91Èȱ¬

:: Geoff Sargieson
Programme Assistant/Organiser 1967-81

How did you come to work at Radio Sheffield?

I was appointed as one of the initial team of 16 to launch Radio Sheffield, but unfortunately the Sheffield Star wouldn’t release me from my 'indentures' (a contract for apprentices) for six months because, naively, they feared the competition from local radio and didn’t see why they should help it get started.

I don’t think it would happen these days, but, happily, the 91Èȱ¬ held the job open for me and in the interim I went into the station every day after work to help out and gain experience.

Since leaving Radio Sheffield what else have you done?

Mainly, regretted leaving Radio Sheffield. However, I left the station as Programme Organiser for the job of Programme Controller of a new commercial station, Radio Aire in Leeds.

This meant hiring a programme team which included Radio Sheffield’s breakfast presenter, Eric Smith, (sneaky or what?) together with such stars of the future as 91Èȱ¬ Radio 2’s Alex Lester; legendary shock jock James Whale; local hero Martin Kelner; Look North’s Peter Levy and, making his radio debut, despite the protestations of the rest of the presenters, a student drop-out called Andy Kershaw.

In those days - and it probably still applies - the job of a manager in commercial radio is no more secure than that of a football manager which is why after two years I found myself back in the 91Èȱ¬ as Senior Producer, Light Entertainment and Popular Music at 91Èȱ¬ Radio Scotland.

For the past 10 years I've worked for myself, although it should be admitted that much of the work has come through the 91Èȱ¬, as an events manager for Live Events and as a consultant for various local stations.

I’ve also done a fair amount of production work, both independently and for 91Èȱ¬ network radio, and dipped a toe into the world of training and lecturing. I’ve also come to terms with the fact that, unlike many 91Èȱ¬ colleagues, I was a 'non-graduate' by acquiring an MA from the University of Sunderland. The subject: Radio (Production and Management) of course. It’s a good line, but it’s also perfectly true, that just before Christmas a couple of years ago the postman delivered my student grant cheque and my pensioners’ winter fuel allowance in the same week. Beat that for working the system.

Proudest moment at Radio Sheffield?

Probably surprising the entire staff, including myself, by getting the job as Programme Organiser, thanks to the trust placed in me by my predecessor and, by then, manager Tim Neale.

Even more memorable, and just a few days later, walking on stage at the Crucible Theatre to present the finals of our annual competition, Bold as Brass, and hearing producer, Richard Titchen, announce to the 1000-strong audience as well as to me that they’d just rung from the Children’s Hospital to say my wife had given birth to our first child, Sarah. Now married with a daughter of her own, Sarah still has the poster for the Bold as Brass final on her wall, forever recalling the date and occasion of her birth.

Other good/funny memories?

There are so many that it’s impossible to choose, like the day I introduced a record called Jack in the Box (or was it Resurrection Shuffle?)Ìýto mark the anniversary of the death of a listeners’ husband.

Then there was the night Ted Gorton, Janie Griffiths and I found a way to unscrew the back of the station manager’s drinks cabinet, and of course the incident involving Pam Wait’s knickers, but perhaps the less said about that the better. Certainly since she rose to the dizzy heights of Mistress Cutler.

What was your worst on air (or off) moment?

Writing a five minute news bulletin and realising, as I looked at the clock, I had about five seconds to get to the studio and put myself on air. I made it by running upstairs at the speed of light only to find that I was so short of breath that I literally couldn’t speak for a good two minutes. To the listeners it must have sounded as though they’d picked up a threatening phone call from a heavy breather with bronchial trouble.

Or how about the time I had Rotherham jazz tap-dancer, Will Gaines, live on the lunchtime programme. He brought in his tap-dancing board and an appropriate record, which I introduced as a precursor to his performance. The record started and I opened the table mic to pick up the sound of his feet on the board - forgetting that opening a studio mic automatically cut the speaker. He couldn’t hear the music, of course, so he stopped dancing. After a brief hiatus and an embarrassing pause, I passed him a pair of earphones to enable him to hear the music and started again. This worked wellÌý -Ìý apart from the fact that the headphones cable was too short, which resulted in the first performance by a jazz tap dancer dancing at an angle of 45 degrees to the floor.

This is a difficult one, forcing me to choose between two exceptional presenters, both of whom I recruited for Radio Sheffield, both of whom became close friends, and both, tragically, no longer with us.

I have to say that the best presenter Radio Sheffield ever had was undoubtedly Tony Capstick. Running him a close second, though, was Michael Cooke, who specialised in news programmes and phone-ins.

Tony was the most natural and funniest broadcaster I’ve ever heard. Michael had a superb radio voice and an unbeatable on-air presence. And therein lies the difference. Tony was a natural. Michael was a brilliant actor whose best role was that of a radio presenter.

Tony, however, was always himself. He didn’t adopt another persona. He always told it as he saw it. After launching him on the folk show, I talked the management into giving him the Sunday morning record programme, where his finest hour was what’s believed to be Billy Connolly’s first ever radio interview.

Favourite place in South Yorkshire?

MexboroughÌý- where I joined Mexborough Theatre Guild as a 16-year-old, edited a scurrilous local community newspaper called The Cut, worked as a district reporter for The Star, drank in all 19 pubs and clubs, met and married my wife, fathered two children and produced what I consider to be my best radio programme, a documentary about a local boxer, Iron Hague.

How do you spend your free time?

I became involved in Hull Truck Theatre Company when I first moved to Radio Humberside, initially working on radio adaptations of John Godber plays. I was invited to join the board and later became Chairman.

These days I’m still involved as Chair of Hull Truck Enterprises, a subsidiary company formed to deliver a new £14 million Hull Truck Theatre due to open in spring 2009.

I also never miss Coronation Street and drink too much red wine.