Read this: Keep Calm and Put Radio On

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts from BBC Radio 4 but the radio one that's what we are all doing because in the last week.

There has been a remarkable surge in radio listening are reporting listener increases of over 50% Yes, that will be tune into the latest news on you know the situation the press conferences the urgent updates and so on but on today, so we're going to unashamedly celebrate Three presenters.

Who are entertaining us between them.

They have huge following awards aplenty and in their own very unique way are now helping to distract the nation is now a presenter on scala radio McDermott is the Legendary BBC Radio Merseyside presenter and Iain Lee of talk radio is a raining Aria award champion welcome to all I want.

a masterclass in radio presenting a real treat to no pressure and I'll start the new Simon how would you describe your presenting Style

ok exactly why I'm asking you what I got and how do you describe it?

Well that my broadcasting hero was always Johnnie Walker and it always occurred to me that the staple diet of all radio stations that have been used with the local music whatever is the friend behind the microphone so if I don't even know if that's a style really that I'm talking about but I've always just tried to be that I think I've got 28 minutes.

Thank you very much for joining us so appreciate.

It's always nice to hear your voice McDermott from BBC Radio Merseyside question to you Linda hello.

How would you describe your presenting style unlike television great Terry Wogan was once asked how many listeners did he have and he replied just the one?

You are only ever speak to that one person had any one time who is tuned in to be with you and I hope like Johnnie Walker was a hero for Simon some of the most famous voices of yesteryear in radio broadcasting were influences for the I loved the sound of cliff mitchelmore wasn't one of the Oxbridge forget.

You know he was an Isle of Wight boy went to a secondary modern just found a lesion being wholesome and homely and reassuring Cliff Morgan jelly three people like the state of Jacob's you know all kinds of people and I'm so glad you say Terry about just one person that he was addressing because I wonder if there's a attention between that and doing what you do which is speaking to a community of people who local radio but I want it before you get it all that I know everyone Liverpool

To you are and the Lord Mayor major a citizen of one of the other you I just wanted to do you and your your particular remarkable style to the movie shows listings in case they haven't heard it into your show last night and I have to say I instantly felt better when I heard your voice hear the very top love it.

Love it.

Have you got everything you need certainly hope you're not too bad.

How are you? I hope you're OK don't forget you know if there is something that you need anything or do you know I can't so and so to do you know they've got to go home and somebody is at risk or whatever you just don't know anybody that you could ask there is always a 100-percent here for you.

Love it.

Love it if they need something.

You're genuinely they're trying to help them out.

Is that right?

That's right.

We've got more than 100000 extra listeners calling local radio helplines for the make a difference campaign this is to volunteer your services.

You know you're fit and well and you've got to transport and you can deliver parcels and you've got you don't have to go home and you know look after anybody who is at risk, but your offers of help and then inundated with people calling for support that mean we've had an NHS nurse calling the other night.

She broke down and couldn't get to the Hospital within five minutes.

He was on his way and we hear the stories in terms of social media these days a lot we have left them when it's time to local radio, so it's great to get Sunday stories and it's wonderful to be speaking to you Linda thank you for your time today at the same time as Linda but how would you describe your star in?

Hit-and-miss generally, I think you listen to last night show which was very much in this category.

I don't know for me good speech radio and it's different for music radio good speech radio is all about stories.

Where do they come from the presenter or they elicit stories from the listeners and honesty you know some Might Say I've been too honest.

I'm on my radio show talking about my mental health and different kinds of things but for me radio is really works when the caller is prepared to kind of come on and be completely honest and share stuff that we had a call this week.

We try to avoid talking about the dreaded lurgy Whitney and my presenter Catherine I really trying to be entertaining because everywhere else is talking about what's going on in trying to do with being Gracie Fields and George Formby but we obviously get calls about the situation and we had an amazing call from a woman Michelle on Monday I think it was whose husband Mike was.

Coronavirus and it just been taken away few hours earlier in an ambulance and was going to hospital and she chose to phone her.

She said I don't want to speak to my family and I want to worry them.

Yeah, but what is this party forgive me but I wanted it as you say they are honest with you, but your exceptionally honest with them on eBay you're so let's say something is after you doing just that here's a clip from last night show.

Rihanna can't be many DJs who did Mick that they felt lousy and sad on there, or is that just the Saratoga at national radio which actually is not true for you.

I don't I don't know when I'm feeling bad.

