Episoder
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Hey man! It's Griffo!
For those of you not familiar with Griffo's work, he's a legend of the airwaves in North Wales and Yorkshire. He's tighter than a gnat's chuff and has a voice that Morgan Freeman would kill for.
As one former boss told him in a snoop, "You make my station sound BIG"!
Foxy's know Griffo for almost a quarter of a century having worked with him at V*king FM, so he has some stories to hit him with off the bat. And there's plenty of stuff he didn't know about too, including how he got his first break on air at 16; how an engineer fell on him mid-link; and there's a classic instance of a laissez-faire interpretation of GDPR with regards Phonebox.
He also reads out a memo sent by an eccentric MD in 1999, subject line: Men's Toilets. It's INCREDIBLE.
Griffo's website: https://griffomedia.com/
Classic Griffo: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=griffo&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Twitter: https://x.com/GriffoMedia
Support Crunch & Roll: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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We all have those moments in our lives where we look back and think, why did I do that.
In radio terms, Paul Hayes 'why did I do that' moment was HUGE. Let's just say it involved a Richard Park, Ashley Tabor and a pizza.
Paul's done a decade on the mighty Magic in London, but his career has taken in big stations in the UK, Canada and UAE, so the guides us through stories from his time at Southern FM, Galaxy, Heart and more.
Including how he once rearranged a former PD's entire house, much to his anger; how his brother made a joke about his career trajectory that unfortunately came true; and how one boss took him out with "a wad of cash" in an attempt to change his mind about leaving!
Hear Paul in action on pretty much all his stations, here: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=paul+hayes&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Paul's on Magic early breakfast, 4am-6am, Monday to Friday: https://hellorayo.co.uk/magic/presenters/paul-hayes/
Paul's Twitter: https://x.com/hayesonair
Like what you hear? We'd be eternally grateful for any support you can give on Ko-Fi. https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Mangler du episoder?
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What? Another legend from the station formerly known as Wave 105? Ambassador, you're spoiling us.
Mark Collins is another stalwart of the South Coast radio scene and still plies his trade on the mighty 105.2FM (or DAB 11B / 11C in new money), under it's new name, Great Hits Radio. You might have heard of it...
But Mark had a career longer than most before he'd ever been to the South Coast taking in Chiltern, Red Dragon, Radio City, Hallam and one single show on TalkSport amongst others.
Highlights of his chat with Foxy include learning the lesson of taking a job just for the money might not always be the best option; how he was effectively guarantor to a well know presenter he wanted to hire against the wishes of his boss; and the best story about giving away a Panasonic boombox in South Wales that you'll ever hear.
Here's a stack of classic Collins: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=mark+collins&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Hear Mark on Greatest Hits Radio South Coast, weekdays 1300-1600: https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/south-coast/
Mark's Twitter: https://x.com/SparkyTheClown
Feel free to drop down a Trainspotting rabbit hole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnKLvmuo1Vs
Support Crunch & Roll: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Us radio folk wear the term anorak as a badge of honour. But no matter how big a radio geek you think you are, you're really not, because John Foster is the Anorak in Chief.
As Foxy chats to him, he produces pieces of paraphernalia, liberated from former workplaces, each with a story attached. He also has an incredible memory for details such as radio station addresses, straplines and trim levels of branded cars he's owned!
He takes us through his career, from the heady early days at Radio Cleveland, right through to the emotional times towards the end of his time in the industry.
Listen to some classic Foster here, with clips from pretty much every station he's ever worked at!: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=john+foster&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Need a voice over, some media training or event hosting? John's your man: https://www.johnfostervoice.com/
John's Twitter: https://x.com/johnfostervoice
Support Crunch & Roll: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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We've featured some presenters who are synonymous with the stations where they plied their trade for an impressive amount of time - Fresh at Beacon and Elliott Webb at BRMB for example - and there's no denying that James Heming is Mr Invicta.
He spent the majority of his career at a station in Kent, somewhere he admits he couldn't have pointed to on a map before moving there! And for an incredible 19 of years of his time there, he was on Breakfast. Not bad for a cover jock...
He also opens up about his ill-fated stint on XFM breakfast; his bromance with a well-known fellow Invicta presenter; and how he dropped the F bomb on at 8.10 one morning!
