Yesterday, I presented a show on Croydon Radio. Broadcast from Matthews Yard, Croydon Radio is the first internet community radio station dedicated to Croydon.
When I saw a tweet calling on anyone who wished to contribute to the life of the town by presenting a trial show, I immediately rose to the challenge. I am a huge fan of speech radio and an avid listener of LBC; mainly because I enjoy the format which enables a range of views to be expressed and discussed. It was this type of format that I sought to bring to my trial show on Croydon Radio.
For those of you who do not know me, I have a keen interest in politics, current affairs and business, and often express my thoughts on these topics via twitter. I knew that sticking to my areas of interest would be a good foundation upon which to base the show, but crucially, these interests had to be looked at from a local perspective in order to be relevant to listeners. It was also important for me to host a show with a balanced approach when it came to local politics, which I hope I was able to achieve by interviewing both Gavin Barwell MP and Andrew Pelling.
There are a number of positive initiatives and news stories in Croydon, but the area can sometimes be perceived and discussed in a negative way. Whilst I knew that my show could not miraculously convert a mass of people into suddenly loving Croydon, it is my intention to help change perceptions, over time, by focusing on some of the town’s wonderful assets and discussing any issues with a focus on helping to find solutions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of hosting a radio show and the interaction with listeners, who were able to comment by posting on Croydon Radio’s website and via twitter. I also learnt a lot during the process of interviewing guests and editing the files, which includes toning down on the use of Audacity’s noise reduction facility (an editing tool for audio files), as this had an impact on the quality of the output. That aside, I received some great feedback from listeners, which I am pleased about.
If I have the opportunity to become a regular host on Croydon Radio, I intend to continue to feature local businesses as per yesterday’s interview with Croydon Tours. Local business owners have great stories to tell about their products, services and initiatives that serve the people of Croydon and beyond. Let’s not forget the important role that small businesses play in our economy. I will also continue to involve political figures, community organisations and other key stakeholders who all have opinions and ideas that keep us on our toes, and help to make Croydon such a vibrant and diverse place to live, work and socialise!
You can listen to the podcast of my show by clicking here.