Read this: One year of Times Radio

The radiator day programme with broadcast bionics creators of The Bionic studio listening watching reacting to and learning from every spoken adcola sweet and SMS for a mix unlock and understand your content to the bionic studio transformed everything about radio except the way you make him welcome to the radio Today programme from this edition.

We're looking back at 12-months of times radio.

What's it been like for the team launching and establishing a brand new speed station specially within the constraints of the global pandemic to the back of the first 12 months of times radio the Radio Academy hosting an online event for its members and then kindly shared some of that discussion with us here radio from Egan from folder media and fun Kids he led the hour-long conversation and he started off with the program director Tim and where the station sits in the radio landscape.

Five live LBC now because there is a sort of sweet spot of a trying to occupy breakfast.

We need to have a credible breakfast show that people will see as an alternative to let program.

It's not like it's a Holly credible service its comprehensive taking the case of breakfast.

Set you up for the day with what you need to know the same time.

It is also true that we looked at where to be programmed things to take advantage of what other stations aren't it's a good example of that would be in maths show and I knew this quite well, because I was the bonnet show on that comes up quite well.

No one is doing it.

Just a comprehensive news roundup midday, and I've always thought that was a good slot so we built in and midday update.

Roundup times correspondent and it's actually what I can see a bit of online listen.

I know that's drawing and Orders there's a degree to which were thinking on one hand we got to do a credible thing at the same time as other station to doing the similar thing which is just frustrating but the other times we can go into something that's really strong when they're not doing that's ok.

I just bringing Poppy and Aisha happy for you.

You got asthma TV backgrounds.

This is going to your first major radio roll producing Matt the mid-morning show what's only made you think let's let's leave the junior media with television and come come over to radio programme that the other programs that will sort of politics.

The thing I'm already do it and actually as I said earlier quite rightly radio radio so this isn't going to go but then to give me a phone and said that I want to make that point.

I knew he wasn't you know and I just thought I know exactly what this program is going to be immediately.

I thought this is going to be so distinctive and I'm gonna be able to make and I think I think of such a character that it was very easy to see what it is that we want to do and I just thought yet.

Absolutely, when are you ever going to be allowed to Run 3 hours and Radio 4 radio listener as well, do you think it was easier to set up a new show from scratch without having a load of radio stuff in the back of your head 100% form as well to this really thought about this until quite recently, but it's really hot but really what we like and I think really like music radio.

It's always silly formats from old bits of music radio.

I think yeah we could have done it had done any amount of radio is that taken the elements of silly formats that we like to play music we talk to interesting people in between an energy which says to have a licence to be a bit silly.

Yes, but as you know this is going to work and I think it's really nice.

I think is well that lends itself to shift away from as we haven't heard it out this quiet or formatted features in there and stick out for me is when you do prime Minister's Questions you should have listened to it and then you pause a bit like a Sky Plus in Newport have a discussion and then unpause it to carry on to drift away from it being kind of life live commentary from Matt and guests.

That's really interesting different way of doing it and have you been looking out for those sort of things from while because I think I was very very few political journalists who watched B&Q every week without anything about it.

I like anybody had to write it up or then turn into a story for next day or was you know maybe program a different radio station in a meeting and we just watch it and then we talked about this is impenetrable.

Why would anybody ever listen to this Wirral nerds in this room and this can be either doll or impenetrable or just not worth the time to get to the end of it interesting that first but I thought she was really good in the football where they replay?

Look at that.

Could you do that and could you do it for politics a big risk with something that is really established.

I'm saying ok pilot this very hard and if it's rubbish.

It's not going ahead is the rules of worry that it becomes a bit too nerdy the bit to Westminster in your mind no because I think well from my background.

Obviously it is about most of all is what people care about and why do care about and basically a big fan of doing anything regional anything that gets you up to anything there's about location of something but I think Matt also has a real knack of asking very friendly very listener friendly questions to people about topics so it's not tell me minister is this.

So you did this job? What was that like and you're going to get a better and more interesting I think in a way that brings people are so I have to you know I don't think is he right or something because when we do lots of politics.

We make sure the best on politics varies.

I think that you got 3 hours and radiotoday actually you can't unless you're going to get 3 out of politics and every program actually fat.

There's lots of stuff like this from all sides on Tuesdays used to be involved in in prepping prime ministers and leaders of the opposition to answer them.

What do you think they're just stop it halfway through and chatting about it.

Just what you doing the office.

Yeah.

