Read this: Pete Price on the closure of Radio City Talk

The radiated a program with broadcast bionics discover the world leading brands at bionic radio hello, I'm Stuart Clarkson coming up this week the end of an era as Radio City talk in Liverpool and ounces plans to close will chat to a legend of late night.

Talk radio on sea in the city.

It's Pete Price here on the radio Today programme + in David Lloyd radio moments this week couple of birthday mentions some brilliant sick tunes and The Wombles the Bay City Rollers and that new astrophe of the Radio 1 roadshow, but today's editor and founder Martin is back with us a busy couple of weeks since we last on the podcast together right what you been up to? What have I been up to? That's a very good question I should have been doing my radio stuff.

Can you believe it? Wow? How are you doing more more radio from home?

Turn on a little news news radio station gold newsradio and it's normally just on a loop but in recent weeks.

We have been putting out the the government press briefings and speech from parliament live as they happen which we haven't done before so I'm rewiring things in the studio to make that happen nice and easy and yeah, because I'm literally at all day.

I'm here to press buttons and do things like that.

So yeah, I've been doing actual radio rather than just writing about it which is great.

Yeah, I've been doing a little bit of things here and there as well.

Obviously as well as upon the right stores Radio today at helping out with my friend Guinea on his lockdown Late Show which is going on about 15 community in hospital and digital stations around the country now.

It's a live Late Show couple of hours tonight 10:00, so I can do better news updates and can a chat about the big stories of the day on the show if you're interested in taking that will get in touch with us and put onto your radio station.

What's the weather on the radio at the same time because I'm on the handover radio extra light show as well these days.

I tell me about the lock downlights or is it is it like you do live peace on it every night.

Yes, it's like between 10 and 12 that play about four or five songs an hour.

There's lots of speech blocks chatting to people about various different aspects of schools working from home and Technology Academy some nice feel good stories of things that are going on around the country and then I pop up about 11 so instead of the big news bulletin.

It's me kind of doing a bit of an update live about the things.

I've been going on that day and they're the kind of important lines from the briefings and the latest on certain stuff, so yeah, it's all good fun cool, so it started as the lock down later.

Is it going to be the lock downlights open late show.

Can a live content in interactive stuff that listeners can get in touch with you then have a look at Late Show log for all the details about that the story of ready at about it goes well.

I've also been doing a bit stupid.

This is to help raise awareness of hashtag forgotten freelancers and lot of people working in the creative sectors radio being one of them who are not eligible for some of the government support because I can't be furloughed or because they don't qualify for the self-employed support, so we'll try a bit of awareness of that so have a look at hashtag forgotten freelancers a lot of stuff on social you about that fantastic.

Maybe I should just like wa wage or something about that yeah £200 a month that's getting some actual radio news because there's been quite a bit of that since we last spoke Bowen use first of all kind of procedural kind of things they

The rest of first radio sales I suppose we probably saw that coming but wireless own half of it and Barrow and half of it from at the purchase of UK R&D last year now that everything got approved by EMA means, but I thought right will buy the rest of it and then we can run the National sales house essentially makes you think that was the plan all along because all during the ecm investigation.

We didn't really hear from while public comment or announcements from wireless about the whole thing and then within weeks of having all closing wireless offloads it so you've got I don't know if my guess is that was the plan all along and then just had to go through the procedures to make that happen, so it cannot make sense local stations now have the choice of power or global I get to represent and hr and marketing themselves through the Hits Radio network of advertising opportunities to lots of local markets now at from those stations that they've finally got control of there's a new website as well.

I think you showed it to me the other day a couple of other people showed it to me since this.

I don't know it's been launched probably best hits radio advertising visit.co.uk yeah, that's right and his kind of local market information with all the radio details and everything hate Rachel talk about 9 minutes at the other things.

I've done 8 weeks there Ofcom approved.

There is something very kind of standard against global did this as well and they just said a couple of stations that don't fit in the Ofcom areas that we want to make this South and West seems fairly, straightforward, but I don't think that give us any clues about what we're going to do with the stations does it doesn't know I've been trying to set an alarm for 7 and I haven't actually had time to try and work it out, but I'm sure other people have been having a go but on the surface of it doesn't make sense because a lot of stations in the new approved areas if it gets approved which you probably will a lot of the stations overlap in a way like Wavin fire in in the Bournemouth area and the sound of that.

