A new experience - the general excitement of election night coverage

I've shown an interest in politics for almost as long as I've shown an interest in radio - and, just as I am keen for others to also show an interest in radio to ensure its relevance is maintained, I am keen for more people to engage with politics and influence decision-making by excersising their democratic right.

Until recently, other work commitments had made it difficult for me to stay up all night and cover the live developing story of general elections. It's always something I had wanted to do.

A brief history of the recent twists and turns in our political landscape

I participated in live election night coverage for the first time in 2019 as a reporter for Winchester Radio from the local count at what is a now derelict leisure centre in a key marginal seat (closely fought between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats). 

It was a relatively straightforward affair as we simply recorded regular updates and dropped into Myriad via FTP, plus social media coverage.

After a full recount, the result was declared shortly before 6am. Steve Brine retained the seat for the Conservatives with a reduced majority. It's hardly surprising given this was "the Brexit election" - when Johnson went to the country seeking a powerful mandate to leave on his terms - and Winchester was a remain constituency.

Fast-forward two years to the tail end of 2021, when there's a new COVID variant spreading rapidly after almost two years of a pandemic, and we are beginning to learn about how Downing Street staff as well as senior politicians partied at a time when restrictions prevented the British people from visiting dying relatives in hospital.

I presented all-speech radio shows throughout lockdown, in which we heard so many moving stories of sacrifice and support, so to discover rule-breaking by the very people who inflicted this upon us was particularly infuriating.

Unsurprisingly, the Conservatives began to slip in the polls, Johnson's approval ratings collapsed and he faced a rebellion which forced him out of office in June 2022.

His successor, Liz Truss (yes that was it), lasted just 45 days in the job after her mini-budget of unfunded tax cuts and borrowing spooked the markets, tanked the pound and knocked billions off pension funds.

Following her resignation, Rishi Sunak (the runner-up to Truss in the contest to replace Johnson) was effectively installed by the party and tasked with the virtually impossible challenge of rebuilding after endless sleaze, scandals and economic turmoil.

While the extent of Labour's lead fluctuated over time, it was consistently ahead in the polls since partygate first erupted. Keir Starmer's party was 17 points clear in the first major survey conducted after the 2024 election was called.

I couldn't have picked a better election night to make my presenting debut

When starting my job at Express FM last summer, I knew this was the year to finally make the dream a reality. We were planning for the autumn at first, then there were reports which made May more of a possibility (to coincide with the council elections) and at the end of May the then PM took us all by surprise announcing 4 July despite his party's dismal performance in the polls.

It’s not entirely clear why Sunak called the election when he did, but it's not unreasonable to suggest the lame duck Rwanda policy, inflation figures looking more positive and the expectation that the economy wouldn't improve much before the autumn were all key factors.

The first thing I did was contact Portsmouth High School and suggest teaming up which ultimately led to Express FM broadcasting two hustings featuring all the candidates for Portsmouth North and Portsmouth South respectively. These were conducted in-line with Ofcom pre-election period rules but recorded in advance to be on the safe side.

In the background, meanwhile, my esteemed colleague, and fellow radio and political anorak, Dan Lodge and I were making plans for a marathon 10pm-6:30am live results show on election night.

Of course, this had long been a personal ambition of mine. But, as with any decision you make in radio, this had to be an audience-driven project.

National election coverage is an almost overcrowded market and the few who can be arsed to stay up all night couldn’t be more spoiled for choice across TV, radio and other digital streams / blogs - most of which is naturally far better resourced than a community radio station (even one supported by the local newspaper).

To make this worth a listen, a clear point of difference had to be king. And that wouldn’t be hard to establish - after all, the whole station’s USP is always putting Portsmouth, as well as the smaller local communities which look to it, first above anywhere or anything else.

In addition to the essential legal and compliance matters surrounding due impartiality and right of reply - which would allow us to be opinionated within an overall balanced programme / station - we wanted Pompey At The Polls to be accessible for those who show an interest but may not have extensive political knowledge and / or aren't across every detail.

You could say "locals in the pub but with slightly more geekery, fast facts and informed commentary" was the style I was aiming for as lead presenter to make our offering stand out.

Prep and the exit poll

Nine oh one peee-emmm (in my best Marcus Bentley voice): preparations for our marathon live show are in full swing. Dan is gathering audio with help from our supporters at the University of Portsmouth and our colleagues at Sky (via IRN). Broadcasters are strictly prohibited from discussing politics or any issue with the potential to influence the outcome of a UK election or referendum for 22 hours (when polls close) starting at midnight on polling day.

