Pure FM Awards 2012 Posted on April 30, 2012 by Oliver Ing The nominations were announced on Monday 30 April at Pure FM’s AGM and awards for this year were: People Awards: Best Male: Dan Humphries Best Female: Amanda Bunce Pretty Swell Overall Contribution: Ed Roberts Best Newcomer: Timmy Harlequin Best Co-host: Owen Jones Show Awards: Best Production: Home Time with: The Other Guys Best Daytime Show: Pod’s Rock Show Best Marketed Show: Relley & Glen Presents… Best Specialist Show: Perfect Sounds Forever Best Express FM Show: Murray & Dan
Pure FM New Committee 2012/2013 Posted on April 30, 2012 by Oliver Ing On Monday 30 April, the new committee was announced at the annual Pure FM AGM. This year the technical role was divided into two separate roles; Equipment Manager and Systems Manager in order to assist with work flow. The elected committee are as follows and begin in their role as of Monday 14 May: Station Manager: Oliver Ing Secretary & Personnel Manager: Corelley Greenland Programme Controller: Mitchell Sargent Music Manager: Unelected due to vote. Marketing & Publicity Manager: Tom Pettinger Head of News: Vicki Parker Sales & Finance Manager: Christian Bulpitt Training Manager: Jacob Sims Production Manager: Glen Scott Equipment Manager: Ed Roberts Systems Manager: Kieran Milton Events & Social Manager: Liam MacLeod
Election Manifestos 2012 Posted on April 29, 2012 by Jason Slack The following people have expressed an interest in running for the open committee positions and met the deadline set. All Pure FM members are welcome to attend the AGM, which will be held at 6pm on Monday 30th April 2012 in Richmond RB LT2, and vote for the candidates. Station Manager (3) Ben Foden If there’s one thing that sums up what I’d do for Pure FM, it would be to let members flow with their ideas – I believe that no idea should be knocked back without being thoroughly looked into, especially with events and shows making encouragement the key to success. I want to have an open forum, where members would be welcomed to discuss any concerns they may have with members of the committee. I want to concentrate more on Pure FM as a Brand and identity so that we can continue building on what we have built in the past 18 years or so, making the station better than ever before. I would try to get Pure FM played in outlets around University once again, and also in places around Portsmouth as a whole (such as shops, bars etc) now that we have the technology to do so. I have spent a year and a half on the committee already, so I have a fair idea as to how Pure FM runs and how to treat the union. I feel as though I’ve tried to support our members over this time, and I wish to continue doing so. I’m not going to bore anyone with loads of rabble, but that is the summary of what I’d do – the station would be more member led with members involved in every decision the station makes. Oliver Ing I have a real passion for the success of Radio. I’ve been a station manager before at my school’s radio station, “Revamp Radio” which I have helped set up. Since October I’ve been a member of Pure FM’s committee so I know already what is expected of this high intense role I wish to undertake. I have a goal to get as many students involved with Pure FM, be it; Listening to the station, being a presenter, or even working behind the scenes, I know how much potential Pure FM has to offer and I want to embrace this opportunity we can provide students. I want to take steps Pure FM has never taken before and make it a station worth listening to during the day and at night (even when there is no presenter on air.) I have created a list of what I feel needs changing, or doing to make the station run even better than what it’s doing now. To highlight two of the key areas in this short manifesto: 1: I want the news to have more of an impact with our audience by scheduling it in every hour. 2: I will work with the Program Controller to overhauled the stations branding of the time slots to make shows flow better and also ensure show monitoring is happening effectively but also provide feedback to used for SRA Awards. I have a strong contact with Chris Carnegy from BBC Radio Solent who has offered to lend us a hand and I also have contacts with Wise Buddah the recruitment agency for radio 1. I’m an approachable person, I don’t break under pressure and this year my focus will solely be upon the members and trying to find ways to offer them as many opportunities as simply possible. No Suitable Candidate Secretary & Personnel Manager (3) Correlley Greenland Since September, I have hosted a show on Pure Fm with Glen as well as on Express Fm, and have loved it from the start. I love Radio; listening and presenting, and would love to take this opportunity to have a bigger role in the station.Although to some the role of Secretary and Personnel Manager may seem boring, I see it as important and I believe that it requires many skills that I possess. I do not do a Radio linked degree like many people who are involved in Pure Fm, I study English Literature. However, I believe that my degree gives me many skills which are essential in Radio. Any degree, no matter what it is needs good organisation skills as well as good time keeping, which I believe that I have. Another skill that is vital to the role of Secretary and Personnel Manager is reliability and dedication. Having a weekly radio show shows that I am a reliable person as well as the fact that I have a weekend job, which I never miss. Attending the Student Radio Conference further shows my dedication to student radio. Also important for this role is good communication and people skills as the role requires teamwork as well as a lot of paperwork. I believe that I do