Andrew Jackson - Cyflwynydd Gwrywaidd Gorau yn y Gwobrau Radio Myfyrwyr
Presenting a show on Radio 1 was part of the prize for the award and Andrew also spent the week on work experience with Colin Murray as part of a Radio 1 master-class.
On presenting the show, Andrew said.......
"It's pretty daunting knowing I'm talking to the whole nation and not just eight square miles of Manchester, but I reckon by the time I've done a few days with Colin Murray, Dan and I will just be able to enjoy ourselves. It's going to be really good fun."
Here's what Andrew told us when he won his award......
I am a third year Manchester University student studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE). I know, its not a degree which you can imagine being the background for many radio DJs, but I think it's a misconception that you have to be an ‘arty-type' to be involved in radio. I present on Fuse FM which is the university's radio station and what many of the team and I share is a passion for music. There are also many others involved in Fuse FM who have found their way to radio along different paths. So.... it's not that we're all ‘arty-types', and it's not even that we are all passionate about music, but instead it's that we have decided to express our individual interests under the umbrella of radio broadcasting.
I stumbled across the Fuse FM station manager early in my fresher's year at uni and enquired about whether I could produce a show, or do something a little more behind the scenes. Initially I had never wanted to be a radio DJ/presenter; I didn't think I quite had the guts to sit in front of a microphone, fiddle knobs, press buttons and talk all at the same time whilst under the aural gaze of the Manchester student population. Despite my reservations, the station manager took my email down, but before I could say no I was on ‘shows request' mailing list. And so it became that my first show application was written after a few beverages at the union bar.
However, I'm so glad that I made those vital steps so early on. Since my initial broadcast I've learnt so much about radio but also more fundamental lessons of analysis, evaluation and improvement. Each show is a test to see how well you can perform before an invisible audience but also an opportunity to have massive amounts of fun. Over the past two years I've given away Xboxes, interviewed bands, broadcast live music, been quizzed, held phone-ins, interviewed a stripper, talked politics, talked rubbish, conducted polls, and have enjoyed it every step of the way.
Nonetheless working at Fuse FM doesn't always have the glamour you might associate with Radio 1 or other national radio stations; we are, after all, just a student radio station. At times we lack funds, equipment, people, skills and time, but this is all a part of getting stuck in. We learnt how to make money, to fix broken mic stands, find the right people, and fit it all in around this thing called ‘a degree'. For me a typical week of a broadcast at Fuse FM involves keeping an eye out and an ear open for the news, issues and gossip that may interest my student audience. I'll pop into the studio when I can, to check out the weeks play list, to see if there are any problems that need resolving and to say hello to whomever is on air at the time. That weeks guest will liaised with and I'll prepare some questions in advance.
The night before the show tends to be a late one; my producer Dan spends much of the evening editing the music quiz along with any other ingredients he wants to add to the Andrew Jackson Show mix; I frantically scour my CD collection looking for those choice cuts to liven up the days of my listeners and email, blog, and text my potential listeners - marketing is crucial, especially for the every forgetful if not darn right lazy student listener. An hour before the show my producer and I collate all the material for the next two hours and decide on a running order for the various features and topics of discussion, making sure to leave enough flexibility ‘just in case'. And the of course there's the show itself, which tends to the most fun, the most exhausting and definitely the quickest two hours of my week.
Receiving the award for Best Male at this year's Student Radio Awards has been the pinnacle of my radio career so far and a sign that if you put the work in you will be rewarded. It is also confirmation that I'm actually doing the right thing, which is often quite difficult to gauge given the ambiguity of listener figures. With only one broadcast left, and given my recent success, the question has to be "do I want to pursue a career in radio?" In all honesty I'm not quite sure. Student radio has definitely opened my eyes to broadcasting and maybe I might follow up those ‘behind the scenes' ideas I had in my first year; nevertheless one thing can be said for certain: if it were not for student radio I wouldn't have these decisions to make in the first place.