We would begin at 9:59pm with a back-timed intro explaining the exit poll fieldwork process. Then, our first guest, the University's Vice-Chancellor would offer his perspective on the broadcaster's exit poll following its revelation the minute that voting closes.

IRN (Independent Radio News) clients do not receive this data in advance for obvious reasons meaning we'd first hear the numbers, together with our listeners, in the network bulletin at 10pm - during which we would frantically attempt to find projections for our local constituencies.

In the first 15-20 minutes, we would digest / analyse the data and see how it compares with that of opinion polling during the campaign.

We expected a Labour landslide, with the Conservatives destined for a dreadful night, but whether the Tories were facing electoral oblivion by dropping to fewer than a hundred MPs, Starmer would achieve a bigger parliamentary majority than Blair in 1997 and Reform would come 2nd in the popular vote / end up with any MPs were all key questions, and we now had our first indication of the answers.

I also threw in a few songs, which definitely provided a break in the political theme of the night, opening with Meghan Trainor's Whoops followed by The Verve's Bitter Sweet Symphony, Kirsty MacColl's A New England and Taylor Swift's I Knew You Were Trouble.

How the night unfolded

In the first hour, the iconic North East race between Sunderland and Newcastle to delcare first was in full swing as ballot boxes were rushed across both cities. In the end, the result from Sunderland South came in before any other with the now Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, holding it for Labour.

We noted that Reform UK had come second here, pushing the Tories into third - an interesting scenario that would be repeated in other seats across the country, especially those in the so-called red wall.

The first southern result came from Swindon South where former cabinet minister Robert Buckland lost to the Labour candidate - another sign of things to come over the course of the night.

As we waited on more results, we discussed (as outlined above) political events in recent years which had significantly influenced public opinion.

I continued to play the odd song here and there:

Dedicated to one of the four biggest party leaders (based on the exit poll figures)

• The Sun Always Shines On TV by a-ha - Rishi Sunak said he had to go without Sky TV as a child
• Can We Fix It? by Bob The Builder - Keir Starmer liked to remind us his dad was a toolmaker
• Jump by Van Halen - Ed Davey did a bungee jump during the campaign (and many other stunts)
• Houdini by Eminem - Nigel Farage used the line "guess who's back" after he returned as leader

Number one single on an election day

• Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter - 2024
• I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston - 1987
• In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry - 1970
• Every Breath You Take by The Police - 1983
• Dance Monkey by Tones and I - 2019
• (Is This The Way To) Amarillo by Tony Christie & Peter Kay - 2005
• Stay by Shakespeare's Sister - 1992

Others 

• The Winner Takes It All by ABBA - speaks for itself
• Pour Me A Drink by Post Malone & Blake Shelton - we all could've done with one
• All Night Long by Lionel Richie - the duration of our radio show
• Easy Lover by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins - just a great five-minute tune for our toilet break

We were expecting things to get interesting between 2am and 5am as results would start coming in thick and fast, including in key seats (marginals or held / being contested by senior politicians).

I won't list every single major political event that occured, as that would take you the eight and a half hours we broadcast for to read and half of that would just be the names of outgoing cabinet ministers who lost, but "the Mordaunt moment" was significant to us for obvious reasons.

Our colleagues at The News were across the latest developments over at the Guildhall as counting in both city constituencies took place. There was also a very large national media presence.

The exit poll had Penny Mordaunt's Portsmouth North seat down as "too close to call" but with a 25% chance of her holding on and a 70% chance it would go Labour.

Mordaunt was Leader of the House of Commons in Sunak's cabinet until the dissolution of Parliament back in May. She ran for the Conservative Party leadership following Boris Johnson's resignation in the summer of 2022 and had been widely tipped as a future leader / potential PM ever since. She even took Sunak's place on prime-time BBC and ITV debates during the campaign.

Throughout the night, we had endless reports including one that Labour's Amanda Martin had taken it by roughly a thousand votes. There was no recount, much to our surprise, and the result was declared just after 4am. Mordaunt had been defeated by 780 votes.

The challenge is, while being so immersed in the national picture, for the local angle not to be an afterthought. Portsmouth was our show's key point of difference and we were speaking directly to people in the city, so this result had a far deeper meaning than it did to the likes of Sky, ITN, LBC and even regional BBC.

