  as News Editor for Record Mirror. He was the first British journalist to report on, and visit, Radio North Sea International and was responsible for editing a regular supplement on Radio Veronica which added 60,000 to Record Mirror's sales in Europe. 

At the end of the 1960's he worked for ATV in their theatre and record divisions before joining BBC Radios 1 and 2 in 1971, working in publicity and presentation and contributing to programmes like "Scene and Heard". Then he joined commercial radio, as Director of News Programming for Radio Luxembourg and - later - as part of the set-up team for Atlantic 252, the long wave radio station launched at the end of the 1980's. He presented Luxembourg's long-running "208 Editorial" programme for ten years and was responsible for live coverage over Radio Luxembourg for four general elections. It was during this period at Radio Luxembourg that Rodney first started working with Radio Outreach, a Christian charity with programmes world-wide. It was the start of an association that has continued until the present day, some 35 years after the first programme was aired. Around the same time, Rodney started working with the US singing star Gene Pitney, compiling several LP and CD releases over the years until the star's untimely death in 2006.

After a spell as Managing Director of local stations in Glasgow and London, plus some time as Director of Programmes at Manx Radio, he joined Isles FM in Stornoway in 2000.  Rodney still broadcasts weekly for Isles FM, the local commercial station that serves the Western Isles and Highlands of Scotland, produces CD's and runs a small hotel on the East Yorkshire Coast with his family – see more at 
http://www. theradcliffeguesthouse.co.uk/ In 2006 he became an independent producer of www.offshoremusicradio.com .

NICK BARNES

My name is Nick Barnes, I was born in 1962, I'm a singer, songwriter guitarist. Music has always been my love and passion. My birthplace was The Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England.

I started playing guitar when I was 12 and have played in bands and as a solo musician since I was 16. i now present some Radio Shows. And one of the shows is on Replay Radio.

I did a BBC Children in Need fundraising appeal/TV show in the 80's with my own band. Two of the guitarists went on to play with Delametri and Lynndisfarne. 

Then I got married, hence no music recorded for a few years.

On my first album The Last Train, I was really lucky to work with Tommy Mandel of the Brian Adams Band.
Since then I have written and recorded two more albums, The Blacktop Road and Throwin Stones. Tommy has worked on all three albums with me.
I have also had some really great musicians work with me that can not be named due to contractual reasons.
Most recently on the Throwin Stones album, I was lucky to work with Ian Cutler, the fiddle player from The Strawbs.
All three albums are currently getting airplay worldwide, on various fm and internet stations.
All the DJ's that are playing my music are saying that it is being well received.

HENRY O'DONOVAN

Hi folks! I started out in radio in 1978, working on the pirate radio stations of Ireland, and there were many! I then managed a gig on the biggest one of all - radio nova. I also worked on other "superpirates" such as q102, and Energy 103. I came to Australia in 1989 and left the radio industry until the internet started getting really sexy, in the sense that radio stations were broadcasting online! In 2003 I did a number of radio shows for Dublin's alternative Phantom FM. More recently I have been doing video presentation for New York's RADIO IRISH, which is a bundle of fun! I am also a writer, and have written a 6 part sitcom for the BBC or Channel 4 UK, but getting them to buy it is a bit of a problem! I currently own bonditunes.com, where I stream my own shows, along with those from replay Radio. Talking of which I do a weekly radio show for Replay, and every month, a 40's and 50's show, and other specials, such as the RADIO NOVA special aired in August 2010. Replay Radio is a fantastic place to be, and I feel very comfortable here because you know - the future of radio is on the internet!!!

ROEL VAN ANTWERPEN

My name is Roel van Antwerpen and together with my wife Marina I’m living in the south west part of Holland.
I started my radio career at the age of 15, working during holiday’s to save money to buy a set of two turntables. From that time of the virus of making radio program’s entered my body and I guess it will stay there forever.
When I started The Project.NL I never thought it would be that fun to make the show, it’s not just an ordinary oldies show, for example you will never hear the well known oldies, but the oldies that are already forgotten, obscure b-sides, flip sides, etc etc.
It so much fun that, although The Oldies Project.NL is spoken in Dutch, people all over the world can enjoy those hidden gems form the fifties, sixties and seventies, because the language of music understands everyone, which native language you speak.
Feel free to mail me with you question about the show! Go to the website: http://www.theoldiesproject.nl

LIAM GOUGH

Liam is one of our 80's experts producing some of the music jams you can hear on the station. Currently living on the West Coast of Ireland – he was originally from South Wales and had worked on local hospital radio stations. He was also the Editor at the former Radio Industry blog site – www.ukradio.com and did some work for the UK Radio Academy. In the last few years Liam has put his love of 80's music and radio to good use and has been involved in a number of Internet radio services and the former RTI radio service which broadcast to Slovakia on FM and to a larger audience on the Web and Sky Digital. Now he produces a number of Jams which include popular tracks and less played tracks from the 80's.

