Age
Over 40!
When and why did you first get involved in Hospital Radio?
I've always had an interest in broadcasting, and radio in particular, so when I was living in Glasgow in 1985 I did some voluntary work with Radio HBS who were based in Argyle Street at the time. When I moved to Dundee in 1986 I got in touch with Radio Tayside who were then based in Cleghorn Street. I spent a lot of time collecting requests for the Thursday night programme before becoming the Production Assistant and looking out all of the records for Brian Wyles who presented the programme. I later trained as a presenter and my first solo programme was in April 1986. However I still kept collecting request for some time after that.
What do you do here?
I currently present two programmes - the BRIDGEfm Music Mix which is on every afternoon from 2-4pm and The Music Box which is on every morning at 9 and every night at 11. However I do have to admit to more than a little help from the computer which stores and play the programmes otherwise I'd have to move into the studios.
I looked after the station's website from February 2002 to March 2007 and I designed the BRIDGEfm logo after proposing the new name when Radio Tayside merged with Radio Liff. I was also responsible for writing the lyrics for the BRIDGEfm sung jingles.
What do you enjoy most about it?
I really enjoy the fact that we are providing a totally voluntary service for the patients in the same way as when we started over 50 years ago. In that time a lot has changed, not least the advent of local radio stations and the introduction of technology to help produce programmes, but we still stick with the basics of visiting patients in the wards and playing what they want to hear. Most stations are all about ratings whereas we are all about the patients and helping make their stay in hospital a bit better.
Are there any particularly funny moments which you could tell us?
Once when I was collecting requests in Ninewells Hospital one patient couldn't remember the name of the song she wanted played. Try as she could to describe it to me I'm afraid I still couldn't work it out so she ended up humming it to the other patients in the bay until they could tell me what it was! Unfortunately my memory still hasn't improved because I've forgotten what it was again!
What sort of things to you do on your show?
The Music Mix is simply two hours of some great songs from the 50s to the 90s but with some tracks included that maybe I shouldn't admit to playing such as some Eurovision songs and unfashionable tracks from the likes of Burl Ives, Ken Dodd and Guy Mitchell. I also manage to dig out some TV themes and crackly 12-inch singles which definitely shows my age!
The Music Box is totally different because it is 30 minutes of all instrumental music but again there are some eclectic tracks included plus some instrumental B-side that were the rage on 7-inch singles for a while in the 70s and 80s. In fact The Music Box is now broadcast on nearly 30 stations across the UK as I sent it out to them on CD or through the internet.
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