Read this: Dick Stone talks to our guest host Chris Birks

Morning welcome to the radio today program and we have another special guest house this week and another very special guest.

Will tell you all about that in just a second professional.

Let me thank you for getting in touch with your offers of doing interviews for This podcast and we will be getting through those over the next few weeks and months without further ado.

Let's do it on the radio Today programme with broadcast bionics changing radio all over again at bionic radio.

Thank you Roy so as still continues to socially distance himself from the podcast.

It's my turn to be your supply teacher this week before we hear from the radio Legend and the person you've actually come to this podcast to listen to Let's address the elephant in the room you probably have no idea who I am and that's fair.

Hello.

I'm Chris Birks and right now.

I'm making programs at B&M

Radio Derby I also hosts a weekly show on a Christian radio station called connect radio and I love to coach and mentor presenters and content creators as well that I worked with Robin banks at hire firm in Oman I launched more radio in Sussex and presented The Breakfast Show as well.

I've had stints at hearts and the Hits radio and before all that I prefer the hit music network.

Do you remember that mercury in Crawley 10:17 in Harlow mercury 966 in Hertfordshire Leicester sound RAM FM in Derby and the mighty FM in Nottingham which is where I met today's guest Wi-Fi thankfully.

He gave me a job former group programme director program director presenter and winner of dobbies best 1989 dick stone welcome to the radio Today programme.

Thank you.

Yeah, the it's really exciting the Jack radio group.

Is is one of the very few remaining independently owned commercial radio groups, so it's very exciting to be in there nice small agile and creative team and 6 radio stations to play with three national three original so yeah, I'm not to do and what will get onto Jack at the end, but I'm going to steal a phrase from James O'Brien and will begin at the Beginning where did your love of radio come from when I lived they had a big old Bush radio with vowels in the back and didn't work and I made it back to life and I spent afternoon afternoon after school.

Just going up and down the dark listening to what I could hear and it's sorted you intrigue me and I so I was sort of bitten by the red.

Sausage recording things off the radio 3 at the chart show on a Sunday which most people of Ages to do today.

I'm the only time that radio one will be on overtime for 7 so did all that and then cleaning interested in radio and Benitez hospital radio in Derby that I went onto and did that for 9 years and then Trent was opening a service in Darley time, and I I applied that was a fascinating because you know my oldest friend who are metal hospital radio who is not his real name.

We both applied zandos to 20% time he got an interview.

I do so I then decided to do an impression of David Lloyd impression of David Lloyd and got an interview the problem with that is intended to carry on doing it.

So that was my first thought of journey into radio was a bit weird.

So yeah, there's a lot to do a lot and bigger and bolder and brighter than anything.

I've done before but I'm in those days.

We would do the Gary and I will take it in turns in is it being the person who do all the swing work or we would can't come so I'll do that.

Was it really 11.

We could doing cotton Commercials the next next week.

So I think I've pretty much do every single.

Around the entire schedule in the week is an amazing video online for any radio geeks which I'm sure there are plenty but listen to the radio Today programme and hits peacocks doing in the charts on YouTube and it's him doing the network chart live from Castlegate in Nottingham where the old train Studios used to be and is within their weary crosses to Markeaton Park and it's a young dick stone doing the album chart and I remember it very very well the first thing first or second show that I did the chats because going to go down to the number one, so you need to have time to the number one and I really messed up my back and I had about a minute left of the number one.

So it wasn't awful first or second show and I felt really really bad that I was followed by the late John Shaw who used to do it so cold here dragons on a Sunday night.

But it was calling and he sort of said don't worry about it.

You'll be fine you want that mistake again and it was absolutely right.

So that was my first shift and then Dobbies my hometown and to do the breakfast show back to my hometown Richard for about 9-years.

Also was just a great or no numbers and was great fun.

So there are still the person who remembers them in the morning some people will be listening to this program and it will be it will be people of a younger generation who know you from management as a program director and someone that they look up to and I'll be like I'm sorry.

It is not his real name and well.

Is that where it is that where did stone came from was it was it genuinely just for a laugh for a jingle and breakfast.

