Rudinblog

Las Vegas turnaround

I arrived home late Monday afternoon and so have had about 72 hours to the time of publication of this post to switch back to British Summer Time and the chill British spring. It's not so much the difference in temperatures (up into the 90s for a couple of days in Las Vegas, although a perfect mid-70s when I left and I suppose mid-50s today) that I notice so much; it's the chill, damp air of England in comparison with the Nevada desert. Las Vegas claims to have sunshine 361 days a year, whereas here it sometimes seems like the same number of days of rain. Still, we don't have to import all our water from miles away I suppose and even compared with southern Europe I always notice with delight the wonderful greenery of the countryside here -- and, indeed, the different shades of green. Anyway, enough with ramblings on climate and soil!

Before I talk more about the Convention/Festival, a quick note about a visit to public radio station KNPR in the outskirts of Las Vegas, kindly arranged by Andrew David of University of Lincoln and community radio station Siren FM. A well-equipped, well-managed service, with diverse output, including chunks of the BBC World Service. Well-resourced, too: budget of around $4.5 million, only $300,000 or so of which comes form the national body – the rest raised themselves. They have two big fund-raising events a year; the usual spring one delayed this year because of an extra campaign for people to pledge time to volunteer on various projects. The Director of Programming, Dave Becker, and President/Station Manager Flo' Rogers – who has spent some time in radio in the UK, so there was a lot o: "oh, do you know?..." and had a poster of the famous 1970 Isle of Wight Festival in her office – were very generous with their time; a return visit is a cert. I heard them both on-air early on Saturday morning. One of the lovely things about such stations is that everyone gets stuck in. In fact, there are two services; one primarily news and talk, the other classical music. Both are, as you might expect, in sharp contrast to the vast bulk of the other, commercial stations in the area, in both tone and content. They are allowed to run sponsorship-type messages but must be informational, rather than making claims for the product or service. An important distinction.

This being Vegas, even the radio station receiver in the foyer is in the form of a slot machine.

 

As usual, as soon as the Broadcast Education Association conference and festival got under way I was too mad busy to even do any "tweats", let alone a blog post, so this is, as it were, recollected in tranquillity. To give you an example of how it goes, Friday ran like this:

0800 Working/networking' breakfast

0900 First session: a team to choose from; I selected (and as chair of the International Division felt I should support) one called International Production Collaborations: Learning Across Borders - a fascinating session about production and student exchanges and how they learn from each other, between the USA, Mexico and South Korea.

1030 - The first of two panels in which I'm making presentations. This is one that I was asked, or offered, to join (I can't honestly remember which way round it happened) called Radio's Demise Has Been Greatly Exaggerated. I was with scholars from San Francisco, as well as the imitable Valerie Geller, who has trained broadcasters and producers in news and general programmes in the USA and UK (including BBC networks) and many other places. My paper presentation was about how the BBC had more than maintained its radio audience share, despite greatly increased commercial competition, and the survival of public service values in British broadcasting. I included some audio and there were the inevitable technical worries but the superb team of technical assistance helped everyone set up in my little Netbook worked a treat. Best of all was the very gratifyingly large audience, which I'm sure had nothing to do with my 'billing' but was still enormously encouraging; it was literally standing room only and indeed people hanging off the walls. We kept the presentations short to allow time for the respondent from Furman University to round things up and to draw comparisons and contrasts between the presentations and even still time for a couple of questions. A young professor came up afterwards and asked to copy of my paper/presentation, which in fact I sent him today after his 'prompt' e-mail. It is obviously gratifying to receive interest and one of the great things about such conventions is of course the bringing together people with mutual interests.

