srmurphy.com

Before I start, this is a subject that is related to my home area so to a lot of your around the world who just happen to be reading this, chances are it may make no sense.

I was introduced to BBC Radio Newcastle back when I was working in a wholesale fruit and veg market place which meant having to get up at 4:30am 6 days a week and later carried it over to where I work now when I was positioned in the plate room.

A typical morning, Mike Parr doing a topical phone in which generally covered current topics as well as anything else that was worth discussing. After Mike came the highlight of the day, Ian Robinson and Paul Wappet.

Typically Paul would be in the studio and Ian would be out on the blue bus about the region travelling around from place to place learning about the history, culture etc. of that area. It was fun, informative and all round helped me though some hectic mornings… especially if I decided to have a rant to myself on some of the topics that Mike had been discussing.

The first nail came when they took the blue bus off them and later after that the big blow came, Ian and Paul were separated… Not sure when during this time it happened but new management was in place and I could only think it had something in relation to everything that was happening. This was that start of the downfall because everyone loved the informative and light humored show, especially me.

Later Paul left the station, followed with Jullia Hanken who presented the afternoon show at the time, also another popular show. Ian was stuck on the night shift hich to be honest Ithink is just an insult, this is a man who is passionate about local history and knowledge which is what the station was suppose to be about and they stuck him on through the night.

My shifts got a bit funny and and the car radio which ment my listening time had become severely reduced. Only recently in the dawn of the new car I came to learn that poor Ian was no longer on the night shift… in fact he was no longer at the station, caught up in amongst the cut backs and also learn that Mike Parr has only just moved on…to what yet I don’t know.

What has happened? The station I came to know and love was dying and becoming something more… well, generic… Don’t get me wrong, the people who present now have there own ways of goodness but it has lost the spirit I fell in love with, the way it involved the region as a whole.

I guess as my saying goes, “There’s no heart in business”… I’m just quite saddened what has been happening since I started listening to the station if there was a point to this post…

Update 11th August 2009 – So they chuck away and lose grasp of decent presenters and if that wasn’t enough, to add insult to injury, they give Sue Sweeney more air time *shudder*