Those Damn Celebs, Taking Our Jobs!

Like any normal relationship, mine with radio has its ups and downs. Radio keeps me up late at night, wakes me up in the morning, sometimes makes me uncontrollably giggle, sometimes forces me out of my comfort zone but nearly always puts me in a good mood. Occasionally I can't help but wince and cringe at the industry, though. For instance, when a station twists their metrics to proudly claim "We're No. 1", omitting that this is only among the demographic of deaf farmers in Leitrim called Padraic. Or when a station presents their 'guess the mystery sound' competition as if it is a world-first (to those not in radio: it's the Ford Focus of radio competitions - ubiquitous and unexciting). But my largest radio bug bear is when presenters and producers throw hissy fits at the news that a celebrity or public figure will be the newest addition to a radio schedule.

Ronan Keating and Harriet Scott - Presenters of the Breakfast Showon Magic in the UK.

If you work in radio, you'll be familiar with the predictable cycle: There's rumours in the tabloids that a celeb will be getting an on air slot somewhere. This is followed by chattering among people in the radio industry, who speak of it in grand terms as being a major injustice against anyone trying to progress their career. There are no opportunities for so-called radio people, they'll say. A few months down the line and there's radio silence... those who were once moaning soberly realise that the celebrity can do as just a good job as them.

If the narrative is correct, these non radio-people seem to be colonising radio stations across Ireland and the UK. It would seem that boyband looks are an advantage if you want a radio career. Ronan Keating, who has hosted the breakfast show on London's Magic 105.4 since 2017. When Nicky Byrne first decided to go on a musical sabbatical, he became one of Dan Healy's big signings when he took over 2fm in 2013. Magic has counted Rick Astley and Kim Wilde as hosts for a number of years. Amanda Holden has recently started as co-host of the breakfast show on Heart. Roman Kemp, at the helm of Capital Breakfast, gained fame from his YouTube channel. Recent workday addition to 2fm Jen Zamparelli started life as one of Lord Sugar's Apprentices.

TV presenter Amanda Holden has recently started presenting alongside Jamie Theakston as Heart Breakfast went national.

Why do people make this radio people distinction? Radio is so much more than pushing buttons, previewing the next few songs coming up or reading out pre-scripted sponsorship messages. Radio Consultant Valerie Geller distills the medium of radio into a process of storytelling - sharing experiences from your life and eliciting responses from listeners about their experiences. This is a universal skill and certainly not one which is only possessed by people in the radio industry. Someone like Ronan Keating is a natural entertainer and has been getting up on stage and engaging to crowds of thousands of people for decades.

This is a skill which stems beyond traditional celebrities. Take social media influencers. Granted, their delivery of this message and presenting skills may have to be honed and re-moulded for radio, but they are presenters. Josh Divney, a producer from FunKids radio in England, gives his two pence on this.

Use of the phrase radio people is a telling example of a more widespread tunnel vision in the radio industry. It's a very linear point of view about what radio is trying to achieve and who radio is for. Today radio's most threatening competition exists beyond the FM dial. We're under attack from Spotify, YouTube, perhaps even Netflix and Facebook (alternative entertainment forms) and podcasts, yet some people seem to think that jobs in radio are reserved for radio people. Sometimes podcasts are seen as either niche, quirky soundbites from NPR for discerning ears, or just the fruits of a bunch of hairy guys gathered around a USB microphone in their garage. The industry doesn't seem to be phased, seeing as the industry-funded, advertising agency-focused JNLR radio listenership figures peg podcasting AND Spotify streaming cumulatively at a mere 6.7% of all audio listening.

I understand that it can be disheartening for radio presenters to see their last chance at a promotion taken by someone who has never stepped foot inside their radio station. That said, let's ditch this petty radio people -v- non-radio people chasm and accept that people who have never worked in radio can, with training, be as good as those with decades of studio experience. The industry needs to open its eyes to the pressing threats and make radio a cool medium if it can withstand the onslaught of other digital media. The microphone is open to all who have a story to tell.