Evolution, not Devolution

Networked radio shows are nothing new, and for the vast majority of listeners, where a particular show comes from is rather less important than what comes out of the speakers. I realise that this comment may be unpopular with some enthusiasts, who yearn for the days of 24/7 “live and local” output, as it was in the “good old days”.

So given that networking is nothing new, it’s perhaps surprising that it’s taken until 2013 for Bauer Media to introduce the most significant change a radio station can make – networking just one breakfast show across most of its Scottish AM stations. The popular presenter Robin Galloway makes the shift from Glasgow’s Clyde 1 to take the helm of a pretty big job.

To many observers south of the border, joining together stations which are only on AM may not seem that significant – but medium wave listening in Scotland is still an important part of the audience, partly down to geography – but also down to loyalty : around on in five people in markets like Aberdeen and Dundee still tune in on AM to Northsound and Tay.

Some of the purists won’t be pacified by a promise of local news remaining as it does now, or the introduction of a new Sunday morning topical discussion show aimed at the Scots audience. There’s even been speculation of what an SNP Government might make of such measures should Scotland vote for independence. The reality is that it would probably be too late to reverse such measures. In any case, will independent broadcasting really be a priority in the event of a “yes” vote. At the moment, the rules on networking remain firmly in the hands of Whitehall – with OFCOM being governed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Bauer also has an advantage in making this move in Scotland, since the BBC doesn’t provide local radio as it does in England. Coverage is limited to a couple of regional news bulletins per day – provided for the Highlands, the North East and Northern Isles, and the Borders and South West Scotland. There are also daily local programmes for Orkney and Shetland, which each have their own commercial stations.

There’s one interesting exception to the network – Moray Firth Radio, based in Inverness, commands one of the highest audience reaches in the UK of 47%. It’s success is partly down to a lack of competition in north east Scotland – but curiously its AM frequency will continue to carry MFR daytime programmes – and by night a series of specialist music and community shows – perhaps demonstrating audience loyalty even more.

The Scots’ audience will still enjoy live and local daytime shows on Bauer’s FM stations – at least for now. The company recently merged its two brands in North East England – Metro and TFM. It would be a brave move to try something similar in Scotland. And although OFCOM’s current “approved” regions wouldn’t allow a marriage of Forth in Edinburgh and Clyde in Glasgow, each station could join with its eastern and western counterparts – Radio Borders and West Sound.

As always, we should never say never.

 

It’s Smooth Sailing?

In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a renewed optimism in commercial radio in the East Midlands. At last, the dominant Trent FM had some proper competition, in the shape of not one but two regional competitors. Smooth and Century were giving the heritage station a run for its money, with significant investment in local news and content.

But like any industry, radio evolves. And a combination of events – which ultimately comes back to the subject of competition – means that some big changes could be on the way to the local listening market. Or maybe not.

Yesterday the Competiton Commission published its report into the merger of Global Radio and Guardian Media Group – now known as Real and Smooth Limited (RSL). And it went much further than many observers had expected.

In simple terms, Global will not be allowed to own both Capital and Smooth Radio in the East Midlands, as it would adversely affect competition for advertising revenue. The Commission has also recommended significant “divestments” of stations in other regions. So what could that mean around here?

Well history might provide some clues. Back in the 1990s the then dominant GWR Group faced similar issues, and came up with a simple solution. It “warehoused” it’s Classic Gold network to an outside company, UBC. Essentially, UBC operated the licences with exactly the same output as before, but as a wholly separate company.

The big difference is that this was an AM radio network with just one brand. Today’s dilemma is somewhat different, including a combination of regional and local licences across the country, and a total of three brands. And marriages of convenience aren’t always harmonious.

Take Orion Radio, the other main commercial player in the East Midlands. When Gcap (the forerunner of Global Radio) was forced to sell its Heart 106 licence, Orion snapped it up – but only operated it as Heart for as long as the contract dictated – before relaunching as a brand new station Gem 106. It took many by surprise, including Global’s executives.

What this perhaps demonstrates is that Global – so used to getting its own way from the regulator OFCOM – had suddenly been told that its no special case, at least in the eyes of the Competition Commission.

The likely outcome is that Global will sell Smooth Radio. It’s already ploughed significant money into relaunching the former Trent, Ram and Leicester Sound stations into Capital – just 18 months ago – so selling that licence is unlikely. And as we’ve seen, any “warehousing” arrangements could end up in tears. What’s more, Orion probably won’t be able to buy a second East Midlands licence, as it creates the same competition issues.

