Signed a peace deal with the us. At ten oclock Reeta Chakrabarti will be here with a full round up of the days news. First, its an industry that has undergone many changes and continues to evolve, but is local radio still truly local and relevant in britain today . Lets take a look at the medium that was once affectionately known as the village loudspeaker. And large number of presenters and staff will no longer be required. Its quite a sad situation around the country. The work of local is being taken out of local radio. That person you listen to is your best friend. Djs and the radio industry have united in their shock and disbelief. It is the media cockroach, everyone has said its going to die and it just keeps going. Over the last decade, studios across the region have closed. That niche that local radio held is probably gone. The headlines. Lancashires oldest commercial Radio Station is to close it studios preston. There will be people that probably have no idea what local radio really is now. Local radio means its the station for where i live it. I think that makes it really special, because we dont focus on what is going on around us. You wont make great radio unless you break the rules. The boss will never tell you you are good. The bosses know nothing about radio. Playing the same records over and over. Just about everybody does that here. You cannot punctuate great music with great local content, you may as welljust plug in an ipod. Of course it matters. Its about bringing unity together. Community radio will be it if its given a chance. We have come totally full circle. Itsjust unique, one to one relationship. We were the loudspeaker of the village. When local radio started, it was focused on the people, the areas in the community it served. Its Capital Radio day but since then, the industry has undergone a massive evolution, especially in the commercial sector. 0nce probably local stations now broadcast the majority of programmes from Network Centres with the local nest and range of programming scaled back. But with the changes to be expected . In 1973, just before the first local commercial stations arrived, the bbc arranged for three of the biggest stars of radio at the time to make their own predictions. Nearly five decades later, we have caught up with them again to see if they were right. Last week the bbc announced the summer schedules on radios one and two, and have several steps in preparation for the arrival of local commercial radio to this country over the next few months. We were fairly accurate in terms of our predictions as to what might happen. Kid jensen flying over for the grand duchie and Johnny Walker has come over from ealing to discuss this. I recall predicting that i thought there radio future would be andl talked about the narrowcasting of broadcasting. A lot of people put down like pigeonholing of music, and use should not say this or that, but i think its right for a person who is in a particular frame of mind. One day we could even have six stations in london do you think we can arrive at the situation where you have a choice of half a dozen patients in london . Do you think thats a possibility . Do you mean like one station is r b and one station isjazz . I guess i got a little bit of that right. Do you find your choice limited, john with the kind of music programming that you. I dont choose any of the records of my programme. They are all decided by a panel of executive producers. I was allowed to suggest a record for my producers. No djs went to the meeting. I was on a playlist panel or Something Like that, but they were mistrustful of that. Like why does he want to be in these meetings for . The idea of imposing some credit playlist, or some kind of sound to target some kind of audience that you feel might be receptive to what it is you are doing is not a bad idea. So who is qualified to choose the music for the station . Nobody, the people. The people who listen to the station . Yeah, and thats the danger. The executive producers stuck in london who dont travel around and meet the people, and the advertisers to siding with the people want to hear. The problem with the commercial radio is they will always be beholden to the advertisers sponsoring or advertising on the station. And theres ways and means in the politics of ways things go that station is playing music that it does not necessarily believe in. I personally am looking forward to the advent of commercial radio, because you tend to get very stagnant. Radio one really dig take seriously the competition that was now gradually arriving from commercial radio. There are two strands of local radio, theres the bbc local stations, of course, some of which had already been up and running for a while. Bbc local radio was a completely different animal. We were trying at bbc radio leeds those days to do a local version of the today show. And you do a roundtable discussion with four counsellors talking about ring roads, or whether you can have a Rapid Transit system in leeds. It was very, very local. The other was the ilr, the independent local Radio Stations. Which often had more of an aggressive sell. Radio. I was working in the late 70s for this station called radio 210. Started by this eccentric talent spotter called neil french blake. The response was fantastic. From the, what you would call the working classes. It was so funny because the station used to close down at one oclock at night, and every now and again steve and i would go and play music in the middle of the night. And he would never be able to do stuff like that these days. To do stuff like that there was also another strand of local radio which was incredibly local component of capitals of the presenters got his first break. A Radio Station for people who are doing these fairly mundane jobs and staff turnover rate was very immense. And United Biscuits has this idea of trying to stop that turnover. They installed 500 loudspeakers injust one of their 12 factories. As the Radio Station works. And then after nine months i heard about a possible they could see where i live, which was london on Capital Radio. It is said to my