Sent: 16 July 2006 23:22
 

RADIO 1 MADE THE BBC WAKE UP

Radio 1 totally revolutionised BBC Radio, although cynics will admit most of the ideas and DJs were stolen from the pirate stations. I have just been reading the interview with Bob Holness and he said the station was a total contrast from the overly formal, scripted programmes on the Light Programme and working on Radio 1 was a revelation as the atmosphere was far freer than the stuffy old Light Programme.

Before Radio 1 was created in 1967, the BBC Light Programme did not employ disc jockeys, as they were then known. Unlike the pirates, which aped American radio stations by using disc jockeys and jingles, the Light Programme used presenters, often formal sounding announcers, who worked from a script, used technicians to play records, and instead of a seamless link between two shows, an announcer would announce in formal BBC English the next programme. Instead of shows named after the presenter, Light Programme shows were named around the time slot, Breakfast Special on the Light was a typical example of this, where Radio 1 and the pirates named the show after the presenter. Also the stodgy nature of the programmes, where pop was relegated to cover versions by middle of the road instrumental groups, seemed never to have changed since the station was created in 1945.

When Radio 1 was created, the Light Programme style of programming was swept away. ( As well as Radio 1, Radio 2 moved towards the use of disc jockeys, jingles and shows named after the presenter, which was a total break with the Light Programme that Radio 2 was supposed to be a continuation of.) Instead of an announcer like Jimmy Kingsbury announcing the next programme, the disc jockeys would often indulge in a bit of banter before they handed over and then a jingle and a signature tune would announce the next programme. Unlike the Light Programme, most disc jockeys, who had learned their craft on pirate radio, drove their own desk and this did away with the need to employ a technician to play the records and cut costs. With the shows largely unscripted, Radio 1, and indeed many Radio 2 shows, had a less formal feel than the Light Programme and were more fun to listen to. Certainly someone like Kenny Everett, who wrote all his own material, would have sounded far less funny if he was on the Light with its restrictions and scripts.

Above all Radio 1 moved BBC music radio into the modern era. Quaint music ensembles like the BBC Top Tunes, which performed twee instrumental versions of pop hits and were terrible to listen to, were largely replaced by records. Although for the first few years the station was restricted by needletime agreements and a shortage of funds, it was a bold move for the BBC to operate a network that was devoted to pop music, where previously the Light Programme was a hotchpotch of a few pop shows, cloying shows of instrumental music, light drama, sport and religious programming that by the mid sixties was becoming extremely dated and largely avoided by listeners under 25. Radio 1, for all it stole its ideas and presenters from the pirates, was a move into the swinging sixties for the BBC and rapidly became extremely popular. Also Radio 2 aped Radio 1 presentation styles, although at a more genteel pace, and this soon became a much loved and far better replacement for the Light Programme. The dual broadcasting arrangement between Radios 1 and 2 meant that listeners to both stations were exposed to a huge range of music, Radio 1 listeners at times could hear a big band and Radio 2 listeners could hear The Beach Boys. In areas where there were no pirates, such as most of Scotland, and listeners had to endure the Light Programme or nothing, Radio 1 now offered everyone in Britain a national pop station.

Radio 1 made disc jockeys into some of the most recognisable and successful celebrities in Britain, where previously many were only heard on a ship in the North Sea. Tony Blackburn stated in an interview in 1984 that Radio 1 made him and his colleagues into some of the richest and best known celebrities in Britain. Certainly when Kenny Everett was sacked from Radio 1 in 1970, unlike his sacking from pirate radio in 1966, a national campaign was launched to save him and car stickers with Bring Back Everett were often seen.

Radio 1 also gave more prominence to regional accents. John Peel's scouse type voice was the most recognisable non BBC accent, but there was also Terry Wogan's Irish accent, Stuart Henry's Scottish and the Northern accents of Jimmy Saville and DLT. It certainly opened the doors to accents that BBC Radio a few years previously would have excluded.

Radio 1 certainly helped to popularise BBC Radio again, and until the Bannister changes, was a well loved radio station. When the independent stations arrived in the seventies, they often employed Radio 1 staff as a selling point, Kenny Everett becoming hugely successful on Capital for many years and transferring the skills they had learned at Radio 1 to new stations. Conversely many ILR DJs saw this as a stepping stone to greater things and getting a show on Radio 1 was the main aim of anyone who started at these stations. Most of the current crop of Radio 1 DJs learned their trade at local stations.

