The winds of change by Darryl Morris
The email from BBC Radio Manchester’s managing editor, John Ryan, took as long to open as it did for him to get back to me, at least it felt that way. When my computer finally began to work I read his email over & over, making the most of it. He apologised for the couple of months it took to get back to me and that he was nudged to do so after hearing me talking with Umberto on Century FM the night before. Isn’t it funny what comes when you least expect it? More excitingly though, he asked me if I fancied spending a couple of days at BBC Radio Manchester to see what they did. If ever a question didn’t need asking.
At the time, I was taking part in an RSL in Bolton. As explained in the last series an RSL is a licence to run a radio station for a restricted term. From 2 days to 2 months. You may remember the RSL I did at school, Rivi FM, lasted 3 days and was my first taster for radio. This lasted a little longer. 2 weeks. It was being run by Dorothy & Alan at DBBC & Bolton Market Radio and was called Roots FM. It didn’t fully register at the time but Roots FM was a short term project with the aim to strengthen a bid for a full time community station in the town. This now exists as Bolton FM and I have the pleasure of sitting on its board of directors; more on this later. For me, Roots FM presented great change to broadcast on the FM dial again & I was delighted and honoured to be given the midmorning show for the 2 weeks. The show was 9-11:30am and it would be all about celebrating the youth of Bolton. I relished every second of it and would arrive at 8am before the show and stay till gone 11pm. I spent the hottest two weeks of that year cooked up in those studios and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
On two occasions though, I left a little earlier than 11pm; these were the days I was to visit BBC Radio Manchester. I washed my very best blazer & wore a nice looking shirt with trendy jeans. I was going for the Richard Hammond look. I went on the train from Bolton to Manchester Oxford Road where the BBC is based. All I remember of that first afternoon was feeling utterly sick. I wanted to relax and enjoy it but I couldn’t get from my head the magnitude of the BBC, even if this wasjust Manchester. I arrived at reception and gave my name with a nervous fumble. Having donned my visitors badge I was lead to meet John. Clearly this man was no suit, more a shorts & t-shirt. It was indeed the hottest week of the year but John seemed rather underdressed for a managing editor, although it turned out to be one of this finest qualities. Because what John Ryan has is a passionate, hands-on love for radio rather than a job title and a fancy tie.
This festive season just pasted I co-hosted BBC Radio Manchester’s New Years Eve Show from 9pm-1am. The show was a live OB in which fellow presenter Emma Goswel and I went across Manchester from party to party before ending up in exchange square for the big midnight fireworks. It was a fantastic show and probably one of the highlights of my career so far, even if I was on XFM at 7 the next morning. Despite it being great fun for me and Emma, it was not so great for the poor soul that had to run the desk in the studio. A perfect job for a young guy or gal wanting their first step on the radio ladder… but no, John Ryan himself took on the role, not before hosting a special end of year show from 6pm. He wanted it to sound perfect & he spent New Years Eve on his own in a studio making it happen. That’s what gets you to the top of your game. That’s what makes great radio. That’s what gets you to where John Ryan is at. Anybody who wants to work in radio management should take that leaf.
John gave a 16-year-old me a brief introduction to what Radio Manchester was all about before handing me over to work with one of the producers. I remember exactly who it was and I still work with her today, her name is Helen and she too is a very passionate maker of good radio. She took me through the process of finding and researching a story and booking a guest to talk about it on a show. It was a mind blowing insight into how radio really works and although I was more familiar with how a professional set up looked… never how one really operates. The whole operation of producing radio was alien. I did all my own prep and presented it myself and often just to myself. Although it wasn’t at the fore front of being on air it still gave me that great joy that makes us radio folk tick. I wanted more. I was due to come in for another day but still made the enquiry with John if it would be possible to sit in on a show. He agreed and I set up a date to sit in on Alan Beswick’s Saturday morning show. As I was leaving, John had one parting point to make:
“Stay away from radio forums” he said.
Oh Christ. He’d seen the posts I’d made about Tower FM. My worst fears were realised. A big radio boss had seen what I’d said and here he was, bringing it up with me! For a moment I felt that horrible feeling that everything was starting to fall apart until I realised, he’d agreed to help me out. He even gave me a smile after he said it and I was on my way out. Thank god for that. Oh… and… I’ve never posted on a radio forum since.
To be continued…