Presenting my own show meant the political and media geek in me missed out on the traditional election night channel-hopping, but I can at least pay homage to Sky News whose resources - including quality TV coverage we were opting into for live declarations - were on point.

There are personal memories I will not forget - notably using the duration of a song to direct our pizza delivery driver to the building (something that would never happen in well-resourced BBC or national commercial radio) and my colleague setting the alarms off as he innocently left the building to get something from his car.

We came off-air after eight and a half hours at 6:30am, wrapping up with a comprehensive summary for the early risers and handing over to Breakfast. I had intended on getting home, grabbing a quick snack and falling asleep straight away - but the thought of missing the morning’s subsequent historical events (the changeover and Starmer’s first speech) was unbearable.

I eventually clocked off at 1pm. And that was that.

Being local with the world watching

It's been quite the week in Portsmouth, as the city once again became the focus of national D-Day commemorations - this time, for the 80th anniversary - and Express FM was proud to be play its part by flying the flag for where we live.

Our week of coverage began at the D-Day Story museum in Southsea where veterans gathered to meet schoolchildren and their families. We were honoured to be able to share moving first-hand accounts of the Normandy landings with our listeners.

Express FM broadcast live from a local pier to wave off around 40 veterans as their ferry left for Normandy, saluted by vintage aircraft and an ensemble of ships in the harbour. Our video capturing the historic moment received more than 8,000 reactions and was shared 889 times.

As the main UK ceremonies took place on Southsea Common, with world leaders and other dignitaries, Express FM took a respectful and proud tone.

🫡 The world watches Portsmouth do what Portsmouth does best.

📺 Following this morning’s national commemorative event to honour D-Day veterans, a rememberance event will take place tonight. It will be shown live on BBC One from 8:30pm.

📸 Caroline Brennan pic.twitter.com/xqHn1ltV3u

— Portsmouth’s Express FM (@ExpressFM) June 5, 2024

🫡 D-Day, 6 June 1944.

🙏 We Will Remember Them.

📸 Alice Wilford pic.twitter.com/3pR173ijJ3

— Portsmouth’s Express FM (@ExpressFM) June 6, 2024

On Thursday 6 June, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we presented coverage of a special memorial service and military parade in Southsea. This was followed by live broadcasting from Armed Forces Day on Saturday 8th and we finished the week in style having fun at the iconic Southwick Revival (which aimed to recreate life in the 1940s).

Through teaming up with Pompey Poetry Party, local poets - including schoolchildren - shared their own works, as well as other moving literature and first-hand diary accounts from those who fought in D-Day, on Express FM over the last week.

Read all about our action-packed week here, and catch up on some of the highlights here.

The media, the “spotlight” and mental health

Little me dreamed of being a radio presenter all those years ago. 

I always had, and still have, a strong desire to entertain and make people smile - something the best, like my heroes including the late Steve Wright and the uniquely talented Iain Lee, do so in a way that sounds effortless.

In more recent years, I have been more interested in helping others achieve their own radio dreams - for three reasons:

1. I actually get to talk about and focus on radio (unlike when I’m actually broadcasting on it myself)

2. Seeing other people happy, who deserve to be happy, makes me happy

3. I have had so many ups and downs, owing to mental health struggles over the years, and there are only so many times you can either open up to your listener or put on a fake smile (when I would want to make people smile and be authentic)

I had told a few people that I would be making a rare(ish) appearance covering a couple of radio shows later this week. Because I still relish the opportunity to be the listener’s helpful companion. But I am not prepared to put on a fake smile, and this is not the right time for me to do that. 

Why am I sharing this? I am fortunate that any on-air role I might have currently is voluntary so I can make this decision without having to worry about not being able to put food on the table.

But my heart goes out to the many presenters, journalists, content creators, influencers, and others, broadcasting and publishing to people who have absolutely no idea what they are going through because of the convincing brave face they put on.

You might say it’s a privileged lifestyle, but we should never invalidate anyone’s experiences by comparing circumstances. Mental health is real for all of us, and being in the spotlight can be really hard. Let’s spare a thought for those who have found out just how true this is.

There is an alternative perspective though. I don’t mention this often, but throughout 2015/16, I chose to become an online mental health support volunteer working with people at their lowest.

I also chaired live broadcasts on the platform, including advisory Q&A sessions with a qualified psychologist for people seeking help.