Coming soon a new two hour 80's show to be aired on Sunday's and repeated Monday's.

JAN BJERRUM

I started my radio career at Radio Viborg in Denmark in the 80's and after Radio Viborg I came to Radio Skive in 1993, after Radio Skive I came back to Radio Viborg in 1996 and left again in 2000 and joined Radio Alfa and their sister station Radio ABC where i still present ABC Top 50.

In 2004 I came back to Radio Skive where I do the Drive and at the same time I do the Drive at Radio Mojn at the other end of country.

FRANK BROEDERS

My name is Frank Broeders and i'm living in Holland together with my girlfriend Fen. I started my radio career setting up some local and regional stations in the south of Holland.
 
As student I had lot's of freetime that made it possible for me to work as program director and DJ for some radiostations. Formats on the stations were very different Top40, oldies, rock and hardcore techno.
As child I did fall in love with music and that love is still growing.

When the working life started time to be involved with radio became less and less. But im still interested in radio and like to listen to all kinds of stations from all over the world. For my work I need to travel around from time to time and try to visit the stations.
 
I'm very happy to be part of Replay Radio and promise to make some exciting programs. It will be a journey through all kinds of music. Only 1 rule for the music that is played is that it is the best of the best.

JAMES ROSS

James has been broadcasting one way or another since he was a scruffy teenager. He's been a DJ, producer, TV presenter, journalist, reporter, engineer, operations manager and sales manager at numerous radio and TV stations in the UK and around the world. James started in BBC Local Radio, working at BBC Radio Solent, BBC London and BBC Radio Bristol, followed by spells at Radio Top Shop, for many years behind the scenes at BBC Radio One, and then as a reporter at BBC Radio Two and LBC. James has played key roles both in front and behind the camera at Bloomberg Television, more recently overseeing global operations for ITV in Asia, and currently presents his weekly show for Replay Radio direct from Hong Kong.

ERIC WILTSHER

Since the age of 10, Eric has wanted to speak into a microphone. At the same age he also managed to blow the entire mains fuses in his fathers shop trying to make his voice louder – he figured that if 9 volts created a quiet sound, 240 volts would make everything louder. It did with a mighty bang! Since that time he’s been in an out of radio, he’s worked for the BBC, LBC 97.3 in London as well as many other stations. He now lives in Slovakia and went there to start the Anglo-Slovak station RTI. RTI was on various platforms, but was eventually closed down by the Slovak regulator, after a significant battle, who, in short, banned RTI from broadcasting English language material. Eric remains in Slovakia working on IP projects including filming for the UK based HighTatras.TV and is, to say the least, keen on anything and everything Internet based. His show takes in aspects of his former Award Winning MediaZoo show, but will often include guests ranging from Prime Ministers, Senators, TV and radio people, and even rock superstars such as Gillan.

Don't forget Eric also has a great passion for all things radio and that can be seen on his blog http://ericwiltsher.blogspot.com where he has a page dedicated to offshore radio video clips. PostCard From Poprad, Poprad being where Eric’s studio is,  appears for an hour a week on Replay Radio.

DAVE SMITH

Dave Smith was born on 8th may 1971. Dave has worked on many stations mainly communtiy radio and hospital radio starting in 1985,  his knowledge of country and rock and roll music is amazing, his regular features include the dusty 45 (a rare long forgotten song) which started on Eric Wiltshire's show on RTI fm on a Wednesday night.

Dave will bring you the rock and roll annivesary file (a look at the births and deaths of famous rock stars) in the week the show airs for the finest country music and the best of the 60's 70's and 50's, with a bit of madness thrown in tune in

SARAH COLLINS

Sarah Collins started her broadcasting career at 13, becoming the youngest presenter on Independent Local Radio with her own Saturday afternoon show on a local FM station in Scotland. She soon started presenting DriveTime on Isles FM, leaving to move to England in 2004. She's now back broadcasting on Isles FM on Monday mornings with the same show she presents for Replay Radio each week.

