Circus Boy

Micky Dolenz was a childhood actor and appeared in Circus Boy
Here is a link to background from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus_Boy

Here is a tribute with extracts to the show I used to watch as a young lad in the late 50s!

This post was prompted by seeing this book in a local charity shop. I used to have the self same book as a child but alas have it no more!

Here is information from the Rhino.com site about Micky’s pre-Monkee career

micky dolenz

Before The Monkees

George Michael Dolenz was born on March 8th, 1945 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Los Angeles. His parents Janelle and George Dolenz both worked in the entertainment field. In 1951, their son (having adopted the nickname of “Mickey”) started his private education at Eunice Knight Saunders School in the San Fernando Valley.

Five years later, father George Dolenz landed a lead role in the syndicated television series The Count Of Monte Cristo as Edmund Dantes. Simultaneously, his eleven-year-old son took on the stage name “Mickey Braddock” and hit the small screen in commercials for products such as Kellogg’s cereal and Oscar Mayer brand wieners. Soon after, “Mickey Braddock” scored a series of his own called Circus Boy. Debuting on September 17, 1956, it featured the youngster as Corky, an orphan boy growing up in the crew of a turn of the century traveling circus.

When Circus Boy left the air in 1958, “Mickey” returned to civilian life, but kept his hand in acting. In November, he appeared on television’ Zane Grey Theatre in an episode called “The Vaunted” and a year later he was seen on Playhouse 90. By 1963, Dolenz was dabbling in music. His first group, a four-piece called the Spartans, lasted just six months. Shortly thereafter, “Mickey” transitioned into spelling his name “Micky.”

 

 

Solid Gold 14K

 

I was having a trawl through the UK radio stations on my Clarus Plus internet radio and found a station called Solid Gold 14K.  It was playing some good oldies with some US public service announcements.

This evening (Thursday) a UK presenter called Len Davis was doing a good oldies show.  Unfortunately at times the audio was low fi, he said that he had a poor internet connection.  This did not stop me from enjoying the show.

The station also has other live shows, some are repeated as well so you should hear a live show in the UK in the evenings.

Not entirely sure this station is from the UK but it is worth a listen. It does say at the base of the site that the company is registered in the UK
http://www.solidgold14k.com/

Museum of Shops – Eastbourne

Recently my wife and I visited an exciting exhibition in Eastbourne.
It is stacked high with many artifacts, and objects from the past.

I have uploaded the pictures, taken with my professional camera and not my mobile phone. You will see old radios, needle boxes from old record players, tins of biscuits as sold in my childhood, and many items before I was born.

I recommend that you pay this museum a visit very soon!

From their website
http://www.sussexmuseums.co.uk/how_we_lived_then.htm

Address 20 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, East Sussex. BN21 4NS
Telephone (01323) 737143
e-mail howwelivedthen@btconnect.com
Address 20 Cornfield Terrace, Eastbourne, East Sussex. BN21 4NS
Telephone (01323) 737143

Website
Opening times Open EVERY day (including Sundays) from 10.00 in the morning. Closing times vary according to season. (Please telephone to check).
Entrance: Adults £5.00, Seniors £4.50 (60 years and over)
Children (up to 15 years old) £4.00
Children under five years old – free.
Family ticket: £15.00. (Two parents or adults and up to three children)
Group rates and worksheets on application.
The Museum has over 100,000 exhibits displayed on FOUR floors of authentic shops, room-settings and with various displays covering 100 years of shopping and social history.
Parking There is on-street parking all around the Museum
Public Transport The Museum is only five minutes walk from Eastbourne railway station and main bus terminal.
Facilities We have a well-stocked Gift Shop offering a selection of traditional souvenirs and presents. Toilet.
Work sheets for children
Accessibility Disabled access limited to the ground floor ONL
Opening times Open EVERY day (including Sundays) from 10.00 in the morning. Closing times vary according to season. (Please telephone to check).
Entrance: Adults £5.00, Seniors £4.50 (60 years and over)
Children (up to 15 years old) £4.00
Children under five years old – free.
Family ticket: £15.00. (Two parents or adults and up to three children)
Group rates and worksheets on application.
The Museum has over 100,000 exhibits displayed on FOUR floors of authentic shops, room-settings and with various displays covering 100 years of shopping and social history.
Parking There is on-street parking all around the Museum
Public Transport The Museum is only five minutes walk from Eastbourne railway station and main bus terminal.
Facilities We have a well-stocked Gift Shop offering a selection of traditional souvenirs and presents. Toilet.
Work sheets for children
Accessibility Disabled access limited to the ground floor ONL

Pictorial Musings

It has been almost a week since I have posted anything. This is due to total burnout caused by slow progress on a house sale and purchase. The English system of buying and selling is most unfair. You end up paying your solicitor to do conveyancing. Your agent and yourself cannot avoid somebody backing out of the deal before exchanging contracts. David Cameron should stamp out this very silly practice and make it illegal to mess other peoples lives and finances up. Fingers crossed things work out for us in the end!

