DIANE KNOX: MFR milestone will be celebrated at home and abroad, writes our Invernessian in America
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Forty years of Moray Firth Radio, and I feel so honoured that I got to contribute to six years of its legacy.
As our local radio station hits this big milestone, I’ve been thinking about my time there and how it truly carved the way for the rest of my career to take shape.
It’s a very special place, for the listeners and the people that make it all happen, and there’s no better time to reflect, celebrate and commemorate.
I had always wanted to work at “the wee radio station on the top of the hill in Scorguie”. I spent the first few years of my life just a few minutes along the road in Leachkin Avenue!
So, after graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University, I headed home to Inverness for the summer to figure out my next move. I’ll never forget my dad phoning me to say he’d seen a job advert for MFR in, where else, The Inverness Courier, cutting it out and telling me to give them a call.
It was for the Radioskills training programme, run by the Moray Firth Media Trust at MFR who offered a vocational qualification in radio broadcasting. So I fired off an application and a few days later my journey began as I walked through the doors of my much-loved local radio station.
People often ask for advice to get into the crazy world of radio, TV and digital media, and no two presenters will ever have the same experience. But this was my break, and I have the best memories of this early stage of my career.
The on-site training into the business of radio covered it all – on-air, commercial production, sales, scheduling, news, you name it. And I quickly realised my passion lay in the presenting, being able to connect with the audience, tell stories and play music. I was hooked!
I’d known the legend that is Tich McCooey for years (he used to play on my dad’s American football team!) so he took me under his wing and showed me what to do (or what not to do... I’ve never known anyone to be able to eat so many bags of crisps and disguise the crunch on air!)
My first big on-air opportunity came when another MFR icon – and fellow Courier columnist – Nicky Marr, took a few weeks off to go on holiday and I was drafted in to cover for her, alongside Tich.
I can still feel the nerves in the pit of my stomach when I think of that first 6am show; I was terrified!
That led to various other stand-in gigs, until I was eventually offered the Afternoon Show on a permanent basis. I remember I worked evenings in Café 1 in Castle Street at the time, but that was still the first place my family and I went to celebrate my new show, and the beginning of a dream come true. Next week, I’ll elaborate…
If you’re close to a radio this Sunday, our fellow Invernessian Garry Spence is hosting a special tribute show where presenters from days gone by – including myself – will be making an appearance to play their favourite songs, reminisce and tell tales of their time at the North’s Number 1.
I’ll certainly be tuning in from Florida.
Saving is good but treats are important too
