Earshot with Steve Martin

Ollie Raphael at BBC Radio 5 Live

Earshot podcast: 5 Live and 2FM imaging

Download the mp3 (duration 45’17”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, file size 63.4 MB)

Explore two strikingly different approaches to radio station imaging in this edition of Earshot.

Pete Maguire from RTÉ Ireland explains how 2 FM‘s new imaging completes a modernisation journey for the station and Paul Fernley of ReelWorld describes the search across Ireland for vocalists and voice artists that led to a highly original and authentic sound for the national CHR brand.

Ollie Raphael of Delicious Digital demonstrates the thought and musicianship that his organisation put into new work for BBC Radio 5 Live. Hear how the new package unifies the network’s wide range of news and sports programming and learn about Delicious Digital’s approach to media branding.

Hayley Hayes is in the house too with Hayley’s Homework, answering a listener’s question from the previous edition.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Pete Maguire and Paul Fernley

RTE 2FM logo

In a rare move, one music company that pitched for the BBC Radio 5 Live project, but lost out in the competitive process to Delicious Digital, has contacted Earshot to share its pitch.

Grooveyard Music says it aimed for a modern, energetic sounding package that used musical reference points that would resonate with the target audience.

It’s interesting to hear the amount of work that goes into these pitches.

Paul Fernley of ReelWorld

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Earshot podcast: Commercial production with Sara, Rick and Dan

Download the mp3 (duration 49’56”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, size 75.1MB)

This edition of Earshot is all about commercial production.

Our guests are Sara Hashem, senior creative producer from Maple Street Studios and Radioworks, a major London-based production centre for commercial work, and the Wireless Group creative team of Rick Loynes, group commercial producer and Dan Seavers, senior commercial copywriter, both based in Stoke on Trent, a city in the English Midlands.

In this show Sara, Rick and Dan explain how they work with clients on a national and local level, and the challenges they must overcome to deliver great work on air. They play spots they’ve made for clients from insurance companies to a local car dealership and reveal the audio that inspires them to stay creative and make effective advertising.

We also hear from Clare Bowen with the latest on Radiocentre’s lobbying work to change the regulation that governs the inclusion of the Terms and Conditions in radio ads. The radio industry wants to lose them because they are ineffective and add clutter to good creative work.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

As recommended by Darren Altman

Clare and Steve

Clare Bowen and Steve Martin meet at the BBC. Worth a selfie?

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band with kind permission. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons. Interviews conducted via ipDTL.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Laura Mather of ReelWorld, Stephanie Hirst and the BBC’s Kathy Clugston

This edition of the Earshot podcast is happily sponsored by Broadcast Bionics.

Earshot podcast: Women in Imaging with Stephanie Hirst

Download the mp3 (duration 46’10”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, size 69.1 MB)

In this edition of the Earshot podcast, broadcaster and radio imaging enthusiast Stephanie Hirst explores the role of women in imaging with guests from opposite ends of the radio production spectrum.

Laura Mather is a multi award-winning imaging producer and the European Production Manager at ReelWorld, writing and producing creative audio for client stations worldwide. Kathy Clugston helps shape the sound of BBC Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra and the BBC World Service as a voice artist and newsreader on those networks.

Together they seek to identify the unique creative contribution that women make to radio station sound, promotion and imaging, ask why are there so few women in certain fields of radio production like imaging and to what extent does sexism exist in radio production?

Stephanie, Laura and Kathy also play some creative work they’ve made or which has inspired them, and we hear audio and comments from Jo Nicoll, who has made it to the top flight of UK commercial radio production as head of Production for the Smooth and Gold networks at Global Radio.

This all-female show is produced by Hayley Hayes and Sara Hashem at Maple Street Studios.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Steph and Laura in studio

Steph and Laura at Maple Street Studios

Maple Street’s Sara Hashem and Hayley Hayes of Earshot producing.

Earshot’s all-women team of (l-r) Hayley Hayes, Laura Mather, Stephanie Hirst, Kathy Clugston and Sara Hashem.

Maple Street Studios – our home for one day.

Stephanie Hirst’s Veronica cassette

The professional membership organisation for women in UK radio has a focus in 2016 on women in technical roles. Membership for those working in radio costs £5 per month. More information here.

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band with kind permission. Studio recording made at Maple Street Studios in London’s West End. Our thanks to Broadcast Bionics, makers of Virtual Director, for their help in making this show possible and to ReelWorld for producing the special Women in Imaging jingle for Stephanie.

