Radio, do people still care?

Just thinking back to 14 year old me in my bedroom (no not doing that) listening to the radio. I grew up in the South East, in Orpington, within the M25 and in a London borough, but with Kent in the postal address and not so close to the capital to be able to associate with any of the gritty cool of the big smoke. I grew up in the burbs and it was nice.

From my teens and into my career I loved the radio. I was never one for recording the top 40 or making loads of mixtapes, although my MegaMix Vol 1 would've stood up against any Now album. What I loved was what radio meant. Here is a person with the power to communicate and speak to people directly in their homes, cars and places of work.

There was a different station for everyone, whilst there were limitations compared to radio variety at its peak and in other countries, it was generally possible to find something enjoyable.

I remember listening to the first incarnation of Virgin Radio in the evenings, they played different music to other stations and the likes of Ray Cokes (from MTV) and Robin Banks (who I later got to work with) were totally different to the vanilla pop of Capital FM.

You chose your station and were generally loyal to it, there was little flicking around once you'd found your home and my home was Virgin Radio.

But then radio started to become sanitised. The big personalities left and the music became samey. it's not like the 90's and early 00's didn't offer new music, there was far more choice than the bland conveyor belt of sameness that we hear now.

Then came the big battle for audience as targeting became more sophisticated and competition became greater. Those with sound business plans survived and those without were gobbled up and converted into a Heart station or similar.

Radio now seems to be a balance sheet game. The big boys of Bauer, Global and the BBC dominate and no one else can play at the table. It's sad and as I look back with fondness for my love of radio growing up I wonder if the same nostalgia will be there in 15 years for a Spotify playlist.

#radio #memories #robinbanks #raycokes #mtv #media #northwest #orpington #m25 #kent #blog #Manchester #wireless #music #virginradio #heartfm #Liverpool