So tune in and rip the knob off! (If you know, you know...)
James's socials: https://www.instagram.com/jamesjheming/ | https://x.com/jamesheming
James on XFM! https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/uk-airchecks/xfm-london/1990s/james-heming-aug-29th-1998-230
Listen to James, weekend mornings, 7-11: https://www.madeinkent.co.uk/shows
If you enjoy the podcast, just want to give you a quick reminder that we’d be grateful if you would support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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For the two of you who don't know, Clive was one of the big guns in UK radio management. The King of Capital. The Duke of Jack. The Archbishop of Absolute. But then he went to Australia, and took a lifetime of radio knowledge and enough stories to fill your average-sized encyclopaedia with him.
So very early (too early) one Sunday, when British Summer Time and Australian Eastern Standard Time conveniently aligned, we embarked on a mission to liberate and disseminate some of this knowledge and these stories from the Southern hemisphere.
So prepare to find out how Elton John was responsible for him getting into radio, how he almost introduced Posh and Becks back in the 90s, and how he's not scared of Richard Park!
There's also some consumer advice on how you might go about buying a major radio group, so if your in the market for one, you might want to make some notes.
If you enjoy the podcast, just want to give you a quick reminder that we’d be grateful if you would support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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On the advice of our legal team, which as regular listeners will know is a made up guy called Gary, we were advised to give this guest the chance to rebuke a serious accusation made against him by several previous guests on this podcast. So for the avoidance of doubt, SIMON LOGAN HAS NEVER THROWN A WHITEBOARD RUBBER AT ANYONE.
Now that unpleasantness is out of the way...
Simon was the guy on the Viking FM breakfast show when a fresh-faced young John Daniel Fox was travelling to college, drenched in Joop and wearing one of those colour-changing t-shirts.
So, in the week that Viking FM celebrates its 40th birthday (and ceases to actually be Viking FM anymore, but let's not dwell on that), who better to get on than one of its legendary jocks.
Simon may have been best known for his on-air wind up calls both in Hull and on Radio Aire in Leeds. In fact he put out a CD of the best wind ups and got into the top 20 of the actual album charts, sandwiched between two Britpop stalwarts!
Most recently he's been plying his trade on BBC Radio Newcastle, a job that he got all by himself. But if a former Radio 1 legend had his way, he could have been his agent and taken a tidy 15%. More on that in the episode.
And did you know he may have been the highest paid overnight guy ever? You will once you've listened.
So many great stories and big laughs in this episode. Enjoy!
There is some FANTASTIC classic Logie to listen to here: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=simon+logan&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Hear Simon's more recent 80s v 90s shows on BBC Radio Newcastle: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004wzjk
If you enjoy the podcast, just want to give you a quick reminder that we’d be grateful if you would support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Foxy's guest this episode is a former Whatnotter. You know, from the Saturday Whatnot on Essex Radio... No?
If that's not ringing any bells, maybe you know him from his mere 26 years at Key 103 / Hits Radio. YES! That Mike Toolan!
Of course he's one of the biggest names in the business and who's been on Radio Aire, BRMB and Capital, as well as an actual GENERATION on 103FM in Manchester, so won't need too much of an introduction.
We'll just whet your appetite with some of the contents of our hour with him:
Find out who he pretended to be to get on air in the USA.What word did he get someone to say that got him sacked from hospital radio.How he drove a colleague to turn up to his show armed with an actual gun!Who got the Radio 1 gig when he was down to the final two candidates.How he felt when he was replaced on breakfast with a former guest. And how he felt when he was reinstated.If that hasn't got your juices flowing, you're listening to the wrong podcast.
Listen to Mike on the Hits Radio network weekdays from 4: https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio/presenters/mike-toolan/
Classic Toolan here, including an incredible snoop from a 1993 Rock FM show: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=mike+toolan&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Mike's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Toolyboy
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Стив Пауэр любит поезда.
Just a little message for anyone who can understand Russian there. That doesn't include the guest on this episode, Steve Power, who ended up accidentally studying the language. There may have been drink involved.
Steve must have been one of the longest serving breakfast show jocks ever. 17 BLOOMIN' YEARS! And not your lightweight 6am start nonsense. He was waking up the South of England from 5.30am!