I kind of it not in any way too kind of you know make it all about me but by doing that in the past that has encouraged some amazing called an amazing honest and particularly during this incredible moment in human history that we going through it would be dishonest to me to come on every night and go well.

I am absolutely fine tonight.

We're gonna play some silly games and have a laugh because people are scared and and today.

I'm fine tonight.

So I think I'll be fine yesterday.

I had a wobble and I was afraid and I was upset and I think it's important to share that but as a form of identification as a form of sensational is he ok? Goodnight to look at approach?

The remarkable extraordinary in horrifying situation confronting Simon I'll be doing my homework on your show to you been playing birdsong that you're doing shoutouts to be working from home.

Let me play an example of the corners that you're putting on here here's a bit of your show from last Friday Gilbert where are you these days? I'm sitting in a caravan in bottle in East Northamptonshire Northamptonshire beautiful sunny weather just right to be in the caravan and vacationing there.

Are you living now? So we live here but we drive casing the caravan is on the drive and it was a 15th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and we was supposed to be in the Cotswolds so we went we decided at the caravan the caravan.

What a metaphor Simon is your is your strategy as a presenter basically to create a bubble for the listeners a caravan if you like.

Yeah, I did call you this strategy implies any kind of thought I think but that call was a great one because I remember when is she is.

She said that she's in a caravan.

I was thinking ok.

Do I need to be a little bit all you should have gone on holiday and then as soon as she revealed that the fuse in a drive is a fantastic sense of relief creativity of listeners that they have decided you know what I am going to carry on.

I am going to have a holiday, but it within the rules and I'm just going to sit my caravan in the drive and I think the Bubble Witch you're talking about when you when you said bubble in reminded me of we mentioned Terry Wogan already, but on 9/11 I was working at five live and the day after that I was doing the school run and I thought I was in the middle of all the news and then awfulness of that moment and I thought I wonder what area is doing on Radio 2.

Terry was doing it exactly the same.

He hasn't changed everything the same whimsy the same bubble if you like and I thought at the time because I was doing news that was that was a strange and he was completely right.

That's what is audience wanted.

They wanted whimsy they wanted the world to carry on there are aware of what was Going On But the Rent ignoring it, but they just wanted an uplift and reassurance so if that's a bubble then yes, yes, I know how was your boss is so it's got the radio is now which is about how they reacted viewed admitted on here that coronavirus has actually left your little scared that ended last night.

I think they are perfectly happy.

I think if they would just want to be honest and talk to your audience and if we are honest then of course we are put in and and and if the if another listening it said.

You know what time I'm scared.

I think I just said well.

I am too but you know so it's it's a conversation with the listener.

Is there if she's having a holiday in the caravan had a woman last week.

Who is celebrating a 90th birthday and had to cancel a cruise so you're a part of her life then if you're talking to someone who is upset then you become part of their life.

So I think it's just that one to one conversation which Linda was talking about you.

Just react to what you're listening to say.

I don't drop because it's because scholar is an Entertainment Network and that's what we do with it with the music that we play I Think We're quiet.

You know the emphasis is on Entertainment but also they would say to the presenters.

Do you know just go out there and and and and come up with a link and constructive relationship with your audience which is honest and and if that means saying you're scared then sure I would you do you share with your listeners about?

It's about the virus or anything else absolutely 100-percent you have to acknowledge that people are very very scared at this moment in time but at the same time you need to lift their morale, so I can't load onto think about you know how things are for me the other night.

I went into the studio and I did share the fact that my cousin has just had a 13 hour brain tumour operation that very day, but it was another it was another example of you know another day in the life of the hospital the NHS miracle that goes on around us, but there was the ordinary bread and butter stuff if you like of a hospital going on it but in the wider context being asked to do so is it was a kind of it was a way to encourage people to can a stay-at-home your phone.

The ordinary life of a hospital has to continue while they are dealing with critically ill patients as well how to tackle the pandemic.

Would you take if you work in it which makes me think I'm not happy with what I'm doing would I take their advice on body of course? I would it's you know it's there.

What's in a very kindly.

Let me play in there, but I can't really talk to that nearly all of the other shows on it isn't it is a new station primarily and they are going into great detail and great depth about with numbers and percentages and figures and and all of those kinds of things and they're having people are putting their points and that and there's so many other stations at 10 at night that are giving out free depressing but important information and we just made a conscious decision, what time will the same people still not entertainment but even more so than the normal perhaps.