PETER LEE

I have been involved in radio since helping to create a hospital radio station in Kent in 1969. Before this Peter would bore his parents to death by “transmitting” a station from his bedroom into the kitchen on “cable” It was a clone of offshore radio in the 60`s and was called “Radio Kent” Some time after this the BBC pinched his idea for local radio. Peter experimented with many converted valve radios on dubious bands and once prevented the whole of his street watching Coronation Street by blanking the area with interference (he was only 15 years old at the time). He once found he had over a dozen listeners on Band 1 TV`s listening to his programmes on harmonics!!!

Peter has been on board the Mi Amigo as well as Mebo 2 and Laser 558.  His interest in all things radio has taken him all over Europe, among other things installing 2 way radios for the Romanian ambulance service as well as connections with www.islandfm.gr in Zakynthos, Greece reading the English news bulletins for Kefalonia Island. Peter has a passion for the offshore radio era. He now holds a Class A Ham Radio Licence with Call-signs in Greece and UK. G4UDW and SV0XAM. In 1989 Peter created the first Hospital Television Service in Kent, broadcasting pictures of the Tunbridge Wells Carnival to 3 local Hospitals in the area using colour TV transmitters and Hospital Radio landlines.

PETE FORSYTH

Pete Forsyth began his journey into radio around the mid 70s when he “bought” an hour on Pennine Radio for Children in Need. Since then he has presented programmes for several community and hospital radio stations including Radio Calderdale (Halifax), Hospital Radio Exeter, Spark FM, Sol Radio (Tenerife).

His interest in music, however, began a long time before that. He became a DJ with DRM, the only, and probably first in the country, mobile disco company in 1968!! Covering pubs throughout West Yorkshire he soon learned how to conform to the public tastes!

This is the second time at Replay Radio after taking a break to sort out personal stuff and is really pleased to be back!

peteforsyth@replayradio.net

www.peteforsyth.co.uk

JOHNNY REECE

Johnny Reece has been broadcasting his Album Zone programme for various stations over the past 10 years or so, to the UK, USA, Netherlands, France, and Slovakia. According to which particular source of information you read, Reece was born in either 1966, 1962, or 1958. However, when very drunk, he has attempted to claim he was born in 1973. Perhaps he doesn't know. I say this, because I asked him, and he said "I don't know". This is, of course, a lie.

What isn't a lie is the fact that he has been buying Music since he was 7, boasts a personal collection of over 20,000 Albums (running his own Record Shop in the past did rather help that) and still helps out on the production side at a record company, in between writing the odd song here and there for friends Bands. 'Odd' being the operative word, he insists. And the rest, as they say, is hysterical. What of his Shows for Replay ? Well, you'll hear Album tracks covering at least 50 years. Anything from new and forthcoming releases, back to the halcyon days of Album Rock from 60s to 80s, and the occasional nod into the Rock n Roll era too, if the mood takes. If he thinks it's good, it goes in. That's the rule.

If he ever won the lottery, (very often in his thoughts), he would "spend it on Toys and Sweets".
Johnny Reece is unavailable for comment, even at http://www.myspace.com/johnnyreece.

GIL LEGINE

A contender for the 'tallest man ever', Gil Legine left the UK in early 2004, abandoning the landscaping of his garden in the leafy suburbs of Essex. Now settled into a quieter life re-inventing good manners & rye bread topiary in Copenhagen, and an accomplished drummer & sound engineer, Gil recently finished building a studio in his garden where he not only plans to corrupt Danish youth with olde English ideas about music, give Drumming lessons, and record Album Zone shows, but also launch a rocket into space carrying recordings of all his old programmes so that, “the aliens might think twice”.
For a while Gil presented the A.Z. 'Jazz Club' & has threatened another, “some day”. In the past Gil was a regular on Album Zone Broadcasts from Radio 6 in northern France, and at the RSL Broadcasts in Holland at local Station, Radio Stad Harlingen. He also regularly accompanied Johnny Reece doing the 'night-time' Album spots at RSL’s on Radio Caroline, playing the best in Album music to a generally bemused audience. Such fun !

RICH PHOENIX

Seems I’m the token Yank in this AlbumZone lot, and I couldn’t be more pleased ! Radio-wise, I wound up receiving my 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Broadcasting at the Kent State University, Ohio. My college radio antics led me through a variety of less-than-legal 'Part 15' broadcasting endeavours in my home state of New Jersey and on the very edge of the Kent State campus where I encouraged my fellow TKE fraternity brothers to hurl mediumwave invective across East Main Street whenever the University sought to increase fees or reduce toilet paper allocation in the dorms. I found my efforts in the field bringing me back to New Jersey (NJ) and even New York City as an ABC radio network engineer. I did the proverbial NJ radio circuit being heard through 10 different Stations until WRAN, where I met Carla Sullivan who finally became Mrs. Phoenix in that wonderful year of 1980.