The fact people are opening up and talking more than ever, which we owe this to all forms of media, is something to be celebrated and we musn’t go back on this progress now.

People are led by voices they know and trust. I think a healthy balance of both positivity and raw honesty in our influential media is very important.

I wanted to make this point clear after my previous one. However, personally, I am not in a position to make a sudden on-air return when I’m at my lowest. I don’t think that is in anyone’s best interests.

Thank you for your support and understanding.

Steve Wright - an ode to the very best

There was Wogan, there was Everett… and there was Wright.

We live in a very different world now, and whether we like it or not there is still and will always be new generations with their own talent, but I could use my fingers to count up every voice (of all those ever to bless the airwaves) comparable in any way to the true pioneering greats.

I’m talking about the few originals, not simply “jocks” but rather entertainers, who were early to understand and embrace the medium of radio as an art form and made an unmissable impact using nothing other than the power of audio and the spoken word. Those who first defined what a radio legend sounds like.

And that was Steve Wright.

When I cast my mind back fifteen years, I would be getting in the car after a long (and often stressful) day at school as an autistic child. I always struggled with eating at school and often became overwhelmed.

I would have two comfort blankets when I was finally allowed to escape at 3:15 - one of my parents, and Steve Wright on the radio.

Factoids. Jingles. Barry from Watford. 90 seconds of a song before he’d start singing along. Saying some words little me would understand, and some he wouldn’t, but that didn’t make the big show any less exciting. It was indeed “big” and made me realise what radio could be like. 

It was a key reason I fell in love with the medium and gave me the best possible idea of the sort of thing I could only dream of doing one day.

Steve Wright In The Afternoon was an institution that made the worst days sound like the best. It was consistent. No matter where you were, what you were doing, how you were feeling, it was all at the touch of a button to lift your mood. Even at times of national sorrow or uncertainty, it was something you could rely on.

I’ve always said Steve was like the captain of a ship - and it seems fitting to imagine Noah’s Arc given he brought the “zoo format” to UK radio.

Every character was there, from Mr Angry to the Old Woman, together with his loyal audience enjoying the onboard entertainment. He would gently sail the posse through calm seas but sometimes find himself aggressively steering us all through choppy waters - and we always made it.

In the last week, we’re reminded of Steve’s daily early starts at Radio 2 prepping ahead of 2pm. He was a perfectionist. Some would argue “slick” isn’t important to the average listener, but he made achieving that sound so effortless. He cared about production values and knew just how much quality does matter.

It’s safe to say radio geeks care a lot more about jingles than the average person but, while it sounded slick to us lot, the actual relevant content sounded unique, interesting and at times silly to his millions of weekly listeners - and that was the beauty of his daily artwork. It wasn’t an anorak vanity project. It was among the greatest radio shows this country had and will ever see.

Steve Wright was, quite simply, the greatest of the great. Not everyone rated him, and that demonstrates his talent. If your personality cuts through with enough of an impact to make some people dislike what you do, but at the same time make so many other people love you, you’re doing it right.

It is no exaggeration to say that I grew up wanting to be Steve Wright. He had that impact on me. He was the best. And he will never come close to being replaced in the radio hall of fame. 

R.I.P - the very best.

Shocked and devastated at the death of Steve Wright. My radio hero. I wanted to be him growing up. A master of this craft who lived, breathed and loved radio with all his heart. Loved the show Steve. RIP. 💔

— Harrison RB (@HarrisonRBRadio) February 13, 2024

Interviewed for World Radio Day

I was delighted to be interviewed by my former Shine Radio colleague and college student Gareth Boyes for World Radio Day. Here's how the full conversation went:

What’s the history of Express FM and what are the aims behind the station?

Express FM was one of the first community radio stations to be awarded a full five-year licence by Ofcom in March 2006, the same month in which it launched, and the initial aim of providing a platform for the people and organisations of Portsmouth to “express” themselves, educating and training volunteers, facilitating discussion about community matters and strengthening links within the city remains at the forefront of our mission to deliver informative, interesting and inspiring local radio.

How does Express FM support local artists and musicians?

Championing Pompey’s vibrant local music scene is one of Express FM’s greatest achievements over many years.

Through our weekly show dedicated to artists and bands in the city, to showcasing their songs across the schedule every day and our esteemed Local Music Chart that is voted for by listeners, we are proud to provide a platform for musicians in our area many of whom were / are destined for big things.