Baker Wynne on the big fan of tweeted something a few weeks ago that during the war there was more entertainment on the the wireless that there was new stuff Particles and slightly different time but that's what they needed they need a laugh they need to be taken out of the Misery of what is going on and if someone comes up and tells us that they are afraid or the tells us that they're having a tough time.

We will talk to them.

We will empathize with them and we will share our experiences, but we're really trying that's why I got frustrated last night with the show is because I just could I felt I was letting everyone down because I just rise to the challenge of having a laugh to you 3 hours.

Do you pay your soul and the way you do it? Is you do it because you do it.

I want you know the central question when I get to today is where the power comes from this relationship that you've talked about this intimacy this connection with people this one-to-one relationship directly what what is the unique power of radio? What's a source of it? What would you say?

The intimacy it's the privilege of being in a when I'm on it 10:00 at night and Linda's on quite often.

We're in the bath with people were in the bed with people you know it could be one partner has got headphones in and is listening to us is so much more intimate and television and radio also I haven't read a paper for the last couple of weeks and I'm thrilled I stopped watching the news on TV and I had made the Bold suggestion to some people that are finding this experience overwhelming switch off the radio for a bit if you're finding it too much to digest and it's scaring you.

I'm watching a movie on Netflix on read a book on meditate.

Go and play with the kids gone to something else and I've had to stop listening.

I'm a big fan of James O'Brien I love him on LBC think he's one of the best.

I've stopped listening cos I find 3 hours of incredibly Incisive and intelligent and passionate talk about the coronavirus.

I find it too much to change but a lot of

Agree with that is interesting so you don't read the paper.

I mean you did you do give you an interview including 12 the great sahagun the radio time not long ago where he spoke to you about the moment you want a gold award at the areas.

Which is what you do to me for obvious reasons explaining what happened.

It was a guy phoned up and thought he was drunk and the late night.

Show we get a lot of drink coolers and it turned out that he had taken a drugs overdose.

He was outside somewhere.

I think it was about 11 at night and he was he was trying to take his own life and once we ascertained that it was genuine and he kept fading in and out of consciousness Catherine my produce and dashed to call the services and he didn't know where he was so I kept him on here and what can you see? What can you see and listeners were texting in going? I think he's here and after half an hour at the police term.

Took him to the hospital.

He died.

They brought him back to life but that I'm just saying that to show that it was a serious attempt and it was it was horrific, but you know and he chose to phone us, but it was it was really horrific experience that was her it was a remarkable moment in in really radio history, let's go back to that question about the source of power Magic radio about the intimacy of a giant broadcasting said earlier today on Twitter that she thought maybe came from the fact that we rarely listen to radio audio in the company of so itchy but it kind of belongs just to us in the moment.

That's great wisdom in that isn't it listening to that one person in your kitchen in your lorry and your cab or wherever you are and they are the only person with you.

Ian was was quite right mentioning the wartime reporting is not keeping the morale of the nation of it was scousers who won the war on radio by the way that man again comfort blankets and that's exactly what our founding father Frank Gillard at founding father of BBC local radio intended because he covered the decorate the D-Day Landings embedded with the 8th Army and the Montgomery with different different Editions different words for things one size radio was never going to fit all how old are UK in a variety needed to be celebrated and supported and cheered and you know that's that's well and rest on the shoulders of giants.

Absolutely in my case literally sit on the right now.

I mean the Gillard Awards calls named after a Frankie like that we discussed at the show that tension between the one-to-one relationship on the one hand the Sceptre of the pious maximum and the fact that with local radio you are creating a community.

How do you balance that difference between on the one hand addressing a community of people and on the other hand trying to speak directly to individuals because that's what radio does uniquely.

I just think ensuring that every person listening feels that they have a stake in that community they have a part to play in that community whether it's cabbage calling in live at going to the show I have a Alan who does the Fab Four taxi tours around all the Beatles hotspots in Liverpool and you know where is just spotted a movie crew around town or whatever whatever I have lorry drivers and tell me about traffic hotspots and it's linking together in community took to make them feel the Day 2 of on one of the players.

They are part of it.

We've never had a worst epidemic of loneliness in this country and you know this isolation and this being on your own has may have deepened that and radio is.

Once again proving to be a comfort blanket that's something about how you try to change the way you approach radio for the Decades you been doing you prepare more or less for your shows now then compared to her when you started out.

I prepare.