Any views expressed are personal. The contributors acknowledge all rights held by the owners, creators and performers of the recorded works which are included for the purposes of education and review.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Mitch Von Arx and Hayley Hayes

Earshot podcast: Mitch von Arx

Download the mp3 (duration 33’29”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, size 49.1 MB)

Producer and composer Mitch von Arx shares his production work for the UK’s Kiss network and explains how he and his colleagues create that distinctive Kiss sound.

Mitch plays top-of-hours, Kisstory sweepers, S&P work for a film promotion, imaging for the ever-giving Father Kissmas and a mighty new year countdown piece that definitely deserves a second listen in the cool light of day.

Mitch’s compositions are released under the name Legomec.

Also in this edition, the best ad for a local camping store you’ll hear all year…. and it was made in-station too.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Mitch is rightly horrified by Steve’s approach to production

Father Kissmas

Mitch von Arx and Steve Martin

Thanks to London’s Grange Fitzrovia Hotel for hosting us.

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band with kind permission. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Hayley Hayes and Richard Newby at the Earshot bar.

Earshot podcast: Richard Newby and Mariana O’Kelly

Download the mp3 (duration 33’07”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, size 46 MB)

In this edition of the Earshot podcast Richard Newby plays his work from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music and Global’s Chill.

As one of the UK’s most in-demand freelance producers, Richard works across all the major groups in the UK including the BBC, Global, Celador and Bauer.

In this Earshot podcast he plays his promos from the latest BBC Radio 1 brand campaign, an Iggy Pop flight of fancy from BBC Radio 6 Music, his original compositions for Global’s Chill and Richard reveals the secrets of his vocal processor chain. Goodness.

We hear also from Ogilvy’s Executive Creative Director in South Africa, Mariana O’Kelly about her Cannes Lion award-winning campaign for Lucozade, plus Hayley Hayes is with us, picking out some of your delightful comments about the podcast from the Earshot inbox. Butter us up and we’re all over you.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Richard Newby answers Steve Martin’s questions.

Hayley points at Richard so you know it’s him. Do your own Old Master joke.

Mariana O’Kelly, Executive Creative Director of Ogilvy, South Africa

Here’s the video that accompanies Matt Fisher’s epic mashup for the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend, described by Richard in the podcast:

Ben Neidle, lauded by Richard is at noise fusion

Matt Fisher talks about the Radio 1 Big Weekend mashup in this report from the Imaging Days 2015.

Earshot Creative Review theme by Tiger Club Band. Research by Hayley Hayes. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Earshot podcast: David LLoyd and Colin Kelly

Download the mp3 (duration 43’05”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, size 61.1 MB)

There are few true ‘bibles’ of radio broadcasting craft. In this Earshot podcast, David Lloyd explains how he identified the need for a different kind of radio book and why he wanted to be the one to write it.

He introduces a thoughtful approach to hooking and teasing, prioritises positive writing over fussy production and explains how radio promotions producers can make their work more effective with a focus on listener benefits.

How to make great radio – David LLoyd

Colin Kelly’s with us too – he has just launched a children’s radio project for schools in Scotland. Hear the results of Scottish Schools Radio in the show, including one schoolgirl who gives Steve Wright a run for his money with her take on Factoids.

And because it’s Christmas enjoy a couple of remarkable radio ads from the USA and Ireland.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to share great audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Buy How to Make Great Radio from Amazon. Proceeds go to the Radio Academy.

David is the Content and Operations Director of Orion Media, owners of Gem 106 and Free Radio. In a certain light he looks like this.

David Lloyd. Photo by Kris Askey

at the airport – inflight reading sorted thanks to @DavidLloydRADIO pic.twitter.com/oyUGBqBVxP

— Steve Martin (@smartin) May 16, 2015

Founder of Scottish Schools Radio

Colin Kelly, founder of Scottish Schools Radio

Barry’s Tea looks like this. Available in some UK supermarkets.

…and if you’re looking for a firearm in the Fresno area, here’s the link to PRK Arms.

Thanks for reading down this far. Here’s your reward.

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band with kind permission. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons. Interviews conducted via ipDTL.

Special thanks to Media Central, Dublin.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Eagle Radio in Surrey and Hampshire launched new jingles today written by local composer and former station intern Ollie Melville-Smith.

