It seems to have been prompted from the "Straight to Air" when last night's seemed to comprise just one person playing different music. I suspect he'll reduce that to maybe one night a week
I believe we currently have so much straight-to-air at the moment because, in the early days when there aren't many listeners, it was hoped that they would get more calls if it was straight-to-air. Past experience on LBC and Absolute showed that Triple M usually meant jammed telephone lines. However, apart from the three hour Triple M show on Sunday nights on LBC, straight-to-air usually lasted between 15 and 30 minutes on LBC and Absolute.
At the beginning, he sort of announced that Fridays would be the "Rabbit Hole" which would effectively be the new name for "Triple M". But because of the lack of calls, one hour of straight-to-air ended up being in force each day. If calls dry up in the second hour, sometimes straight-to-air starts early.
I see straight-to-air as like chocolate. Chocolate is very nice but if you eat too much you will get sick. So it is best used as a treat from time to time. If calls were plentiful then I would certainly expect straight-to-air to be a lot more restricted but at the moment it is a bit tricky to know what to do. He's mentioned a few times that straight-to-air for a whole hour would end at some point, but that time hasn't yet arrived.
I suspect Iain is suffering from talkRADIO still not having the widest listenership, so the show is still more likely to be steered by 'hardcore' regulars. I think that's fine to a point, but I go back to what I said earlier, that it could be in danger of tipping over into sounding like a private show for a clique, without new blood at some point.
Iain is well aware of the issues of having the same callers on every night as he mentioned that last night, but when callers are so few, there is little choice.
He is doing a new callers only show tonight, though.
Iain is well aware of the issues of having the same callers on every night as he mentioned that last night, but when callers are so few, there is little choice.
He is doing a new callers only show tonight, though.
Oh, I entirely agree. I was just thinking of possible ways to encourage more callers, such as the Danny Baker-style topics, perhaps.
New callers only tonight, eh? Who knows... maybe I might bite the bullet (but I get SOOO nervous about these things).
I think Kath summed up Iain's worries nicely last night:
1. You are over-thinking it.
2. You forget how good you are.
Yes, callers may be a bit thinner on the ground than in the LBC heyday, but so what?
I would quite happily listen to Iain and Kath having a natter, going over the papers or whatever, then there are the interviews, they are always an interesting listen. Plenty going on to fill the gaps between the fruitcake callers.
I've probably said it before, but Iain on a 'bad day' is 10x better than most presenters at their best.
I know it's only by the grace of Iain and his iPhone that we Periscopers see the show in the first place, and isn't a part of the station policy, but it really spoils it for me that the wifi connection is so bad. Recently it's been bad enough for me to leave and even though I tune in on the radio, it isn't half as good as communicating with the other losers. I hope Talk think about getting a proper studio webcam!
"This is Iain Lee on Sky News Radio. This hour we'll be talking about Brexit and the Tory leadership race. "
I think you have hit the nail on the head, i hope what i'm about to say doesn't come true but i have a feeling Iain won't be here long. As soon as i saw the headline about news corp taking over my immediate thought was give it a year and that will be Iain gone.
I imagine TalkRADIO will become LBC V2, rolling news pretty much.
I think you have hit the nail on the head, i hope what i'm about to say doesn't come true but i have a feeling Iain won't be here long. As soon as i saw the headline about news corp taking over my immediate thought was give it a year and that will be Iain gone.
I imagine TalkRADIO will become LBC V2, rolling news pretty much.
Iain would probably see out his contract so he can pay the mortgage. He's got a watertight 2 year contract so it would cost them quite a bit to pay him off, so presumably they would keep him on the air for at least another year. But would they want to impose a format during that time? He can do straight news. He did it for 4 years, although Iain stretched the format to the limit. But it would be a great shame.
Iain would probably see out his contract so he can pay the mortgage. He's got a watertight 2 year contract so it would cost them quite a bit to pay him off, so presumably they would keep him on the air for at least another year. But would they want to impose a format during that time? He can do straight news. He did it for 4 years, although Iain stretched the format to the limit. But it would be a great shame.
I seem to remember Simon Bates got a 12 month paid holiday when Talk Radio UK let him go while he sat out his contract
Ideally (for the station) the DJ resigns from the station
Iain has generally introduced topics at the start of the show on each station he's been on, and he has been doing that on talkRADIO too. However he recently said that people didn't phone in about them.
He is now kind of doing what Clive Bull did on LBC before the station was trashed by Globotech in 2007, with the "first caller of the night". The idea is that the listener is more likely to come up with an interesting topic than the presenter. Clive used to play a bit of music at the beginning of the show, inviting people to be first caller of the night and the first caller would be on at the end of the music. Although Clive insisted you had to have something to say. Here's a clip from 2007:
Oh, that clip , Radamfi.. memories! That intro, for me, was like a trigger to have something to say, yes, but it didn't have to be anything that really mattered!
I partly agree with Makeba a topic teaser may work for Iain. Just as long as it isn't dull.
I'm listening to the show more.
I called a month or so ago, I honestly don't remember about what, but it was more to touch base again .
I love that the kind of radio I love is being delivered again.