We recently teamed up with Victorious Festival to announce the launch of its Road To Victorious competition which will see a lucky artist / band within our community get a professional video recording session and play a string of UK festivals this year including Victorious at the end of August.

What are some of the challenges you face in content creation and curation?

Being a small not-for-profit organisation on a budget, staffed largely by a team of passionate volunteers who have to earn a living elsewhere, we never have been and never will be as well-resourced as competing media - but that doesn’t stop us fulfilling our mission.

My involvement in various local radio stations over the years has taught me what can be achieved by forging the right partnerships, and that a willingness to work together to achieve common aims is sometimes all you need to really boost the quality of your offer.

This is demonstrated at Express with our existing partners, including the University of Portsmouth where we are based, and since joining the station as Content Manager seven months ago we have been keen to add some exciting new ones.

Our focus is always on the listener and we are accountable to them, so it’s essential for us to make sure everything we do puts their best interests before anything else. 

At the same time, it is important for volunteers to enjoy what they do for Express because they’re giving their own time to it - and I’m proud of the fact every member of our team recognises their commitment to the local community and our station’s primary point of difference.

Another challenge is the rapidly increasing importance of upping digital content. Today, the most successful radio stations are more than just that - they are multi-media brands - and must go where consumers are.

I have started to look at how we can grow Express FM’s podcast offering, including allowing listeners to catch up on core interviews by following our feed in their chosen aggregator and I believe this is of equal importance to the linear radio station.

What does World Radio Day mean to you, and why do you think radio remains relevant today?

While surveys show radio is still the most trusted medium for information, and it is still used as a purveyor of it more often than you might think, there’s no end to ways of finding out that information in this day and age.

So what is it about radio that gives it the same reach now that it had twenty five years ago?

Humans. Connection. Friendship. It’s entertaining, it’s emotional; it makes you smile, it makes you sad; it makes you think, it makes you angry. Fundamentally, radio always makes you feel something.

It also benefits from the fact it’s still very convenient for most people given it is often consumed in the background while doing other things unlike other media that requires more of your time and energy.

Another key factor is how the industry has never stopped working to reinvent itself - from visualisation and Alexa skills, to interaction via WhatsApp, big-name personalities and even ad-free subscription services among many other things.

As I touched on earlier, meeting consumers where they are and embracing the likes of TikTok and Instagram to showcase great content is crucial nowadays. Linear radio is just one of many platforms people get it. By distributing across as many other platforms as you can, not only are you maximising potential reach for that content, you’ll likely end up boosting the linear station in the process.

What do you most enjoy about having a career in radio?

I’d be the world’s biggest liar if I said the geekery had nothing to do with it. I love the tech and production side (when it works properly at least). But no-one on or off air should take for granted the intimacy of radio.

We are talking to talking to and connecting with one person directly. As an industry, we work together on something that, quite literally, has the power to make someone’s day.

It’s a privilege to be let into someone's car, home, office or wherever their ears happen to be at any given moment.

What advice do you have for someone looking to start a career in radio broadcasting?

Radio is showbusiness, as I was once told a good few years ago, and this rings even more true now it is predominantly a national medium.

It’s easy to see how local commercial stations have merged into big networks and, most recently, local BBC stations have faced catastrophic cuts and assume there are fewer opportunities.

In reality, thanks to the digital revolution of our business coupled with having more national stations than ever before, there are so many new and exciting roles in our industry.

Many years ago, most aspiring presenters would bang on the door of their local station and maybe start out making the tea before getting an overnight show.

These days, presenters are multi-platform content creators and by using social media effectively to get your name out there and engage an audience you will become instantly more attractive to a future employer.

By putting the work in, showing your passion, having faith and making the right connections, you can achieve great things.

How does your station involve itself in community events and initiatives?

Express has been involved in many big and small local events over the years.

Our main annual fixture is three days of live broadcasting from Victorious Festival in Southsea over the August bank holiday weekend, but as a local station we’re equally keen to attend more fetes, markets and other small-scale community initiatives this spring and summer.

Just over a week ago, we took our annual partnership with Southsea’s Icebreaker Festival to another level with nine hours of live programming including interviews with and songs from many of the local musicians who played.

As part of our relaunch for 2024, we now have rotating “what’s on” information throughout the day which showcases upcoming events from charities, community groups and other organisations in the Portsmouth area, and we’re looking to become a more important platform for them going forward.