All pictures gathered on my trusty 0.3 megapixel camera mounted on my budget priced Alcatel Phone. It has a good radio and mp3 player on board though!

In our local Oxfam shop there is a special Test Match personal radio set, presumably set to LW?

A local shop has a Bush look a like radio in the window

In Eastbourne this classic single was displayed – Jack Jackson was one of radio’s great broadcasters. He influenced people like Adrian Juste and possibly Cuddly Ken! Also a rather rare sound effects single was also in the cabinet

Us Londoners who have had to foot the bill for the Olympics, now have to endure all of the adverts, congestion and souvenirs connected with it.

Two books which caught my attention in a local charity shop. How to be a bunny girl, and what it is like to be a dog!

Finally a collection of LP Sleeves from local charity shops

A good example of an album of cover artistes!

Barry seems to be straining himself here!

Dionne Warwick here on the budget priced Pickwick Label

Now for Kylie all smiley!

A clever example of art work on this album!

Radio Newsbeat

From the Radio Today Site

Radio 2′s Jeremy Vine to do Bristol Q&A

BBC Radio 2 lunchtime presenter Jeremy Vine is taking part in a special session for the Radio Academy South West Branch later this month.

The journalist and broadcaster will be in conversation with Academy Chief Executive John Myers in Bristol on 24th April.

BBC Radio celebrates William Shakespeare

Some of the BBC’s network radio stations are celebrating the work of William Shakespeare through a special season of programmes.

They’ll air on Radio 3, Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra during April and May as part of the BBC’s contribution to the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival.

Community station wants Time 106.6 licence

Ofcom has announced a full re-advertisement of the FM local radio licence covering Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead.

It follows a declaration of intent to apply for it from the people behind Slough’s community radio station, Asian Star Radio.

Radio Trent building reopens as youth centre

The former home of Nottingham’s Radio Trent has been reopened as a youth centre.

The building on Castle Gate – originally a women’s hospital – housed Radio Trent and Trent FM between 1975 and 2007.

Radio Trent building reopens as youth centre

e

Radio 4 runs digital radio design promotion

BBC Radio 4′s flagship Today programme has announced details of a competition to design a skin for a new digital radio.

The product will be sold in aid of Children in Need later this year and will be to commemorate the return of the breakfast programme to Broadcasting House.

Lakeland Radio signs up 10cc for gig

Kendal-based Lakeland Radio has announced 10cc as the headline act for its Lakeland Live open air family concert next month.

The gig is part of the ‘Country Fest’ weekend which takes place at the Westmorland County Showground on 26 and 27 May.

Corrie star Jennie returns to Key 103

Coronation Street’s Jennie McAlpine will once again guest present on Key 103 whilst regular morning co-host Chelsea takes a break.

She will be on the Breakfast Show with Mike Toolan starting today and the station is hoping for some inside Corrie gossip.

BBC Radio 1 producer joins Wise Buddah

Zane Lowe’s producer Clare Chadburn has joined independent production company Wise Buddah as executive producer.

She’ll work across Wise Buddah’s radio, TV and branded content, including Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra projects.
UTV Media has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League which will see it produce commentaries on every top
flight match in the English game for countries outside Europe.
talkSPORT becomes the global audio partner from August 2012 and will broadcast coverage of 380 games per season in
languages including English, Spanish and Mandarin.
The station says it will establish a network of radio partners across markets
including Asia, North America and Africa.
The deal doesn’t affect talkSPORT’s UK coverage of the Premier League, which
allows it to broadcast 64 matches each season.
Scott Taunton, Chief Executive, talkSPORT said: “This is a huge development for
talkSPORT which builds on the significant progress the station has made in the UK
in recent years. I’m really excited about the potential for talkSPORT as a global brand, invoking the same passion in
listeners and advertisers overseas as it does in the UK. We’ll be expanding our London office studio and production
space and I can’t wait to see the buzz on matchdays.”
John McCann, Group Chief Executive, UTV Media plc said: “Since UTV acquired talkSPORT in 2005, we have invested
significantly in sports rights and presenters to successfully reposition talkSPORT as the brand leader for sports audio
content in the UK. Today’s agreement with the Premier League is part of UTV’s strategy to market talkSPORT globally.
We look forward to building on talkSPORT’s reputation for quality sports content with international audiences and
advertisers alike, backed up by UTV’s expertise in global digital delivery.”