In the late ‘1990s, I was still an avid shortwave listener when I caught Johnny Reece and James Barclay doing a Merlin Network One show on the BBC transmitters. My immediate reaction was that the Beeb had finally found its way into real 20th century radio in spite of themselves, and I phoned JR from our front porch to tell him so. We found ourselves to be kindred radio spirits. I discovered that there was something missing in my life, so off went an audiocassette 'audition' to North London and I became part of the AlbumZone family where I remain to this day.

I am greatly indebted to radio for allowing myself to become acquainted with greats of the 20th century. One of my earliest encounters of note was backstage at Kent State with Louie Armstrong and Ray Charles. In another interview, I believe I even had the good fortune to help guide the great Cheech & Chong when they were planning their next record album and I lobbied enthusiastically for another 'Ralph & Herbie' doggy-style routine that miraculously appeared in their next vinyl outing.

The business permitted me to meet and interview Paul and Linda McCartney as well as Denny Laine on their first British Wings tour at Oxford in 1973. The same year, I was befriended by a great musician, composer, producer, vocalist and engineer who would become a mentor for me and my entire working life. It was the remarkable Norman Hurricane Smith. Need I remind you that he was the Beatles’ engineer and de facto 2nd producer for their entire Abbey Road output from 1962 up to and including 1965’s Rubber Soul ?  He also hired and produced a little psychedelic pickup band at EMI that you may know called Pink Floyd. It is dwelling on Norman, on 'Pops' Armstrong and on the great Brother Ray Charles that tells me how long I have hung around in this business and how often it paid me handsomely in something other than folding money.
And, the same may be said of AlbumZone. I firmly believe that terrestrial radio has run off the rails and needs a little prompting. That’s why we do Album Zone for you, our audience, and just to show ‘em all how it should be done.

BARRY DE FOYLE

Erstwhile French Door and survivor of the inaugural Antrim Folk Festival, Barry de Foyle first broadcast live to the world from his native Northern Ireland as a teenager on Gloria Hunniford’s show on BBC Radio Ulster, reading requests on air and shaking hands with Dana. In spite of this, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Barry has been broadcasting with the Album Zone now for nearly four years, playing his own eclectic (occasionally eccentric) mix of music.  He gave up trying to catalogue his album collection some 15 years ago when his library spreadsheet went into meltdown.  Now he just leaves tottering piles of CDs in various corners of the house for his long-suffering wife to trip over.  Only the bathroom remains unconquered territory.

As a freelance music consultant, Barry was recently commissioned to provide some 36 hours’ worth of ‘ethnic’ and ‘neo-classical’ music playlists for a prestigious Dubai hotel in the world’s tallest building.  But his main loves are seventies progressive rock (including a rapidly growing collection of Italian bands), jazz (especially 50s/60s hard bop) and classical (all the way from early music to that weird modern stuff).
Barry also plays guitar and drums from time to time.  He contributed to a Roxy Music tribute album in 2009 and one of his fondest memories is of an evening spent drumming in a jazz/blues club in Ginza, Tokyo. But he is happiest sharing the music he loves with anyone who cares to listen.

ANDY MILES

Our '70's West Coast Rock and 'Live' Rock specialist' as he's known to people who like long sentences, Andy is another veteran (he won't like that) from our French Broadcasts, and is now a fully paid-up member of The Album Zone team (well, a member anyway).
Andy was a mainstay in our 'Live' worldwide shows via MNO, and a regular at our monthly sojourns at Radio 6 in France, over a 9 year period.
He also presents many programmes from his own studio based in the leafy glades of Hampshire. For all you Shortwave punters, Andy made his debut shows on our American outlet, WBCQ, in January, 2000.
In his 'normal' line of work (which must remain a secret for no good reason) he takes regular business trips to exotic locations such as Milan, Brussels, Phoenix, and New York, and has a nice car too, so the rest of us are quite rightly jealous of him and talk about him a lot behind his back.
Andy's obsessions include Denim Jackets, 'Live Rock', and Guinness.