Above all the old school Radio 1 was fun and was the BBC's most successful venture. At its height the station had 26 million listeners and even after the competition began to bite into its ratings, achieved 17 million listeners a week well into the nineties. Considering that the station mostly broadcast on crackly medium wave until 1988, when ILR had stereo FM from the start, this was a huge achievement, but listeners didn't mind as shows were never interrupted for adverts for Dave's DIY shop and the presenters were mostly professionals who loved the station. A shame that such a well loved institution was steadily destroyed in the nineties and presenters who had worked at the station since the sixties were forced out in favour of loudmouths and money obsessed idiots who cared little about the music and only their pay packets. Radio 2, to an extent, carries on the Radio 1 tradition and it's ironic that the son of the Light Programme, using ex Radio 1 staff, now is far more popular and carries a lot more respect.
 

Sent: 03 July 2006 01:16

Radio 1 memories.

Firstly i would like to say what a fantastic website, and listening to some of those jingles from the late 70's to the 90's brought a tear to my eye. I often remember how the jingles used to go...but i never thought i would hear them again...thanks to this website.

Radio 1 (like many in their 30's or 40's) was their station way back then and you could listen all day because of the sheer quality of presenters and excellent programming.

It was great to wake up to Tony Blackburn with 'Junior Choice' (i must have been around 7 or 8 yrs old at the time). Back in the 80's i listened to Radio 1 non-stop whenever i could with shows like Simon Bates's 'Our Tune' to Gary Davies...Steve Wright...Peter Powell...Janice Long, DLT. etc...each presenter had their own 'exciting' personality, and not forgetting Nicky Campbell, Philip Schofield and Anne Nightingale's Sunday Night Request show.

Those were the days when radio WAS radio.

What HAS happened to radio 1 - it has deteriorated rapidly ever since they switched nationally to FM in around 1988. The station has 'modernised' and brought in presenters with no personality...or IS that really the case Or could it be that we have grown up since the early days of Radio 1 and find todays 'modern' music and presenters simply do not match our criteria

I am sure there are teenagers from our present generation who love Radio 1 as we did back then..or do they

With the huge amount of commercial radio since the early days of radio 1, this gives the listener more choice. I read with interest that some of the present radio 2 programming relates to the old radio 1 programming with a few ex-radio 1 presenters doing their stuff...i sincerely hope so! Radio 2 needs a shake up on some programmes as they are way outdated, but their will always be a vacume of memories related to radio 1.

As for radio 1 as it stands at the moment...i have not listened to it for years because of it's current format...and i do not intend to listen.

Maybe it's maturity because i prefer radio 2 as oppose to radio 1...NOW...as i type this and having mentioned radio 2 needing a shake up...i am currently listening to Janice Long on Radio 2 who has just played 'Manic Street Preachers' - If You Tolerate This...followed by a Johnny Cash track...unfortunately the format does not mix whatsoever. (just my opinion)

Great website...and some fantastic memories!

Andy from Birmingham

 Radio 1 makes "Elderly People Frown"

"Hello you all - sorry, I'm 42 years old you know and I love Radio 1 the way it is now. Yes, I remember DLT, Tony Blackburn, Jimmy Saville Steve Wright (uugh) and all the Fab FM crowd. Apologies but I am glad they have all gone. If you want Fab FM it is either on Radio 2 or on any commercial station you have access to. Radio one now is sounding the best I have ever known it and admittedly at times it is too much for me, but that is cos I am 42 years old you know. In the 1970s and 1980s, when the happy sound was at its height, I was usually listening in to the poptastic 2FM from the RTE, Radio Caroline, Nova, Laser anything else bar the happy sound. Radio 1 for me only started to take off in the 1980s when Simon Mayo came along, the Mary Whitehouse Experience started there, John Peel did the 8.00 to 10.00, slot followed by Nicky Campbell etc, but I still stuck with the pirates largely.

I do agree that the changes in 1993 were done far too abruptly, but Bannister had very little choice. That great parliamentary statesman, John Major had put the message out that if Radio did not change it would be privatised, so it did change, and then muggins here started listening and I have to say, thank God. Yeah, if you do not like what young people listen to nowadays, yes Radio 1 is not for you, but your parents probably also moaned about it in the 1970s when you wanted to listen to it and they wanted to listen to Radio 2. Is the penny beginning to drop now. To put it simply, Radio 1 has always been there to make more elderly people frown and go tut tut tut, and that is what most of you are doing in this forum, therefore it is doing the job it is supposed to be doing. Long may it carry on. -

Dermott - Orpington"

Sent: 29 May 2006 01:40

Doing Something Right

Oh dear, what a tragedy – could it be that we’ve all got a bit older and the Radio 1 we listened to in the 70’s was targeting us as younger listeners. It would be totally wrong if I (at 55) found today’s Radio1 1 to my taste. Radio 2 sometimes sounds a bit young for me too! It’s hard to argue with the almost 13 million people (RAJAR March 2006) who tune in – that’s over quarter of the population. Radio 1 has recovered to reach just under ten million. Personal taste is just that – personal. If you just want your favourite tunes, put on a CD.

