You may not know but When Steve was a young man his dream and ambition at that time was to become a successful disc jockey. In fact his ambition became a obsession, with many hours building equipment and practising his presentation skills. The hard work paid off and Steve eventually became a professional disc jockey for nine years. During this time he worked with many of the popular bands and radio one disc jockeys of the time. Unfortunately Steve never got the opportunity to become a radio star himself!
A few years ago Steve read in the local newspaper that an organisation called the old peoples forum
needed help with the development of a new community radio station. Steve joined a small team of dedicated volunteers who set about building a studio. After several years in the planning and several months building the studio, a new community radio station was born.
The penwith radio team
So after all those years, his dream did come true. Steve was asked to present the very first programme to be aired on Penwith Radio, which broadcasted on the internet. It did not take much persuading for him to take over a regular weekly slot. He now produces and presents his own breakfast show on fridays, 8:00 – 10:00am which he somehow fits in during his busy weekly shedual.
www.penwithradio.co.uk
Station hailed for ‘Olympic’ coverage
Olympic Torch
Community radio stations in the Duchy joined forces with live coverage of the Olympic Torch relay
A Penzance-based community radio station has been inundated with praise for its coverage of the Olympic torch relay.
Penwith Radio featured continuous live reports of Saturday’s event with correspondents stationed at key locations around the district, capturing the spirit of the day and interviewing spectators and participants.
Presenter Steve West literally provided running commentary as he impressively jogged alongside torchbearers throughout the Marazion stretch of the relay. At one point he realised he was being filmed by a BBC News crew, but took it all in his stride. “I was just doing my part for listeners who couldn’t make it out to watch,” he said.
Broadcaster Martin Holland, who anchored the programme from the Penwith Radio studio at the Wharfside Shopping Centre, said he was proud of the efforts of the Penwith Radio team. “When this station was conceived, one of its goals was to reach isolated listeners and really make them feel like part of the community,” he said.
“I really feel that we achieved that on Saturday, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the extraordinarily talented group of volunteers we are lucky enough to have here at the station.”
Mr Holland was aided in the field by station members Sally Peterson, Gabriel Lucas Green, Jules Rowe, Ade Keast, Lois Wild, Caroline Driver, Adam Bloom, Alan Jones, Sherri Lynn, Pat Quayle and Dave Pascoe. Interviewees included Will Coleman from Kernowcopia who performed at Land’s End at the start of the day and three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, who kicked off the relay.
Penwith Radio’s efforts did not go unnoticed. “The moment the programme finished, we started to receive e-mails, Facebook messages and phone calls of thanks and congratulations from listeners and fellow broadcasters,” said Mr Holland.
“We even had some Cornish ex-pats in the US, Australia and Latin America who were listening and thrilled to be able to share in the event via the Internet.”
The broadcast also marked the first time a live special produced by the organisation could be heard on FM as well as the Internet, due to a temporary link-up with fellow community stations Source FM, from Falmouth and Penryn, and Radio St Austell Bay.
Station manager Dave Pascoe said: “Penwith Radio is all about community, so I think it is very fitting that our first ‘on air’ special was dedicated to an event that all of Penwith was excited about. The team here is made up of volunteers, and for them to have performed so well with the challenge of covering a fast-paced live event is truly an ‘Olympic’ achievement.”
Mr Pascoe thanked colleagues Nick Dent from Source FM and Pete Gibbons from Radio St Austell Bay for their involvement. “It was a pleasure to work with two Cornish stations which share our passion for quality programming,” he said.
This month Penwith Radio was granted an FM licence by Ofcom and hopes to begin broadcasting on FM in 2013. It can currently be heard via www.penwithradio.co.uk
Contact Steve: Treatment Room: 01736 – 752217 Mobile: 077 37 57 27 37