It could be an opportunity for the Bauer group to launch Magic FM in the area – the kind of easy listening station that Smooth always wanted to be, but was restricted from becoming because of format issues. Or – looking at the larger picture for Global – a brand new investor could emerge.

Perhaps based offshore.

Definitely not connected to Global.

Who just happen to want to opt into the Heart network.

One thing’s for sure – this name won’t be returning to a full time FM licence anytime soon.

 

Playlist Ping Pong

This evening, I’m going to be doing something that most 42 year olds would never dream of – unless they were stuck in a car with their teenage children. I’m going to listen to a Chart Show.

Natch, my curiosity has been driven by this week’s furore over Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, and the debate about whether the BBC is being morally right or caving into pressure for not playing it. Some have accused Ben Cooper, the Radio 1 Controller, of putting up a weak defence when explaining the decision. Too cautious, said the critics. As for BBC itself, it was suggested that the use of the word “distasteful” in a press statement only served to politicise the matter even further.

But this is a quite different BBC from the one that used to exercise its right to remain silent on such matters. Often for several days, and on a couple of occasions, a decision which has led to the downfall of senior managers.

And yet – as I hinted in my last blog – there’s been a deafening silence from the Commercial Radio sector, which faces exactly the same dilemma. My colleagues in the Meeja Press tried for several days, without success, to get a comment from Global Radio, which produces the Big Top 40 show. So I decided to ask the boss directly.

You won’t be surprised to learn that Ashley Tabor (pictured) wasn’t playing ball. He’d been tweeting about some of the fabulous acts on Britain’s Got Talent when I asked the question. His reply : tune in from 4pm to find out.

And although Global hasn’t been hounded in the press over this one, the company is still wrestling with several corporate dilemmas. Firstly, will the song even make the Top 10? Well, since the Big Top 40 counts downloads right up until 6pm, we won’t know. Although if it doesn’t, the problem goes away (as it does for the BBC).

Secondly, the Big Top 40 doesn’t just air on Global stations. As a network chart it can be heard on those owned by other groups, including its arch-rivals Bauer in Scotland and the North of England, Orion across the Midlands, and UKRD which has a smattering of stations across the country. Should their views be taken into account? Have talks between the groups already happened? Again, we don’t know.

The third dilemma lies less with Global and more with the regulator OFCOM. Should anyone file a complaint, who is liable for the consequences? Global produce the show, but it’s down to individual stations to operate within the OFCOM guidelines on taste. It would only take one person to be “offended” for OFCOM to step in.

Ultimately, this is all storm in a teacup stuff. And perhaps it’s only right that the licence funded BBC should be subjected to more scrutiny than a private business. But whatever happen at 6.55 this evening may well set a precedent for the next time a high profile figure dies. Although that won’t stop certain sections of the press creating another almighty ding dong.

 

Moral Rumpus

Last night I was called a “jumped up fanatic union socialist” in an online message. I suppose I should be flattered. But context is everything, and I think its only fair that I should clarify.

I well remember the time I attended a student union conference in the late 1980s and decided to sit in on a Young Conservative fringe meeting. There were surprisingly quite a few of them, all trying to make various glowing points about the then PM Margaret Thatcher. In the midst of a debate fuelled by passion, booze and Clearasil, I casually looked up from my notebook and asked : “Can I quote you on that?”

The young Tory almost exploded with rage, immediately asking : “Who are you?! One of those Socialist Workers?”. I put him right. “Oh no – much worse than that. I’m a student journalist.”

So perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that more than 25 years on, I’m challenged in a similar way – by a journalism graduate – in a Facebook debate over this week’s most notorious pop song.

As I write, the Radio One controller Ben Cooper has announced that the full version of Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead will not be played on this Sunday’s chart show – despite strong indications that it could reach number one. It’s been fuelled by an online campaign after the death of Lady Thatcher.

Early copies of the Daily Mail were quick to label the furore as being typical of the nasty BBC – prepared to “insult” Mrs T and her family before she’s even buried. And it was that which riled my rival on Facebook last night.

To save his blushes, I won’t name him. But what started out as an innocent discussion (by another student journalist, as it happens) quickly turned into exactly the kind of anti-BBC tirade that the Mail relishes. One colleague was told to “f-off”, and elsewhere a comment read “I suppose you and NewsMutt will be of strike on the day of her funeral anyway.” I took absolutely no pleasure in correcting him on this – Mrs Thatcher’s legacy ultimately means that unions must give seven days notice of a strike.