friend, i said, who is the port so and so he has to take over from kenny everett, can you imagine . A month later, its me right album track, this is musical youth. I began with them about a year and a half into its life, they had money troubles and luckily our chairman was a certain sir dicky poo, as kenny used to call him. Richard attenborough. Lovely, lovely man. He was able to keep us on the air. And we have the cartridge machine over here. Courtesy of brown wolf and the flying i, good morning. It used to be a full service Radio Station because we had a bit of everything. We did the vet, the doctor, the gasman. Fletcher. I think we invented ebay. We did tradio on the morning market. The minute you played to the tradiojingle, the lines were full. If anybody had a problem we would try and help them sorted out. We all used to hate doing furry friends, but it was in the clock and you had to do it. The proposition was that we are from your area. To be honest, we all used to hate doing whats ons. Because we found it a bit nonky. We are part of your community, get engaged with us. And that message was heard loud and clear. People loved it. These were just great segments that were an appointment to listen. Which i think is perhaps lacking these days. I homed in on radio aire because i tried ringing my local Radio Station and i could never get through to the actual dj, that was always a phone operative, whereas radio aire they were not flush with cash, so they did not have many phone operators. So i always got through to the dj so i could speak to the actual person that was on. Hello, the north of the midlands calling. All my broadcasting life, you were rated as, do you work on local radio . Or do you work on National Radio . And of course if you were not on National Radio itsjust not as good as, is it . This rather kind of dismissiveness of local. He is in fact self employed and he comes from birmingham. The Breakfast Show of all things was presented by four different people on a rota. One week and every month. You cannot establish a Breakfast Show by changing the presenter every week. But they did. But you dont actually perform yourself. Do you . Yes i do. You put on records, are you a diskjockey . Applause. Tell them exactly where it is that you work for. Um, the bbc so its not commercial. Radio birmingham, i do the Breakfast Show. I thought, ive got to be on brmb. The independent radio personality is les ross. It got some break people there. It was not the days of can we have to hand this on the personalities. Bbc local radio had not amassed the same audience as commercial radio, it probably did not have the same promotion for a start. For a long time, the management, we did not know there was figures. I am well famous in birmingham. Capital radio brought the company and from then on listening figures, suddenly were much more important, you know. I understood the relevance of it all. Thenin understood the relevance of it all. Then in the 90s, for some listeners local radio started to become less local. No station now does its own programming 2a hours a day. Nowhere is the world is that happening we are not doing it in gloucestershire. Its a question of pooling resources when you are off peak. Its a question of pooling resources when you are offpeak. Radio can still be good radio no matter where the presenter is or what they are talking about. They dont have to tell you about a localjumble sale. At the kettle began change in bristol when i got involved in a Medium Weight station that morphed into classic gold as the group that owned it to cover more stations around the country. Commercially successful and popular, gw are fm has a substantial boil audience. For the great things about the group was we we re the great things about the group was we were also these pushing abounds of technology. More snap, less crackle in your pop. The first station to put in computer is play out and it was featured on tomorrows world so we can be linked four of our Radio Stations together. I phoned up and the recorded separate local forecast onto the computers for bournemouth and redding. Severe gales affecting the south coast picking a stormy night in bournemouth. And mine . Stay dry and the redding area. 0h in bournemouth. And mine . Stay dry and the redding area. Oh good, howard. Travel and competition results and even jumble howard. Travel and competition results and evenjumble sales in each town is actually controlled from the network centre. A lot of people tried to play in the technology for the loss of local nests, and the loss of full service radio, i think that is wrong. Technology was going to happen anyway, but the market change the way that people listen to the radio changed. Nice to see you down here. What was it like to be at a truly local Radio Station where there were significant changes . We got the licence, and we went on air may 19 1975. , and a very, very good morning plymouth. Today is the day ended well and truly come. We are no longer rehearsing. I removed that first day because with dozens of people walking in and out and i was just doing the show. They say when they started thisjob just doing the show. They say when they started this job you will be all alone, never had summary people in the studio and my whole life. |j rememberthe in the studio and my whole life. |j remember the local bbc said we cannot ignore you, its a very big thing and your Radio Station. They are going to broadcast you for about three or four minutes. Would you do mea three or four minutes. Would you do me a minute and dont play a commercial for the next five or seven minutes . We have looked to the revenue which we need to make our station a viable proposition. Our chairman was a guiding influence to us chairman was a guiding influence to us all. What is your advertising revenue likely to have on local newspapers . I believe that local radio wanted as a clerk at a place for itself will be seen as competent entry to the other media. What people overlooked, i think, at the time was that we were not looking to get rich. But the station did quickly become a success, thanks to if you magic ingredients. We were going to be able to from the station and express your view on the government, or the council or the local golf club. You will have a vehicle to say whatever you like within legal limits. 