If you want some intelligent conversation join the 10 million listening to Radio 4. BBC Local Radio (the launch pad for so many Radio 1 DJ’s in the past), also attracts over 20% of the nation – so they must be doing something right. I really enjoyed the Pirates in the 60’s – Caroline North being my favourite. I remember when Radio 1 opened that I felt then it just wasn’t the same – even though many of the ex Caroline and Big L DJ’s made up their roster. Change is inevitable – and Radio has evolved a lot in the past 40 years. I just can’t believe that the vitriolic comments published here would be matched if you asked today’s teens & twenties for their views. PS – I quite like Smooth FM (in the North)!

Warren from Lancashire

Wed 12 April 2006 21:17

What is Radio 1

You know, I was reading through all of the emails here and one question I asked myself was: 'What is Radio 1 ' Apart from the mainly crap music, the so-called 'sales' charts {never in a million years are those Top 40 charts legit}, we have Scott Mills sounding like a bloody schoolgirl still with his virginity intact. We have Chris Moyles, whose mouth matches his gut. Jo Whilley, who may well be a very nice person in real life, but on the air she's 2006's version of Annie Nightingale. We have Spoony who has a habit of stopping after almost every three words and fights to put a sentence together. A pair of giddy pillocks to present the Top 40 show {and if you believe in that charts' acuracy more fool you!}. There's a pair of squabbling kids on in the weekday afternoons. So I ask again, what is Radio 1

From one Monday morning to the next, non-stop, we are left with faceless 'presenters', most of who are about as intelligent as Sooty. Friday nights sound like a bloody den for drug addicts!

In 1993, a Radio 1 controller, Matthew Bannister gave some of the finest presenters and talent the sack. He decided Radio 1 needed a bit of a, ahem, change. So out went Bob Harris, Johnnie Walker, Adrian Juste, the great Fluff Freeman, Jakkii Brambles, Tommy Vance, Gary Davies ... In fact, the only two of the 'old guard' left were Annie Nightingale and John Peel.

It appears Radio 2, in 2006, is about as near to what Radio 1 was in the early 90s. But we aren't quite right here either.

Hands up anybody who can stand school mistress Sarah Kennedy ... No, Neither can I. What about motormouth Mo Dutta, who loves listening to his own voice more than he does anybody else's or even the music ... I quite agree. A complete arse! What about Steve Wright ... Not bad, but weren't many of us listening to 'Steve Wright in the Afternoon' on Radio 1 in the 80s I swear blind we were. I remember also him escaping {just} from a Glaswegian guy's fist near a Radio 1 caravan in George Square in 1984. Now what about Dale Winton ... He took over from Fluff Freeman on April 1 2000 presenting the long- since legendary 'Pick of the Pops'. Six years later Winton still can't do a Top 20 countdown without making a cock-up {oops!} of one kind or another.

Winton tries doing a Fluff and rushes the countdown, leaving far too much of the 'Swingin' Cymbals' music breezing along behind him, errr, behind his voice!! Almost every artist gets two mentions, as does almost every record title. You'd think he would have gotten hold of it {countdown} after six years, but no. 'Pick of the Pops' is now a bloody mess, with Winton about as knowledgeable with the charts as Tony Blair is with the 'A'-'Z' of Ann Summers latest fashions in kinky lingerie.

I'm never surprised by the number of under 20s who write/email in for requests on the excellent 'Sounds of the Sixties', presented by Brian Matthew every Saturday morning. What scares me is who is going to replace Brian when he decides to turn it in That's if some wretched controller at Radio 2 doesn't make a clear-out first, making Brian a casualty.

Who listens to that ginger-headed Chris Evans on Radio 2 each Saturday afternoon ... No, nor do I. I'm sick to death of the many folk who class this freak as a 'genius'. He's no more a genius than your local fish 'n' chip salesman. The only thing that's got Evans where he is now has been his big mouth.