But back to the debate in hand. This is yet another case of damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Even by playing a short clip of the song, the BBC risks being dragged into a controversy which is ultimately not of its own making. The Radio One Controller, Ben Cooper said:

“It is a compromise and it is a difficult compromise to come to. You have very difficult and emotional arguments on both sides of the fence. Let’s not forget you also have a family that is grieving for a loved one who is yet to be buried.”

And whilst attention is once again focussed on the BBC, let’s not forget that the wholly privatised commercial radio sector also faces a tough decision. Perhaps moreso, as the Big Top 40 show is not only based on static sales – but downloads right up until 6pm on Sunday evening. Yes, it’s the chart you can shape. Yet curiously – because it’s a private enterprise of the sort that Lady Thatcher rather liked – nobody is jumping up an down demanding that the sector does the right or wrong thing.

At least on this occasion the BBC has reached a compromise before the event itself. In the face of demands to airbrush history, it seems that the Auntie is not for turning.

 

Crossing The Tees

Today marks the end of an era, and further evidence of the harsh realities of business, as after almost forty years the North East effectively loses one of its best known radio stations.

Bauer Media has decided to network all of its programmes on Teesside’s TFM with its neighbouring station Metro, based in Newcastle. Although the two areas are just a few miles apart, anyone who knows the North East will tell you that they are quite different places.

What’s more interesting about this particular move is that Bauer – which owns commercial stations across the North of England and Scotland along with Magic FM in London – has hitherto placed a huge emphasis on localness. Its heritage radio brands were even called Bauer Place to underline its commitment to local broadcasting. So what’s changed?

Some observers are claiming that Bauer has simply “sold out” – copying the Global Radio model of networking as much output as is allowed under OFCOMs rules. And why shouldn’t they? After all, music sounds the same wherever it’s broadcast from, right?

And there’s also a precedent of playing around with long standing brands. In the East Midlands, Trent FM was scrapped to roll out the Capital brand. Derby and Leicester also lost their local stations. Recent history suggests an initial furore on Facebook, Twitter and local newspapers – but the outrage tends to die down after just a few weeks.

One thing that Bauer aren’t doing is abolishing the TFM name. On air, jingles, adverts and news will all retain the iconic branding. And it’s pleasing to see that two journalists are being kept on to cover the Teesside area on the ground – something which other groups haven’t always done.

But the move has attracted some vocal criticism of the way an international company has been allowed to make this decision. The local MP James Wharton has called for OFCOM to investigate, although he might want to do his homework first.

The fact is that stations within defined OFCOM regions are allowed to network all of their output in this way. What this creates is a third regional radio station covering the North East. And it could just be the start of things to come. In Scotland, Glasgow’s Clyde 1 is in the same “approved area” as Ayrshire’s Westsound. Edinburgh’s Forth could effectively merge with Radio Borders. And – although unlikely – Manchester’s Key 103 could join with Liverpool’s Radio City.

All of this is, of course, speculation at this stage. But if you can mess around with the North East, there’s no compelling reason to say that the same business model won’t work elsewhere. And that’s what really counts here – the bottom line is that TFM is a profitable station. Financially, it’s not in trouble.

Which makes this merger a little harder to swallow for the critics.

 

Class Wars

Returning home from a trip is always tough, especially when jetlag is combined with crap weather, or more specifically “freezing cold it can’t possibly by April can it?” weather.

I decide to take the tube back to St Pancras from Heathrow airport – on the basis that I’ve paid for a first class train ticket home, which also means use of the first class lounge.

OK, it’s essentially comfy seats and free tea and biscuits, but after an overnight long haul flight it’s a welcome relief. And equally hilarious to wander in from the platform looking (and probably smelling) like a hobo. That’s hobo, right?

And yet it’s a good job I arrived in the morning, because East Midlands Trains have now started to charge “a small supplement” for using the lounge on advanced tickets during the afternoon rush hour. A quick tweet to the company suggests that it’s a question of capacity in the First Class lounge.

Well forgive me, but when was the last time you saw a full First Class carriage? What’s more, not one of the suits using the facilities this morning seem capable of closing the door to the freezing platform.