BBC Radio 5 live and the corporations Local Radio stations have launched an appeal for listeners to help pick football
commentary highlights to feature in a new exhibition.
An archive of hundreds of the most memorable clips will be part of a display at the National Football Museum in
Manchester which opens later this year.
The exhibit will include memorable commentary clips from every Premier and Football
League team, along with highlights from the England national team. People are being
encouraged to nominate their favourite commentary moments for their club via the BBC
website.
Radio 5 live Deputy Controller Jonathan Wall said: “This is a huge partnership between 5
live and BBC Local Radio with a chance for football supporters to help us select the
favourite clips. Memories will be evoked along the way and it will result in a treasure
trove of radio commentary for visitors to the museum to cherish.”
National Football Museum Deputy Director David Pearson said: “We are delighted to be working with BBC Radio 5 Live
and BBC Local Radio to bring together such an astounding collection of clips, which are so integral to football supporters’
memories and experiences of football history. It’s such an impressive project to undertake and will feature some of the
greatest names in football commentary. We would very much like to thank the BBC for their help and assistance in
compiling this fascinating collection for our visitors.
The ‘BBC Radio Football Commentary Collection’ will feature in a special preview radio show on 5 live next month when
Colin Murray broadcasts from the museum ahead of its opening in July. The museum has relocated from its old home in
Preston to a new permanent base in Manchester.

Real Radio has raised £100,000 in one evening at its third annual ‘Easter Bash’ in aid of Children’s Hospice Association
Scotland.
The event at Glasgow’s Hilton hotel included appearances from singers Amy MacDonald and The Proclaimers.
Real Radio talent winners Double Trouble performed too, along with community
choir Soundsational. There was also an auction and raffle with prizes including a
car, holidays to the US and an original signed Tom Jones painting.
Easter Bash Committee Chairman Derek Mallon said, “We are absolutely blown
away by the amount of money we raised on the night, the generosity of everyone
attending was overwhelming. We’ve exceeded our expectations and are already in
talks to start planning next year’s event.”
Celador Radio has bought the FM local radio licence for Swindon from More Radio Ltd, taking the number of licences
owned by the group to 14.
The station originally launched as Brunel FM in September 2006 by TLRC and has since been known as TotalStar and
More Radio.
Celador bought More’s former sister stations in Warminster and Bath last year, and
also now owns another former TotalStar station in Bridgwater.
Celador currently runs 9 of its licences as The Breeze, with the latest two to join the
network being Andover Sound and Newbury Sound. It has 2 JACK fm stations in
Bristol and on the South Coast, while MidWest Radio – acquired just before
Christmas – still broadcasts under its old name.
The group says the Swindon station will continue to provide the existing service as More Radio for the immediate future
and will remain in the ‘Lime Kiln’ Wootton Bassett studios which were previously owned by Wiltshire Radio/GWR
between 1982 and 2005.
Paul Smith, Chairman of Celador Radio told Radio Today that running a station like More in a competitive market like
Swindon on its own was very tough. “Heart couldn’t be any stronger anywhere than it is here,” he said. “I think that small
singly-owned independent stations are going to struggle hugely. Whenever they’re consolidated central resources mean
the overheads are able to be reduced and there’s more likelihood that they will become at least breaking even, if not
profitable.”
More Radio will come under the control of Steve Jones, Managing Director of Celador Radio’s south west region.
We’ve got more from our interview with Celador’s Paul Smith in this week’s eRADIO – out Wednesday morning at 9am!
Global Radio’s Capital FM network has revealed details of this year’s Summertime Ball.
The event will take place on 9th June at Wembley Stadium, although no acts for the concert have been announced yet.
Capital FM Summertime Ball will be sponsored by Vodafone this year with
customers of the mobile phone network and the station’s VIP website subscribers
getting advanced access to ticket sales from this Saturday. They go on general sale
from next Monday.
95.8 Capital Breakfast Show and Summertime Ball presenter, Dave Berry said; “As
if presenting to a packed Wembley wasn’t enough to get me going, I’ve now heard
the genuinely amazing line-up for this year’s show. I’ve been sworn to secrecy by
Capital, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep it quiet on air.”
A donation from the proceeds of the event goes to the station’s charity appeal, Help A Capital Child.
As headline partner to the Summertime Ball, Vodafone will be promoted on-air throughout the lead up to the Ball, with
teaser tag lines and live reads which will also be echoed digitally across the Capital FM website. Vodafone will also be
supported at the event itself with extensive branding and experiential activity.
Mike Gordon, Managing Director Commercial at Global Radio said: “It’s great to have Vodafone as our partner this year.
We’ve developed a great ongoing relationship with them and they know the results we deliver. We’re really excited by
this year’s event and we’re sure Vodafone’s customers and our listeners will be too.”
Danielle Crook, Director of Brand Marketing at Vodafone UK said “We’ve been working with Global Radio for a number of
years now through our sponsorship of the Vodafone Big Top 40. This latest partnership builds on that, giving our
customers early access to one of the biggest music events of the summer.”
Classic FM has announced the signing of broadcaster and journalist Joan Bakewell to present a series of three Sunday
night programmes.
Starting this weekend, ‘Joan Bakewell’s Lovers’ will air in the 9pm slot and explore the love lives of classical music’s
great composers and performers.
Joan is best known for her work on the TV documentary series Heart of the Matter in
the 80s and 90s, and is also noted for her role on BBC Two’s Late Night Line-Up in
the late 60s and early 70s. She has also worked as Arts Correspondent for
Newsnight and had a spell with Radio 4′s PM programme.
She said: “I’m very excited to be joining Classic FM with this intriguing series. Love
has inspired so much of the world’s greatest music-making and I’m happy to
celebrate that.”
Global Radio’s Director of Broadcasting Richard Park said: “Joan is one of the UK’s most respected and acclaimed
broadcasters. We are delighted to welcome her to the Classic FM family as she hosts this unique, new series which will
offer a fascinating insight into the love lives of the world’s best-known composers and performers.”
In the first programme, Joan begins with Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, before looking at the musical marriages of
composers Robert Schumann and his wife Clara, along with Jacqueline du Pre and Daniel Barenboim, as well as asking
why unrequited love led Mozart to compose some of his finest music.
LBC legend Clive Bull is going back to the station, more than 9 months after stepping down as long-serving host of the
late show.
He’ll be doing Sunday evenings as part of a schedule shake-up that sees Nick Margerrison, Simon Calder, Simon Beale
and Andrew Pierce and Kevin Maguire leave the station.
Last year, Clive announced he was ‘taking a break’ after 30 years with LBC, the last 16 of
them on the late show.
Also from next month, weekday evening presenter Iain Dale takes over the Sunday
morning 10am-1pm slot from Pierce and Maguire, while Cristo takes over weekend
overnights from Margerrison. Cristo’s weekday overnight slot is taken by Duncan Barkes.
Barkes’ Saturday evening show will be replaced by former talkSPORT presenter Ian Collins, who will be on 7-10pm.
Collins – who spent 16 years at talkSPORT and Talk Radio – will also do Friday nights, with Iain Dale just hosting
evenings Monday to Thursday.
LBC Managing Editor James Rea said: “Ian has a long and successful history in speech radio and I’m delighted that he
will be part of the team.”
Another new show will be a ‘best of’ Steve Allen show on Sunday mornings from 5am.
James added: “I’d also like to thank Andrew Pierce, Kevin Maguire, Nick Margerrison, Simon Calder and Simon Beale for
the roles they have played at LBC 97.3 over the years and we wish them the very best for the future.”