I mean I absolutely love it and I'm a real pmqs nerd in a book about pmq and with my ex calitime Hamilton call Punch and Judy

So, I think it works brilliantly and I really like the kind of because when I used to watch B&Q in the gallery in the sort of like benches with the advisor sit in the Press gallery.

We would a quick chat with each other saying I wonder you come back with this line or you know where is he going to go on this and you stop mapping her in your head which way the trajectory of the arguments going to go so I love it and I think poppies analogy of a football replay is absolutely spot-on, because I think you know I'm not even into football and that's what I love watching football commentating.

I think it's brilliant and I think it would be great to make politics commentating a bit more like that make it a bit more accessible replacing explain things you some of the jokes about football commentary is that everything is incredibly basic from it's a game of two hearts two if they scored more goals but sometimes you do need like a bit of a sudden Noddy's guide.

Festival so you lots broadcasting Italian radio you've got a job at the evening Standard what made you decide to give up your weekends and currently on what I think everything I do.

I just do Love review I think there's a real intimacy to let me know I really enjoyed doing TV as well, but just something can you do have more with you definitely get more space and when I heard about x radio and came in to have some conversations with with the team the thing that sort of I think Peaks my interest was the one of the things I was getting quite frustrated about and this is particularly at the end of a very long grueling 5 years covering things like the Scottish for taking part in the Scottish referendum then break let you know we become very raw and very angry we still are and I was conscious that a lot of the broadcasting around politics was this can of Fight to the death like you know you've got some.

3 minutes cool like contenders ready was sort of like political gladiators and I quite like the idea of an intelligent politics heavy station which was not based on Total conflict to get viral clip and I felt that was something that was really missing from the sort of political landscape and time the media so that's one of the reasons why I was quite a beginning when you're that was kind of pictures of times.

We do I was thinking is this too good to be true is it really going to be like this? Is it really going to have the space and absolute Jamie one of the things that Tim is very clear about the setting the tool of the station is you're not there to have a punch up with people you have to give people a fair interview and a robust interview and a challenging interview, but it's got to be something which is warm and funny and you allow people's face and I genuinely think we have stayed True To That original mission statement and I think that's why.

Why the station is actually establishment itself quite quickly in your quest audience and the people that you need time to do.

They know their politics.

They're quite sniffy, but this is about the actually really like about the station.

It's very informed is very intelligent but you're not going to have some horrible, but you punch up for the sake of it, so but is this is this to my sister to liberal dream that we have in place to be in a disgusting things properly surely all the data shows and you can talk to your colleagues down down down the way it sort radio humans culture Wars it's what gets people excited get some calling in gets the motivated to keep listening.

Is it a danger going the other way? I think that's true.

You know I think the perfect is a balance of heat and light and I think and I think that what you want.

Is you don't want the station.

Just keep but you don't also what is all like without a bit of

That's something I even the things but I do regularly recently about getting guess you've got passionate about what they want to talk about dry topic.

So I think that's right.

It's got to be but I think also it has got to be a little dream.

I think what was the listen to get in touch with their love two things in particular.

They love the fact that we give guests space to talk as you just said and apresentadores listen to what they said and and then ask questions at basement 13 start using this conversation not Confrontation peoplespace think they realise that the other thing is been like the fact that they're all sides and with bear two people on the left wing politics in there and so is it a little dream.

I think it is a dream to people of.

Political persuasion because we are listening to those political views of every colour and I'm just taking them seriously engaging with them so we get a lot of times readers get in touch with depression because you're taking my politics seriously some questions from the audience through Jeff maybe once you Aisha what's been the most memorable moment on air over the years.

Oh definitely when Joe Biden was declared the winner because I was actually interviewing a very angry Donald Trump supporter going it's who is Donald Trump still president.

I was like I'm just going to have to really sorry because I was just the kind of shop.

It was like wow this actually actually happened.

So that was definitely there was a very funny incident as well the other day when my call presenter.

It comes in and help me do the culture interview amazing drag queen who was talking about her mother and grants a god? She's had amazing.

Can't wait which she passed away while ago.

We text everyday and I don't know really really mad and replacing music and sometimes they take off and don't expect just crying in the control room because they're so funny and you just think this is this is one.

I think everybody want those you just feel that people listening and also that people are very even if you can see the full replay x radios fascinating story at Radio academy.org free to all members of the radio.

I don't forget to take a look at the other events.

They're putting you on including a session on how to win a station of the Year award with the team at Magic radio and details of the summer socials that are coming the radio Today programme which broadcast bionics.