Play wasn't because well.

I say Gary Burton isn't his real name because there are people on the radio station as similar names real name we had to find I was asked to come up with a christian name that had enough syllable, so it can be song at the jingle, so I chose Richard Stan got shortened to dick by the vendor launch Breakfast Show presenter of RAM which was Andy Marriott be shortened to dick stone and it's stuck and then in the morning was born in the morning was bored.

Can you do that but I think there was always the Breakfast Show at Trent that became RAM

What was the journey from doing breakfast there into program management is that what you always wanted to do with it? Just putting programs together at helping people programs together and that just kind of became a program management role.

I think anybody that you managed to do it without and that was always that's what I like and then I started getting more involved in the running of the Derby Station while still being on and then I remember doing what we would now call the coaching session with somebody and then hearing them improve their on their performance as a result of something that I said have done and that.

The same buses doing it myself and that was the moment then the penny dropped.

I think I thought I was giving a program to know that I should be on there so I I got the similar Kinder punch the moments from hearing somebody else do something as a result of something that I might have said or done.

How long will they know where you at Trent when I left global been at Trent through radio St Edmunds radio capital radio group 3-year gdig cafe global 430 three-and-a-half Years by pointless incredible achievement lights, but you weren't know where you left and I know it's self-deprecating when you say clinging on but you look at the performance of Trent and you look at the people that have gone through that building and yes.

Best breed success so was a successful brand a successful radio station like Trent was attractive to talent talent wanted to come and work at Trent you know the presenters that were doing well.

They were the Favorites of the group were always thought about you know you have you have been responsible for the growth of that radio station and obviously that came through the door and some huge names including others outliers like works at Trent you know I just wonder what it was what it's like to go from managing wannabes like me to coaching an incredibly well performing Breakfast Show a breakfast show owned Nottingham Derby before that owned Nottingham for years and years and years your coaching method is it the same everyone I know you can't reach every time.

What is the Ethos the same for whoever it is a sad the other side of the table? Thank you.

That's very kind of you starts with whoever.

You're talking to so walking into the studio in Castlegate studio and John Peters who's the first Voice so I was then the person controller and how can I give you probably hear stuff that I won't hear so actually you're your opinion is just as that is just as important as anybody else is so tell me what you think.

Actually, there's no point being afraid of whether it's Chris Birks talk to me or doing a show or whether it's very fun times chatting and talking with Simon Bates and David Jensen and who is because you know everyone wants to do about the job and if I can help them do that then great? Did you ever look out for a particular characteristic or an attribute because just from my time at Trent and it was only 9 months.

I felt apart.

I genuinely felt part of a team and every single person in that team consistently wanted to do better or push each other to do better and the only way that can happen is if the person who's hiring them kind of looks for a

Traits in somebody to make that happened have you always kind of look for a set person couch I don't think probably consciously always I've always had the premise In My Head by good people when you'll be ok and now whether that what is a question, but I think if you want to stop on somebody else to progress their own advantage then.

That's not a good idea because you know I'm some points they might stop on the wrong person but having said that in building teams is really important and that's all about location and one of the one of the lessons that will only now and in 2020.

Remote remote learning is and remote working is that your building teams is down to those methods of communication and contact that you have so you know whether it was my previous job or which was looking after number one now services in Oxford and the three national services occasion elements that you build in a really important.

So you need to have people in your teams that are open to that and don't just want to be in so I suppose but then they are broadcasters to so how did the Jack opportunity come about because after respectfully after being at one employer for sale with a case of opening up word is going I haven't done it.

I haven't done one of these TVs in quite.

Who do I know now say this is happened? I didn't expect this to come along so yeah, what do you know and somebody help with many many years ago Ian Walker who's the CEO of the Jack radio got in touch and as you know right? No, no you just recently launched the new radio stations which sum assured that same DNA is the Union Jack original project.

Would you like to come on work on this project require some sort of working for myself and that point got involved with Union Jack at the moment helping the team altogether release for a project manager for you.