1200 The international juried paper competition presentations. This is when the scholars with first and second placed papers in both the opening and debut sections present a summary of their research and then receive verbal feedback (they already have written feedback) from the paper jury. The Division has some small financial prizes and I been given the checks the previous day at the pre-convention division leaders' breakfast (yes, everything is a working breakfast on these occasions). However, it was agreed that we would, as in previous years, make the actual cheque presentations at the next session:

1330 International Division meeting. This is where I chair the meeting and we had some formal and informal business to do. My main concern is to increase communication and co-operation between scholars in the division, and in particular encourage young scholars from the developing world. It went well and we did manage to make the cheque presentations, apart from one scholar who has gone back home to Darfur. The precedent of the BEA had already 'lunched' me (on Monday) during the RTNDA, to outline what is to anyone else quite a boring development, but quite interesting if you're involved in the Division and the organisation- that is, to create a new geographical division, as well as interest division. As I say, this is rather boring and technical, so will skip the details, but it essentially means we will have another representative at the main BEA board representing all non-US countries, although it transpired at the post-convention chairs' meeting on Saturday afternoon that, at the moment, Canada would prefer to stay with the USA. So be it!

1500. Presenting a paper at the panels that I proposed and we have scholars from three continents represented -- one USA, one Canadian, one New Zealand and myself. The title of the panel is Integrity versus Good Radio, which I thought fitted well in with the 'spotlight theme' as it is called in the Convention overall, of "ethics and …"). My presentation looked at the various scandals involving the BBC, especially on radio and including of course Russell Brand affair. Ironically, it was the USA delegate who was late arriving, due to a combination of medical and family reasons, but he gave an excellent presentation and I was pleased with the way it all went -- again, some technical issues were overcome thanks to good friends at the Convention Centre and the audience was certainly a lot less than in the morning but that's the way it goes. As you may have noticed, there is no lunch on this day of the conference and I had sessions anyway over the normal lunchtime period. Fortunately, Deborah Wilson from Lincoln University – who was responsible for me going to the BEA in the first place four years ago, after she encouraged me to become part of a panel proposal - had half a sandwich to offer me just before the second panel which I gratefully accepted; supplementing my usual emergency rations of a packet fruit and nuts, and a banana!

 

After all that I thought that I had earned the right to skip the last of the formal sessions for the day, prior to the evening presentations to the BEA Media Festival winners and dashed back to the hotel to dump my bags and change. Debbie and her partner Andrew ("the voice of the East Midlands"!) rang to say it would be a good idea if they came to my hotel, as it is much near the convention centres than theirs, to dump their bags and then we go off to the evening to join two Kiwi friends, one of whom,, Brian, who was on my panel and 'pushed' me to go for nomination to succeed him as Vice-Chair/ Chair of the International Division (I have been very fortunate to have such great supporters). Before that, we had a couple of margaritas at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville -- our favourite watering hole (see blogs and pod's passim).

I think it fair to say we were therefore in quite a 'relaxed state' when we sauntered down The Strip to the Paris complex join our friends at an excellent 'eat as much as you want' (supposedly) French buffet. The inside of these complexes is absolutely amazing -- the lighting and effects make it seem as if you are actually in a street in -- in this case obviously Paris -- with the light in the sky changing and clouds moving across. Due to the brilliant use of perspective most of the time the sky looks as high as - well, the sky - and it's only when you see an odd bit where the light and shadow is not so well placed. or when you see that it's actually running at the top of some street furniture that in fact it is not as it appears.

There is a full morning of sessions on Saturday. indeed until 1330, when there is a post-conference chairs' division meeting, in which I have to give feedback on how things have gone in the perspective of "my" division and of course to hear and discuss others' viewpoints and any other vital information regarding next year. As the panel proposals have to be in mid August it is pretty much a 12 month cycle anyway.

My choice of which sessions to attend is dictated by three main considerations: those that I must attend (including those, obviously, that I am involved in as chair or panellists); those that I should attend (perhaps to support colleagues or because they involve my division) and those that I want to attend. The first take up most of the sessions on Thursday and Friday but on Saturday I managed to attend a session which is not directly related to my work or research but one which I always attend - on radio history, which was fabulous.