0n the air, and you will be heard all over plymouth and southeast cornwall. The audience figures in a city give it the highest market share of any local station in the country. At that time can we had presenters that all came from plymouth and it works because we knew what we were talking about, we knew what we were talking about, we knew what we were talking about, we knew every road. We knew most people to owned stores and fish and chip shops, and it was like a ghibli. Ian, of course, he was the naughty boy. It was an electrical storm, on the corner i cannot revenue him of it now, she said he wont advertise because nobody listens to us, so david said, right, as all presenters we wished him a happy birthday. With top line presenters and people adored him. He said happy birthday to so and so, happy 50th birthday. Next day, he comes and was inundated with your calls. Did not say it was your birthday. Said cannot believe how many people listen to Plymouth Sound and advertised. Am i going to get a call from the Radio Authority because he said too much . And he always just pulled back because he said too much . And he alwaysjust pulled back at because he said too much . And he always just pulled back at the time we we re always just pulled back at the time we were reaching for the red phone to ring up and say stop him. |j we were reaching for the red phone to ring up and say stop him. I used to ring up and say stop him. I used to get threats and things like that, and one night somebody rang my mind and one night somebody rang my mind and said be careful when you leave the building tonight. This was live on air. If youve got anything going on air. If youve got anything going on blake a car boot on air. If youve got anything going on blake a car boot sale on air. If youve got anything going on blake a car boot sale or charity events, or whatever just come on blake a car boot sale or charity events, or whateverjust come in. Wednesday at lunch time reception would be packed. It went crazy, it was like pop star stuff. There was a figure there that played their music, and elicit on the radio to it. Those days are gone. There were evenings where i would cover up the flashing lights of the phone and with the cd because i did not want to take any more calls, and then you see to take any more calls, and then you see the usage or light flashing. Go out to reception and the police are there because people have called the police to say they couldnt get through to Plymouth Sound to put a dedication on. I will always remember that. It was not like going to work, i never worked from 1975 until gw art sacked me. To work, i never worked from 1975 until gw art sacked me. The board decided to accept an offer from gw are radio to buy us. It was bottom line up, nothing to do with talent, just make this and do that. It failed. Our great philosophy meant to be for the community, with the community and about the community would have stayed. That did not stay, and it was gw are. Would have stayed. That did not stay, and it was gw are. They asset stripped and brought in trains seals that would work long shifts. He would find that people would come and that did not really have a radio background, it was more of the business background, and it would just see why the personalities around the offices and said it would be good on the radio. Talentless, not their fault. They wanted to be in radio. Rabbits a buddy from an office is taking them on the Breakfast Show without any prior presenting experience is not good. Grabbing somebody. It had become unrecognisable to those that knew in the early days. I dont think it worked. They clearly didnt because the ratings plummeted. The new Plymouth Sound on 97 fm. Choose the style that suits you best. It was a networking of the music. You were sold or, right, we got to stick to this and you would have to. Everything was piped down. This and you would have to. Everything was piped downm this and you would have to. Everything was piped down. It was the antichrist of commercial radio. The total opposite of what we believed in. After the arguments from people who want to tell the programme Radio Stations, and i heard that back in the days when i was working in radio west and then wiltshire radio. And higher these scans from new zealand or canada, and bringing these tight formats and focus test songs over the phone with a focus group and things like that. He would say it not the song again, show that only played that 37 seconds ago. People only listen to the radio for 20 minutes or half an hour, i used to listen to radio all day, but if my friendsjust hour, i used to listen to radio all day, but if my friends just elicited all day and complained to the rickets read repeat. Too few records repeating too often. We had a positioning statement we had to use we dont talk of the entry of your favourite songs. So i would say that over the intro of a song and say we dont talk over the intro of your favourite songs, and i know you are not that keen on this one so its 0k. Not that keen on this one so its ok. If pc would be there and sitting in the office, and it would be on the phone. How dare you play erasure when it should be petrol boys, with the difference . When it should be petrol boys, with the difference . Dont tell anybody but i remember going to the other side of the studio when i was playing three or four in a row and practising my golf swing. When i was at capital and the later years he would start off with four, no talking and exec lake graham said and not paying for me to sit with records. Put on whatever record it was, andl records. Put on whatever record it was, and i just records. Put on whatever record it was, and ijust disliked it so much that i immediately threw off the cans, the headphones on the desk and turned the speakers down. Ijust did not want to hear it. I got around by singing coming up after the break we got celine dion im terribly sorry. We had a computerised selector