I am a keen radio listener and enjoy listening to a lot of shows from the BBC’s radio services. I believe that to do well in radio/broadcasting you need to have the ability to take what you like and adapt it in order to make it your own. I believe that listening to such a wide range of programming has shaped my broadcasting style.
Therefore the following broadcasters have been involved in helping me achieve my goal of having my own radio show! I would like to point out that my listing of broadcasters on this page does not mean I have their endorsement – a lot of them have probably never heard of Corinium Radio (although they’ve probably all mentioned Cirencester at some point).
Terry Wogan
You could say that I’ve been listening to Wake Up to Wogan on BBC Radio 2 from the age of 4… my Mum listened in the car and she used to drive me to school every day up until the day I left primary school. I still listen now on a portable DAB digital radio whilst walking to school!
In 2004 a local teacher sent in an e-mail about me, after I accidently got the headteacher’s name mentioned on the show. Wogan said that if I’m e-mailing his show at the age of 11, by the time I’m 50 I’d probably have been prime minister several times over. I wonder if that will ever happen!
Chris Hawkins
He used to have a Sunday show when I first started listening, and for a few months when I was 11 I used to e-mail in a report about my week. I recorded a tape of me pretending to be on the radio and highlights were played on air. These days, Chris has an overnight show on BBC 6 Music and is regularly heard on BBC Radio 2, sitting in for absent presenters, like Janice Long and Mo Dutta. He is also the voice of the jingles that I use on my own show, Music from the Decades. More about him is available on Chris’ personal website.
Mo Dutta
Mo Dutta was heard on a Saturday between 4 and 8 on BBC Radio 2 until May 2009. He was (and hopefully still is) a very good broadcaster and I have heard people refer to him as: “BBC Radio 2′s best kept secret”. His show woke me up just before 6 on a Saturday morning since I started listening to BBC Radio 2 in 2003.
Bob Harris
Bob’s Saturday show on Radio 2 is on air between 11pm and 2am (Sunday). He builds his shows at his own home and produces a running order to go with it and he plays his own CDs and records. In other words, Bob plans his shows in the same way that I plan mine: although I expect it doesn’t take him 6 months to plan them! Find out more on Bob’s personal website.
Vernon Harwood
Vernon is the Sunday morning presenter on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, on air between 10am and 12pm. He was involved in the training of the original Corinium Radio team in the run up to the first broadcast in May 2006.
Mark Cummings
The Mark Cummings Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire has been waking me up just before 6 most weekday mornings since the end of 2005. He can often be heard talking about “driving through Cirencester this morning” on his way to work.
Johnnie Walker
He used to present Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 until 2006, however he can now be heard between 3 and 5pm on a Sunday afternoon, with Sounds of the ’70s. He has good knowledge of the music he plays!
