Big L - could you do better?
I’ve been on telly quite a lot over the years. It never ceases to amaze me what people watch. I’ve been caught by various friends on News at Ten talking about Brian Harvey of East 17, on a late night ITV shopping programme and as a talking head defending John Leslie on Sky. When I actually got paid to present on TV no-one ever seemed to see it! So, I expected my latest appearance to go unnoticed. It was 9pm on Channel 4 so probably as ”peak” as they ever get. But as my part in a show, which hasn’t been rating particularly well, was less than two minutes I didn’t really think anyone would see it.
Wrong! I have had almost 100 emails from old friends who noticed my contribution on Harvey Goldsmith’s “Get your act together”. I was in the programme about the ailing radio station Big L. Big L, called thus because the founder Ray Anderson is a pirate radio anorak and used to listen to ”Big L - Radio London” as it bounced around on a boat off the coast of Frinton in the 1960s, is broadcast to bits of the UK from an AM transmitter in Holland. It’s also available on-line and on Sky Digital. Harvey’s job in the programme was to go in and help them stop losing £50k a month. Harvey enlisted my help in listening to and evaluating the station and getting some other radio cognescenti to stick their tuppence in as well. Gillian Reynolds, radio critc of The Daily Telegraph and John Walker, Head of Radio at media agency OMD helped out along with Paddy Whitnall and Steve Parkinson.
Ian Thomas, MD at top agency Tequila, emailed to say that he thought the whole show was a spoof until he saw me! Thanks Ian. But it was an incredible story in the true sense of the word. Gill Kingston, marketing boss at Mamas & Papas emailed that she hadn’t laughed so much in ages. Four or five old geezers sharing a house in Frinton-on-Sea including former Radio 1 DJs Mike Read and David Hamilton, going on the radio and just playing their favourite tunes all day, you couldn’t make it up. According to Chris Vezey, the programme controller, “it’s as good as Radio Two but cheaper”. Well, that’s debatable in every way. Harvey thought the new owners (Ray had run out of money) had some kind of tax dodge and were using the losses on the radio station in some clever tax efficient way. I am doubtful about this. I think they had just been seduced by the magic of radio. Do what? Yes, there is still a magic about radio and the fact that I received so many emails about the programme demonstrates that lots of people were entranced enough to watch a tv programme about a radio station.
Harvey’s well intentioned and informed advice was rebuffed by the owners and practitioners of Big L and in the end he wisely walked away. What was never shown in the programme was my offer to the owners to pick up all their programming costs and replace all their output with a targetted and brand funded format. This would have taken away about 75% of their costs and left them simply to pay for the transmitter and their admin costs. They would have been able to concentrate on selling the advertising and their monthly P&L would very quickly have turned from red to black. The fact that they turned down this offer confirms to me that they are starry eyed and more interested in making radio than making money.
There is a fundamental premise behind Big L’s “mission” and that is that not enough radio stations are making great radio. You can’t argue with that. Is Big L filling that void? Debatable, but to their credit they are trying. It was their arrogance which left you with little sympathy.
Is radio lacking? What is needed? Your comments please……. I know you’re interested - you watched the TV show!
Kathy said on April 24th, 2007 at 8:52 am:
I didn’t see this programme unfortunately, although I heard about it afterwards. I truly believe there are not enough great radio stations around any more. So many of them are bland in the extreme. I recently heard that Radio City in Liverpool, following in the footsteps of Magic, is now starting to use syndicated programming. I find this all very depressing. My radio station of choice now is Radio Caroline. Unfortunately, it can only be listened to via the Sky channel 0199 and on-line, but I love the feel of the programmes - the fact that they mix great old sounds, no longer heard on other stations, with the best in new music. The presenters are enthusiastic volunteers who love music and radio (not fame and money), and the station is funded in the main by The Radio Caroline Support Group. This way of funding is, I believe fairly common in the States, but unusual (if not unique) over here. This station still has a magical feel to it, but if I had one complaint, it would be that I do wish I could listen in the car, as I do so many miles these days!