have good people skills, although you would have to double check that with my friends and my degree also shows that I have strong communication skills, plus I am constantly checking my emails. Thank you for the opportunity. Vicki Parker I’m Vicki Parker, a second year Journalism and Media student and current Head of News. Being on committee this year has developed my understanding of what is required in being a part of the team and developed a working knowledge of how the station is run. I would like to get more involved with the station and support the rest of the team where I can through this role. This year I have also been the Secretary for the Film and Photo Society so I know what is required of the role. I will happily send out the weekly newsletter to all members- consistently and professionally. I have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and am able to tackle problems quickly and efficiently to help the station run smoothly. In this role, I will make sure all issues and queries are answered with a fast turn around. Additionally, this year as Secretary for Photo Soc. I was charged with room bookings, writing and sharing the weekly agenda and with taking minutes at each meeting, so am capable of taking on this side of the role; as part of my degree I have learnt to write at 100 words-per-minute and as a fast typer I can easily take notes as necessary to the role. As Secretary this year I frequently led meetings and in the absence of the society President, took control as necessary, in conjunction with the rest of the committee and Union regulation. To this end, I feel I could competently assist the Station Manager or take control when needed, as required by the role. I have also developed a close relationship with the Union and its staff to take issues further if needed. No Suitable Candidate Programme Controller (3) Helen Brennan Hey! My name is Helen Brennan and I am running for the position of Programme Controller. I’ve been at Pure FM since September. As well as presenting a show, I have got involved in several outside broadcasts and been lucky enough to host a live studio session too. I have been given many opportunities at Pure. I want to give back to the station what it has given me. With three years customer service experience I have great people’s skills, I am always happy to help, easy to talk to, and very organised. I believe I have the skills and confidence to be a successful programme controller. I would like to: • Work closely with the training manager to ensure training is completed once shows have been confirmed. Forwarding the confirmation e-mails will allow the training manager to see who needs be trained by a specific date. • I want to give members that are on a waiting list the opportunity to be trained in studio two so they can pre-record shows that can be aired after midnight. These will also be made into a podcast if required. • Help find ways of recruiting new members- for example: at Freshers Fayre we could allow potential members to watch a show in studio two, so they can picture their selves in the studio. • Create a show schedule template as well as a planning/advice sheet with the Station manager so it is available should presenters require it. • Set up an online system so people can log when they arrive and leave their show. In order to be professional lateness is something that needs to be cracked down on. I will continue to enforce that: • 48 hours notice must be given if a show is to be cancelled so that I can find suitable cover if the presenter cannot find it their self. Warnings will be issued if failure to turn up to the show without a valid reason. • Prioritise member’s first shows before members can have an additional show. • Show monitoring will be continued, with random “”spot checks”" regularly giving presenters feedback. Mitchell Sargent I want to run for Programme Controller because I want to advance our station and improve the content on it. I’m approachable, fun and well organised; three important qualities that I believe our programme controller needs. I want to ensure that everyone has constant monitoring of their shows and receives feedback. I would like to do this once a month with every show; more or less often if asked by any specific show. I believe this will be the best way to ensure all our shows and the content they provide is to a high standard. With this feedback I also want to make sure the Training Manager and Tech Team (mainly the Equipment Manager) become a more fluid entity with the Programme Controller, actively responding to the feedback provided by shows to ensure everyone is trained in all aspects of the studio and to ensure they get the equipment and technical support they require. I also want to continue our experiences with ExpressFM as I believe it’s a great opportunity for our shows to get time on an FM station, as well as showcasing how good our station is to the rest of Portsmouth. I have experience with ExpressFM and am trained on the equipment, meaning I will be able to work alongside the Station Manager to ensure as many people as possible are able to get involved in ExpressFM, and broadcast high-quality shows to the rest of Portsmouth. I also want to work hand-in-hand with the Music Manager to ensure as many shows that want special guests or interviews are able to get them. This organisation will also extend to the events manger, ensuring we have presenters who are able to man the OB kit when we do any outside broadcasts. No Suitable Candidate Music Manager (4) David Morgan Music has been a passion of mine from a young age. If you look at my music collection you’ll find everything; from pop to metal, hip hop to dub-step. I feel that having this diverse taste