To think Chris Evans is taking over from Johnnie Walker on Radio 2's 'drivetime' show at the end of the month is about as crazy as any member of BBC management can get. And we know all about them now don't we

Commercial radio is crap. Virgin FM, Heart, Capital FM, Kiss FM, all playing the same bloody half-dozen records every single hour of the day. Jazz FM was replaced by Smooth FM. What's so Smooth about the likes of "Uptight" by Stevie Wonder, "Going To A Go-Go" by the Miracles, "The Night" by Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons and "Hold Back The Night" by Trammps C'mon, you're either Smooth FM or you're not. At present you're nothing.

Many of us will always remember the talents of presenters such as Simon Mayo, Simon Bates, John Peel, Tommy Vance, Anne Marie Grey, Gary Davies, Adrian John, Dave Lee Travis, Adrian Juste, Fluff and the like. Presenters who could be relied on to put a show together with minimum of waffle.

All Radio 1 is left with now are faceless, drug-induced, brain-dead zombies who think good music has to be accompanied by five tons of crack cocaine.

Who says Radio 2 won't follow in five years time The muck is already sliding in, via the likes of Evans on 'Drivetime'.

I'll catch up with you in five years ...

Russtti Gaynor

London
orbisonkinksdusty(at)yahoo.co.uk

 
Saturday, 18 March 2006 14:20
 

The Golden Days of Early Radio One

I frequently tell my kids today whilst they're watching all the rubbish at Breakfast time that if we wanted entertaining at breakfast when we were kids (and I'm nearly 45 ) we only had the radio. BUT..........in my opinion, we were lucky. My staple breakfast before school was toast, cereals, a boiled egg and Tony Blackburn. A large glass of orange cordial ( Remember Quosh ) and I was ready to take the world on. Tony Blackburn, DLT, Noel Edmonds, they weren't just DJs, they were entertainers. Great music, corny jokes, great phone ins, a great era for radio.

I'm a really big radio fan from the 60's and 70's and I have literally 1000's of shows that I've recorded myself and traded with guys and gals off this site and elsewhere. I was very, very lucky, my Dad was a radio nut himself and therefore, we always had good radio and tape equipment around the house. At 4 years of age, I could tell you the names of all the pirate DJs and can remember listening to shows at various times of the day and night.

P.O.T.P. on the Light Programme was a must. Fluff in my opinion is the greatest DJ ever to walk the planet. I was 6 years old when Radio 1 was launched that famous day in September 1967. My Dad recorded the very 1st show with Tony Blackburn and I still have it to this very day ( although I've since got hold of a better quality copy).

The Golden years for Radio 1 were I feel 1967 - 1987 with the peak of those years being 1969 - 1979. Terry Wogan, Jimmy Young, Kenny Everett, Johnny Moran, Tony Brandon, DLT, Tony Blackburn, Noel Edmunds, Rosko, Dave Cash, Pete Murray, Ed Stewart, Alan Freeman. Thank Goodness I'm a hoarder and I can listen to all these loads and loads of shows to bring back all the happy, warm memories that these guys gave me.

I always feel comparing other Sunday afternoon Top 20 presenters with Tom Browne is like comparing other James Bond actors with Sean Connery. That's another thing I did, keep all the Top 20s from 1972 onwards, still listen to them now..........................virtually every day. It's not sad, its just appreciation of what radio gave to people my age in that wonderful wonderful era. I'm a Radio 2 guy now, plus a few local Gold stations in and around my area.

AND.................Matthew Bannister and Co., remember this... in 40 years time, the kids of today when they're in their 50's and 60's will find it very hard to remember the names of all the DJs that they're listening to today on Radio 1. They are faceless, (in a lot of cases without talent or charisma) and will be forgotten very quickly. Our heroes will never be forgotten.

I'll sign off now, I happen to know that a lot of folk my age will read this and identify so well with what I'm saying. We were so lucky to have what we had.

Ah well, Ive got an Alan Freeman POTP show to enjoy now from April 1972. Must go!!

Not arf.

Eric Lawton.

Merseyside

ericlawton1(at)hotmail.com

26 October 2005 12:34

Liverpool Week Out

"I remember when Radio 1 came to Liverpool for a week in 1981/2 where the station came down to publicise its new transmitter on 271 metres. I wasn't that much into the station at that time, but can vaguely remember a week of programmes and roadshows from this time.   About 15 years later I boarded a local bus with a big rapidly fading mini poster on the drivers door with Radio 1, the big 1 logo on it and underneath 271!   What we'd give for a shot of this one!   PS the main thing I miss from the Radio 1 is all the formal stuff, time signals and especially VHF switchovers. When the station ditched the metres and went to KHz and from VHF to FM, the whole thing was never the same & something unique about British radio was lost for ever.  