Anyhow, the day began with a slight and unexpected disruption to my plans as I arrived at the Monorail only to find it not be operating for a couple of hours due to 'technical reasons'. I have never known this happen -- the Monorail is usually as reliable as Swiss railways in my experience but in fact there had been some problems earlier in the week although they hadn't affected the times that I was using it, and someone whom I mentioned a previous blog post, who had been to 'Vegas two months ago, said it hadn't run for the entire week she was there! Anyhow, there were two students behind me when I got to the station and when I gave them the bad news they looked aghast. I said "don't worry -- it's not far we can get a taxi – I'll pay". So we went back through the hotel to the taxi rank and got one straight away and arrived at the Convention Centre in time. Even though I had offered to pay they had given the driver five dollars as their contribution which I thought was very sweet and of course I gave it back to them. They were extraordinary grateful: "we don't know what we have done otherwise -- we didn't have a plan B" said the girl. They are nice kids, just about to graduate and not sure about jobs. The girls is studying journalism but as there were few journalism jobs she had already worked out that she may have to do something else -- she a DJ on the college radio station and said she was going to go for that kind of a job if needs be. Of course, due to the proliferation of voice- tracking and the lack of the old-style tryout slots overnight, even that may be quite tough. I feel for them all -- it is a tough time to be going into the business and perhaps an even tougher one to survive in it.

 

OK, well I am over 2,000 words now so I'll stop even though there is much more I'd like to put down. More photo's and videos on my Facebook page, plus a Podcast on my, erm, Podcast site.

 

I'll probably just get over the 'red eyed flight' and the time difference for Sunday … when I have to be up at 0500, as yesterday I was booked to guest on the Sunday breakfast show on City Talk. I am SUCH a media tart!

It’ still morning in America

Due to time constraints this will have to be (mercifully?) brief. Am writing and sending it from the Bloggers' Lounge in what they call the Pavilion at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Conferences have been excellent so far. Main event starts at usual with us all standing for beautiful, solo rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" and a prayer, or invocation as they call it, thanking God for making this the most prosperous nation ever seen on earth and reminding us of the responsibilities of broadcasting to make people's lives better. Even the CEO of the 0organisation ends his speech as per usual with "God bless this beautiful country."

The BBC are in town, partly to promote the new College of Journalism site which is going external in the next month or two. They had loads of examples to show us, ethical questions posed and good practice to discuss. Interesting to get different US/UK perspectives.

The Radio Lunch yesterday had Dave Ramsey – whose financial advice show is syndicated on over 40 stations giving the keynote speech. Very inspirational and some great one-liners about finance and the recession and how it compared to the good days just gone when you didn't have to be smart to make money: "Even a turkey can fly in a tornado" was one. A friendly crew all round with some very important types, including a CNN anchor taking the trouble to come over to 'our' table to say 'hi'. Loads more sessions on the way that broadcasting is going, where the jobs are going to come from, the technical developments and what the research says about what audiences want. Good news is that *even* 18-24 year olds still want local TV stations are doing more local news than they were a year ago. Broadcasting is faring better at every level than newspapers.

 

Naturally, this being America, everyone is confident and imbued with eternal optimism that the best is yet to come. This mood is infectious. The educators are now in force big time for the excellent 'cross-over' day, bringing together the industry people and the students, who can have their air-checks and newscasts critiqued by the industry professionals, make excellent contacts and find out how to get a job. The future of course is the young people. I love talking to them. They are so polite and have great social skills and full of enthusiasm and ideas. The guys, of course, are far less confident than the girls (all perfect hair, perfect teeth, natch) – they remind me of what I like to think I was like at that age: I mean about the goofy guys, not the perfect…

 

Still, boost to male ego with an interesting encounter last night in the hotel elevator. I did my usual show-off thing of leaping into the lift at the last minute, which gets everyone gasping, thinking that I am going to be cut in half by the closing doors, or castrated at best. Anyhow, by the time I reached my floor there was just me and two very attractive young ladies, who looked just like typical high school kids. I made a joke about something and just as I was getting out at my floor one of them said: "By the way, you smell deliciously orangey." "Oh, thanks", I said. It's a new cologne I bought at the airport." "Mmmm, well, it's good"

It's a different culture, of course but would 'normal' young lay-deez make a comment like that to a middle-aged guy? Were they on the game…or just a couple of p$%!k teasers???

