Talkback

Chris England with your letters, comments and questions

Write to: Talkback, TX Radio Today, BCM Box 225, London, WC1N 3XX. Or dictate your letter on 01 400 8282.

We pay £10 or the star letter.

Hello! We've had a huge number of letters since the last issue, so obviously we can't print them all. But here's my pick of the best. Don't forget we pay £10 or the most original or interesting letter reprinted in each issue. So get writing!

Tip for the Top

Dear TX,

I just bought a copy of TX and it says that TKO are number 10 in the chart. We listen to them all the time, so how can they be number 10 and Starpoint, that stupid station that are never on (we call them Sorepoint up here), be number 4? Next time we want to see TKO at a higher position. They're the best station in London.

Anonymous. Ealing.

See what happens when you forget to vote in the TX Radio Today polls? Next time don't get SORE, TK Out your ballPOINT and just vote FOUR it.

On-Garde

Dear TX,

Congratulations on your new format and improved layout. NeTWork 21 THE TV is not erratic, it has been off since September, but a comeback is planned though the date hasn't been fixed. NeTWork 21 THE RADIO is on Friday and Saturday from 8PM till 5AM, LONDONWIDE and not just South London (50W is enough to cover the whole of London as listeners letters confirm).

We feel a bit uneasy at being qualified 'Avant Garde' (a military term used in French strategic textbooks to describe a scouting party that goes ahead of the main military force, initiates a skirmish, but does not take a decisive role in battle). We do play all known types of music and sounds, and we do a lot of work with independent record companies & music groups.

NTW 21. London W1.

Well, NTW 21, as you can imagine it's very difficult trying to sum up each station mentioned within TX Radio Today in just one or two words. Maybe you could suggest an alternative, but you might be interested in what the New Collins Concise English Dictionary says of Avant-Garde: "(noun:) those artists, writers, musicians, etc., whose techniques and ideas are in advance of those generally accepted. (adjective:) of such artists, etc., their ideas or techniques. Quite complimentary, I'd have thought!

Hospital Hopeful

Dear TX,

I picked up your magazine in the Virgin Megastore and was very impressed... Why don't you have articles about how to get into broadcasting in the first place?

I've been in Hospital Radio as a disc jockey or over 5 years now, and I'm getting quite despondent waiting to be discovered. Other deejays have joined the station and within six months have found jobs on BBC and ILR stations. I used to hope someone from Capital would be a patient in the hospital, and would give me a break, but it just hasn't happened.

I take great pride in my programmes, planning and timing each one before going on the air. Others on the station tell me I sound okay, so where am I going wrong?

Rick Breslin. Walthamstow, E17.

Rick, you really are fooling yourself if you think you can just sit in hospital radio waiting to be discovered. Getting into 'real' radio is a combination of luck, risk taking, crawling and who you know. But furthering your career is entirely up to you. You could try joining a pirate station. Most are easy to get into. But unless you are already playing live gigs and are well respected within the Black Music Scene you won't progress. And of course you run the risk of being prosecuted.

Whatever you do Rick, the most important tool a budding megastar can have is his audition tape. We are compiling information on audition tapes for a leaflet or series for the future. A word of warning though: even armed with the greatest audition tape you still need to push yourself before you're 'discovered'.

Anyway Rick, I've decided that yours is the Star Letter and £10 is on its way to help pay or your audition tape.

Free Radio Pirates

Dear TX

I must congratulate you on this latest issue... it is first class and is now much more like a proper magazine. One small criticism though is that several writers still keep on referring to 'Pirate' radio... the very word makes my blood boil!

I wish you would educate your staff to use the words 'unlicensed radio' or 'free radio'. It is the Government who have PIRATED the airwaves or their own ends. The present unlicensed activity is a direct 1970s / 80s parallel to the unlicensed printing activities of Oliver Cromwell's day, when printing houses had to be licensed. At that time broadsheets and books were the means of mass communication.

This whole free radio subject is far, far more wide reaching than just some 'anorak' bombarding the airwaves from his home made transmitter. It's roots are political!

Neal West, West Midlands

Back to my trusty dictionary: "Pirate... 3. a person who uses or appropriates literary, artistic or other work of someone else illicitly. 4. (a) a person or group of people who broadcast illegally. (b) (as modifier): a pirate radio station...".

True, the free radio issue is a highly political one, but in this country 99% of illegal broadcasters do it for fun and / or money. They couldn't give a damn about the wider issues. I think 'pirates' is a kind of romantic name to give them. But, anyone else disagree?

Prolific Profiles

Dear TX

I'm only about halfway through the new larger than life TX and I have to say that so far it's very good. I'm pleased to see that you have cast your net to include stations countrywide now, a positive move. I liked the ProFile section, although at first read it wasn't easy to see where Mix Master Mac's ended and DJC's began... And are we really stupid because we had the misfortune to miss Radio Duck's Christmas and New Year specials? I don't think so... I look forward to TX14 and I haven't even finished TXl3 yet!

Paul Coates, Hull.

To tell you the truth, Paul, I thought it was all just one ProFile of some geezer called 'Mix Master Mac DJC' 'till I read your letter. And I work for this mag. Hmm, I'll get a woman to bite the editor's head off about it, okay? And don't worry Paul, I missed Radio Duck over Christmas, too. But, then I AM stupid...

D'You Wot John?

Dear TX

Johnnie Walker was mentioned twice in our last issue. Before he started doing the Stereo Sequence on Radio One (Saturdays 2:00PM to 7:30PM), I heard other DJs on Caroline talking about him as though he were some kind of hero. I've never heard him before but I must admit that he's very good. Maybe you could do feature on his background?

C.S. Rochester, Kent.

We try to keep our ProFile section or deejays working on pirate, oops, sorry I meant free radio stations, but let me quickly fill you in with what I know about Johnny Walker.

He started back in the mid-60s on the brilliant offshore pirate Swinging Radio England, then went to Caroline. Here he became famous for throwing the playlist away, forgetting to play adverts and instead pioneering original soul music. His was the first voice on Caroline at Midnight, August 14 / 15th 1967 when the Marine Offences Act became law. He recorded a legendary voice-over about Caroline sailing up the Thames called 'Man's Fight for Freedom' (I'd love a copy if anyone's got one!). Some while after Caroline closed in 1968 he joined Radio One. Here he did things like playing pirate themes to mark anniversaries, and built up a massive following or a daily mid-morning show. (He once sent my Mummy lowers when she was on a fortune-telling feature he used to run.)

He campaigned to get the BBC to make Radio One a separate working unit, instead of being part of the (then) faceless BBC. During the late 70s he left, but turned up some years later during a public relations exercise pre-launching the return of Caroline in the 80s. This was a damp squib, but he got a job on Radio West (the ILR station in Bristol). Then, a few months ago he was back on Radio One.

I personally get fed up when old has-beens like Mike Smith are brought out of the cupboard and dusted down. But Johnnie Walker is an exception to this rule. Like Tony Blackburn, his style has moved with the times.

Well, those are my views of course. Let us know what YOU think. And, don't forget there's £10 for the best letter.

The Chart

Most Raided Stations

London Greek Radio.
LWR
Kiss FM
Starpoint Radio
TKO

Least Raided Stations

Radio Gemini
Radio Memphis
Radio Gemma
DBC
Network 21

For the next issue of TX we want your votes for your FAVOURITE RADIO ADVERT of 1986-87. Just pick up the phone and call 01 400 8282 with your vote.