Dancing with that British music at the the core of what we do and then also the comedy elements which is very much of a large part of what is all about 100-percent British so I was involved in the project management of building that there's two launches weekend on the 11th of December last year and then out of that again another good friend of mine who have worked with many many years ago Craig body.

Who was the content manager for the Jack group Farm originate from New Zealand New Zealand and so an opportunity came and what would you like to do this and having worked with Ian donnis and Tim Smith who works there in a whole bunch of people I've worked with before it was such a lovely team and The Voice

There is in that radiogroup is fantastic of course live on the other side of the world in Australia who never work together new conversations and brilliant opportunity and it is rare in radio with big groups near do what they do and that's all very good no problems at all, but you know where the group is the last remaining independently owned commercial radio groups and it's a small very creative team gives us we can do stuff differently and wee big opportunities and some big ambitions without revealing too much kiss you obviously won't tell me anyway.

No 202021.

Obviously we got no idea what it's going to be like for the rest of the week.

When everything is going to get back to normal which is a phrase everyone keeps using as someone who's coming as you know the group content manager with an eye on the future growing Talent bring in potential new programme strands in what do you see Jack the group evolving line under you for the next 12-months? Well, I mean look like and so you know the small nutrition that team that is very creative and very very passionate and yeah with the resources that we currently got three national services services and 100-percent British output on there's a lot we can do with that.

I mean Britain's got some great musical heritage and great.

Depth and now we demonstrate that on Union Jack radio, but also rock the rock standpoint and also dance because we've got a huge dance heritage in in Britain and and we add to that with the comedy that we play which makes it broader than just a music stand and get involved in the Leicester Comedy Festival on and so you know those kind of thing so there is so much that we can do bearing in mind also that the Jack group of scene big increases in radio during the pandemic pandemic is the radio station radio station radio station has got some great Talent I mean, what are the things that the British that runs through the Union Jack Brown this is a very big deal for us and look at other countries.

The world Canada France by the requirements of homegrown music on the radio station for Dancing The Union Jack radio are 100-percent British heavy with that box absolutely everything that we do is we leave very heavily on audience interaction so I mentioned and the Beast from from The Chase who bullied interactive pub quiz Tuesday and Thursday just going to restart very soon some great creative interactivity via the apps bit different than just a pop quiz on the radio which now a lot of people were done and so you know we've got some big ideas, but we can start to play out in 2021.

We can get back into it was so it was devastating to see you leave global because radio needs radio needs you and what you mean by that is people that actually get it.

There are still passionate about it, but just want to see radio drive and wanna see content grow and actually care about the people that make it so glad that you not that you wouldn't but you got a gig and you got somewhere like Jack which just you and the Jack radio group cannot seem to be a perfect fit so it was obviously thanks very much indeed and I'm so glad I set you up regular direct debit.

There's no look like buying relief live on developing great Talent and great radio performance and when I say Radiohead actually podcast it's all one.

Form and that would that be in order on demand podcast live radio radio fantastic on untapped Talent the you know I've got a list of main somewhere of people that I've tried play demos farm and give them some feedback and hopefully that's been useful over the years, but you know I think having a vehicle to be able to develop that Talent to the best of its potential is what I really thrive on this what I really enjoyed and within the Jack radiogroup.

We're doing a lot of that and a lot more it.

Thank you so much for your time group content manager Jack radio group open for demos just email them anytime it's absolutely fine make sure make sure it's all have and it's 20 minutes long dick stone.

Thank you mate.

Thanks mate.

Thank you right then.

Make a cheeky plug from me.

I mean why not you've got to take the opportunities when they come haven't you you can have a listen to my radio show if you fancy it on connect radio every Sunday night 8 until 10 have a for it and also check out my website for everything else, but I do Chris perks.co.uk beautiful will have another special guest for an especial host again and next week on this very podcast just before I go dose switch off.

I want to type out cleanfeed because whether it's an OB and you are co-hosting cleanfeed is designed for radio broadcasters and now it's simple to connect live audio over the web the quality is great and you can record it to TV doesn't cost you anything to get you can find out more at cleanfeed Darkness I have nothing else to ask but thank you so much for supporting This podcast.

Thank you for continuing to listen and we'll see you next.

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