 

Am trying to update more frequently at http://twitter.com/richardrudin and on Facebook, and RTNDA site has lots of video, blogs and updates but must go now to see some 3-D TV (it's the future, you know).

News from Las Vegas

This is the first of what I hope will be a number of dispatches from this year's National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), RTNDA (Radio and Television News Directors Association) and Broadcast Education Association (BEA) conferences in Las Vegas. This year there is a 'bloggers' room' in what is known atr the Pavilion at the Las vegas Hilton, with free Wi-Fi access, but it is too lovely outside to be inside when you don't have to be (plenty of time for that!), so I am 'sat sttting' outside the north hall of the massive Las Vegas Convention Center. It's a sunny, beautiful day, just about perfect.

This is the first ime I have arrived in the city before Sunday PM. In the past I have landed around 1p.m., checked in to the hotel, shaved, s*!t showered and changed and then headed straight for the Hilton to pick up my registration stuff and attend the first 'SuperSession' around 4p.m. By the time I gfot to bed the first night I had been up nearly 24 hours, had an 11 hour flight and adjusting to an eight-hour time difference. Then it was full conferencing through the week until Saturday PM, then back Sunday afternoon. I am not complaining – it is a fantastic opportunity and I always find it stimulating, informative and of course there is socializing in the evening but it is a bit of a killer and not the 'jolly' that my students and others tend to assume when you say you are going to Las Vegas for a week, for 'business.'. So, this time – prompted by the withdrawal of direct flights from Manchester – I arrived on Friday and so have now had almost 48 hours to adjust the Rudin body clock and generally regain equilibrium before the 'madness' begins. I even -0 foir the first time in 5 years, please note! – yesterday had a trip outside the city, to the Hoover Dam, and Grand falls. I must emphasise – before 'Rudin-Gate' gains momentum that this was NOT at public expense! I shall have to do another Blog on that or maybe a Podcast because there is far too much I want to note and this would turn into a Rudin marathon Blog par excellence if I do it all here!

 

Anyhow, it is all quite relaxing here this stage of the Convention; more people are arriving all the time and there are even some 'conferences within conferences' that began yesterday but the 'real deal' doesn't get underway until the first 'super session' (on future of broadcast news) in about four hours' time. I have just been into the NAB store (always bad for the 'plastic' and bought three books (more luggage weight!), including one from Michael Keith (and absolutely top broadcast scholar and an extraordinarily modest and unassuming bloke) that he had written with one oif his chief collaborators, Hilliard called 'Dirty Discourse' on (supposed)indecency in U.S. broadcasting, which looks a hoot and it fits in with the theme oif this year's BEA Convention on ethics (you'll have to forgive lack of links in this Blog-too fiddly to try and do all that with my Netbook perched on my knee as I sit on this outside bench!).

I have just got my conference badge and bag – the latter quite revealing. You can tell a lot about an industry's financial position from its conference bags, I reckon. The first one I attended three years ago as a 'full conference' included a fantastic bag - which I use everyday at work - plus lot of goodies. This year's a cheap, insubstantial-looking effort, containing a program, and, er that's about it. Nothing to get excited about, that's for sure. Tomorrow the RTNDA has is a special 'what the hell do we do know?' session at the RTNDA (well, that's my take on the session name. They are trying to put a brave face on it but, like at home, the whole industry is pretty much in crisis. Advertising revenue is down, as are audiences and, naturally, the number of people who can attend Conventions like this is also down. Which is a pity, because, as ever, there are some excellent-sounding sessions over the next few days (and that's before 'my' conference begins). Last year there were some 113,000 attendees at the NAB/RTNDA; this year they are predicting it be well under the 'psychologically important' 1000,000 mark. Still, it may mean that the lunch-time queues are reduced (always look on the bright side…).