of music is a key part of the Music Manager role, as I will not be biased when it comes to updating the music database. Also, I like to keep up with the latest releases (as well as listening to all the classics!), so you can rest assured there will be a great mix of tunes on the system. Under our current Music Manager, I’ve been sent to review many gigs, as well interview some of the best talent around. This is something I’m keen to pursue. I would love for even more people to get involved with this, and help keep the website constantly updated with new interviews and reviews. I believe that this is a fantastic way to attract audiences to Pure FM, as often we will get the latest news from bands and artists before any of the major radio stations get a chance! Under the role of Music Manager, I would look to form a close-knit team of people, who I could trust to be sent to gigs across the UK. I would also love to be able to cover some of the bigger events such as festivals and all dayers, and I think this would be definitely be achievable with some of the contacts I have acquired over the years. We’ve had a number of successful in-studio performances from touring bands, so this is another aspect I would want people to get involved with. I hope you will choose me for the role, because I feel that I could bring the passion needed for this position, and would love to get more involved with Pure FM. Nicola Rainbird As I am currently on the music team, I have already experienced opportunities to interview and review gigs. If I am elected as Music Manager I will; - Make it easy as possible to get hold of so people can get more opportunities for reviews, interviews and studio sessions. - Conduct weekly music team meetings. - Update the mAirlist every week to enable consistent up to date music, in all genres. - Give advice to those who will be experiencing their first gig review/interview/studio session. - Ensure every member of the music team receives a music team guild line which will have advice, tips and rules for all occasions. - Try my best to live up to the high standards already set in place by previous and current committee members. Timmy Harlequin My name is Timmy Harlequin and I think that I’m the best candidate to be Pure FM’s Music Manager. So far this year the current Music Manager and his team have done a fantastic job and I’d like to ensure that the standards they have set are continued and, if possible, exceeded. I want to make sure that Pure FM is the absolute best in student radio in terms of musical content, meeting the needs of all who listen. As Music Manager I would of course do all those roles appointed to me and try to do more, such as keeping the playlists up to date with the most recent music from both the UK Chart and the specialist music charts, such and Rock, Indie and Electronica so that we don’t ever isolate our music output to one group of listeners. I have experience in interviewing bands for the music team, having done two band interviews and during the 36 Hour Charity Broadcast I also organised an interview myself, over Skype, with a band from America to help boost the publicity we were getting. If I were to get the position of Music Manager I would keep up the strong connections we have with the various production companies and form new connections with new companies through various networking, to expand the horizons and possibilities for band interviews and studio sessions with bands, as the current Music Team have been doing extremely well. The upkeep of the playlist will of course be one of my top priorities, ensuring it’s up to date with all the latest music and even putting up music that has been known to be requested but not on the list, updating the system weekly at the very least. That’s it from me, thank you very much. No Suitable Candidate Marketing & Publicity Officer (2) Tom Pettinger My Name is Tom Pettinger, I have been presenting at Pure Fm since October and I would like to be part of the committee due to me wanting to have a more active way in how the Station is run especially in forms of promotion, marketing and publicity of the station. I have been in talks with various members of the committee and have developed an understand of how the Student Union work in regards to marketing and believe I have a developed a way in using the system to help the Station gain a reputation within the university and with the new Students wanting to be apart of the station. I also believe my experience in regards to marketing will help me in this position. I have also gained work experience in two companies and hopefully working for another company this summer. I also believe this will come as a benefit in helping the station with new idea and helping to create a new and stronger for the station in regards of identity. I have come up with various ideas to help the station gain more listeners, including aiming advertising at the Fresher’s starting at the University. This includes regular posters in the SU and in halls, I would also like to get Purefm fridge magnet bottle openers in the halls to target the students directly. Another idea I had is to get double side coasters with us and other of the Student union media outlets so halve the cost and to put these across the University. I would also like to have regular meeting with the Pugwash, Pmag and USPTV so all the events can be coordinated in order to gain more people attending the events and being aware that they are taking place. No Suitable Candidate Head of News (2) Vicki Parker “I’m Vicki P, a second year Journalism and Media student and current Head of News for Pure FM. Through being a part of the team, first as a reporter then as Head of News this year, I have developed a key