Boats and goats racing!

My son called me to let me know that he went to the Cambridge and Oxford Goat race. As I had just watched the boat race I commented about the swimmer interrupting the race. He pointed out to me that it was a goat race at Spitalfields Farm. I looked it up on You Tube and found several videos there. Here is one. Cambridge won the Goat Race, but as you will see they both paused a while to gaze at the crowds, until enticed away by food! There is an opportunity for dentists to inspect a member of the crowd’s teeth near the end of this video, and also I think I saw a giant rabbit in the crowd!

This year’s Boat race was a peculiar affair first a swimmer interrupts proceedings. Then Oxford’s Oar breaks.

It is events like this that make me proud to be English!

Apologies for these jokes trawled from the internet!

Cambridge won both the Goat and Boat Races it seems!

What do you call a royal goat wearing denim? Billy Jean King.

What do you call a goat with a beard? It is goatee!

Why is it hard to carryon a conversation with a goat? Because they are always butting in.

What do you call a goat that lip-syncs? Billy Vanilli.

What do you call a goat at sea? Billy Ocean.

What do you call a goat on a mountain? Hillbilly.

Who did the goats vote for as president? Billy Clinton.

What do you call a goat who is in charge of a university? Billy Dean.

What do you call an unemployed goat? Billy Idol.

Pictorial Musings

The new film on the theme of pirates from Nick Park’s stable looks good. I saw a great poster last week in my local shopping centre. I also took some close up’s of the characters.

Here is the official trailer from You Tube – great stuff!

Detail of a circus which is visiting town this Easter. Who said the circus is dead!

Here now some Vinyl LP covers

A typical boring Classical Music LP sleeve to kick things off

Bert Weedon from Children’s Television puts in an appearance on a budget price LP

Here is Bert at work

A prime example of a cheap production with a cheap cover!

A very saucy LP – not a saucy cover though

Sixties album cover

This lady is either the singer or somebody to persuade you to purchase this album !

