In Liverpool, even the nostalgia industry is nostalgic

The Beatles Story on Albert Dock (which used to be called The Beatles Story Experience) is celebrating (if that's the word) twenty five years in business.

Probably a bitter sweet day for Radio City, who just three years before The Beatles Story opened had had to close their two million quid stab at a Beatles Museum a few steps away in Seel Street. Beatles City only lasted three years - somehow, it managed to be ahead of its time while being focused on the past.

The submarine-styled building is still there, though:

Feeling lonely? Kerrang are waiting for you

An email arrives from Peter D, bringing news of a new entrant to the overcrowded online dating scene:

This is genius. Spotty youths sat in their dark bedroom listening to My Chemical Romance, their only companion are the black walls they thought were a great idea but will be a bugger to paint over when mum and dad rent out their room. Lets introduce a dating service for these people.

Yes, it's Kerrang dating. More precisely, it's Kerrang Radio dating, so not quite the magazine readership alone (with the emphasis on alone) - which would probably consist of 500 entries in the Men Seeking Women Who Look Exactly Like Her Out Of Paramore But Not As Scary category, and nothing else.

There is something really a bit nasty about how Kerrang Dating has options for men seeking women, and women seeking men. Doesn't Kerrang have any gay listeners?

It turns out that this might just be a Bauer Radio dating site, with everyone tossed into one pot and just presented through a interface with varying logos. They try to pretend that you're joining a specific interest group, but it doesn't quite work...

Look at Radio City dating, for example:

See? You're only going to meet people from Merseyside or Cheshire, Radio City's target service area. Brilliant - no timewasting with people who live miles away, right?

Except... what's this list of new members saying?

Surprisingly, for a dating site which restricts itself to introducing you just to people in the Liverpool and Chester areas, it seems to have a lot of far-flung new members.

And tucked away in the terms and conditions, there's this:

The Service is offered through and accessible through a number of other websites in addition to the Site. By registering with the Site you acknowledge and accept that all Content that you post to the site may be searchable and available to users of the Service who access it via different web sites from the Site. You further acknowledge and accept that other members of the Service that you may view and communicate with via the Service may have registered with and accessed the Service through a number of different web sites.

So pity the poor Kerrang head, signing up in the hope that, at last, they might meet someone who understands them (and looks a bit like her out of Paramore), only to wind up being hooked up with someone who listens to Magic FM.

Heartbreaking.

Radiobit: James Klass

Genuinely sorry to hear of the death of James Klass.

The 44 year-old worked on most of Merseyside's radio stations, including Radio City, Radio Merseyside, Juice and many of the pirate radio stations which came out of Toxteth.

He died of bowel cancer on July 12th; his funeral is in the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral tomorrow.

City Talk not all about the talk

Sorry, I'm incredibly late with this story, but it's worth mentioning now anyway. Back on May 12th, Ofcom allowed Radio City's City Talk station abandon its all-talk format:

Station director, Richard Maddock said that the news was a relief:

“Ofcom’s decision is welcome news as it provides clarity. The team will now look at the business plan, review our current market situation and consider the implications of the Ofcom decision."

“On behalf of everyone at all the City stations, I’d like to thank Ofcom for their decision and also thank everyone that has supported our format change request through the 30 day public consultation period. Our commitment to quality, well-produced speech broadcasting at key parts of the day continues as before and we will continue to work hard to deliver the best talk-focused station.”

"Provides clarity"? As if the idea of an all-speech network wasn't, you know, quite clear in the first place?

The suspicion has to be that Bauer have pulled a fast one, pitching a format it knew wouldn't work (as it's already closed down City Talk once, when it was an AM station) in a bid to win the last licence; having closed down the prospect of serious competition for Radio City, it's now effectively watering down its talk station into a "speech-focused" product.

Part of the talk will be a nightly phone-in - which can be simulcast on Radio City. Two FM networks broadcasting the same thing in one city? Well done with the protecting media plurality, Ofcom.

Radiobit: Phil Easton

Very sad to hear of the sudden and unexpected death of Radio City presenter Phil Easton, yesterday.

Easton had joined City when it launched; he spent some time as controller at other stations before returning to the North West. For over a decade he stuck with City through branding and ownership changes and was currently working as breakfast host on City's talk station, City Talk.

He also worked as announcer for Liverpool at Anfield. He died following a heart attack yesterday morning.

Seed's appeal falls on stony ground

Kev Seed won't be returning to Radio City; the company has rejected his appeal against his suspension.

In other atonement for sins at Bauer, Tim Shaw no longer works at Kerrang after fixing it for a mate to win a pre-recorded competition:

Shaw, who has since moved to Absolute Radio, admitted that he had fixed the competition but told the station's owners, Bauer, that he believed he was "doing the right thing by rewarding a loyal and deserving listener", who he knew suffered from a chronic and debilitating illness and was a fan of the Rolling Stones.

Wow. While it's nice to help someone with a nasty illness, if that was what Shaw wanted to do, wouldn't it have made more sense to just give him the prize rather than invent a fixed competition? What if other loyal and deserving listeners who loved the Stones and had chronic illnesses had tried to enter?

Tim Shaw is now working for Absolute Radio - what used to be Virgin - so at least he's somewhere where there are no listeners to harm.

Seeded out: City drop drink-drive dj

Kev Seed, who has been with Radio City for over a decade, has been axed after pleading guilty to driving on the M6 while over the limit.

Seed is somewhat surprised, to say the least:

"I am in a state of total shock. After 11 years, I just did not expect this."

He's appealing against the decision.

A Galaxy of swearing

Ofcom has ticked off Galaxy in Manchester after presenter Rob Ellis got sweary against the disabled [pdf link; page 9] on-air and said:

“...I reckon every spacker in Manchester could go to Toys R
Us…meanwhile I am having to walk fucking miles with me kids in the rain...”

Of course, this is the sort of thing which can happen on live radio.

Unfortunately, the programme wasn't live; it had been pre-recorded which compounded the error. Surprisingly, though, Ofcom seems more worried about a presenter having trouble operating the recording software than the idea that people who think "spacker" is acceptable for use whether on or off air are getting access to microphones.

It didn't help that Galaxy waited a week before apologising, and then didn't bother to explain what they were sorry about.

In light of all this, Ofcom had no choice but to... erm, say it wasn't right.

Curiously, the last North Western radio presenter to inadvertently appear on air saying "fuck" - Simon O'Brien, who had the decency to resign - has resurfaced: He's joining the resurrected City Talk in the New Year.

Radio City, Clyde under threat?

Some of the strongest local radio stations in the UK could disappear if Charles Allen buys EMAP's radio portfolio, according to Scotland On Sunday.

Allen's plans are, apparently, to wipe out what individuality remains in the "Big City Network" by changing all the stations to the Heart branding owned by his Global Radio group.

Amongst the stations which would disappear are... well, as you've probably gathered from the headline, Radio City in Liverpool and Clyde 1 and 2 in Glasgow - radio brands which have over thirty years of history and a strong local identity.