Most recently he's been on air at a much more civilised time of day, but his beloved Wave 105 has just been Greatest Hits Radioified, so he's hanging up his headphones... for now at least.
What a career to date though. He made tea at BBC Radio Sussex; ran Southern FM and Power FM under Richard Park; and went national on Virgin Radio too. But it's his mighty stint at Wave 105 that he's probably best known for.
During his chat with Foxy he talks about how he didn't enjoy being a PD; how he has no time for people who live in radio's past, and tells us about a case of mistaken identity at a nightclub PA in Wellingborough!
Listen to some classic Steve here: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=steve+power&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
Find out his next move on his Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevepowerdj
And if you enjoy the podcast and can spare a couple of quid to support it, we'd be eternally grateful: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Before we started recording, Ben Jones told us he has a namesake in the radio industry and wanted to check we had the right guy. Er, yeah. We're sure.
Ben was ever-present on the original Virgin Radio / Absolute Radio for a decade for goodness sake. He now plies his trade on the new Virgin Radio (amongst other pies he has his fingers in...), but it hasn't all been plain sailing to get there. After leaving Absolute there were some pretty dark times which Ben opens up about, and some of us will be able to relate to.
But the good times majorly outweigh the bad, and he tells us all about them. Like blagging his way to Spain with a Capital legend; how he was the last person to interview David Bowie(!), and how "nobody gave a shit about his shiny trousers"!
About those other pies Ben has his fingers in then. As well as radio he's also a prolific podcaster (can't see that ever catching on but, whatever) AND A BLOOMIN' MOVIE PRODUCER!
His new film Love to Hate: Nickelback is about, well, sure you can work that one out. Many radio people will totally relate to that title after playing Rockstar for the 7000th time! If you're listening to the podcast the day it comes out, you'll be able to see the film in the actual cinema from Wednesday (27th March 2024). And it's a bit good, irrespective of how you feel about its titular subjects.
Love to Hate: Nickelback is in cinemas on Wednesday 27th and Saturday 30th March 2024. Here's the trailer to whet your apatite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpvOigy8UR4
And there's more on the film here: https://www.nickelbackfilm.com/home/
Here's some classic on-air Jones: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=ben+jones&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
And here's his Twitter: https://twitter.com/thisisbenjones
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Has there ever been a more iconic evening show than Dave Kelly’s epoch-defining broadcast on Galaxy?
If you were to write the recipe for the perfect evening show, you’d use all the ingredients that made Dave’s show so perfect. Daft features – Tick. Dicking about – Tick. Pushing the boundaries of what you get away with – Tick. Bangers – Tick.
But what made this young fella from Northampton become the Don of Dusk?
Luckily you’ve found the podcast to answer that very question.
Galaxy wasn’t the only notable station on his CV. He had a good run at Capital and even turned his hand at doing breakfast on Radio City. He spills the beans on how all this came to pass, and in the case of City, the unfortunate ending.
He also reveals he might be one of the biggest radio geeks out there (don’t get him started on split jingles); how he cost Galaxy tens of thousands of pounds due to a couple of significant cock-ups; and how he’s not the only Dave Kelly in radio.
Dave now lives in the Cayman Islands and does shows for stations all over the world. Sucks to be Dave… But prepare to play the world’s smallest violin when plays the sympathy card regarding the price of frozen produce in the Caribbean.
Follow Dave on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davekellydj
Find out about his current station, X107.1 in the Cayman Islands: https://www.facebook.com/x1071/?locale=en_GB
And here’s some classic Dave in his Galaxy pomp: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=dave+kelly+galaxy&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
If you enjoy the podcast, just want to give you a quick reminder that we’d be grateful if you would support us on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Dirk Anthony is one of the most famous, or for some, infamous, radio bosses there's ever been. He pretty much ran the show at GWR and then Gcap, after the merger with Capital.
When you weald so much power for so long it's difficult for some to see beyond the 'big, scary boss' tag, and forget there's s real person with their own story, dealing with their own pressures.
So, not having had too many dealings Dirk in the past, Foxy was a bit nervous about grilling "the Guvnor"... but it's probably fair to say Dirk was more nervous!
We started right at the beginning, taking in his slightly fortuitous entry into the industry after initially taking on a trade. He lifts the lid on the GWR / Capital merger, and muses on a job he could / should have taken on. And he addresses the "bloody Aussies" feeling some people had, with great humility and understanding. Oh, he also tells us his real name - listen right to the end for that.