Designed to grab the attention of nobody! A cover version of Gilbert O’Sullivan songs

This really does not cut any corners, how did it get onto the record racks in Woolworths?

Our lovely Kylie in her early days – there must have been a wind blowing – she is holding on to her hat.

Petula Clark has issued numerous albums and here is just one of them!

Julie Felix with her budget priced album a great singer

Finally a honky tonk – budget priced album

MORE TO COME IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME!

Government goes too far

I was going to blog on this subject but an email that has come in to Waffle land says it all.

 

The government has just announced a plan to spy on us all, to be pushed through “as soon as Parliamentary time allows”. [1] They want to see details of who we call, text and email, and which websites we visit – without any kind of warrant or reason. They want to force phone and internet companies to install special devices to provide all this data on each and every one of us. [2]

Experts are lining up to condemn this idea as intrusive, expensive and ineffective. [3] But we know that when the Labour government announced similar plans a few years ago, a huge outcry was needed to make them to back down. [4]

So let’s build a massive petition right away, to show David Cameron that British citizens simply won’t put up with the government spying on their every move. Please click here to add your name now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

A final version of the plan is due to be announced in just one month’s time. [5] We need to move fast if we’re to get this scrapped before then. A big petition right now could persuade David Cameron to rethink before he commits too deeply. His officials will report the rising number of signatures to him. And they will warn him that he can expect voters to challenge him every step of the way.

MPs from different political parties are already expressing unease. [6] One prominent Conservative MP, former shadow Home Secretary David Davis, has been in touch with the 38 Degrees office to say: “These plans would give the state huge new powers to snoop on ordinary people. They’d be expensive, unnecessary, and a huge invasion of everybody’s privacy. If they are to be stopped, public pressure will be critical – including from 38 Degrees members”.

Add your name to the petition today:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

David Cameron claims this will make us safer. But this is about spying on all of us, not serious criminals. It’s already perfectly possible for the government to monitor people suspected of serious crimes, with proper permission and oversight. [7] And serious criminals will inevitably find ways to hide their online identities.

Most importantly, this isn’t the kind of Britain we want to live in. We shouldn’t respond to criminals by abandoning our principles and scrapping basic civil liberties. We shouldn’t treat every citizen like a potential criminal who needs to be monitored. Help stand up for our right to privacy when we browse the internet or phone our friends – please sign the petition and spread the word now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

Thanks for using your voice,

Marie, Cian, David, Hannah, Becky, James and the 38 Degrees

PS: This plan would be like demanding the Royal Mail keep a copy of every single letter it handles. It’s exactly the kind of thing this government announced with a fanfare that they wouldn’t do. If we let them get away with this, what comes next? ID cards? Long-term detention without trial? Sign the petition to put a stop to the government’s snooping plans now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-snooping-plan

PPS: 38 Degrees members have been voting on whether to continue our campaign to protect the NHS. 96% voted yes to continuing to campaign! You can read an update on what will happen next, here:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-yes-vote-blog

NOTES
[1] Telegraph: Internet activity ‘to be monitored’ under new laws http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9179087/Internet-activity-to-be-monitored-under-new-laws.html
[2] Telegraph: New powers to record every phone call and email makes surveillance ’60m times worse’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9180191/New-powers-to-record-every-phone-call-and-email-makes-surveillance-60m-times-worse.html
[3] Independent: Backlash over plans to monitor all internet use http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/backlash-over-plans-to-monitor-all-internet-use-7609010.html and Times: Internet law will be a ‘honeypot’ for snoopers http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article3372450.ece
[4] BBC: Warning over need for safeguards in email and web monitoring plan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17580906
[5] The plans are currently expected to be confirmed in the Queen’s Speech on 9 May. The Queen’s Speech is the formal occasion where the government outlines its plans for the coming session of parliament.
[6] Guardian: Email surveillance plans face Lib Dem rebellion http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/02/email-surveillance-lib-dem-rebellion
[7] Telegraph: Web survelliance: Q&A http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9180277/Web-surveillance-QandA.html

Radio Newsbeat – full news stories

I have found some interesting articles on the Radio Today Site and hope that you will enjoy reading them.

LBC to do first Mayoral election debate

Global Radio’s Leicester Square HQ is to host the first broadcast debate of this year’s London Mayoral election campaign.

LBC 97.3 will air the hour-long programme, hosted by breakfast presenter Nick Ferrari, next Tuesday (3rd April) at 9am.

We’re told that the four main candidates will be questioned by listeners about topics important to Londoners – from transport and employment to the Olympics and crime.

Taking part will be current Mayor Boris Johnson (Conservative) and challengers Ken Livingstone (Labour), Brian Paddick (Lib Dem) and Jenny Jones (Green). This year sees the fourth running of the race to become the elected mayor of the capital following the creation of the role in 2000. Former Mayor Ken Livingstone recently left his role as a presenter on LBC’s Saturday morning show to concentrate on his election campaign.