Earshot podcast: Ollie Melville-Smith

Download the mp3 (27’59”, 192kb/s stereo mp3, 39.9 MB)

In the Earshot podcast Ollie discusses the art of jingle composition with Steve Martin, explains how the Tonmeister course at the University of Surrey gave him a musical grounding and we hear from breakfast presenter Peter Gordon immediately after he played Ollie’s work on air for the first time.

All that, and of course we play the jingles written by Ollie with Wise Buddah jingles for Eagle Radio.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Ollie Melville-Smith plays bass

Peter Gordon. Hosts breakfast, commissions jingles, wears women’s clothing.

Peter Gordon is Dame Dolly Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk, this Christmas at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.

Earshot Creative Review theme music by the Tiger Club Band with kind permission. Voiceover is Elly Fairman at Hobsons. Interviews conducted via ipDTL. Special thanks to Rob Wallace and Hayley Hayes.

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Tony Blackburn and Steve Martin

I love it when we do a magazine format edition of the podcast. Not just for the stories and the people but also because I get to do a high-energy menu sequence at the top!

Earshot podcast: Imaging special

Download the mp3 (53’20”, 160kb/s stereo mp3, 61.1 MB)

Two of the world’s leading station imaging production companies pitch their demos head-to-head. Wise Buddah’s Mark Goodier and Anthony Gay from Reelworld Europe explain how their organisations are tracking the changing needs of radio stations across the world.

Paul Plant introduces No Sheet Music – a new production library designed to lift the production standards of radio and more.

Tony Blackburn shares his enthusiasm for the radio jingles that help give his programmes such popular appeal. PAMS are his favourite.

Anthony Timmers invites you to attend the first Imaging Days event, taking place in Amsterdam on 8 and 9 September. Apparently Amsterdam has the most imaging per square metre.

Colin Kelly on the BBC’s Commonwealth Voices – a pop-up station that explored the story of Glasgow and other Commonwealth cities during the Commonwealth Games.

…and a few other cheap thrills for anoraks.

The Reelworld Europe team

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Earshot Creative Review imaging by PURE Jingles. Voiceover is Sefa Nkyi at Hobsons. Thanks also to ipDTL

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Pat Gill of Dublin’s market-leading FM104 is my guest in this edition of the Earshot production podcast.

Earshot podcast: Pat Gill at Dublin’s FM104

Download the mp3 (34’35”, 160kb/s stereo mp3, 39.7 MB)

Pat’s been at FM104 for eleven years and boasts a string of awards for his audio work. In the podcast Pat plays a bunch of FM104 production – from morning show jingles and music imaging to punchy and provocative trailers.

FM104 itself is living proof that market leading doesn’t have to mean narrowly-focused. The playlist is hit music with a few surprises but the station also broadcasts a comedy-rich breakfast show and a real appointment listen in the late night phone show.

I always love to meet creative people who are happy in their work and Pat is a wonderful example of that. Hear how enthusiastic he is about the station and his creative work in our half-hour converstion recorded in Pat’s production studio.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it.

Earshot Creative Review imaging by PURE Jingles. Voiceover is Sefa Nkyi at Hobsons. Thanks also to ipDTL

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin

Earshot podcast: Nathan Freeman and James Espley

Download the mp3 (40’02”, 160kb/s stereo mp3, 45.8 MB)

In this edition of our production podcast we welcome Nathan Freeman of BBC Radio 6 Music and winner of the 2013 Creative prize in the Radio Production Awards and James Espley of new national rock station TeamRock Radio. Both are nominated in this year’s Radio Academy Awards with their respective teams and, as you’ll hear, producing some great work for their different styles of music radio.

As well as playing some of their recent trails and imaging elements, Nathan and James explain how they come up with the ideas that convey their promotional messages and share great production tips that we can all learn from. They also look to Australian radio and cinema for their creative inspiration.

If you’d like to get in touch or share your production just email us. We love to play audio from around the world – any station – any format, especially if it has an interesting story behind it. Right now we’re collecting your secret tips for better and more efficient production. What little production secrets do you rely on every day?

Here’s the movie trailer Nathan references in the podcast

Earshot Creative Review imaging by PURE Jingles. Voiceover is Sefa Nkyi at Hobsons. Thanks also to ipDTL

From Earshot where views are personal and original writing is licensed under Creative Commons. Follow @earshotcreative and send story ideas and examples of great creative work to the editor @smartin