And whatever you thought you knew about Dirk, prepare to find out the real story.
Dirk is now a partner of the consultancy company Blank White Page (https://blankwhitepage.co.uk/) and has made the incredibly kind offer to help any Crunch & Roll listener who's struggling with life after radio to understand who their skills and experience can be invaluable in the outside world. Contact him at [email protected].
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Foxy has referenced many of his radio heroes before - Moyles, Mark & Lard, Robin Banks - but the biggest poster on teenage Foxy's bedroom wall was that of Scott Makin.
It was his husky, Teesside tones and his lovely leather jacket that did it for him. But listen to the end to find out how our awe-fill presenter embarrassed himself in front of his icon the first time they met.
If you've lived in Yorkshire or the North East of England in the last 30ish years there's a good chance you've heard Scott doing his thing. He is undeniably 'King of Mids' but there's the most perfect story of how he ended up presenting Breakfast at Century, and how I did his best to sabotage this gem of a job offer.
You'll also hear about the time he met a former inmate listener in a bar, and a Full Monty performance featuring former guest Joel Ross (and what he'd do for £30 in the late 90s).
Warning: Contains gratuitous, misty-eyed mentions of Viking FM.
Hear Scott on BBC Radio Tees and BBC Radio Newcastle, weekday afternoons from 2: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04kbx4b
Get your ears around a bit of classic Scott on Aircheck Downloads: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/uk-airchecks/hallam-fm-sheffield/2010s/scott-makin-apr-9th-2013-655
Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScottMakinRadio
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A greased eel. The fur of a chinchilla. A babies bum.
When it comes to smoothness, this lot just aren't cutting the mustard, because Rossie's voice is smoother than an otter in socks, sliding down a lubed-up iceberg.
But you don't have a CV like his by simply having a great voice. His claim that he's the only person Parky never called up on the XD to give the hairdryer treatment to is probably testament to that.
He's had stints working at Radio City, Radio Aire and imperial phase Capital, but now hosts one of the biggest shows around, breakfast on Greatest Hits Radio.
And with such an accomplished CV it makes sense that he's a brilliant story teller with brilliant stories to tell.
Like the time he pinched a celebs booze stash at Party in the Park; how he almost didn't do his first show at Capital thanks to nerves; and an unfortunate (but hilarious) selfie incident.
And did we mention his voice..?
Catch Rossie on Great Hits Radio Breakfast: https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/west-midlands/
There's TONS of classic Rossie on Aircheck Downloads: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=simon+ross&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
And here he is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rossie7dj
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When considering a 'radio name', you could literally choose ANYTHING. But we find out early on in this episode that Dick chose, well, Dick. To be fair, it did lead to the best named breakfast show radio have ever seen! But as he helpfully suggests, "Don't Google 'Dick Stone'".
Dick is a programming stalwart, running Ram, Trent, the Hit Music Network, Capital East Mids and the Smooth network. Most people reading this will probably have worked for him for goodness sake!
But we also find out about his days before he was the boss, when he had to mimic another presenter to get his first professional gig.
We also find out that he once took some presenters hostage in his office. Kind of.
If you're enjoying Crunch & Roll, please give us a nice review on your podcast app.
And subscribe / follow us, so you get every new episode as soon as they drop.
We're also on Ko-Fi if you'd like to buy us a coffee (or radio station mugs off Ebay) - Just click here: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
Read Dick's insightful and sage radio blog here: https://dick-stone.com/blog/
And follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DickStone
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The guest on this episode could be called a 'one station man'.... that is if he hadn't moved somewhere else almost exactly ten years ago!
Nigel Freshman*, or Fresh to his listeners, was undeniably 'Mr Beacon' until his love affair with the station turned sour and he moved to Smooth West Midlands where he still plies his trade.
So he's pretty much a legend in the West Midlands and can’t walk down Bilston high street without getting mobbed!
It's another episode full of tremendous stories and brutal honesty. Well, life would be boring if we all thought the same things...
He tells us about a recent medical diagnosis, the crazy times with a former co-presenter, how his fancy car put him in a new bosses bad books, his part in what is now the most cited case in media law... and his thoughts on his final couple of years at Beacon, in which Foxy admits to never being so awkward...
