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Supporting Content

• Jonathan Raisin & Phillip Jeck - 40 Times - Light Night

  Jonathan Raisin & Phillip Jeck in concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic - Light Night

  Duration: 27:17

• Beats for Ringo

  Local Musicians Produce Music Inspired By The Nation's Favourite Beatles' Drummer

  Duration: 48:23

• Composer Steve Reich in conversation with Roger Hill

  America’s most famous living composer Steve Reich in conversation with Roger Hill

  Duration: 17:59

• The In Situ recording, specially produced to listen to as you walk around the City of Liverpool

  In Situ was produced to listen to as you walk around the City of Liverpool

  Duration: 1:14:39
  See all clips

• About the programme

  Roger Hill presents ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Merseyside's alternative music show The Popular Music Show every fortnight on a Friday at 9pm.

  Roger was invited to take over the weekly "rock" programme on Radio Merseyside in 1982. He's never looked back.

  It's the longest-running alternative music show on UK local radio and a point of pride for him to have kept it going through all sorts of changes, of name, of broadcast time, station policy, and musical style.

  In 1982 the alternative music was punk or new wave, and over the years Roger has added a huge range of alternative styles to his playlist:- world music, reggae, dance, new rock, post-rock, folk, roots, electronica, experimental, and the more unusual forms of classical music. In fact, it probably features the widest range of music of any programme on British Radio. Get the Weekly Playlist here.

  In addition to these styles of music, a regular dose of retrospect and re-issues fill out Roger's late-night adventures on the airwaves.

  Of course PMS also attempts to do justice to the local music scene, when it fits with their eclectic music policy, and their recent series of live acoustic sessions captured the cream of the latest wave of Liverpool and Merseyside bands.

  "It's mainly music on the programme" says Roger "apart from the odd competition (always very popular -such good prizes!) and a weekly Gig Guide. The listeners wouldn't have it any other way - the programme is their passport to the latest sounds and the more they can hear the better."

  Roger would like to be in an earlier time-slot of course (for the listeners), but with day-jobs including lecturing, educational research, theatre and drama work, and Performance Art adventures at the Bluecoat Art Centre, his time is pretty much taken up.

  Until then, Roger will continue with the now-decades-old mission of bringing the best and most eclectic new sounds to a discerning Merseyside Public: "I often receive messages from people who say, I listened to your programme when I was a student/at school/living in the area and it helped form my musical taste…. Well, we're out there still and we do still form people's taste. PMS - Pretty Much Sorted, mate!"