Global Radio’s Director of Broadcasting Richard Park said: “I am very proud that LBC 97.3 is the first broadcaster to host a live 2012 Mayoral debate, with our listeners asking the questions that really matter to London. With Nick Ferrari holding court, this will be one of the most important debates of the London Mayoral election and will set the agenda for the rest of the candidates’ campaigns.”

Nick Ferrari told us: “No other Mayoral debate will allow voters the same level of access to the four main challengers. It’s the callers’ questions, the candidates’ answers – and it’s live. There’s no place to hide.”

The shortlists for the 2012 Sony Radio Academy Awards have been announced in a special lunchtime webcast.   (It would be great if us listeners had the opportunity to select programmes and stations to stand for this award! says the wireless waffler!)

On the awards night on 14th May, the winner of the Gold Award will be announced along with Silver and Bronze winners.

In categories where there are only three nominees (Station of the Year and Programmer of the Year awards), only Gold Awards will be made.

Read our article about some of the stories emerging from the nominations list here.

2012 Sony Radio Academy Award nominations

Breakfast Show of the Year (10 million plus)
5 live Breakfast – BBC Radio News for BBC 5 live
Heart Breakfast (London) – London’s Heart
KISS Breakfast with Rickie, Melvin and Charlie – KISS
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show – BBC Radio 2
The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show – Absolute Radio

Breakfast Show of the Year (under 10 million)
Adam Tomlinson at Breakfast – BBC Radio York
BBC Essex Breakfast – BBC Essex
Juice FM Breakfast with Adam and Leanne – 107.6 Juice FM
Porridge – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio
Real Radio Breakfast with Gary and Lisa – Real Radio North East

Best Music Programme
Fearne Cotton – BBC Radio 1
In Tune – BBC Radio 3
In: Demand Scotland – Bauer Radio Scotland
Michael Bublé – Magic 105.4
Steve Lamacq – BBC Radio 6 Music

Best Specialist Music Programme
Another Country with Ricky Ross – BBC Radio Scotland
David Rodigan – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 2
Friday Night Is Music Night – BBC Radio 2
Music: Response – Xfm
The Ronnie Wood Show – Somethin’ Else for Absolute Radio

Best Entertainment Programme
Adam & Joe – BBC Radio 6 Music
Beryl and Betty – BBC Radio Humberside
Boogie and Dingo’s Big Saturday Show – Bauer Radio Scotland
Frank Skinner – Avalon for Absolute Radio
Real Radio Breakfast with Dixie & Gayle – Real Radio Yorkshire

Best Speech Programme
Gardeners’ Question Time – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 4
Ken Livingstone and David Mellor – LBC 97.3
Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 5 live
Stephen Nolan – BBC Radio News for BBC Radio 5 live
World Have Your Say – BBC World Service News Programme for BBC World Service

Best Sports Programme
Gerr’um On Side – UTV Media for 102.4 Wish FM and 107.2 Wire FM
Keys & Gray – talkSPORT
Kicking Off with Colin Murray – BBC Radio Sport for BBC Radio 5 live
My Sporting Life – talkSPORT
Rock ‘N’ Roll Football – Survival Sunday – USP Content for Absolute Radio

Best News and Current Affairs Programme
5 live Drive – BBC Radio News for BBC Radio 5 live
Radio 1 Newsbeat – BBC Radio 1
SITREP – BFBS
The Sunday Roast with Caroline – 106 JACK fm Oxfordshire
The World At One – BBC Radio 4

Best Breaking News Coverage
August Riots – BBC Radio 5 live
Birmingham Riots – brmb
Gary Speed’s Death – BBC Radio 5 live
PM – BBC Radio 4
The Riots – GMG Radio North West News Team for Real Radio North West

Best Live Event Coverage
Choice at The Notting Hill Carnival – Choice FM
Danny Wallace’s Naked Breakfast – Xfm
England No. 1 Test Side – BBC Radio Sport for 5 live sports extra & BBC Radio 4
Real Radio Live @ Take That – Real Radio North East
The Royal Wedding – BBC World Service News Programme for BBC World Service

Best Community Programming
Behind Bars – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio
Cocaine Unwrapped – Real Radio – GMG Radio North West News Team for Real Radio North West
Face To Face – Prison Radio Associations for National Prison Radio
Handle With Care – BBC Radio Berkshire and Company Paradiso for BBC Radio Berkshire
Lonely At Christmas – BBC Radio Oxford

Best Internet Programme
Days in the Life – Guardian News & Media for The Guardian
Do The Right Thing – Fuzz Productions Ltd for British Comedy Guide
Front Room Fringe – Forth One
Mindcast: Bipolar – Wise Buddah for Mind
Science Weekly: Sounds of the Space Shuttle – An Acoustic Tribute – The Guardian