You can hear Fresh on the Smooth Radio West Midlands Breakfast Show, weekdays 6-10: https://www.smoothradio.com/westmids/
And Aircheck Downloads have a couple of clips from back in the Beacon days: https://www.aircheckdownloads.com/audio-search?term=fresh&sort_bef_combine=relevance_DESC
And follow Fresh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nigelfreshman
If you're enjoying Crunch & Roll, please give us a nice review on your podcast app.
And subscribe / follow us, so you get every new episode as soon as they drop.
We're also on Ko-Fi if you'd like to buy us a coffee (although I can't guarantee it won't be something stronger) - Just click here: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
*Listen after the credits to find out the real story of his name.
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Hold on to your headphones, Tiger Tim's roaring onto Crunch & Roll, and he's grrrrrrrrrreat! (Sorry).
Early on in his chat with Foxy he tells us that it is "no holes barred"...
He's happy to to go through the many highs and some notable lows of his career, spanning Capital and BRMB to TFM and Minster, and plenty more besides.
We've cover how he was once told he couldn't say his own name right by one manager, the magic of warming up for Chris Tarrant every morning, and turning down a big gig for the sake of his health and sanity.
There's strong language and adult content in this episode. And if you are affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, you're not alone and there's help and support at www.drinkaware.co.uk.
If you're a regular listener to the podcast, firstly thank you - we love you. But if you'd like to support the podcast / contribute to the 969media Christmas party, we'd be eternally grateful if you would click here: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
Check out Tim's magic here: https://timlichfield.com/
Listen to Tim on YorkMix Radio from 3pm weekdays: https://yorkmix.com/radio/
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This episodes finds you just before Christmas 2023. Tis the season of good will to all men... except one former boss who features in this episode! But be assured the rest of Foxy's chat with Darren Daley is a real Christmas cracker.
He's been in the game since Cliff Richard was number 1 in the charts with Saviours' Day, so has plenty of stories to tell.
Luckily for us he's kept all his correspondence from radio stations from the last 35+ years, and reads out some of the more noteworthy examples. Fair to say he wasn't on former Radio 1 controller Johnny Beerling's Christmas card list.
There's chat about how Radio City legend Phil Eason gave him his first break one memorable Boxing Day.
And the tale of a naked Australian producer ruining the news on a unfortunately serious news day.
There's strong language and adult content in this episode.
If you're a regular listener to the podcast, firstly thank you - we love you. But if you'd like to support the podcast / contribute to the 969media Christmas party, we'd be eternally grateful if you would click here: https://ko-fi.com/crunchandroll
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Foxy calls him The Professor. You might know him as The Funster. But his passport says Paul Carrington.
Paul has to be one of the most well known presenters in the north of England and is guaranteed to have worked on a station near you, if you live north of Sutton-cum-Duckmanton. Piccadilly, Signal, Viking, Buzz, Minster, Pulse - We'll let Paul tell you the rest.
There's stories about working for Timmy Mallett (along with Professor Brain Cox, Chris Evans and Nick Robinson); how he helped the biggest pop group of the 80s escape a hoard of screaming fans (involves an old Ford Escort); and how he's embarrassed about being The Funster.
It's a long one (so we'll keep this bit short), but absolutely worth sticking with to the end. Enjoy!
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When we started this podcast, we wrote down a list of people we'd love to have on, and sitting close to the top (between the hairy cornflake and Alan Tichmarsh) was today's guest, Jo Russell.
We've been pestering her to come on for ages but wasn't having any of it, until John upped the appearance fee to two bottles of Blossom Hill, then she was in!
We worked with her for several years at BRMB and didn't know 10% of the stuff she talked about in this episode, so unless you're her mum, you probably don't have a clue either.
There's the story of leading a double life in her early career - insurance sales person by day, radio presenter by night. There's the story about people pretending to be her in Nottingham at the height of her fame while on Trent. And how she once had a very pleasant sacking by one of radio's great managers.
There's strong language in this episode (much to Jo's surprise!).
Hear Jo & Sparky on Gem breakfast: https://planetradio.co.uk/gem-106/presenters/gem-breakfast-show-jo-sparky/
- Se mer
