Broadcasting from home UPDATE

On the 27th December 2020, I wrote on this blog:

Eventually, the goal is to have an incredible home studio, but for now, this corner of the spare room will keep me very happy indeed!

At the time, I was completing the occasional home broadcast for Cambridge105 Radio from a corner of our spare room with some very iffy equipment that was (almost) taped together to get it to function. It did the job but it wasn’t exactly ideal (although I remain indebted to those colleagues who so generously gave of their time to help me actually get my setup working).

Several years later, I feel incredibly fortunate to now have the home studio setup that I have been dreaming about since I was a child. I used to think, as I blogged about in that original post, that it would require thousands of pounds of equipment and technical knowledge beyond my level of understanding. Whilst there has been some financial outlay (a combination of saving some money each month and, like a ten year old, adding birthday and Christmas money to the pot), with some help from my brilliant colleagues at GenX Radio Suffolk, I’m now the proud owner of a home studio that very nearly functions like the real thing. The fact that this is possible still blows my mind!

Please forgive the minor geekery… I use the equipment listed below to broadcast my programmes for GenX Radio Suffolk:

  • Rodecaster Pro 1 mixer and relevant cables
  • Rode Podmic x2 (host and guest) and relevant cables
  • Dell laptop (with wireless keyboard and mouse), running playout system and using butt to stream my audio back to GenX Radio Suffolk HQ
  • Additional HP monitor for show plan and web browsing
  • Laptop/monitor stand to raise both screens to correct height
  • DT770 Pro headphones for host
  • M-Audio monitor speakers (pair)
  • Stream Deck mini to give me a ‘Next’ button to press
  • Android tablet/phone (already owned) to make calls and to display key studio information at a glance

There have been so many highlights since all of this equipment came into full use, one of which was the new year’s eve show that Mrs Bown and I presented for GenX Radio Suffolk (pictured). This was an enormous thrill and made all the sweeter because of the setup I have cultivated over many years (and having such a fun co-host)!

I’ll blog again in the future with some more thoughts on the position of local radio and how happy I am to be a part of GenX Radio Suffolk.

Personality vs music

I’ll always love the film ‘Private Parts’ about legendary American ‘shock jock’ Howard Stern. He remains a controversial figure, now broadcasting via a subscription service that allows him to say and do what he wants. I am sure he may well be the subject of another blog post on another day as there is so much to say about him. For now, I want to focus on the question of why people might listen to such a divisive figure. The film tells us that his fans listened because they “want to hear what he’ll say next”. The people who hate him and find themselves offended by him listen for the same reason.

Do you tune into a favourite radio station because you love the presenters’ personalities or because they play the songs you want to hear? In the days before enormous hard-drive storage, Spotify, Amazon Music and the like, many people when questioned in surveys used to respond by choosing the music. Listening to the radio was one of the only ways to hear the songs you wanted to hear. That is no longer the case. We live in an age where you can ask your device to play any song that has ever been recorded. We no longer need to wait for a radio station to play it (and then to try to record it onto a tape as was a common custom in the past).

In that case, why now, in 2021 would people bother tuning in to the radio? Don’t get me wrong, I still love hearing the tunes but it’s what comes between the songs that generates the magic. This is the part you can’t easily ask your device for and that’s why, those who can do it well, become the most popular in the business. Radio is about making a connection with the listener, making them think and feel, laugh, question or cry. We’re seeking the personalities that remind us what it means to be human.

This blog from Andy Beaubein sums this up well when it says ‘The presenters who are most attractive to listeners are the presenters with a personality and who have something to say. In other words, they are real communicators and not just slogan readers’. He goes on to say that now is the time, perhaps more than ever, that radio stations need to invest in their talent, nurturing them to share their personalities with the listeners. We all know the great names who are authentic, relatable and engaging. They will ensure radio remains relevant for generations to come.

The power of good imaging

If you’re a Radio 2 listener, you may have detected Zoe Ball has just started using some new imaging (jingles in old money). Then again, unless you’re a radio obsessive like, ahem, chances are you might not have noticed at all. I guess that’s the point – imaging, when done well, raises the quality of the programme you’re listening to but without ever dominating it. I love the new sound – you can hear it here if you’re interested.