Less than when I was at 5 Live 5 Live was the most work intensive show that I ever worked on because you had to be on top of everything because if you're doing using sport you need a guest in the topics the you thought we're going to come up, but then you will always be blindsided by something that would just crop up I mean which 911 is the most obvious example and you that because I come from Radio 1.

There are a few people who is ST1 FTSE doing here.

I mean Nicky Campbell it helped enormously cos he's gone ahead of me and he told me a bit about what it was like, but I make sure that I was the most prepared person of all time so if I had authors on I'd have read the books.

You know and you can tell that yours was somewhat surprised by that doesn't that usually experience but I just wanted to be the most important person in the room obviously if you present a music show it slightly different say different tyre preparation, but if I do it cos I'm still doing the film.

So that takes a lot of preparation for the guests and for the for the listeners correspondence when we have at the scala radio book club, I read that you know I'm prepped and prepared for that because I think I always think I'm one question away from the catastrophe.

So sorry again.

I like I like to be so overpriced and Indian cut off his first and last night.

He did Backtrack and kind of apologise later on as well, as he said he was a very particular with mine and then back in on the same appoint its consistently very very polite to you require a degree of effort.

You just generally super nice that you'll be glad to hear all the time that sarcastic laugh.

I can't tell.

The radio, when can we do it every day we do request after after midday and there was one of the things I wanted to do the Motors to get in quotes ordinary people on and quotes talking about their lives up to and then choosing a piece of music so I find it very easy talking to people.

I love doing it when I was on Radio 2 I learnt at the feet of broadcasting call Denis McCarthy it was on radio Nottingham Leicester Lincoln and Derby and he did the afternoon show and his relationship that he had with his listeners with something.

I've never heard any other radio presenter.

Have I used to listen to anything ok? Well, maybe maybe one day I could be as good as him.

Yeah and you been on here a long time tell you something did Scarlett when you went across the shortest Carla you must have listeners that scala no stay with you for a long time.

Did you go quantify that I mean when you left the BBC did Bower the owners of scholars say we want you to bring cross.

X

That's what we expecting this benchmark.

Nope.

It was really really nothing like that.

I mean they must have assumed and hope that the whole bunch of them would and a whole bunch of them have and I'm very grateful for that and I think that process is accelerated in the last couple of weeks and it's ok.

You know some people have been sending me messages saying alright, so you're right you're doing this I can listen to you again.

I was thinking can you make sure you bring it back out? What your other people what Linda and Ian are both said if you sent out reporters to talk about radio stations.

You will find people that will say to you.

I love to radio labscala.

I love Radio Merseyside because people have that relationship with their radio station in which they don't have with a TV station is close to it.

Yes, I was going to say.

The government got left early the broader industry.

Do you think that given this already at that you do that broadly speaking British radios risk averse to risk averse to risk averse playing it too safe regulated.

Do you think that actually more you know you I know it's listening to you last night that you know people talk about to do you know all sorts of things that you can get away with radio on Radio 4 at this time of day, but that when was relax a little bit going off the internet that there are not enough.

There's not enough honesty.

There is not enough people kind of being true to themselves.

I bought for a long time into that thing of you have person a to argue one point you have person be to argue the opposite point and you let them go and you generate phone calls and it's in the last few years.

I've realised actually that doesn't achieve anything.

It's combative a lot of radio is out there to scare people.

To create division and you don't need to do that Simon show doesn't create division like I was unaware of Linda until today, but I've checked her out her show is not creating division.

You don't it's really lazy to do to get to put on just arguing and the person I cut off last night.

I did get angry with him because he was saying things about this the virus that were untrue and you've just got it was he was heard a rumour about how the Chinese were doing something and I found it really offensive and really distasteful that I want to deal in facts around something like this and personal stories.

I will not be an amplifier for fear mongering and for creating hatred indeed early the last time very annoying Leo the campaign to extend the media shows is over with play the last the last night to you.

If people are starting at the listening to this show and they've had three giant to the trade talk about being presented.

What's your advice to young people who want to be Radio presenters and established to sort of connection.

You've got me know you got a band called the under the duvet club for instance organise get-togethers lunches canal boat Cruise's The Exchange birthday card friendship for life that have been made through the power of radio and I would advise any young person to develop that connection with people this is weird developing a connection in the only got 10 seconds left.

I'm so sorry guys.

We are annoying me at the close.

My thanks to all my guests today.

Sorry mate, Linda McDermott only three Legends indeed.

I'll be back at the same time next week from today.

Hope you and your family keep well.

Thanks for listening.