What makes Express FM unique in Portsmouth?

Of those available on all broadcast platforms, in terms of locality, Express FM is the closest radio station to its listeners in Portsmouth and provides a dedicated focus on life in the city - not London, not Hampshire, not Winchester, or that other city up the road, just Portsmouth and the smaller areas nearby that look to it.

What’s more, it is made by Pompey people who walk down the very same high street and along the same seafront as those that tune in.

What's the process behind selecting shows and music?

Unlike commercial groups, I don’t have access to data from large-scale music research. This often involves gathering a mix of existing and/or target listeners in an auditorium, playing them x number of songs and scoring them against a number of factors including whether they know it, like it or don’t want to hear it so often.

As a programmer, it is important that I understand the tastes of our target demographic (35-54 year-olds living / working in Portsmouth). I like to go a step further and think of a particular personal friend, colleague or family member who meets that profile and what they would be tuning in for.

Our “Core” songs are the most familiar and most popular spanning almost 50 years (from Don’t Stop Me Now and Never Gonna Give You Up, to Wannabe and Moves Like Jagger).

Every other song played, in every other category including our “A” & “B” lists (new music) and “Recurrents” (recent tracks that have cut through) and “Spice” (suitable classics heard less frequently to add variety) or a request, MUST complement these. 

Presenters understand that as little as one track played that sticks out like a sore thumb can cause irreparable damage to the station, and that playing a single inappropriate record for one person who's written in has the potential to quietly turn away a hundred others.

Our Ofcom licence declares that the main type of music broadcast over the course of each week must be “recent and current chart hits” - a key commitment fulfilled in part by providing seven hours of youth-orientated music and content overnight for the sizeable 15-24 population in this university city.

New specialist shows are commissioned where significant local demand can be demonstrated. In other words, does it pass the test of having a positive impact on life in Portsmouth?

I’m not of the view that every minute of every hour of every day should be about Pompey because our listeners don’t live in a bubble. I’ve always been clear that relevant beats local for the sake of it, but obviously local is our primary point of difference and should be used at any given opportunity.

Do you see radio broadcasting changing over the next decade?

Significantly.

Firstly, in terms of infrastructure, RAJAR data just published for the final quarter of last year shows a whopping 70% of weekly listening hours consumed digitally with analogue (FM / AM) now accounting for less than a third of these.

Four years ago, the UK government delayed a digital switchover until at least 2032 and said there will be at least a further two years of broadcasting from the point at which it’s announced. I’m sure we will see a natural end to all AM transmissions sooner as operators continue to hand these licences back - the figures show it’s a dead man walking and therefore hard to justify the extortionate energy costs.

DAB, currently the biggest individual listening platform, will gradually decrease as connected cars and other devices become more prominent.

That said, new cars in which DAB+ comes as standard will be around for many more years and it will continue to be an essential part of dashboards for some time yet. Online listening is creeping up and up but, at this stage, only just over half of the 42% share enjoyed by DAB.

Secondly, before that happens, as soon as parliamentary time is allocated, there will be further deregulation of analogue commercial radio licences to allow for the scrapping of designated music formats and the discontinuation of all regional programming.

There was significant relaxation of the rules around “approved areas” and co-locating / content-sharing among analogue licences in 2017/18 but these requirements will be removed altogether. It’s right that the market is free to make its own programming decisions, especially given how much less-regulated competition it now has compared with when the rules were first drafted decades ago.

Thirdly, AI will enhance day-to-day operations and while we will hear indistinguishable computer-generated voices to an extent, it will never replace the human connection of radio which will continue to be its greatest advantage going forward.

I can see more tech companies / brands attempting to bounce their ball in radio’s court, but so far few have actually understood how to play the game. This may change, so existing broadcasters should continue to prepare - the battle for big personalities will only intensify as we move to a level playing field on an international scale.

One thing’s for sure, just as it always has done, radio will keep reinventing itself to remain a part of people’s lives. Platforms for great content will come and go; creators will come and go. Linear and on-demand will continue to serve their respective purposes and people will continue to get what they want, when they want it and where they want it.

There will be continued evolution and change, but we’ve been waiting decades for the demise of our great medium that has been predicted by so-called “experts”. Call me cynical, but might that be because… it will never happen?

Spoiler alert: it won’t.