understanding of how the team works and what is required of the role. This year, within my role, I have worked hard to continue the original news show, Re:Port and created The Democracy Show to work closer with the Union, raise awareness and hold those elected to account. I have written the News Team Handbook to support each reporter in interviewing, editing, script-writing and more and worked to support the whole team where needed through training and weekly meetings. My main aim of this year was to develop and expand the news team. As part of this I created several new team positions to get more people involved and to expand its remit. This has proven successful with the biggest team that we’ve had so far. I want to continue these developments and work with other media outlets on major events to create better content and to work more with those elected, societies and students to know exactly what is happening around campus and create a better news output. I aim to work with the Publicity Manager to make the team more visible around campus and encourage more students to join and to secure a solid framework for our news show, branching out into more areas, to make the output more entertaining, educational and be a platform for all students to air their views. I aim to re-introduce the daily bulletins also, to deliver news as it happens. I feel I am able to competently fill the role, leading the news team effectively and work with the rest of committee. As the current position holder I know what is required and feel I am in the best position to set a solid grounding for the team for future expansion, though my experience and what I have learnt from my degree. ” No Suitable Candidate Sales & Finance Manager (2) Christian Bulpitt Pure FM has been the best aspect about my University life so far, i have loved every minute of it and though not being totally confident with all of the techy side i believe that i can make a real contribution to the PureFM committee. I have built up a great relationship with many of the PureFM team and would love the opportunity to give something back to the station which has made my Uni life so enjoyable. Now on to why i believe that i am qualified for this position. Prior to coming to University i worked in an accountancy firm and i know im not completely inept with numbers which i assume plays a large role in this committee position. Secondly, i am the sort of person who doesn’t find it difficult approaching and talking to people which is a key skill in opening up and maintaining dialogue. Also i am approachable and easy to talk to (i think), which means for the members i believe i can be a friendly face who can easily be addressed and will endever to voice any concerns at the meetings. And last and possibly the most important reason why i believe i should get this position is … I own a calculator No Suitable Candidate Training Manager (3) Jacob Sims The main reason i am re-applying for this role is because there is a lot of experience that i have gained from this year that i wish to apply this on coming year to make things easier for the committee and for the members! A good example is this, at the moment our current system is that you email the training email and i reply and we come up with a date. That takes time. Instead i want to create a training page on the website where i can easily state when there are studio sessions and people can sign up on that page to get trained. And then of course if there really is a bad bad bad problem then the email is still alive. On top of that i want to create a better relationship with the programme controller so we can confirm who is trained and then get on top of it from there. There is a lot of other ideas i wish to apply this on coming year! Mike Heaps Hello my names Mike, I’m currently studying on my 3rd year at Portsmouth and I want to be your next Training Manager for Pure FM. I have currently been a part of Pure FM for two years and have done many different shows with many different music types and have also been the marketing manager for Pure FM. Whilst at Pure FM I have used a large range of kit and software this includes in and out of the studio doing outside broadcasts. During my younger years I have trained many different people on many different areas of computing. While been a cadet for the RAF (Royal air force) and a Non Commissioned officer I was in-charge of teaching a variety of subjects such as Rifle training, Map reading, Living in the field and Aircraft recognition, this is from teaching to testing. If I get elected as this year’s training manager I want to make a new sub-domain called training.purefm.com, where the user will be able to log-on and see what he or she has been taught, from there they will also be able to see their copy of the on-air agreement as I wish to have a paperless system and have all copies of the on-air agreement on there. The user will be able to view detailed information about the Pure FM studio and how to use the kit this will also include the OB (outside broadcast) kit and all its features it will also include software for both production and broadcasting. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my proposal for this year’s Training Manager, Thank you. No Suitable Candidate Production Manager (2) Glen Scott If I’m picked for Production Manager, I plan to make sure that each show has their own set of Jingles and Idents that’ll give their show a much higher level of professionalism. I also hope to produce a much larger selection of Pure FM idents to give presenters a much wider choice of what to use in their show. I want to promote the use of adverts for your shows to be played when the system is in autopilot, with the option to play them during your shows if you want to help promote somebody else’s show. I found that when I started at Pure FM, I was barely using the cartwall because of how spread out everything was; I didn’t want to have to go to beds, and then idents, and then television themes. This is why I want every radio show to have their own personal page containing all of their personalised jingles and idents, as well as a selection of sound effects, clips and beds chosen by the presenters themselves. I want a big push towards podcasting. I believe that each new member should be made aware of how to create a podcast, either by recording it live, or using the Pure FM extra site to download and edit your recording. I want each member to be able to access a set of sound clips, jingles, idents and effects that can be edited into each podcast to add a level of professionalism. I hope to also work towards uploading the most successful podcasts onto the iTunes store. These are just some of the plans I have if I’m elected as Production Manager. I believe a lot more can be done to improve the stations overall sound and I’ll be dedicated to making sure everything I’ve said happens. No Suitable Candidate Equipment Manager (2) Ed Roberts I feel I can bring strong leadership and knowledge to this role and hope to dedicate time to improve both the studios and the OB kit, working closely with all members of Pure FM wherever possible. I believe that the presenter’s opinions are key to the development of the studios and would like to make it easier for them to have their voice heard as to how the studios can be improved and developed to enhance the quality of the radio that they produce. I would like to work with both new and existing members of the technical team to improve outside broadcasts and the OB kit to a level at which we are confident enough to be able to accept short notice invitations to cover events and produce high quality OBs. New and existing members of the technical team will be able to come to me with queries and I will endeavour to provide the correct answer wherever possible. I would like to work with members of the technical team to find out where their strengths lie and develop their skills and understanding with regard to equipment. All members of Pure FM will be able to report problems or damage to me, safe in the knowledge that I will be able to rectify the problem. It is my intention to improve studio 2, to a level that all members would be able to use it with ease, this will involve working with the training manager and potentially replacing the equipment currently used. Finally I believe that a good relationship between the technical managers and all other members will help the continuing development and improvement of Pure FM. No Suitable Candidate Systems Manager (2) Kieran Milton I am a current Tech Team member with an interest in the systems side of the station. This ties in well with my Computer Networking course, which I hope to bring together to help develop the station. I believe have taken an active role this year, helping with events like Varsity where we set up an OB stream from the balcony of a sports hall, with Sports Relief and through the election period. I would enjoy the challenge of this new role, hoping to implement new technologies discovered at SRACon while talking to industry people. Two projects I would like to look into in the coming year would be an FM licence and playout in the university. I would like to see what work has been done in the past on this, build on it, look at the feasibility and implement if viable. I believe that these would help boost the profile of the station to the general audience and wider community of Portsmouth. All of these would be done while maintaining the vital systems of the station to host and present the website, networks and content, making myself available to members as much as possible for any support they need during normal use, special events and any system failures. I would look to work with the other Pure teams at any opportunity they require, with Events and the OB systems, Marketing and the website, Production and the technology behind them and any other teams we can support and get assistance from. Working together with other teams I believe we can really grow the profile of the station in the coming year. No Suitable Candidate Events & Social (2) Liam MacLeod Well since joining pure fm as part of the committee i have gained a really valuable insight to being part of an amazing team that really works well in the interest of producing great content and radio. Considering i only started half way through the year after the amazing work claire had previously done I really feel i could put on some great events, i was involved with varsity and as a team at highfield we were able to get some great recordings and content, but I would like to be more involved with the planning and organising before hand. I am very focused on charity events and this is particularly important to me as I would like to see us put back what we get from our union and also the local community via fundraising. I have also just planned the BIG IOW Pub Crawl which i hope you will find enjoyable. So please consider me for your events and social manager. Thanks No Suitable Candidate