 

Bat City

Just before sunset,hundreds of people line the Congress Bridge over the Colorado River. On the water, several tour boats jostle for position, along with modern-day pedalos, powered by people sitting upright on what looks like an exercise bike. And they’ve all come to see one of Austin’s most unusual sights. Because when it gets dark, colonies of bats from below the bridge sweep up into the night sky.

As the sun sets, noisy flocks of birds take roost in the trees lining the River. It’s almost as if they’ve come to see the show as well – in the style of Roobarb and Custard.

My guidebook suggests that up to 1.5 million bats can be here at any one time, especially during early Spring. And although we see cameras flashing and hear people cheering on the south side of the bridge, people on the north side see nothing. Time, then for some more entertainment.

If Sixth Street is like Nashville on steroids, Red River Street is its older and wiser cousin. Who doesn’t care much for appearances. But who could resist a bar called Beerland?

Trust me, it’s as dingy looking on the inside as it is from the street. But the musicians in these bars are, for my money, the ones with the real talent. Karen Eubanks writes her own songs, and has a powerful, raw voice which the crowd love. And she’s one of several acts tonight at the Red Eyed Fly – another bar which, if you saw it back home, you’d probably avoid.

You may have noticed that these pictures were taken during the daytime. Austin is a safe city, on the whole. But it didn’t quite feel right carrying too many valuables around Red River Street. Its corners tell the story of the city’s homeless – at least the ones you can see. There’s not too much open begging here and the people who live out of shopping trolleys are probably too drunk or high to be able to inflict any real damage.

Many of the bars on Red River don’t even bother with such subtleties as branding, so when I see another shack with a sign simply reading “Irish Pub” I think it’s got to be worth a go.

Gerry, the co-owner from North Dublin, has been running the place since the mid nineties, long before Austin became a major music tourist attraction.

“It gets mad here with the festivals. South by Southwest. You couldn’t move in here. But there are quiet patches too. Still, it’s not a bad living.”

And that reputation only seems to be growing. On Second Street, a major new hotel is being built.

Texas isn’t quite what I expected it to be – but in a good way. Austin in particular has a hugely diverse community, a high tolerance level (two downtown gay bars and more on the outskirts) and, of course, the enormous music scene. Oh, and if you fancy a curry, try these guys…

 

A Whole Lotta History

The mighty Colarado River – known as the Red River – snakes its way through the middle of Austin. And thanks to some neat design, there’s a good view from the elevator mounted on the outside of the hotel.

The sun is beating down on the city today, a welcome relief from the chilly winds that seem to have followed me around on this tour. By night, Austin rocks. By day, it’s all about history with a visit to the State Capitol building, modelled closely on its Washington counterpart.

In terms of scale, it’s a bit smaller than the one on DC. But in typical Texas style, it’s seven feet taller. And amazingly, most of its buildings are open to the public with no supervision. A quick check through security gets me into the corridors of power

In odd-numbered years, the State Legislative bodies meet for the first part of the year. And the House of Representatives is in session, so I take a seat in the busy public gallery.

In the enormous room below, democracy is in action. Various members of the legal community are giving evidence in what sounds like a debate about the role of judges. Here, they’re elected by the public, and campaigning happens in the same way as it would for electing a politician. It’s hard to follow exactly what’s going on, but it’s a timely discussion. On the local news a District Attorney and his wife have been shot in their home right here in Texas – just a couple of weeks after his own deputy was murdered. ABC News carries the strapline “State of Alert” on it’s news. Although not everyone seems so concerned.

“Frat Girl – get over here!”

It could be a chat up line on Sixth Street – except Frat Girl happens to be an unruly dog being shouted at by her owner at the bus stop. The young guy with her is carrying a sizeable rucksack with a guitar strapped to the back. I hope Frat Girl is also the name of his band.

Back at the State Capitol, the grounds contain some impressive monuments charting the turbulent history of Texas. For the Mexicans who ruled this area for centuries, it was a case of taking the bull by the horns.

There’ve been battles aplenty, and each section of the State’s story is played out through a series of statues and memorials.

 

Austin Powers

On 98.1 KFAT, the emphasis is on country music. And adverts for tractors. And cosmetic dentistry. These guys know how to play to the Texas demographic. Welcome to Austin, which is blessed with clear skies as we approach

On the ground, an enormous man takes me to the shuttle van, and turns out to be the perfect host to introduce me to the kind of things that make Texas tick.