Until next time…Richard Rudin, News at whenever, Las Vegas.

Atlantic Crossing…

Gatwick Airport, Sussex, England

 

Am atend of what is now a two-leg air trip to Las Vegas (thank you BMI for cancelling the direct flights from Manchester!). My various electronic gizmos (including the Netbook and mobile phone gizmo being used to send this)caused the security staff at Manchester a few minutes of intense discussion and probing. They were excellent, though: thorough, efficient and courteous; friendly and cheerful, indeed. You can't ask for more.

So, I am seeing two airports and indeed three terminals, as tomorrow I have to cross from north to south at Gatwick – on its own train. Such excitement!

Still, I like airports - there is a fascinating world-within-a-world aspect - and am just a bit disappointed that the view from my room is one of the car park, rather than runways, control towers, etc.

A bizarre question from the (foreign, naturally, with English as probably fourth or fifth language) receptionist. Did I want a non-smoking room?

Me (taken aback). "Oh, um, I thought they were all non-smoking now".

Receptionist (fixed smile never faltering): "So, you want non-smoking?"

Without waiting for confirmation, she continues setting up the key-card, etc. Of course, two seconds later I wanted to say: "Oh, sorry! I forgot! I am a heavy smoker – a SMOKING room if you please!" What would have happened then?

Have I missed something- does not the smoking ban extend to airport hotels? And, sure enough, the room proudly displays a 'no smoking' reminder. Well, that's far enough; visitors from, say, the USA, might need a reminder. Bizarre, anyway.

The atrium is quite plush with lots of tempting bars and restaurants – and even a library. I haven't even got an early start tomorrow so can chill tonight and, with luck, have a good sleep, without constantly waking and fretting I might have over-slept (despite at least three alarms! Gawd, I am a worrier…).

Next dispatch should be from Nevada.

(Blimey, you're thinking: a 'Rudinblog' in barely 300 words!!)

Easter memories/watery wireless/moist eyes

Easter Monday, 2009

 

Easter has always been a really happy time for me. Even as a child I think I found Christmas a bit overwhelming: too many expectations, too much tension, too much time cooped up, terrible weather and worried about travelling in same. Whereas Easter is spring, out of doors, relaxed, few expectations, but lots of get - togethers with family and friends. Relaxed, lovely, all the adults seemed very happy and not distracted by worrying endlessly whether the sodding turkey was done enough or whether they and bought the right presents.

As a child we spent most Easters with family friends down south – where I was born but must point out that we moved north when I was about 18 months and there was nothing I could do about it at the time! My dad spent a few years working at a research institute in Surrey and Mum got pregnant with me during what was evidently a very happy period in their early marriage. According to Mum (bless here!) mine was a trouble-free pregnancy and birth and I was a very contented baby (I was born at home with only the midwife present as the doctor had pronounced in his visit that I would be some time yet but, well evidently I started my life-long trend of surprising people just when they think they'd got me sussed, by popping out sooner than expected -you can make your own jokes up here). Anyhow, my Mum and Dad were good friends with another couple, also with two boys, though a bit older than me and my brother (I was always the youngest!) and when my Dad got a job in the midlands they kept up their friendship.

I used to love going down there – first the excitement of driving around London (no M25 then of course) and, amongst other things, spotting the Police boxes – just like in Dr Who! Which would, of course, set me off 'singing' the theme tune, impersonations of Daleks, etc.

Then it was putting out the Easter eggs in a row (maybe three or four in a good year) and the anticipation of Easter Sunday and the scoffing of same, with some rivalry as to who had the best/most and who could eat them the quickest. These sons were great fun – they and a big garden and we would have some amazing games' tournaments. In the evenings, the adults got 'merry', playing ludicrous and never-ending card games with increasing hilarity – one of which, 'Up the River', had the most arcane and complex rules, which my Dad claimed to be know. Too young to play a hand myself I would be 'helping' him and explained his strategy in whispers. At we shared a room with them and we were sent off to bed, naturally there was high jinx up there, with adults coming in every so often to tell us to shut up and get off to sleep. One thing that was a bit strange to me and my brother was the bed-time prayers – which, coming from an atheist household, we never did.