Think you're getting out of this is the ability to probably go locate them if they if they carry on a separate stations.

They have the ability to put them all in in Southampton or Bristol or whatever or near Southampton I think the Wave 105 HQ might might be getting extended you never know so yeah interesting and something to watch yes, this is Salisbury in Swindon being in the south rather than in the west and having is it Gloucestershire being in the west rather than in the midlands and central part of it's kind of small teeth naturally.

Have you the big bang news as we gonna find out more about on the podcast is Radio City talk gonna shut down at the end of this month and as a result that few people staff and freelancers going to lose some work not least Pete Price is been on there for the last four decades on city and City 2 and city talk and magic so we're going to get him on the radio.

Program shortly going to have the licence back for this medium wave frequency in Liverpool they could just put something else on her desk and they they could but frequently name transmitter is very expensive to run and if it's simply a relay of something like absolute classic rock or something like that then compare it with the amount of sales.

They would get from Liverpool to bring another transmitted probably doesn't make much sense and I think it's mission accomplished with this this license because it was never asked for a back in the mid noughties and I think Barrow replied to try and stop somebody else getting it so now they have the power to just give it back so if nobody else can have it mission accomplished if they've stops an independent competitor coming into the job done that one well done power a few years ago that she swapped the licence is around didn't they so, what was City talk on FM became Radio City 2 and is now greatest hits.

The Old magic licence a bit of housekeeping and then they got to give back the am rather than the FM which was a very smart move if they sat down five years ago and said I will do this is 5 years from now.

We'll have excuse to give you back if that was the plan then there will executed but they would probably say no, it's just because of circumstances and it's not making the Radio City talk as never made money in Liverpool I guess so they've got what they wanted.

I guess in the end.

Let's move on to the BBC Helen Thomas just now this week as the new boss for Radio 2 head of station technically kind of replacing Lewis carnie content commissioning or something like that kind of weird titles, but they create these new head of station for Radio 1 2 1, Extra 6 Music on Asian Network and the first then formally announced at Helen who was Chris evans's producer on drive and the executive some breakfast as well be working.

What's the management roles are really good appointment for Radio 2 Story out on Tuesday lot of people know Helen is worked in quite a few different roles you say that the BBC elsewhere so yeah good appointment good luck to have a seashell actually do any big changes are not ready one's big weekend and the Capital Summertime Ball as well, but announced within a couple of days of each other.

They're going to be lined with exclusive performances from people's homes and stuff out with the Summertime Ball I think he's the kind of best of the Summertime Ball from the last hour of many years have been doing it was in London so I was trying to take them online.

I thought that was actually really really well done a lot stick for a lot of things to do with heart at but to give away £1000000 to 1 Lister as they did last week and not only kind of have the big prize money, but they can a drama that for breakfast day long.

Our longer between 10 and 11 where they did this competition mechanic and I guess they probably would have had all the finalists in the studio opening the boxes can a deal or no deal kind of style for the big but they had to do over zoom and it was Guy sat in his van.

You just entered the competition that more than you walked away with the million-pound.

That's the way it works online.

I was watching some of it live it was really good as you'd expect from the results.

They put into it and you can tell by the results so yeah good good good work everybody apart.

I want to still do it again by 2 million never know by the money up lots of events have been happening online instead of in person.

Obviously the young Audie Awards took place last week the stream all the details of the winners at radio today.co.uk is it next week the radiocentre tuning in would have been happening.

So they do the live stream instead next week was radio on.

So lots of events planned to take place next week including like I said that during an event it would have been the radio festival as well on Monday we should have been in London and the podcast Awards I think this week and we're scheduled originally but yeah, it's going to be streamed live looking forward to sitting in the comfort of my own home and watching a fantastic radio fencing for the computer monitor.

Yes, let's Tuesday the 19th radio days Europe still scheduled in for the 13th to the 15th of December now in Lisbon Android it's rage are weak.

Yes a splash of normality in a very not normal world right now, but we'll have the radio results on the website at radio today.co.uk on Wednesday night winds and see what happens with the next lot cos obviously this this is a quarter of 1 figures which has got the first couple of weeks of lockdown right at the end of it, but then we don't know what's going on in.

