One of the best things about living in Cheltenham is that it means I’m within reach of the many festivals in the area, such as the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
Living here has given me my first opportunity to experience the two festivals. In October, I enjoyed a day at the Lit Fest where I saw Ranulph Fiennes and Peter Sissons.
This week is the Jazz Festival in Cheltenham. Tone Radio, the University of Gloucestershire’s student radio station, is the official broadcaster of the Jazz Festival and is running an RSL over the weekend called Jazztown 87,7 FM.
For 5 days Tone Radio’s presenters are based in a portacabin on the Jazz Festival site in Montpellier Gardens and presenting a range of shows all about the jazz festival.
I was on air earlier this afternoon along with fellow Radio Production student Robin Smith, and we’ll both be back tomorrow evening, 5pm to 8pm. As this is my first year doing Jazztown I didn’t know what to expect at all and wasn’t very prepared at all.
However now I’ve done my first broadcast I know what I need to do for tomorrow’s show. I’m currently choosing a few pieces of music which I think are particularly relevant to this year’s Jazz Fest to play tomorrow.
Also tomorrow I’ll be doing a shift as a member of the edit team; as audio from the festival comes in, it’ll be my job (for a couple of hours at least) to prepare it for broadcast.
In the evening I’ve got tickets to one of the Jazz Festival events. I’m going to see Friday Night is Music Night – a celebration of Ray Charles’ music with vocalists Gregory Porter, Madeline Bell and James Tormé, the Guy Barker Big Band and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Its being broadcast live on Radio 2! (Radio 2 listeners will of course know FNIMN as the main Friday evening show on the station). It starts at 8pm, and I’m looking forward to it.
Now to finish planning my show for tomorrow.
FH.