from america that comes in. It becomes a bit homogenized. People in the canteen talking about, not that song again. I have to be fair and say that the younger listener likes the music, the music that was played all day, all the time, they liked. The industry was changing just like it is today. The radio industry co nsta ntly is today. The radio industry constantly has to evolve, and around that time 88,88, constantly has to evolve, and around that time 88, 88, at 99 or 91. that was smooth operator. And then people would correct your pronunciation. We were the stiffer the music and the chance to win but ultimately we listen because we like the person who is on the air. They are the people that want you to hang out with. Are the people that want you to hang outwith. And the other people in the know but they are not so far in the know but they are not so far in the know, its the know that you live it. If that makes sense. Its very important to have a personality on radio. To justify your existence because its very easy for an eight year old to play records. Because its very easy for an eightyearold to play records. So many Radio Stations who dont allow their presenters to develop a personality and are very strict on how they present. It would say, page one come out of news, time check, read the weather. Page two, play two songs. People say to me, i have to say mention this Station Commission the time and every link ive got to commit very strict rules on how they present but very difficult to develop a personality. The power of the Radio Station brad had to go first and remember them doing it, picking up the line and throwing the cards away and doing what they would normally do. Is it radio more than a brand . I can remember, before he got into radio i was an air conditioning engineer in australia, if i was in the van with an apprentice we listen toa the van with an apprentice we listen to a rock station. Thousand event on my own i would always listen 2am talk stations. Didnt want to be on my own. Are there to here so be on the rear that is genuine, to do it on the radio and might make a mistake, might stumble over the words but my guess of the wrong but its human nature. You dont want everything polished to perfection all the time. Some local stations around the country that used to have local heritage names have been replaced by brands, so arch and capital and smooth. Think about a branch as they put a lot of money into it, so the Big Companies behind it but a Breakfast Show on with some National Stars on the hard Breakfast Show on local Radio Stations around the country. All clearly defined Radio Stations like the tab, turn the tap you know whats going to come out of that. When you put smooth radio want you know whats going to get. We seen a lot of local radio presenters lose theirjobs, its quite a sad situation around the country. When i left him when i did my last show i will never forget, going out to the car park there was a sack of listeners all their constituent last link in the car park. It was so lovely and sweet neighbourly cards and presence of things. Thatjust shows neighbourly cards and presence of things. That just shows that you connected with them which was really sweet. Local Radio Programme has received a thank you card with a difference. The card was sent following the death of an avid fan called john. Had not heard from john for a while, and it had been mentioned in the court arrives in everyone saw it with great sadness. It was completely unexpected. They had planned it that way and thanks bbc radio for all of their programmes and local interest. An x to re evaluate what you do and think, we really do something that really matters to people. There we are. Now the john morton studio. Somebody once described it to me as local radio, your first and andy last out and then you are still there when the story is going on and people returning to it year after year. The floods are really good example of that. Events have been organised by bbc radio can be conceded very handsome toby foster there. He has seen or saw first hand, some of the experiences by the people who have been effective in the flooding, how devastating was it . It was horrendous. A week of shows that there and just devastation. People are going to be out of their houses for months. Tv cameras may have gone but the reality and aftermath is still something that people live through. Thats what local radio can give you, but i dont think anybody else can do it. On the great change the radio of the last five or ten years with the democratization of that, anybody can render Radio Station now. It was an incredible launch, because it was the first time commercial radio had ever come across the bridge of corus. After decades working for both commercial and bbc radio in Cornwall Duncan Warren has launched his own station with his son. Invested heavily in technology at the start, so we dont need a staff of thousands to help run the station. 56 of need a staff of thousands to help run the station. 5696 of people in cornwall are missing here. Weve now become the main listening for us. As we grow, our output were pro and more presenters. And months of being on eric and they went on to the top, which took a carload of our listeners with us. They cannot do that, we can. This Radio Station for people who work on sites, builders, tradesmen painters and decorators that they have the much higher time spent listening that people who work in offices. Which is why the building and the trades at the profession is the only profession that has a specific radio made for them. They make radios that are for sites, the site radio. How they have 300 community Radio Stations dotted around the country and theres planned for even more of to appear. Its very much a different ball game because you are more or less reliance completely on volunteers. With focus on whats going on around us and have a lot of guests, they are trying to raise awareness for issues around the community and local artists and i think that makes it very special. The voice fm is fantastic and you look at the board behind us now, itsjust so many varied shows him a