To really do it because presumably not out there handing out Diaries right now to continue providing the data, so we'll see what next announcement they make whether they looked at it and said actually now going to take 3-months off or whether they work out way to do online then we shall see fabulous good to catch up with you right around here on the radio Today programme The Legend Pete Price is here in just moments studio watching reacting to and learning from every spoken word Kolo sweet and SMS to a mix and lock and understand your content the bionic studio transform everything about radio accept the way you make it today programme and some news this week that city Talk in Liverpool is going to close after 12 years on the air.

Turning back The am licence to Ofcom at this change means the end of the road at city for a Merseyside Legend it's Pete Price welcome to the podcast so you've not been on there for 506 weeks now because of this lockdown.

Have you been finding that the radio now for 40 years and I've been with the city brand now virtually 40 years so it's part of my life and I am also working comic so have always been a night-time person and I really talk and take my job very responsibly because I am there for people who are lonely who are by themselves.

Who are isolated as we all are right now and what was sad about when I lost my show and explain the minute, but when I lost it on a Sunday and by the way on the last day.

We did which was the 29th of March on the last day.

We got stuck in the lift.

1 in the morning and everything was on lockdown two-and-a-half hours.

We were in the left now the reason why it's not a big staff and Jonathan my producer Jonathan Dean and the young man who is doing the phones Jonathan does an awful lot of work on the technical side with and the programs with radio talk so to lose him and to have a boy as well.

Who man's the phones in this time it happened to Jonathan that good as they didn't then we would have been stuck somebody to help run the station it stop then 5 weeks ago was the safety was it safe to complete safety because everybody was also my show needs two people so that's giving to other people a problem.

So what I wasn't upset.

I was upset in the fact that I was struggling with.

Because people were on social media going where are you? Where are you and I kept explaining to them, but I understand that completely and utterly why they did this week, then they announced they were gonna shut Radio 2 at the end of this month.

How did you find out the new sport? Was you feeling when you heard it was coming because talk radio is expensive these days.

I understand completely why the company have taken this decision.

I feel dreadfully sorry for all the staff and all my colleagues.

I really really feel really badly for them.

I knew it was coming because it is expensive and because social media has changed talk radio so much now in America it's around and come back in England it's going away.

They are still listening to the show but they're not reacting the same way that we acting on social media rather than ring.

So I wasn't if I'm

Just enjoying myself as much as I had been for the last 40 years and it's been a hell of a journey so I was expecting it, but it still doesn't make it and it still hurt because it's the end of an era for me and I've had some phenomenal days, so I was very sad that I'm going with a station and where I live.

I am looking as I speak to you now right over at the Radio City tower which is the weirdest thing in the world.

So they used to leave notes in the window and it with a pair of binoculars.

I can see please bring two bags and I think our Twitter timeline kind of exploded when we released the radio city Talk news and then when we put out your kind of reaction to as well.

I guess yours has been just as busy with people respond.

I've had the most of it was called name dropper so here we go Sharon Osbourne from me from America John Bishop's bananas.

Dennis has been on.

I've had an outpouring of love.

That is really really touch me but I gotta tell you and this is an exclusive story cos I'm really chuffed about this and this is a radio story.

I am where I am today because of one man one man impressed me so much that I thought I want to do what he does and he's actually written to me an email saying commiserations on losing your job and what an amazing broadcast you are and he is and was red roses Allan Beswick V Beswick and Alan Robson and James Whale you're all these massive names in late night radio in in in Ireland these days those kind of stations.

Don't want people like you on that's obviously why you moved to city Talk rather being on the main Radio City why are we leaving it to the talk stations to do all the talk.

I don't know I mean you know yourself because it's a huge industry.

What year represented major fabric in in our industry radio is now competing with Twitter Facebook zoom whatever and they need music they need to sell any to make money exchanging.

I don't think radio is in a good place right now and it's certainly isn't in a good place with this virus.

I think we're going to get the shock of Our Lives because I think radio stations in general and companies have realised why do they need buildings when people can do shows from home? I think the whole face of the radio industry is going to change and I think city Talk is just the start and I'm talking about every company not just below could be different world.

How do you make your talks about social media changing suppose? It is a lot easier.

Isn't it to just fire out a tweet than it is to pick up the phone or you know actually write a letter from if they did in the early days to you at city so social media.

Great thing for interaction, but as you say it stop people wanting to actually come on there and have a chat with you and then we're not waiting I want to go on that but yeah, but I'm not listening but they're not react when I was used as an example when the case of James Bulger broke at the story.

