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It's new, it's different and already it's lured a whole host of names that are bound to get the city talking. It's CityTalk, Merseyside's newest FM radio station, which will beam out from St John's Beacon in Liverpool come the New Year. Liverpool Confidential put some questions to the station's director, Richard Maddock. Where did this all come from then?
A few years ago the radio authority as was, that's now Ofcom, announced that there would be a new radio station for Liverpool and it was one of the few remaining FM licences that they were going to issue. Eleven companies applied for it, and we applied, as Emap, with City Talk. And the reason we went for talk is there was an obvious gap in the market.
You've had a go at this before, haven't you?Liverpool is a great big village, and what you get is a great community spirit that you don't get in a London or even Manchester. Everybody knows everybody, and everyone has an opinion on everybody
You've already got Radio City and Magic FM. So isn't music really your bag?
When we applied for a talk licence we thought the odds were stacked against us because we already had the two stations, but we wanted to put together an application that was very brave, that tapped in to what we really know about the city, and the fact that we've been broadcasting here for 33 years so we know what makes Liverpool tick. Radio City has always had strong journalistic values. It has always done documentaries, it has always done sport. So if anyone can make it work, it is, hopefully, us.
Liverpool is a great big village, and what you get is a great community spirit that you don't get in a London or even Manchester. Everybody knows everybody, and everyone has an opinion on everybody. And it's a city of extremes. There's nothing average about Liverpool. No shades of grey. Everything, just like our logo, is black and white. They are the funniest breed in the UK, but they also seem to have more tragedies than anywhere in the UK.
City Talk is not just going to be phone-ins, is it?
One of the things we are avoiding is the random phone in where one caller talks about the price of a season ticket and the next one talks about their bin being emptied. All the shows are going to be topic driven, there is going to be a lot of interaction.
So how will a day's programming work?
Each show will have a very different feel to it. We will say “the big story of the day is this. We will talk to this expert and that expert and we want your views on it. So now come and take part in the show.” In the space of the day we will make you think, make you laugh, we will probably have a good old argument with you as well and we will probably tell you some stuff that you didn't know. It is going to be entertainment based intelligent conversation. We have got serious issue shows, and politics and business shows, but then we've also got out and out comedy shows. There's nothing like it in the UK.
On or off the record, who have you got working for you?
On the record, I can tell you Pete Price will be moving onto it. Phil Easton too. We've got people like Dean Sullivan on it, and Margi Clarke, and Larry Neild will be doing the drivetime show. Brian Reade will also be doing a show for us, at the weekend, but still working at the Mirror. We have the sport and news output from Radio City and we also have some really exciting national names but I can't reveal them yet.
Interview by Angie Sammons
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Will Larry be allowed on the sofa?
Good on you Larry! I'll be your no1 listener!
Who? Larry?
No, he can only say "Sausages"
Sorry about the missing comma, Larry and Margi. As far as we know, you're not the new Richard and Judy of the Drivetime show. Fixed now (it's an interesting idea though).
Is that dog presenting the show with Larry?
"Hats off to Larry" There. Do I get a job too?
Shall I be able to receive this on my wireless? Is it that new-fangled VHF?
Blimey, one minute Larry and Margi are being compared to Richard and Judy, the next minute Richard and Judy quit! Did they jump before they were pushed? Are Larry and Margi set to succeed them? Will the dog be allowed on the sofa?
If it is aything like the flotsam and jetsum ,riff raff and sons and daughters of satan they have on for that show, Mr Price has on his wireless broadcast then god help us
Great. Looking forward to it. Will enjoy listening to Margi when I eating my cornflakes every morning. I heard her on Century when she did the Breakfast show and she was very entertaining.
Congratulations on escaping the bunker Larry. Plenty of windows in your new office. Will they allow that whippet in the lift, though