Talk type radio. I've been a fan for years. I have an IMP on my desk that gives me 2000 odd radio stations worldwide.
Celebrated blogger Iain Dale has been broadcasting on LBC for about a month now. He's done fill ins many times before of course and has made plenty of media apperances. Often at LBC a member of C@W has gone along to assist with political or business stories. {Shame Mr Drew is in the land of chocolate or he could be on tonight. Nuclear power debate Nick!}
I listen to radio a lot. An awful lot. It stems from having been UK regional driving all day and from being easily distracted by TV. So its radio on all day and I have it on instead of TV at night a few times a week. The BQ office likes Radio 2, which is fine. Sometimes Sky news but I find it repeats too quickly. BQ much prefers R5 or LBC talk radio. I was delighted when Mr Dale joined LBC. Firstly, I have listened to that station for years and years and felt it could do with a few more 'right leaning' views and secondly he pushed the very average Petri Hosken off the evening slot.
People often moan about the liberal nature of UK broadcasting. { The piss poor vapid Victoria Derbyshire is a personal switch off for me.} But I would suggest that unlike the comintern style borefest emanating from the ever so serious and endlessly introspective left wing blogs, the left leaning radio hosts have actually made the most entertaining shows.
On LBC in the morning, someone not to get into an argument with unless you're sure of your facts and can use reasoned argument is James O'Brien. He is sharp and demanding, yet he allows time for discussion and encourages callers to try and articulate their points. He takes no prisoners with ranters but will afford anyone time to talk if they can get across their theme.
Often accused of being an apologist lefty {with some slight justification} he does not often take a party line and will happily attack either side of a political divide or, almost uniquely on our airwaves, will change his original viewpoint and concede defeat.
On BBC Radio 5 Stephen Nolan {Biassed BBC blog really don't like him but I find him very fair} is my favourite of all. Why he isn't used more for his political interviewing is a mystery. He caught all three of the political parties candidates out during the election. Harriet Harman in particular was face pullingly awful, a result of unprepared and over confidence I shouldn't wonder. BBC must have different rules for the after 10pm slot as its much harder hitting than daytime.
Nick Ferrari is the right wing version of O'Brien, but is a bit too unsubtle. I often agree with him, but unlike O'Brien I doubt he is converting many opponents. Both presenters are excellent at what they do and both have a style that seems to encourage people to talk,which really, is the point.
Iain Dale fits in well here. He has a very relaxed manner. More than that..its a friendly, non-threatening voice. A kind of Stephen Fry meets Giles Brandreth. This is very useful for Mr Dale who is covering the evening slot which tends to have more touchy feely items than the daytime shows. The morning shows have the newspapers and the story of the day, by evening its a fourth item left over from the news or, if lucky, a top story still running. But mostly its non news topics. Last night it was " Do you agree that we have no alternative but to commission a new set of nuclear power stations? followed by Home births - should they be encouraged by the NHS or not? and Assisted Suicide."
The great thing about independent radio is it allows the presenter to present. Jeremy Vine, on the flagship Radio 2 lunchtime show, is just a mouth. He presents very well but its not possible for him to give an opinion, so he might as well just be the producer.
BBC don't like a program without 'balance'. Even when the show achieves its aim of making the listener vent at the radio, Jeremy just rolls on, reading the plethora of absurd, ill informed and just plain stupid texts and tweets along with the wise, reasoned and measured, attaching equal weight to each.
Iain Dale does no such thing and that's good news. He had Nadine Dorries on giving her opinion on home births and said in his soft, favourite cardigan, voice "I don't agree with her? What do you think?" Its incredibly refreshing to actually have a presenter express a view. I heard him disagreeing with the solicitor on the legal hour and offering his own opinion. Imagine that on watchdog?
Iain is able to soften' the right wing' message on the political parts, because he has an ability to look at the whole picture and not just trot out party lines. {Think Michael Portillo on This Week}.
He is prepared to concede well made points, is able to pour scorn on ridiculous falsehoods, expose dodgy statistics and weed out the party hack callers on both sides. All with what sounds like a wry smile or a thoughtful pause.
Its still early days for Mr Dale, but he does seem to have gelled rather well very quickly.
A few ill thought out phrases " phone in with your stories of suicide" that once they are out must have him jamming his headphones into his mouth , but that's just experience of finding the appropriate idiom .On tone he has already managed to sound fun when its fun and sincere when there is a need to sound sincere. That's not that easy . Gordon Brown never managed it despite thousands of hours of media coaching. He has even mastered that way of suddenly speaking differently, that makes you look up at the time and realise the news is coming up. All radio presenters do it,subtly running out the clock. It must be in the welcome pack.
LBC used to be known as Black Cab radio and it still is. If a cabbie doesn't phone up it can only mean the city is fogged in or the firefighters have hogged all the phone lines. But there is also a very varied mix of callers. If you want a change ,want tougher debates and stronger politics, don't mind London based news and traffic bulletins, aren't worried if Mayor Johnson and former mayor Ken Livingstone turn up a lot and want to try something stronger than nanny knows best radio, try LBC.
Its free.