I was finishing five nights a week after a four-hour show with 200 calls left on a local radio station and I get to that was the power of a phone in those days people were grieving people wanted to hear what other people were saying people wanted to find out the facts and it was I had looked down at the end of it because it was it went on for months and months but now because we have 24-hour news and so many outlets.

I think now we are in a position.

Where were numb to anything and we don't get shocked anymore? I find it bizarre and as I say after 40 years of doing it towards the end.

I haven't enjoyed it, but I loved my listeners.

I mean how was the first person to do a deadline evening in counter at which we did on here years and years ago.

I had 10 weddings young girl came up to me about 6 months ago and a street through my mum and dad and look at me.

I just amazing and obviously when it launched 2008 12 years ago at the country wasn't in a great place economically either, but it was successful and the audience figures grew.

It was on FM obviously when it first launched, but it was something different that other markets didn't have why didn't he was successful in Liverpool in particular?

Expensive very expensive radio don't forget I was at the first ever City talk when we're in Standish because we've done this before and producer then who is the lady responsible for Jeremy Corbyn that's another story.

She was for me.

Somebody is exciting adventurous.

We did together the first ever so program and everyone laughed at this and say what a stupid thing and then it took off and all of a sudden we have dreams now.

It's a huge so the first city Talk was good at the beginning and fantastic but expensive to run that's the problem if it had had Radio City talk with it had a British audience life LBC like one of those stations and it would still be here.

Really weird story has been a lot of weird headlines concerning Pete Price over the years that what is this about his dad.

What what the hell is Pete Price Is Dead Price's dad was going on the breakfast shop.

Who is my girlfriend? She's been a pantomime with me for many many years have watched her grow from a little she came up to me one day and she said to me.

I need to talk to you.

I've got an idea to write a play uptown a listen for 20-minutes to tell me the title and nearly died.

I don't want to come she have you spoke to him who owns The Royal Court he said I want to see 20 pages of script on the strength of that he booked the play Pete Price is dead and it is hysterical reopen for holidays and then sadly the virus goes down, but we had the most incredible reaction to to the play and it's not exactly what you think it is some of my friends came on the sec.

And at the end of the first half, they rang me and said Peter well, loving every second of it, but what the hell is going to happen in the second half, so it's not what you think when the poster went up outside wall press without it's a picture of Leann on the gravestone and me going what's going on from behind the gravestone, so whether only Liverpool and also like I'm past the poster looked at me not at the poster and went if only the walk out, but it's October haven't done and everything going to get it when the theatre hopefully reopens again every single person that has moved their show at to October which is great and the set funny enough is still up so whether the theatre before October is going to be a really interesting situation the set is magnificent.

It's one of the best.

I've ever had and it's the actual Radio City Tower and it revolved while it's working and

Justice people will love it because it's about the station being taken over and network doesn't the radio station been taking over with about 400 twists and finally Peter suppose a long time that you've been associated with the city brand looking back on those 40 years or so, they'll be millions of memorable moments and Awards but is there kind of something that stands out for you as the most important show you did or your favourite moment on the city.

It is the most difficult question how many first of all of them at the most magical thing for me was when I was inducted into the Radio Academy of the Hall of Fame which I cannot tell you what that meant that was amazing the only problem with that was we got a rose bowl and I'd rather than metal something.

I could have warm the rose bowl of stupid the James Bulger case changed my life.

I'm friends with Denise and Ralph and dad is the longest road in the world to tell tell you now, but there was one moment that I'll never forget when a 12-year old boy found my show and he drank before his name is Michael he's a very sad young man and this time.

It was a cry for help and what I felt and it's a very long story very short what a while.

I was live on it that I could not put the phone down on him because he was threatening to commit suicide so I had to make this decision.

He was a young boy.

Do I do anyway? I walked out of the show while I was working at the show got the police in place because he was near the Everton Football Club and I got some taxi drivers, but I don't want to speak him or Friday and eventually was going to kill himself.

Eventually he came into my car and couldn't believe that I walked off the show to save his life.

I took him to the

And the police took over the next day the story went round the world last Night a DJ Saved My Life around the world and I didn't have cost for that.

I was just thinking of that man.

Who was going to commit suicide it turned out that he had a dreadful dreadful home life and he sadly never really covered is in an autotroph.

He still gets in touch with me, but that moment made me realise how important late night radio is and I'm going to miss every listener who have been like a family to me and it really saddens me more than anything absolutely.