business show, a football show and theres our show, lots of different people coming together and really varied. As you can tell, im a accent and im from portugal originally. I was loose insecure and i think i might speak on air . The person said, that makes you unique, that makes them incredible. Voice gave me the opportunity to grow and be more confident about myself. Which im really grateful for. Its about bringing a community together, bringing a community together, bringing small names and a small voice out, thats what its about. The problem with Community Radio is thatis the problem with Community Radio is that is restricted in their funding. We need to be de restricted. If we are not going to have any local radio other than compute the radio we need to be de restricted. radio other than compute the radio we need to be derestricted. If we canjust go we need to be derestricted. If we can just go out there and we need to be derestricted. If we canjust go out there and earn our money and compete with the big boys in the same terms, then we would not only give them a run for their money but provide an even bigger and Better Service for this area. But provide an even bigger and Better Service for this arealj but provide an even bigger and Better Service for this area. I see any Advertising Money that we bring in as helping to support the local economy. Setting up and running like a cat radio with the team of directors is probably the hardest thing of ever done. Community radio is the new local commercial radio. The local station sold out to the big boys come the big boys are in it to make money, we are in it to make programmes. Which is exactly where we started off in the 705. Programmes. Which is exactly where we started off in the 70s. Radio was dead, long live radio. 90 of people are still consuming its various forms of the moment. Hopefully radio will always have its place in peoples lives. Its a magic medium andl peoples lives. Its a magic medium and i still think is magic. And must never be allowed to die. Do as a hobby, dont do it as a career and its almost soul destroying when you see them closed down. Now got people listening on these radios, fm radio, smart speakers, listening on their mobile phones. Thats great because radio is in more places than it has ever been. Radio is in great shape. Itsjust ever been. Radio is in great shape. Its just taken a long time to get to where it should have been regulated to be. What local radio can do that no one else can do is i can do that no one else can do is i can tell the story of where i live in. The video did not kill the radio star, we thought automation would kill the radio star, we thought network would kill, but none of it has. Great radio is still great radio, and thats what its all about. Hello there. It wasnt too bad today with plenty of sunshine around, a much better day across south east england then what we had yesterday. 0vernight, it looks like temperatures will fall under clear skies, so another cold one again with a touch of frost around. But, out west, the temperatures will be rising because weve got low pressure moving in. More cloud, stronger breeze, outbreaks of rain, some snow over the scottish mountains as well. It will be cold for most, like i mentioned, but temperatures recovering. You can see 6 7d there for belfast and plymouth. Now, for the weekend, it looks unsettled. Low pressure dominating the scene. Its going to be windy at times, and also some spells of pretty heavy rain. Now, this is a warm front which will spread across the country, introducing milder air on saturday. The winds will be coming in from the south west. Tightly packed isoba rs, so it will be windy with Gale Force Gusts around irish seacoasts through the day. Weather front bringing outbreaks of rain to northern ireland, much of scotland, particularly towards the west, and some into northwest england, and northern and western wales. It will tend to stay dry though across Eastern England with variable cloud, and it will be very mild, you will notice temperatures 11 to around 13 degrees. So thats how its looking for saturday day, through saturday night, the wet and windy weather with gusts of 40 50 mph on irish sea coasts, starts to transfer its way eastwards during the course of saturday night. Some of the heaviest rain will be across the southeast. By the end of the night, further north and west, it will turn showerey, a bit cooler over here, maybe some wintryness over the high ground. Temperatures 8 10d across the southeast. Now, on into sunday, we see the back edge of that weather front slowly pushing out into the north sea behind it, as it suggests, its a cold front, cooler air will push right across the country, so its going to turn chillier for all. Initially mild and wet, windy across the southeast and east anglia. Eventually, that will clear away, and we are into sunshine in blustery showers, heavy with hail and thunder across the west, and there will be increasing amounts of winteryness over the high ground, as it will feel cooler. Eventually, that cooler air will reach the southeast as well. As we move out of sunday into monday, we look at further areas of low pressure moving off the atlantic. 0ne spell of wet and very windy weather for monday, hot on its heels, another one for tuesday. So we could see quite a bit of rain fall over the next few days, and the winds will be a future as well, gales or even severe gales at times. So stay tuned to the forecast. Tonight at 10 00 the number of coronavirus cases in the ukjumps to 164, the biggest rise in a single day so far. Its an increase of 48 cases in 2a hours. More than 20,000 people here have now been tested. The government pledges millions of pounds to try to develop a vaccine. The Prime Minister warns of a bumpy road ahead. It looks to me like there will be a substantial period of disruption when we will have to deal with this outbreak. Meanwhile, thousands of people quarantined on a cruise ship off San Francisco have Virus Testing kits dropped by helicopter. Well be looking at how china has coped six weeks into its outbreak, and be asking how serious it could be here in the uk