When I was a bit older I used to go with the father to an open-air service on the Surrey Downs. He had a fantastic baritone voice – again, due to my Heathen upbringing, the only hymns I knew were the ones we were forced to sing at school ("and DON'T smile or I'll knock that grin off you", etc) so I couldn't really join in. Some happy religion this was!!). Anyway, I have strong memories of the early morning mist giving way as the hills filled with this sounds of this service.

 

Anther Easter was spent with this family on the Norfolk Broads – UNBELIEVABLY exciting to share an eight berth (SLEEPING on a boat and everything! Fantastic! Playing these evening card games had an added hilarity and excitement on board. By day I would occasionally be allowed to take the wheel (obviously with a responsible adult's hand hovering over the tiller!). I am rarely happier than when in, on or over water. Another time we rented a cottage in Dymchurch – locale of the Dr Syn novels about smuggling, which of course was a gift to my ever-fertile imagination.

 

The only time I have been abroad at Easter was when I was 14 (nearly 15!) and my Dad booked us on unbelievably cheap cruise. I think it was just £50. Even then that was a real bargain – my Dad couldn't work out how they could make it pay; he was right – a year or so later the company went bust. It was during this trip that I was exposed to another, rather different form of religious celebration; in Athens and Corfu, where the colour of the elaborate floats, and the joyous celebrations made me think again about how important religion was to 'other people'. But not for too long. That holiday is chiefly remembered for meeting a gorgeous Canadian girl. Cindy had cornflower hair, blue yes, freckles, a great sense of humour (well, she laughed at my stupid jokes and antics); gorgeous. She was with another girl and her family and as it turned out both families were loaded. Not that the latter interested me. I think we met the girls as my brother and I were playing some game on deck. Both these girls were a great laugh and it was real holiday romance. When we parted at the airport Cindy said: "I'll write you as soon as I get home" Note that. "I'll write you". Not "write to you", which for some reason made a deep impression on me. But, regardless of this North American grammatical curiosity, the big question was: would she? (Write, I mean!!) Well, dear reader, she did.

About a fortnight later an air mail envelope arrived, containing a lovely, chatter letter, full of nonsense, referring to all the daft things that had happened on the cruise, in jokes, lots of exclamation marks, in loopy, girly handwriting. Many times my hand went over….that writing. Her hand had been on that paper! Even better, she had enclosed a high school photo – one of those formal jobs, with a blue back-ground, which showed up her utter loveliness perfectly. I had this propped up on my desk in my bedroom throughout all the next year as I worked for and revised for my 'O' levels. Very distracting! (There have been serious studies explaining the difference between academic attainment of boys and girls at around that age and it can be mostly attributed to the amount of time that, erm, boys spend thinking about girls and indulging in, ahem, 'quantitative easing', when they should be studying periodic tables, or the origins of World War 1, or whatever. Makes sense!). Either way, at home or in the class-room my attention often drifted onto Cindy, or radio, music - or all three.

Anyway, back to the southern escapades though keeping up the maritime theme: being in the midlands, the reception of the mid-'60s pirates was very iffy. But south of London, of course, they boomed in, so I heard these stations at Easter-time (as I, much later, later listened to Capital Radio and the first 'Help a London Child' in 1974). I also heard them when we holidayed in the summer at my grandparents' chalet near Skegness. Well, it was hard to avoid the stations on the beach. The thought of these guys broadcasting on ships just over the horizon and playing this amazing pop music – all day and much of the night – was fabulous to me. And of course, Easter '64 was when it all started. I am sure that Ronan O'Rahilly – whose paternal grandfather was killed in a hail of machine-gun bullets by the Brits during the Easter uprising of Easter 1916 and was commemorated in a poem by W.B.Yeats – chose Easter as the time to launch his 'love bomb' revolution of the air-waves.