Dave LLoyd

Liverpool

Wed 17/08/2005 23:38

Radio 1 Not The Same

Carol Dooley, former breakfast crew member on the Simon Mayo show in 1988 recalls her time at the station;

"My time at Radio 1 was too short, just a few months, but it was very sweet. I count myself lucky that I got the opportunity to work with people I had always looked up to,- jocks who were huge to me and to most of their audience- Simon Mayo of course, DLT, Adrian John (great guy), Simon Bates, Steve Wright (who was just terrific).

"Just to be in the same studio that Roger Scott had broadcast in was an amazing thing to me. What a wonderful broadcaster he was...Anyway most of these guys left not long after that time so I will always be grateful for having had the opportunity to work with some of them."

"Radio 1 just isn't the same any more. Johnny Beerling was a great boss though I remember getting into trouble for using the word 'toss' on the air (In Ireland it had a different connotation). I have a memory of Simon Mayo sliding onto to floor and I knew I had said something that I shouldn't!! I was young and shy and thought I would be fired!"

"I could tell you a couple of stories but it might be best to let them rest! " 

Carol Dooley
Program Director
Classic Rock 92.9 KISM
 

Sat 04/06/2005 15:23

Mon 16/05/2005 21:31

Not 'Because We're Older'

Looking through this excellent website has brought back some happy memories for me. 

Whilst the principal objective of Radio 1 was always to champion current and new music, in particular the Top 40, in some ways the music played was less important than the quality of the DJs themselves.  Put simply Radio 1 had a way of making you feel good about life – even when, as happened from time to time, the quality of music in the charts was going through a bit of a lull.  Having been born in 1965 I was lucky to have been a teenager during what surely must rank as the station’s ‘golden era’ of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  During this time it was inconceivable to me or my friends that we would listen to any other Radio station.  Waking up to the sound of DLT and later Mike Reid was a joy each weekday morning and on Tuesday lunchtimes we’d be glued to the new Top 40 countdown on the Paul Burnett show.  The fact that Top Of The Pops was also presented entirely by Radio 1 DJs made our association with the current music scene complete.  In those days the vast majority of number one singles first entered the chart at a fairly low position and then climbed steadily to the number one spot over several weeks – thanks mainly to Radio 1 airplay.  This concept is almost unheard of now.

The ever changing face of British pop music ensured that Radio 1 evolved in its own way over the years and like many I have never been able to accept the aggressive changes that were made from 1993 by Matthew Bannister and co.  The fact that Radio 1 is a national station funded by a compulsory licence fee and had excellent listening figures at the time made the upheaval even harder to swallow.  How the net result of losing millions of listeners to rival commercial stations can ever be considered value for licence payers’ money is beyond me.  At the time Radio 2 had yet to develop its appeal to those in their late 20s and 30s and many people, my wife included, never made the transition to Radio 2, preferring instead to stick with commercial stations.  The way some Radio 1 DJs were treated in ‘93, in particular DLT and Simon Bates, was nothing short of disgraceful.  Surely the Simon Bates show must rank as the saddest casualty of all.  I mean how can a show that attracted a following of up to 11 million be dropped entirely from BBC Radio   Alright Maybe at times we didn’t know whether to cry or cringe during ‘Our Tune’ but this and the ‘Golden Hour’ were national institutions and certainly this was one show that should at the very least have been moved to Radio 2.  These days Simon is well established on Classic FM where the length of classical music tracks and commercials only serve to restrict his dialogue.  I hope that it will never be too late for him to come back to national BBC Radio.

It’s easy for some people to dismiss our disapproval of the current Radio 1 as simply being a symptom of getting older but we all know that there’s more to it than this.  A previous contributor to this page sums up the situation very well when he says that youngsters are not only interested in hearing up-to-date music (not just dance tracks though) but also want to be able to respect the DJs.  Too many of today’s Radio 1 DJs have zero class and sound like drunken louts.  How can anyone – whatever their age - respect them   In my opinion Terry Wogan’s remarks made in August 2001 about Radio 1 bosses now catering for "the lowest common denominator" are spot on.    

Thanks for some great memories.  I still live in hope that sometime in the not too distant future the kids of today will have a Radio 1 that that will mean as much to them as it once did to us.

Mark Woolley

Dorset

Fri 25/03/2005 19:44

Rock Revival