Iain has evolved and seems more 'real' now. I guess because we have more of an insight into his personal battles.
I agree that he shouldn't overthink it.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I haven't got a problem with that.
It's actually what makes it so engaging.
Jessica, who used to phone Iain, Nick Abbot and especially Clive Bull regularly on the old version of LBC called in last night for the first time on talkRADIO. They had a lengthy call about films and then gave an appraisal of the show so far. Iain sounded very happy to hear from her after all that time. She told him that she didn't like the Absolute show because of the music so only called once there. I used to have regular conversations with her back in the day as she frequented DS a lot in the old LBC days so I suspected that this show would suit her down to the ground and it would be only a matter of time before we heard her.
That was nearly 2 months ago and calls are still a bit thin on the ground so you are needed more than ever!
talkRADIO is a strange station. A bit like being invited to a party and you haven't a clue who anyone is or why you were invited in the first place. ;-)
Comments
I believe we currently have so much straight-to-air at the moment because, in the early days when there aren't many listeners, it was hoped that they would get more calls if it was straight-to-air. Past experience on LBC and Absolute showed that Triple M usually meant jammed telephone lines. However, apart from the three hour Triple M show on Sunday nights on LBC, straight-to-air usually lasted between 15 and 30 minutes on LBC and Absolute.
At the beginning, he sort of announced that Fridays would be the "Rabbit Hole" which would effectively be the new name for "Triple M". But because of the lack of calls, one hour of straight-to-air ended up being in force each day. If calls dry up in the second hour, sometimes straight-to-air starts early.
I see straight-to-air as like chocolate. Chocolate is very nice but if you eat too much you will get sick. So it is best used as a treat from time to time. If calls were plentiful then I would certainly expect straight-to-air to be a lot more restricted but at the moment it is a bit tricky to know what to do. He's mentioned a few times that straight-to-air for a whole hour would end at some point, but that time hasn't yet arrived.
Iain is well aware of the issues of having the same callers on every night as he mentioned that last night, but when callers are so few, there is little choice.
He is doing a new callers only show tonight, though.
Oh, I entirely agree. I was just thinking of possible ways to encourage more callers, such as the Danny Baker-style topics, perhaps.
New callers only tonight, eh? Who knows... maybe I might bite the bullet (but I get SOOO nervous about these things).
1. You are over-thinking it.
2. You forget how good you are.
Yes, callers may be a bit thinner on the ground than in the LBC heyday, but so what?
I would quite happily listen to Iain and Kath having a natter, going over the papers or whatever, then there are the interviews, they are always an interesting listen. Plenty going on to fill the gaps between the fruitcake callers.
I've probably said it before, but Iain on a 'bad day' is 10x better than most presenters at their best.
Yes, just after 11 he clarified that there will be no straight-to-air for the month of July starting next week, although that is not set in stone.
Let's see what Sky think, once they start to make their presence felt in around a year from now (just like when Global acquired Chrysalis/LBC).
"This is Iain Lee on Sky News Radio. This hour we'll be talking about Brexit and the Tory leadership race. "
Not impossible. It happened a decade before elsewhere...
I think you have hit the nail on the head, i hope what i'm about to say doesn't come true but i have a feeling Iain won't be here long. As soon as i saw the headline about news corp taking over my immediate thought was give it a year and that will be Iain gone.
I imagine TalkRADIO will become LBC V2, rolling news pretty much.
Iain would probably see out his contract so he can pay the mortgage. He's got a watertight 2 year contract so it would cost them quite a bit to pay him off, so presumably they would keep him on the air for at least another year. But would they want to impose a format during that time? He can do straight news. He did it for 4 years, although Iain stretched the format to the limit. But it would be a great shame.
Edit: just found the story on radio today website.
I seem to remember Simon Bates got a 12 month paid holiday when Talk Radio UK let him go while he sat out his contract
Ideally (for the station) the DJ resigns from the station
Oh, that clip , Radamfi.. memories! That intro, for me, was like a trigger to have something to say, yes, but it didn't have to be anything that really mattered!
I partly agree with Makeba a topic teaser may work for Iain. Just as long as it isn't dull.
I'm listening to the show more.
I called a month or so ago, I honestly don't remember about what, but it was more to touch base again .
I love that the kind of radio I love is being delivered again.
Iain has evolved and seems more 'real' now. I guess because we have more of an insight into his personal battles.
I agree that he shouldn't overthink it.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I haven't got a problem with that.
It's actually what makes it so engaging.
Edit: Trying to spell Makeba's name correctly.
Obviously thats just Iain dicking about but you never know.
Having said that, not everything Murdoch owns is "Sky" is it? The Sun isn't "The Sky". Its a terrible terrible rag, but thats by the by.
This is what I wrote on here when you phoned up:
That was nearly 2 months ago and calls are still a bit thin on the ground so you are needed more than ever!
Go on, dial 0844 4991000 !
He mentioned "Sky News Talk Radio" straight away after Hobo at 10 o'clock.
Skynet.
https://twitter.com/lentini/status/749184260247056384
Matthew Stevenson is still doing them.
I will listen live one day next week and call.
I saw on twitter the he is having a private investigator on soon.
Maybe that night