In Easter 2004 – handily, just after I had Broadband at home – BBC Essex put together a station broadcast on its AM frequencies and over the Internet using a Lightship just off the Harwich coast. This reunited many of the big names from the 'pirate' eras, as well as younger presenters who were not alive even alive during the mid-'60s. A brilliant idea. I did an academic paper and conference paper on this (no less), with an article published in Media History. In August 2007 they did the same thing, to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Act which forced most of the stations off the air. Only the two Caroline ships (north and south) heroically carried on, with an estimated 15 million listeners across Europe listening at midnight on August `14^th/15^th to the Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome", The Beatles' "All You Need is Love", preceded by the proclamation, so redolent of Britain in May 1940: "We are now alone"! Real goose-bumps stuff. The DJs on the 'revived' ship included Johnnie Walker, who put together the extraordinary, hyperbolic Man's Fight For Freedom broadcast, in August '67. I was on a family holiday in Vancouver in August 2007 but the Essex station received prime-time TV news coverage on the CBC evening news. Extraordinary.

Now they're at it again! This week-end'/s broadcasts have been terrif' and a reminder just how crap most of modern radio is. The DJs – now well into their 60s – are on sparkling form and have even been able to choose their own music – not, as one observed, the same 300 songs as on most commercial radio today. Of course, they haven't got to earn their living through advertising or sponsorship. I'll have to do another Blog post on all of this at some stage. For the moment though, for the 'true' story of the importance of these ships on politics, culture, as well as broadcasting try this article . The ludicrous Curtis movie (see previous post), which although providing the pretext for a further 'blast from the past' is, erm, 'Bollocks, Actually',

But if this is not to become a novel-sized length blog I must finish with a note about the memorial service for former Radio City (City Talk) presenter Phil Easton. This was well over a fortnight ago but it was just too upsetting for me to sit down and write about it until now. It was a lovely, if terribly poignant, celebration of Phil's life; first at Liverpool Cathedral. I asked my fellow guests either side in the 'friends and family' section if they were 'blubbers' – 'cos I definitely am. Fortunately, they weren't. But there was not a dry eye in the cathedral when son Dan did his eulogy. After numerous tributes from the music and entertainment worlds, including some stunning live performances, it was Dan's observation that his Dad "asked for nothing for himself…nothing at all…except for a cold beer and some sun" (Phil was due to retire to his Spanish villa at the end of this year) that broke my efforts at self-control. The service ended with a video compilation of family videos of Phil accompanied by "You'll Never Walk Alone." Almost unbearable. I am sure I was not the only one who was inspired by what were obviously heartfelt and sincere accolades to such a lovely guy to try and be a better person. This is a wonderful legacy.

Afterwards at The Cavern, things were naturally more light-hearted and, of course, it was good to catch up with some folks whom I'd not seen for many years and some I'd never met – like Radio City's original Chairman. The fact that Phil has a plaque on The Cavern wall, not far below John Lennon's, shows the esteem in which he is held but the love and laughter from the people who knew him is the real testament to his life and to the man. We are all the better from knowing him.

 

I know it was an honour for those organising the whole event to do this but also an emotional and organisational ordeal. The lovely Lesley ('Molly') Marshall (who was programmes' administrator – or some such title! - when I was Programme Controller at Radio City Gold, and continues to be the person who really runs the station(s)!), did a lot of the hard work and is another person who is a life-enhancer and whom I've never known to be 'moody' - even though, when I spoke to her the next day, she was, understandably, emotionally exhausted. As one of the presenters said to me on my first day at the station: "the world would be a much better place of there were more Lesley Marshalls." Very true.

 

The Sunday before last I was on Phil's last station – City Talk – as guest on a show currently being presented by Will Batchelor (link is to his regular on-air slot), who did a terrific job: just right for that time on a Sunday and I had at least three really good on-air rants and felt much better afterwards! Highlights available soon on my Podcast page (maybe!)

 

But now I must prepare for my trip to the Mojave desert.

 

Next dispatch, all being well, from Las Vegas.