50 years of UK commercial radio

At just before 6am on 8 October 1973, LBC hit the London airwaves becoming the UK's first licenced Independent Local Radio station to launch. It was followed by Capital Radio a week later.

The gradual rollout of ILR followed years of political opposition from all sides which believed only the BBC should be entrusted with the privilege of providing radio services.

In the 70s & 80s, broadcasting really was a privilege because radio & TV were the only form of instant entertainment media and spectrum was so limited with generally one commercial station per city or county (except London).

Because of this, the early years of ILR were driven by a need to serve everyone and stations were providing a very eclectic music and content mix including anything from pop to classical music, news to religious programming and radio plays.

With little to no competition, it didn’t matter what crap you put out - listeners and advertisers were always going to lap it up because they had nowhere else to spend their time and money… if only it were that simple today!

The late 80s/early 90s brought about a seismic shift in the commercial radio landscape as the IBA (forerunner to The Radio Authority and now Ofcom) allowed licencees simulcasting on FM & AM to split and create two separate services.

County Sound became the first to do so in June 1988 with the launch of County Sound Gold on 1476 - a classic hits format that would later be replicated on medium-wave in most areas.

In the early 90s, more licences started to be awarded in areas already served by at least one other ILR station in a bid to increase listener choice. These tended to be different formats or in smaller communities / bigger regions than the existing service.

Three national commercial radio licences were eventually advertised in 1992 - one of which had to be a non-pop music station, another predominantly speech and another open to all formats. Each would be awarded to the highest bidder.

These ended up as Talk Radio UK (now talkSPORT), Virgin 1215 (now Absolute but no longer MW) and Classic FM (after plans for a musical theatre station fell through as it didn’t have sufficient financial backing).

DAB

The arrival of DAB in the late 90s/early 00s, thanks largely to Quentin Howard and GWR, was met with scepticism from much of the industry - even once the initial hurdle of ridiculously expensive receivers had been cleared.

The expansion of DAB faced many challenges over the following years with numerous operators threatening to withdraw their support or pulling out of the platform altogether at various points.

Fast-forward two decades and DAB, together with enhanced DAB+ technology, is now home to more than 500 radio stations on either one of two national commercial, one of many regional or one of a rapidly increasing number of small-scale multiplexes across the UK. 

DAB also enjoys the greatest market share of any listening device and has enabled a whole host of new radio formats that may otherwise struggle to gain momentum and be financially viable as online-only projects.

The UK is undoubtedly the world’s most successful DAB market - something we owe to a thriving and innovating commercial sector and the power of working together over many years.

Deregulation

Much of the regulatory burden on commercial radio dates back to the aforementioned early days with barely any rivals and stations were guaranteed to benefit purely from holding a scarcely available licence to broadcast in their respective communities.

Nowadays, not only is there more radio you're up against, digital media and online advertising is available at our fingertips so continuing to tie one platform down to rules that stem from those established some forty years ago despite so much lesser regulated competition would be a death wish.

The first wave of deregulation came after the Digital Economy Act 2010 when Ofcom allowed co-location and content sharing (effectively stations merging) within approved areas as well as a reduction in the minimum number of locally-produced weekday hours from 10 to 7 in return for more local news in daytime.

The second wave came following a consultation in 2017 whereby Ofcom scrapped the need for local breakfast shows, slashed the number and increased the size of approved areas (essentially mirroring TV regions) and further reduced the minimum amount of programming that had to be produced from within them from 7 to 3, again, in return for hourly local news bulletins throughout the day and at peak times on weekends.

Theresa May's government intended to go further in its response to the 2017 consulation with a plan to abolish all localness requirements and music formats set out in commercial radio licences.

Successive Tory governments have reaffirmed their commitment to these proposals with last year's Broadcasting White Paper stating it would happen "as soon as parliamentary time allows". (I appreciate they've been a bit busy down there at Westminister - especially when you factor in the long holidays and party conferences).

Of all the subjects I've covered in my blog and debated with passionate anoraks, the loss of local brands and programming is the ultimate greatest hit (no pun intended).

On a personal level, I have fond memories of listening to Kestrel and Eagle in North Hampshire (the latter being an inspired example of traditional proud local radio). My earliest days in a radio studio were at Power and Ocean in Segensworth and I was involved in small local commercial radio from a young age. Words cannot express how much I miss it.

It is a harsh truth that commercial radio was only historically local because of a regulatory framework that said it had to be.