Music Radio Personality of the Year
Chris Evans – BBC Radio 2
Christian O’Connell – Absolute Radio
Gemma Cairney – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Huey Morgan – Wise Buddah Creative for BBC Radio 6 Music
Lauren Laverne – BBC Radio 6 Music

Music Broadcaster of the Year
Jools Holland – BBC Radio 2
Mark Radcliffe – Smooth Operations (Productions Ltd) for BBC 6 Music & BBC Radio 2
Mistajam – BBC Radio 1Xtra
Sean Rowley – BBC Radio Kent
Tom Service – BBC Radio 3 for BBC Radio 3, 4 & 6 Music

Speech Radio Personality of the Year
Alan Brazil – TalkSPORT
Alan Robson – Metro Radio
Danny Baker – Campbell Davison Media for BBC Radio 5 live
Richard Bacon – BBC Radio 5 live
Toby Foster – BBC Radio Sheffield

Speech Broadcaster of the Year
Evan Davis – BBC News for BBC Radio 4
Jenni Murray – BBC General Factual for BBC Radio 4
Jeremy Vine – BBC Radio 2
Nick Ferrari – LBC 97.3
Victoria Derbyshire – BBC Radio 5 live

News Journalist of the Year
GMG Radio North West News Team – Smooth Radio, Real Radio & Real XS
JACK fm News Team – JACK fm Hertfordshire
John Sudworth – BBC Radio 4
Metro Radio News Team – Metro Radio
Mike Thomson – BBC News for BBC Radio 4

Best Interview
Andrew Peach interviews Anne Diamond – BBC Radio Berkshire
Eddie Mair interviews Julie Nicholson – BBC Radio 4
Jeremy Vine interviews Helena Tym – BBC Radio 2
Mark Lawson interviews Ricky Gervais – BBC Radio Arts for BBC Radio 4
Victoria Derbyshire interviews Ken Clarke – BBC Radio 5 live

Station Programmer of the Year
Andy Roberts – KISS
Clive Dickens – Absolute Radio
Moz Dee – talkSPORT

Best Use of Branded Content
Car Wars – Real Radio Yorkshire
Rock ‘N’ Roll Football with Sky Sports – Absolute Radio
The KISS Chosen One with Blackberry – KISS
The Power of Dreams on Classic FM with Honda – Classic FM
Xfm Naked Breakfast – Global Radio for Xfm

Best Single Promo/Commercial
Beat The Star – Global Radio for Heart West Midlands
Campese on Sunday Morning – talkSPORT Creative for talkSPORT
Geoff Lloyds’s Hometime Show – The Complaints – Absolute Radio
Sherlock Returns – BBC Radio Cross Trails for BBC Radio 2, 5 live and 6 Music
The Day Before 9/11 – BBC Radio 4 Presentation for BBC Radio 4

Best Promotional/Advertising Campaign
Britain Loves Radio – Radio Advertising Bureau for Commercial Radio
In The Mind of a Car Thief – Eagle Radio for Eagle Radio and County Sound Radio
Red Nose Day – Fresh Air Production for BBC Cross Trails for BBC Radio 1, 2 & Local Radio
The Rugby World Cup 2011 – talkSPORT Creative for talkSPORT
Wimbledon 2011 – Fresh Air Production for BBC Radio Cross Trails for BBC Radio 2, 5 live & Local Radio

Best Competition
2 Strangers And A Wedding – 106 JACK fm Oxfordshire & glide FM 107.9 Oxfordshire
Christian O’Connell’s Early Morning Game – Absolute Radio
Christmas is Cancelled – Pirate FM
QuizFace – Xfm
Superstar DJ – BBC Radio 1

Best Station Imaging
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 2
Capital Network
JACK fm Oxfordshire
KISS & Pure Tonic for KISS

Best Music Feature/Documentary/Special
Feeling Good – The Nina Simone Story Part 1 – Sue Clark Productions for BBC Radio 2
Killing Bono – A Life in the Shadow of Superstardom – GMG for Real Radio and Real Radio XS
Pete Townshend – Before I Get Old – Just Radio for BBC Radio 2
Radio 1 Stories – The Amen Break – BBC Radio 1
The Music That Melted – BBC Radio 4

Best News Feature/Documentary/Special
Assignment: Blasphemy – A Matter of Life and Death – BBC World Service News & Current Affairs for BBC World Service
Child of Ardoyne – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3
Filesharing Special – BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
Lives in a Landscape: The Hackney Riots – BBC Radio Documentaries for BBC Radio 4
The Kill Factor – BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC World Service