I’ve always loved imaging. It helps deliver a professional sound, creates the right feeling and sets the tone for what’s to come. I remember the thrill of hearing a voice over artist say my name alongside the radio station’s name for the first time (“Tobias Bown on Hospital Radio Colchester”). With each station I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with, the thrill never lessens; I guess it’s the equivalent of seeing your name in lights.

One person who rivals even my love of imaging though is Radio 1’s Greg James. When he started on the Breakfast show, he had some new imaging made and this little clip features him explaining it and gives you a chance to hear it in all its glory. It’s really on-brand and does a great job for its target audience, sounding fresh and lively but never over-bearing. I love his excitement when he talks about ‘the IDs, the beds, the donuts, the ramps, the themes, the outros, the top of hours and the bottom of hours’.

Years ago, I stumbled across an online radio station that only plays imaging from radio stations all over the world. You can check it out too: it’s called Jingle Mad! I could genuinely listen to it for quite some time, but that’s because of the obsession I was talking about earlier.

Even if you don’t normally notice the imaging, take a moment to revel in something done extremely well. The producers who create this are artists and I love their work.

The most social medium

There’s no escaping the fact that social media is here to stay.

I remember my first foray with facebook in 2006. I was fresh at university (and facebook itself was only a few years old). If I remember correctly (and from what the brilliant film The Social Network written by the modern-day Shakespeare, Aaron Sorkin, suggests), it was originally limited to a handful of universities around the world. This then spread to any university and then to anyone with an email address. It has changed the way we communicate and, despite no longer being particularly hip as the younger generations have sought alternatives such as instagram and now tik tok, will always hold a place in my procrastinating heart.

I’ve always had an uncomfortable relationship with twitter. First there was the issue with it limiting you to 140 characters (which I think has now been expanded). Then there was the fact that it seemed to be primarily used for people to argue online, and that holds no appeal for me. I briefly started an account in about 2008. I followed Stephen Fry. I tweeted a few times whilst covering the May Bumps [inter-collegiate rowing races) for the Cambridge University student radio station CamFM (cur1350 in those days). The experience didn’t really float my boat (pardon the pun) and I deleted my account.

Apparently, I rejuvenated my account in 2016 (according to twitter) although I have no memory of this. I don’t know why I would have done this, or why I then removed myself from it again without tweeting even once.

Today, I rejoined twitter. I was partly inspired by Mrs Bown (@charliebown7) who has been bold enough to start tweeting to promote her writing but it’s also because we have to admit that twitter is here to stay.

Radio is my favourite medium. If I were never allowed to read, watch a play, turn on the television or visit the cinema again, I would be really sad, but if I were never allowed to tune in to the radio again, I would be broken. It is the ultimate social media, at once bringing us companionship and that most intimate of connections as it informs, educates and entertains.

If I can work out how to tweet, you can see what I have to say for myself via @tobiasbownmedia, but I’m not yet sure how what goes on there would be any different from what I put on the old, reliable facebook page. Everyone else is on twitter though, so it’s time to roll up my sleeves and properly see what all the fuss is about.

Reading about radio

It’s fair to say reading about radio is a great hobby of mine. The first I remember devouring on the subject was ‘Emperor Rosko’s DJ Book’ by the man himself (a legendary radio figure of yester-year) which my dad found for me at a charity second hand book fair we used to go to each year. Published in 1976, by the early 2000s when I read it, the pages were already brown and it had that disgustingly fabulous ‘old book’ smell. The best part was his advice about how to get in to radio, featuring instructions about producing your demo cassette!

Since then, I’ve been drawn to many works in this field, ranging from academic textbooks (perhaps designed as an excellent companion for a degree) to gossip about the industry, historical texts about the BBC (which surely remains the world’s greatest broadcaster), a few more autobiographies and insiders’ guides to what makes great radio.

The image accompanying this blog post shows a handful of the books I’ve enjoyed reading over the last 20 years or so. ‘Radio Production’ by Robert McLeish and ‘Essential Radio Skills’ by Peter Stewart are wonderful bibles when it comes to the what, how and why of radio. I loved ‘Team, It’s Only Radio’ by the late John Myers (not pictured as I read that on my Kindle) for its first-hand anecdotes of launching radio stations and advising the great and good of the radio world how to be better.