In order to lessen the BBC's initial national pop radio monopoly, before DAB had gained the strength to deliver viable audiences, consolidation of FM transmitters was essential. The result was radio, finally, being viewed as a serious and credible advertising medium on a national scale embraced by major agencies.

We could produce a list of the stations that did "the local thing" really well and the presenters who truly embraced walking down the same High Street, eating in the same cafes and knowing the same shortcuts as the people who chose to be in their company each day. Or a list of unconvential ways to deliver more cost-effective but equally powerful local radio that could have been more widely adopted.

Local still matters, of course, which is what makes the BBC's ill-judged regionalisation strategy so devastating - I won't ramble on about that here, but it's an important point… where the market has decided to leave a gap (which, in a free market economy, it should be allowed to do - hence deregulation) is where a public service broadcaster with a guaranteed budget of £117m should really step up.

Today and the future

I truly believe the structure of our radio industry is far healthier now than ever.

We have such a wide variety of well-resourced national BBC and commercial multi-platform powerhouse brands peppered with community (and a few commercial) stations, many of which are not-for-profit with minimal running costs, and small enough to be genuinely close to their listeners.

While I’d like to see an even more united radio industry, the continuous work of Radiocentre and Radioplayer for example, backed by the main players to speak with one voice, has been crucial and is something to cherish.

Commercial radio may not be predominantly delivered locally anymore, but this never guaranteed outstanding quality in itself. Good radio is good radio, regardless of where it is made or the platform it's on. Localness might be something that makes it particularly good but, then again, it might not in which case something relevant from further afield is better. Whether a football match is any good has nothing to do with where the ball was made.

I, for one, am delighted that radio continues to reach 88% of the UK population in 2023 - a figure that has remained virtually static since the surveys began - despite constant predictions of its demise.

Commercial radio alone now reaches 70%, represents more than half of all listening and, just in the last year, reported a record £740m in revenues.

Let's keep reinventing ourselves while continuing to do what radio will always do best with friendly humans who make people smile and laugh or stop and think.

Happy 50th birthday commercial radio - and to all, both at a local and a national level, who have contributed enormously to its success over the last five decades. Long may it continue!

I've been quiet, but I really haven't...

First blog in more than three months - "why?" asked nobody... well, sod it, I'm telling you anyway...

As announced in June, I started a new job at a much longer established radio station than my previous one which, as it happens, is only 20 minutes down the A3!

My first few months at Express FM have been extremely busy, but in the best possible way.

It all began with a “summer social” at the end of my first week where I attempted to get to know as many of my new colleagues as possible - and I have really enjoyed continuing to do so ever since.

The immediate focus was our coverage of Victorious Festival - the biggest event in Express FM’s calendar - with a primary aim to reflect the local community and a secondary aim to bring our listeners closer to the stars visiting Portsmouth to perform. 

Our live programming from the seafront site began at midday on Friday and, with the exception of Pompey's League One kick-off at Stevenage on the Saturday afternoon, continued throughout all three days of the festival with double-headed shows, each presented on a walkabout.

As a bonus, backstage interviews with Blossoms, McFly, Ricky Wilson, Kate Nash, Dylan and Gabriella Cilmi amongst others generated a real buzz and delivered record engagement on socials.

Express at Victorious 2023 was a rip-roaring success... even if it did begin with an amusing walkie-talkie exchange:

*is told to use a specific (reportedly spare) channel on the radios*

Me: “Jon, can you hear me mate?”

Person: ”Hi, who’s speaking?”

Me: *thinking out loud into the walkie-talkie* “Who’s that?”

Person: “…hi, can I ask who’s speaking please?”

Me: “oh sorry, yes it’s Harrison from (station) - I was told this is a spare channel; over.”

Person: “It is a spare channel but it’s also being used for transport so please just make sure to say who you are.”

Me: *totally out of character* “Roger.”

Jon: “Jon here from (station) - Harrison, I can hear you mate.”

Following on from a delightful and productive August bank holiday weekend, we announced a refreshed schedule for autumn 2023 - including the return of a few much-loved Express presenters.

This is only the beginning of an exciting future for Express FM, and for Portsmouth, as we strengthen our position as a trusted local brand and a nurturer of new talent.

As other broadcasters move further away with regional programming, Express FM is proud of its roots and our mission will only ever be to give local people a voice and provide informative, engaging and entertaining radio for the city we are proud to call home.