Three Radio Stations In One Day
A pre-dawn drive to Inverness airport this moring to catch the seven o'clock flight to Gatwick. They make you check in an hour before take-off so that you're tempted to gorge yourself on bacon butties and buy useless trinkets from the souvenir shop. Or is that just me?
At half past nine I was in Oxford Street killing time before my series of meetings at or near Broadcasting House. My first meeting was actually at Western House, the home of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 2 where I had an appointment with the station Controller Bob Shennan. They make you pass a little initiative test at Western House. You press the button for the lift and, sure enough, your hear the usual ping and the sound of elevator doors opening. But not the ones you're standing in front of. Eventually you notice an illuminated arrow directing you to an alcove a few paces to the right, but by the time you figure that out the secret lift has closed its doors and its hurtling to the top floor.
I confess it took me three goes before I got the timing right on that.
After seeing Bob I walked over the Broadcasting House to see Mary Kalemkerian at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 7. She gave me a guided tour of her offfices and studios and introduced me to her small but jolly team. I do envy her for having a team that fits into one office. No need to travel around the country week after week to communicate schedule changes. She can simply stand at one end of the room and tell everyone her plans. Bliss.
Later I took a few steps out of Radio 7, crossed a marked threshold on the carpet and found myself in the land of Radio 4 for a meeting with Controller Mark Damazer and his commissioning team. That was one of those big scary meetings with lots of analysts and editors and even a PowerPoint presentation. Old School ´óÏó´«Ã½, really
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A useful day, though, and my firtst trip to the Great Metropolis in many months. I got back to Inverness at nine o'clock tonight thinking that London is nice place to visit, but not at the height of the Christmas shopping season.
And isn't it odd the things some of those folk down there want to advertise?
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