“Ah’m oh’n ma THIRD wife. Don’t know why – that’s just how it turned out. See those folks of the roadside? They’re sellin’ paper mâché eggs. Y’know, fer Easter. Ahh bought some for ma daughter filled with confetti. Bah the way, look out fer traffic. You don’t wanna be drivin’ in this town when it gets busy.”

Fortunately for me, downtown Austin is fairly compact, so there’s no need for a car. Although from the eleventh floor of my hotel, it seems typically Texan. Huge. Even NewsMutt is impressed.

As soon as I step out onto Congress Street, I can feel the heat. At 7pm it’s still about 20 degrees, and pretty humid. At first the city seems quiet – but it’s Easter Sunday, so many people will probably be at home. It’s a stark contrast to two weeks earlier, when Austin’s biggest music event – South by Southwest – was in town. Someone even left their guitar behind

For over fifty years, Nashville has had the unofficial title of Music City USA. The phrase was coined by DJs at radio stations in the 1950s, as the town grew into a major centre for discovering new artists and recording music. But as you turn onto Sixth Street in Austin, it’s not difficult to see how this place is quickly becoming the New Music Mecca.

For this picture, it would be easy to think that Omar Lopez and his buddy are all about country. But the guitar and fiddle make a mean and unusual combination of Latino and Gypsy Jazz. The small crowd are captivated by Omar’s skills. With just a small distraction behind them,

“Every night I get to give people a buck!” enthuses the Bronco operator. For five dollars you can endure a stomach churning experience of being in your very own star spangled rodeo. The area around the Bronco itself is well padded, though there’s also a lengthy legal disclaimer to sign before you get on. I give it a miss and head instead to the Chuggin Monkey.

This is proper Honky Tonk country. A strip of bars where there are rarely any cover charges, and some impressive musicianship. I have no idea what these guys were called, but their lead guitarist rips up rock solos in the same manner as he probably eats breakfast, lunch and dinner combined.

By 10pm, Sixth Street is starting to buzz a little bit more – though many of the bars are still empty. But it doesn’t stop Austin’s performers, including a great blues quartet.

With this amount of talent around in just three bars, I may just end up joining in with a song later. Look out…

 

Meet The Neighbours

Stay downtown, meet the tourists. It’s simple enough to work out that if you really want to see what a city has to offer, you should spend some time with the locals. And a chance encounter in the Inner Sunset neighbourhood gives me a real insight into how San Francisco rolls. For starters, there’s a great sense of community, and everyone’s invited.

I stumbled across this area using the Muni, San Francisco’s metro system. It spends more time above ground than it does beneath it, snaking down residential streets where people obediently park their cars on either side of the tracks. And at the junction of Irving and Ninth Street, lies the heart of this community.

In Howard’s Cafe, Zeke introduces himself to me as a writer. But he’s more than just that. Zeke is your official 100% Older Gay Man Who’s Seen More Than His Fair Share of Life’s Ups and Downs. His business card puts it in more compact terms : “Jehovah’s Queer Witness”. He has a thousand stories about gay life in San Francisco, which is largely centred around another neighbourhood, the Castro.

This is the centre of one of the world’s biggest and most recognised gay quarters. Bars and shops line the streets, together with an enormous sense of history. Harvey Milk, the famous activist, opened his camera store here in the 1970s. Today his name and cause live on with a Plaza named after him. And, of course, people like Zeke – who’s currently in the process of trying to get his online book published.

Now I realise that some regular visitors to the blog would have been expecting some stereotypes and less than subtle euphemisms. So allow me to give you a couple.

Oh, it’s so San Fran. As is the weather. Conditions here can vary within just a couple of miles, and a sunny lunchtime turns into a chilly afternoon at the end of the Muni N Line on Oceam Beach.

The Pacific Ocean, though, is a magnificent sight. This is full stuff, and on a windy afternoon few are venturing into the sea. In fact, most seem to end up at another cosy local hangout, the Java Beach cafe. The free coffee refills and home made cookies are worth the trip alone, and customers of all ages and backgrounds know it.

If you had to use one word to describe San Francisco, it would probably be independent. Sure, you can spend many hours and dollars at the Westfield Mall, complete with its curved escalators…

Or you could head to the Ferry Building and see the Farmers Market – where you can even order your own poem.

It’s my final evening in San Francisco. A city that first seemed a little overwhelming after the laid back nature of the South. But one that’s ultimately been full of enough surprises to tempt me back one day.