My most recent read is David Lloyd’s ‘Radio Secrets’ which was brilliant. He speaks with authority on all radio matters and I picked up some more useful tips which I hope will make me a better presenter. He focused on the importance of, above all else, homing in on the way you want to make a listener feel, and remembering that through every link. He has just launched a new radio station – Boom Radio (the radio station for boomers) – and it will be interesting to see if all its presenters live up to his words of wisdom.

My next radio read will be ‘Voice Over Man’, the autobiography of Peter Dickson, best-known as the booming sound of X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. I’m sure there’ll be plenty more radio reading to follow. Do leave any of your own suggestions below if you’ve got something to share.

Broadcasting at home

My mind has been blown today. Thanks to the time, effort and considerable talents of my colleagues in the Engineering Team at Cambridge105 Radio, I am now set up and ready to broadcast a radio show from home. I’m staggered that ‘little old me’ with my fairly modest setup at home now has this capability.

I always thought a home studio would involve thousands of pounds of equipment and all sorts of crazy technical know how that I just didn’t possess. Fast forward to 2020 and it’s possible with a microphone, a couple of cables and two computers (and a number of people answering my plethora of questions). This should be science fiction and yet it’s reality.

I shouldn’t really be as amazed as I am. 2020 has led to many pros across the radio industry broadcasting from home. I’m just thrilled that on Wednesday 30th December from 0930am, I get to join them (www.cambridge105.co.uk).

Eventually, the goal is to have an incredible home studio, but for now, this corner of the spare room will keep me very happy indeed!

Why podcasts were essential in 2020

It’s official: podcasts were essential in 2020. The Guardian have told us in this article. Apparently, they provided easy conversation and companionship at a time when we were socially isolated and the only other option was a potentially stilted Zoom which began with “You’re on mute, Susan!”. Many humans crave chat. I love voices. It’s one of the reasons I’m obsessed with radio, but I also have to immediately work out where I’ve heard a voice before when we’re watching a film or I hear an advert playing somewhere.

2020 was the year my wife and I started a podcast. It’s called Happy Talk – the podcast that shares news stories to make you smile. This year has brought many challenges and I hope our podcast has made a small contribution to anyone who has listened to it, either in learning something new, laughing at something we’ve said or just acting as a distraction from reality, even for a short time. We have loved producing them. We’ve only managed five since we started (a global health pandemic scuppered us a little) but we’re committed to continuing in the new year. Do have a listen if you’d like to hear some friendly voices.

Happy Talk can be streamed or downloaded here.

Too early for Christmas songs?

When is the right time to start playing Christmas songs on the radio? Personally, I don’t like to even hear them in the shops until December 1st but I recognise that, with recent global events, there’s an appetite for something to lift the spirits a little earlier this year.

With over 60 sleeps to go until the big day, Heart Xmas launched (https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/10/heart-xmas-launches-early-for-christmas-2020), but would you listen? More locally, Cambridge’s Star Radio have just announced their own pop-up festive station (https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/11/cambridges-star-radio-powers-christmas-pop-up-station) and I wish them well.

I think I’ll wait a little longer before tuning in to either of these, but if it’s your thing, you’ll be well catered for now. These stations offer choice and that can never be a bad thing. Right, where did I leave that Bah Humbug hat?

Welcome to tobiasbown.com

A new website, a new blog and a whole new world (cue for a song) of audio entertainment to explore. I’m delighted to welcome you to tobiasbown.com – the online home of all things related to my love of audio. It’s a real thrill to launch the website (and this mini blog) so thank you for taking the time to click here.

With these blog posts (snappily titled Media Musings), I’m aiming to:

  1. Offer a space to comment on news stories related to radio and the media.
  2. Provide an opportunity for me to reflect about what I’ve learnt so far and what I’ll continue to learn.
  3. Allow a chance for me to share the names, voices and craft of other broadcasting figures I admire.

I’ll try not to let it be too earnest or serious (unless called for). Turn up the volume to eleven and let’s get started.