Late Night Radio Listening and Phone Ins

Local radio, particularly ILR, in the 1970's and 1980's was noted for its late night programming - in particular the 'phone-in' programme, the 'open line' social advice line, and the 'love songs' programmes.

Today the 'phone-in' format, pioneered by local radio, has almost disappeared from ILR. BBC Local Radio still has plenty to offer, while ILR seems to be more dominated dominated by the love-songs format. Late night phone-in and talk programmes can now be heard more generally on BBC Radio Five Live and Talk Sport.

Enjoyable local programmes from the 80's have been Allan Beswick on Red Rose Radio (Now Rock FM and Magic 999), James Whale on Radio Aire, especially when the show was simucast on ITV television. Nick Meanwell on BRMB was always a treat, as was the BRMB Sunday night 'Open Line' programme, hosted by John Austen and Michael Hartley. On Mercia Sound in Coventry the Sunday 'Night Express' with Andy Lloyd with his Lateral Thinking Competition was always a must listen show. In the early 1990's Ian Perry's Late Night Line 'phone-in' was another great show. LBC in London always had very interesting programmes on the air at night - who could forget Jeremy Beadle on LBC with his daft quizzes and mad cap antics. Jeremy made a brief radio comeback in the 80's when he hosted 'Beadle's Brainbusters' which was networked around the UK on a number of ILR radio stations. Beadle's Brainbusters was a great programme that only Jeremy could make, but unfortunately too few ILR stations took the satellite delivered programme for it to be a success and it left the air.

Also in the late 1980's 'The Super Station' was a service backed by the then Yorkshire Radio Network (Viking, Pennine, Hallam etc) and Transworld Radio (Red Rose Radio, Piccadilly Radio etc) and provided an overnight 'sustaining service' to Independent Radio. Big names hosted the programmes such as Johnnie Walker, Bob Harris, Diana Luke, Chris Evans and Jonathan Ross. No London radio stations took 'The Super Station' and so advertising was lower than expected. Big names left to be replaced by others such as NJ Williams and Phil Kennedy. The Super Sation left the air in the early 1990's.

Here's how ILR looked in 1986:

Radio is an intimate and personal medium. The companionship it offers can accompany the listener almost anywhere ... within the home, on the road, at a place of work. But nowhere does the'one-to-one' relationship between radio presenter and audience come more into its own than late at night.

James Whale on Radio Aire in Yorkshire
The late-night presenter, signs autographs for an enthusiastic group of fans
(Now On Talk Sport)

The spoken word takes on a special role, especially for those who may feel isolated or lonely. James Whale has nearly ten years experience in conducting late-night phone-ins, at Metro Radio in Tyne & Wear, and more recently at Radio Aire in Leeds. James has been best man at no fewer than five weddings between listeners who have been put in contact as a result of the show. He aims to involve listeners, without becoming strident or aggressive: 'It's the sort of conversation you'd hear in a pub or club'.

A dramatic incident arose when a listener rang into lames Whale's programme on Radio Aire, with an evidently genuine intention of committing suicide. The radio presenter kept the caller talking for half-an-hour, while police tracked her down. The drama ended as listeners heard the sound of a door being broken down, and a police officer talking over the telephone to say 'it's all OK now - we 1 ve got her'. The caller later recovered in hospital.

Allan Beswick on Red Rose Radio - Lancashire
Local Radio Personality of the Year at the Sony Radio Awards 1985
(Now on BBC GMR)

Dressed for the occasion, Brian Measures
presents 'The Plymouth Sound of Love' on
Plymouth Sound and later Plymouth Sound AM

A similar programme is presented for Red Rose Radio in Preston by Allan Beswick, who was judged 'Local Radio Personality of the Year 'in the 1985 Sony Radio Awards. Like James Whale, his style may charm or enrage listeners - but usually succeeds in attracting their attention. Topics range from cruelty to animals to more complex questions of theology. But 'fools' are not suffered gladly, nor those felt to be wasting air-time.

Music and entertainment can also form a vital part of late-night listening. Brian Measures has been presenting The Plymouth Sound of Love since October 1975. The programme provides, for five nights a week, relaxed companionship and some softer, 'sexier' musical sounds. The station claims for the programme the highest latenight audience rating in independent Radio, with a remarkable level of appeal to all sections of the local population. One fortuitous story recounted by Brian Measures resulted from a dedication for a grandmother, from her family. Coincidentally, the next record was New World in the Morning. The studio telephone rang to say that the family had been listening, while helping the old lady to pack her things for moving home next day.

Dan Damon of LBC's Nightline programme

Simon Potter on Hereward Radio in
Peterborough and Northampton

After an hour devoted to entertainment and arts coverage, Hereward Radio's late-show embarks on another addictive format - the quiz game. Simon Potter's Pick Your Poison 'involves six rounds per night, each with three phone-in contestants amounting to nearly 5,000 calls a year. The success of the game is attributed to the engaging obscurity of questions such as 'How many spiders live in an average acre of grassland?'. Potter is gratified by the high level of informal response from listeners, with dedications received on a brandy bottle, gloves and even on a pomegranate. His only complaint is that 'Working antisocial hours means being paid more in most industries ... in radio it means the opposite!'.

Alan Robson MBE of Metro FM in 1994

During the 1990's, and through until today, Alan Robson has hosted a late night phone-in show on Metro FM in Tyne and Wear. For those who never had the treat of hearing his show, Alan Robson's programme was more in the style of James Whale and Allan Beswick than Brian Measures. When I listened in the 1990's, Alan's late night show on Metro FM always featured intelligent debate though listeners never seemed to win an argument with Alan!

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