No, you obviously do in the echo when you do the paper reviews on Sky but we going to get you back on the radio at some point you think I'd like to everybody keeps telling me to do a podcast which of course this is everybody puts, you know I've got a few bob.

I've had a busy life.

I've got my cabaret nights till every year.

I've got the play and see what happens, but I tell you a worry worry for the radio Industry at the end of this virus.

I absolutely worry myself.

I've had the best thanks for trying to pee and whatever you do stay safe out there also please stay safe here on the radio Today programme David Lloyd is taking us back in time in radio moments very soon at first reminder about cleanfeed during these lockdown days.

It's a great way to connect with fellow presenters guests for your Show podcast anything like that at cleanfeed has been designed for radio people of the podcast and it's really simple to use and to connect in live decent quality audio.

Just via your browser.

You can even record within the browser as well.

Clifford won't cost you anything to get started.

There is a completely free unlimited version only take 30 seconds to sign up you can pay for extra features if you want them and within minutes we were doing the first live interview or record.

Show on podcast find out more about it at cleanfeed dotnet this week's Happy Birthday to radio Falls Jenni Murray from Brentford originally she was at Radio Bristol and she's been hosting what ones are since 1987 absolutely petrified and sitting in the studio and sort of expecting that they would say oh no one understands with Sue MacGregor and they didn't they said and no one is our generation my goodness and from that point on I remember absolutely nothing but no question that the Private Life about Bill that is enabled you to forgive him for forgiveness is a choice and I fully respect your Birthday Jenny Murray and also my birthday list head John Walford is 68 years old he established jam.

One of the world's most.

Spell and most prolific jingle companies my wife and I started jam the initials JM stand for John and Mary Lynn Ireland's my wife.

That's where we got the name the reason we started it is because this is what we wanted to do.

I've always been interested in radio and production and music and this is one area that combines all three so it is a thrill for me.

You know that we made come out of the station, then I'm listening to whether it's the BBC or any number of thousands of stations elsewhere Happy Birthday John creative jam jingles and the voice personally have just about every famous son of single from jingles 2 theme tunes all tunes to programs.

They were once common place whether you doing Family Favourites

Will you work Jimmy Young Desert Island Discs Steve right for you are Johnnie Walker what you doing the 70s early BBC local radio programme we used to have a signature in the p.m.

Programme on Radio 4 went through a succession of sick tunes over the years but famously rested it on the day after Diana's death because he didn't seem to fit the mood of the day and never came back until Eddie Mair couldn't resist using it this week 11 years ago tonight head begin to roll over the commons.

The Scandal labour MP is suspended and an age did David Cameron resigns the House of Lords confirms it has dodgy members of its own and the police force that says you can hire to officers don't like the olden days the p.m.

Theme tune returning this week in 2009 For Reasons which escaped friendly, but there we go maybe x radio is going to bring signature Tunes Back it's 45 years this week since the most famous Radio 1 roadshow of all.

Have you got anymore? I'm going to be talking to some of the pop stars we have a little river surrounding to various parts of the trachea and the girls are actually swim across the river.

What couple of boats I think on the lake and rode away from them and the girls jumped in fully clothed and swim after them.

Don't worry about the health and safety in those days.

Just about anything when he was very worried about it, because you know you got a whole lot of girls underwater swimming.

You don't really know whether they can swim or not so sure whether either the chaotic Radio 1 roadshow park with the Bay City Rollers this week in 1975 35 years ago this week my old friend Tony delahunty left his station setup is kit and prepared for another football match commentary at Valley Parade it's one he'll never forget.

Tony delahunty at the Bradford City Ground this week in 1985 so with the first mental health minute broadcast simultaneously across hundreds of UK radio station 2 years ago because no matter who you are or what station you listen to all of us have moments when life is tough.

Just got home so she can make all the difference Russell Crowe walking.

What to do with Michael Lawson 10 years ago but I just done a little done fella that you could possibly find any Irish in that character that's kind of ridiculous for them to yourself and all the English going on here on digital 120 years ago your with primetime radio sagas national digital radio station the radio North Sea ship being firebombed by Raiders 9 years ago.

This is the O2 on fire on Fire of London 98 years ago William show on Absolute Radio four years ago the murder of gwr and capital deformed 15 years ago this week's radio moments.

David Santa run artane add to my guest Pete Price this week and thanks to you for listening my back same time next week.

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