Best Feature/Documentary
Spike Milligan – The Serious Poet – White Pebble Media for BBC Radio 4
The Five Ages of Brandreth – BBC Political Programmes for BBC Radio 4
The Mousetrap and Me – BBC Radio Wales
The Underwater Gendarme – BBC Wales for BBC Radio 4
Walking with the Wounded – GMG Radio North West News Team for Smooth Radio

Best Comedy
Adam & Joe – BBC Radio 6 Music
Another Case of Milton Jones – Pozzitive Television for BBC Radio 4
Down The Line – Down The Line Productions for BBC Radio 4
Mark Steel’s In Town – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4
The National Theatre of Brent’s Iconic Icons – CPL Productions for BBC Radio 4

Best Drama
A Tale of Two Cities – BBC Radio Drama London for BBC Radio 4
A Time to Dance – Sweet Talk Productions for BBC Radio 4
North by Northamptonshire – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4
On It – Woolyback Productions for BBC Radio 4
Use It or Lose It – Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 3

Best Use of Multiplatform/Social Media
Absolute 80s – Absolute Radio
BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra homepages – BBC Audio & Music Interactive for BBC Radio 1
Heart Breakfast with James & Charlie – Heart Kent
Now Playing @6Music – Somethin’ Else for BBC Radio 6 Music
The Classic FM Hall of Fame – Classic FM

Station of the Year (Under 300,000)
Garrison FM
KL.FM
Moray Firth Radio

Station of the Year (300,000 – 1 million)
107.6 Juice FM
BBC Radio Berkshire
Mercia

Station of the Year (1 Million plus)
BBC Radio 4 Extra
BBC World Service
Radio City 96.7

UK Station of the Year
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 6 Music
Kerrang! Radio

Sony DAB Rising Star Award
Broken Heart DJs – Jazz FM
Clara Amfo – KISS
Frank McWeeny – French Radio London
Luke Franks – Fun Kids
Phil Taggart – BBC Radio 1/BBC Radio Ulster

17 journalism posts to go at BBC Radio 1

Part of the cuts announced by the BBC on Tuesday include 17 positions at Radio 1.

In addition, nine reporter posts at 5 Live will go, whilst Radio 1 and 1Xtra will no longer have their own dedicated news services, except at breakfast.

BBC News announced the loss of 140 posts altogether, which will be cut by the end of April 2013. They are part of the cost-cutting Delivering Quality First Programme, designed to generate 20 per cent savings over five years with the loss of 2,000 jobs across the BBC.

At BBC Radio 4, three or four current affairs pots will go, along with three reporters and two producers, plus annual funding will be cut by £500,000.

BBC Asian Network is to lose 15 posts and have its funding cut in half. News will move from Leicester to London with fewer bulletins but extra multi-media jobs will be created long term. Two general “BBC Radio News” posts will also go in the next 12 months, with more expected at a later date.

However, one new 5 Live reporter job will be created at Media City UK, along with four new reporter roles based in Newcastle, Birmingham, Cambridge and Plymouth.

Here is Helen Boaden’s email to all staff yesterday:

Today we are announcing further details of the BBC News Group’s Delivering Quality First proposals in Network News for Year 1, 2013/14, which regrettably will result in the closure of around 140 posts by April next year. We are currently working through our savings plan for future years and we will come back to you at a later date with more detail, along with our final proposals for Local Radio and Regional Current Affairs and the Asian Network, once the Trust has published its conclusions.

As you know, we announced our overall DQF proposals in a speech I gave last October. Today each of your line managers and editors will give you an update on the impact for your team, including for some areas, changes to the way we’ll be organised in W1 as well as post closures. I know many of you will have been working or will be off shift so may be unable to go to your team briefings. We have put all the departmental documents outlining our proposals on the News Group intranet site today. We will begin consulting with the Trade Unions next week. Please feel free to discuss these plans with your line manager too.

I don’t pretend that these changes will be easy or painless for individuals or teams. As we have always done, we will work extremely hard to avoid any compulsory redundancies though as the BBC gets smaller, we cannot guarantee complete success in this area.

As public service broadcasters we know that we have to make these changes in a way which preserves our reputation, our values and our unique relationship of trust with our audiences. That’s a great responsibility but also a great privilege. And even though we need to make savings of nearly £70 million by 2016/17, it’s important to remember that we still have around £400 million pounds a year to spend on the best journalism in the world.

Best wishes,

Helen

 

Another lovely sunny winters day!

April the 1st and in the South of England no April fool, just a lovely sunny day.

We went out today to one of our favourite haunts Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire.

We took a short walk off the High Street towards Croxley Green and found an idyllic spot.

Much to my delight I observed a Heron standing in the river hunting for fish.

Here is a video I took at the time, thought I would share it with you. Sorry but the first part is a little jerky but this is the closest I have ever been to a heron.