Radio Broadland : Dave Brown Interview

Who is Dave Brown?

Joining the station at the very beginning and eventually becoming its programme controller, listeners may remember Dave Brown as Radio Broadland's lunchtime presenter in the 1980's.

I spoke to Dave in 2004 about his memories of working at the station and what he has been up to since he left.

The Interview

How did you first get into radio?
I was working in my first radio job at Radio Tees in Stockton in 1984 as station dogs body you name it I did it, breakfast, overnights, tech opping, sports interviewing, arts corresponding, filing away singles for jocks, fantastic experience and a great start for me as I was surrounded by so many brilliant people who went on to major roles in radio today, I saw an ad in a trade paper for presenters for the new ILR for Great Yarmouth and Norwich called 'Radio Broadland'. I applied and got the lunchtime slot from 12 till 3.30pm, and when John Warwick left I took over Midmornings.

Have you got any interesting stories about people you've spoken to on air?

I had many memorable phone interviews with famous people including Freddy Starr who started snoring mid interview so I must have really been boring him, I have been lucky enough to meet many interesting people who are not necessarily stars, however I did fulfill my dream of meeting one of my heroes, Alan Whicker... twice!

Have you ever said anything embarrassing on air?

Far, far, far too many to mention!

When did you become Programme Controller?

Back in the mid 90's I think, Mike Stewart, my old PC, who went to become MD of SGR, handed me the reigns.

For those of us not in the know, what did your job of Programme Controller actually involve?

The Programme Controller is the person who moulds the sound and style of the station, recruiting talent and coaching raw talent but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Pd is a multirole, some days you’re the good guy and sometimes you're the bad guy… In my time I have given presenting and news breaks to many, many people who are with us today. The Pd must be able to "coach" his talent and be ready to praise when he's sounding good… and to discover and remedy why he's sounding bad… this is not as easy as it sounds as your average jock only likes being told he is good, although there are a few around who can take criticism on the chin and work hard at getting it right... these are the guys who continue to thrive. The others who think they are the bees knees and don’t need coaching after a fortnight usually end up fallen by the wayside or working in tiny markets and sounding crap or bleating about their ex station or bosses on internet forums.

When GWR took over Broadland that is when I really earned my money as a PC and really started to learn, they work you hard, they train you using the finest resources and expect results in their investment. They have no time for slackers which was fine by me. If anyone is reading this and seriously wants to be a PC try to get into GWR. GWR are in my opinion one of the finest coaches of people in the radio industry.

Why did you decide to move on from Broadland?
I decided that after 18 years in one gig (well two, as I was a founder member of the amazing launch of sister station Amber) I was ready for a change. Something tells you it is time to move on or if not, be prepared to be moved on, as radio is constantly changing and sometime the changes could involve you! So, after a dinner with Dirk Anthony the group Pd of GWR and an amazing party with Broadland friends old and new at the Golden Star I left in May 2002 and was ready to take a break from radio for a while. However, within 24 hours of the local industry knowing I was available, I was jocking all through the summer and autumn at KLFM, BBC Radio Norfolk, BBC Suffolk, Lite FM in Peterborough, Real Radio Cardiff, Real Radio Glasgow, and Jazz FM in London. I was so busy some days I would do midmornings at BBC Suffolk as a BBC local presenter playing zero to 3 discs max per hour and then jock it and bang the hits out at KLFM in the afternoons... great fun and wonderful to be a jock again for a short while.

Now I'm having the most exciting time of my career at Jazz fm in London working with some amazing talent and rubbing shoulders with legends like Gambo, Tony Blackburn, Nicky Horne and Paul Jones. My role as assistant PC has seen me hosting breakfast for 3 months in London, meeting major stars from the world of Soul and Jazz and enjoying great trips abroad to exotic places such as Hong Kong and Melbourne Australia and enjoying working in a station with a tsa of 10 million!

Who is the man behind the voice?

I'm 47 years old, married to Trisha with 2 boys Thomas and Christopher. I love my work, I love change, change and more change. I love seeing how we can improve things by change, I am passionate about Motown and Soul Music, so it's a dream to be working at Jazz Fm and I love coaching the best out of people!

I hate rude people, bigheaded people, lazy people and people who think they are more talented than they actually are. Presenters who believe there is a point in their career when they have made it and no longer need to work on their skills… see above "changes"! The phrase "I’ve always done it like this" really grinds on me! I get saddened when failed presenters cannot see that their failure might also be partly down to them... don’t blame everything on your employer. I hate people who pay you lip service and agree to change but then don’t… you will get caught out eventually! I love Rob and Chrissie in the Morning! A great example of how you can continue being a brilliant breakfast team by embracing change and listening to others, they really continue to entertain me with some really compelling material when I listen while driving to Thorpe Railway station. I hate people who knock GWR... they are usually people who are not good enough to work for them and have axes to grind. Sad buggers! I also detest anoraks that try to destroy a presenter’s career on some anorak forum.

What are your plans for the future?

To continue working at Jazz fm and increasing the figures not just rajar but revenue, up till now we are improving every sweep and revenues are improving so we must be doing something right. I can honestly say that this is the most exciting time in my career at Jazz Fm, but I still have many fond memories of my times at Colegate Norwich but as they say there is no going back... and anyway they are doing fine without me. It’s still the jewel in the GWR crown in my opinion.