One of the real bonuses to come out of my new networking experiences is to have gotten involved with a community internet radio station which also cleverly does networking along with it. As you might imagine a lot of the businesses who are members at the networking events either present shows or turn up as guests. The producer in me says this is a wonderful and very canny idea to fill airtime and it’s a win win for everyone.
I know I’ve mentioned my soft spot for Redshift radio before, as community radio is where I started out on my route into radio and television. I’m sure I would still ended up working for a TV company in London but my journey would have been very different. At the local community radio station, I started out at straight out of college and was able to quietly cut my teeth, make my mistakes – and gosh there were many – it was a steep learning curve at times, build my confidence and leave there certain I could conquer the broadcasting world!
The passion for community radio and what it represents was instilled in me at that radio station; involving all areas of our community as voluntary staff, and as guests, on the radio station. A real ticking heart that cares about you and the people around you. Now Redshift is there flying the flag for the area, creating a loyal listenership and truly serving the community as it’s run by two people who are passionate.
So why am I unashamedly talking about a radio station about which you know little? Well, one because it’s possible for you to access it wherever you are in world as its internet based, simply google Redshift Radio, being very careful to spell Redshift correctly, I dread to think what might come up if you miss out the f! Secondly because I’ve been given the chance to get my hands dirty, and lend some of my experience to the department that I set up in my community radio station; the sports department.
I’ve not come across a community radio station since the one I was involved with that has a real commitment to covering sports, and the beauty of being a minority station is that you get to cover the minority sports too. The ones the bigger radio stations aren’t interested in and probably don’t even know exist. So these last couple of weeks have set my imagination racing, thinking about what the content could be and how to give the radio station the best I can of my skills without doing the job full time.
Excitingly, tonight is recruitment night, and I’m so looking forward to see who comes along and to feeling their passion. Voluntary stations like this always struggle to keep staff interested and committed to staying, when not all jobs are as glamorous as might be imagined, I know I did; so passion is everything. My role at the station is going to be in training and simply being a guiding hand. Do you know though it is so good to get back into broadcasting again.
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Living in the beautiful rural county of Yorkshire it was perhaps natural for Ruth to have an affinity with the countryside and its wildlife. Creativity is Ruth’s driving force finding an outlet in television & radio she worked for many years as producer for BBC & ITV.
However a love of photography and for being surrounded by nature called her to go back to her photography training and bring pleasure and joy to people through her connection with our planet.
Staying in the moment when taking her images allows her to experience the natural magnificence unfolding before her eyes. It is this moment of mediation, of gratitude, that she evocatively conveys through her images.