RICHARD BISMARCK

Much has been said about Richard Bismarck, though none of it here. Another member of the squad who started out presenting Programmes from his bedroom with an ancient Meccano set and a couple of bits of wire, Mr. Bismarck moved on to Student Radio in Loughborough, joining up with the likes of Messrs. Barclay and Mueslibar to bring chaos to the murky lives of the local populace.  In more recent times he has worked in France (Radio 6), Holland (Radio Stad Harlingen), various RSL Offshore Broadcasts in the south of England (Radio Caroline), and of course presenting many recent Programmes, both 'live' and pre-recorded for The Album Zone.
Expect to hear Music from all over the world on his programmes.

His love of bizarre holiday locations sets him apart from the rest of the AZ crew, and his recent invites to "come along !" to the rest of us to locations such as the Faroe Islands fell on deaf ears, or, deliberately closed ears anyway.
He is a big fan of 'Real Ale', because someone has to be. His obsessions include Bjork, and Women who drink Pints.
His ambition is to "tidy the kitchen".

SIMON G

Simon G is, without doubt, the AZ 'new boy'.  That's not just because he's years and years younger than any of us, either.
His speciality ? Some superb themed programmes emanate from his countryside Derbyshire studio, and make their way right here onto Replay Radio.  If it's good - it goes in, and recent forays into specialist areas of Psychedelia and Indie have proved a great success. Needles to say, his record and cd collection is growing at an alarming rate. It happens to us all...

KEITH ROGERS

It seems an era away when Keith Rogers,(real name Mark,at last the secrets out !) when as a 9 year old first heard Radio Caroline North in 1966.It must have created a spark because the radio bug continued until the current day !.In the 1970s Keith listened to Radio Luxemburg,RNI,and Caroline and some of the djs on those stations,such as Tony Prince,Don Allen,and Tony Allan,and often wondered if one day he could do the same.

A few years passed and keith became involved with hospital,and university radio in Birmingham,and couldnt resist the temptation to become a radio pirate.Keith (using the name mike thomas) started broadcasting on the madcap short wave station Empire Radio with a mad show of music and comedy extracts-no change there then !.Keith also did shows on Radio Free Birmingham ,and then launched the very popular Midlands pirate station Sounds Alternative 255 which ran until august 1985.

In 1989 Keith became legal ! and part of Wolverhampton Community Radio that presented weekly shows on BBC WM,this later led to 9 RSLS in Wolverhampton,two for Radio Cracker in Birmingham,and then later part of two unsuccessfull full radio licence bids ,one in each city,Keith who is happily married and now in his 50s retired from radio in 1997,only to return again in 2010 as is proud to be part of the great team on Replay Radio..

TONY NUGUS

I began listening to radio from a very early age listening to the Beeb and good old Radio Luxembourg the station of the stars. Later on the Offshore Radio Stations, had a major influence on me. Top Forty radio on tap was a great innovation as  believe it or not we had never experienced it on UK radio before. Influences at the time were Tony Blackburn. Kenny Everett, Keith Skues and Dave Cash the memories of those halcyon days have stayed long in my memories. Like a lot of people August 14th 1967 was a very sad day for most of us. I have to say that on 3 p.m. that day I shed a few tears as we would never see the like of those glory days of radio again.

After this I got myself a proper day job and sadly didn’t take my interest in radio forward. Until a few years ago when I decided that I wanted to rekindle my love of radio and wanted to look into becoming a presenter in some form or another, but I wanted to do this properly. I contacted Southend  College in my locality and decided to take a weekend course in Radio Communication Skills which was jam packed with information and set me on the road to radio presentation. My tutor Pete Sipple was expecting around 9 people were supposed to attend it, but it was just me and Pete for three college sessions. This culminated on the final week of me presenting a radio show. After I completed this course I then had to decide where best to use these skills, and I joined a local hospital radio station. As I wanted to get the best experience from it all I took it upon myself to do some interviews so I looked towards some people in radio to do this. I was really pleased that David Hamilton and Paul Burnett allowed me to interview them. This together with a visit to my studios for a live show with Opal Bonfante was the icing on the cake for me. This alongside my radio presentations made me feel like a kid in a candy shop. From here I moved on to a Community Radio station where I spent a further happy eighteen months. One of the highlights of this was interviewing Tina Charles and Matt Monro Junior on a daytime radio show. That was a white knuckle ride and a half but very enjoyable. I wouldn’t have missed any of that for the world.
From there I have now arrived at Replay Radio.  I look forward to entertaining you with all of those songs that you know and love over the weeks and months ahead. My Playlist will cover at different stages the music of your lives. I hope you will join me on this musical voyage of discovery.

BUZZ