Charlene Soraia Posted on April 24, 2012 by The Music Team Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 19/03/12 There is a very relaxed feel about the Wedgewood Rooms tonight. The usual raucous mood of the venue has been replaced by a chilled out vibe, and, with the usually mosh pit ridden dance-floor covered in tables and chairs, it almost feels like you have walked into a jazz bar. Talking to members of the audience before the show there is an eager anticipation for the headline act, Charlene Soraia, whose career has blossomed since her cover of The Calling’s ‘Wherever You Will Go’, featured on a Twining’s Tea Advert. In our interview before the show she says cheerily, “I’m certainly not offended when people say, ‘the Twining’s girl’. At this stage in my career, I think any recognition is good, and if people only know me for being the ‘Twining’s girl’, at least they know of me.” Along with Charlene, there is a curious sense of intrigue around the relatively unknown supporting acts, Dan Shears and Andrew Foster. First to the stage is ‘local boy’ Andrew Foster who, being from Portsmouth, starts by thanking the people at Wedgewood rooms for giving him this opportunity. Andrew is not formally on the tour with Charlene, and is only playing with her and Dan Shears for this one show. His soft yet strong vocals and smooth guitar playing is very easy to listen to, and makes for a perfect opener to the evening. If the audience wasn’t already relaxed, they certainly are now, as Andrew’s Ed Sheeran-like music combines with his well crafted-lyrics to provide a truly enjoyable experience. Check out our studio session with Andrew Foster on Igneous from before Easter by clicking here. Next up is Dan Shears, who has been touring with Charlene throughout the whole of her ‘Moonchild’ tour for the last 2 months. He has the confidence of an Essex lad and instantly creates a good rapport with the audience as he opens with a joke. He cockiness means that the entire venue is taken aback by what comes next, as he begins his first song and shows off his tremendous vocal talent. A former choirboy, Shears voice is truly spectacular and at numerous times during his performance, he has the audience truly mesmerized. There is a slightly medieval feel to his music, which makes it fresh and interesting to listen to, and his witty charm continues to entertain the crowd throughout. As he leaves the stage, he leaves with a smile, and a cheery roar from the crowd. After much anticipation, the headline act, Charlene Soraia finally takes to the stage, and she’s met with a huge round of applause. She joyously states, “It’s my first time performing in Portsmouth, and I want to have fun!” and she means it. As the 23 year old begins her set, the audience can all instantly see what a talented and inspired musician she really is. Despite being best known for her piano cover of ”Wherever You Will Go”, Soraia’s real gift is her guitar playing. Being self-taught, her music doesn’t obey the regular conventions, and that makes for a very entertaining variety of songs. Her skillful guitar playing and beautiful vocals make for very easy listening, and she has a quiet cheekiness about her that makes it impossible for the audience not to enjoy her set. She closes her performance with the cover that caused her sudden rise to fame, and as the crowd listens to her tremendous voice one last time, she brings every member of the audience to their feet to applaud her off the stage. It’s a deserved ending to a highly enjoyable evening, and with a new album due out in the Autumn, Charlene Soraia appears to be an artist that we’ll be hearing a lot of throughout 2012. Written by Pod Howard Photos by Kevin Wilkins [Show as slideshow]
Pure FM Elections 2012 Posted on April 20, 2012 by Jason Slack The time is near approaching when some committee have to move on with their lives, handing over the legacy of Pure FM to others. Committee roles are a great way to gain and develop important skills such as leadership, team work, decision making, event planning, production and many more. Apply for CommitteeDEADLINE MIDNIGHT SUNDAY 29th APRIL You must be a student of the University of Portsmouth to apply. COMMITTEE ROLES As a committee member you will be required to: Attend a weekly operational meeting. Send a weekly report to the station secretary. Check your dedicated email address regularly Attend at least 1 UPSU training session. STATION MANAGER As the overall leader of the station you are in control of the day to day running of the station, this means having input on all the responsibilities of your Committee to ensure smooth running in all facets of the station. You will liaise with the VP Activities and the Media Coordinator in various roles, such as financial issues, media law issues and advisement on opportunities to advance the station and its goals. You will need good management skills when dealing with the committee and the membership as a whole, as well as the versatility to deal with any issues which may arise in the running of the station. You will need to take the lead on running major events alongside the Events Manager and consult with external parties for larger events (such as those involving the SRA). SECRETARY & PERSONNEL MANAGER You will be responsible for the administration of the station, including (but not limited to) creating the agenda and taking minutes at each Committee Meeting, revising the vital documents pertaining to the station (where required) and booking the rooms required for meetings or larger events. As Personnel Manager you are responsible for discipline in regard to breaches of conduct by the Pure FM Membership – requiring coordination with the committee as a whole on a case by case basis and the wider membership in keeping track of shows who may breach the On-Air Policy or wider Union rules. As an ancillary responsibility you will also be working as a Deputy to the Station Manager, assisting to whatever degree the Station Manager requires. This may also mean you will take over the day to day running of the Station when the Manager is away, and as an Interim Manager if they resign the position before an EGM can be held. PROGRAMME CONTROLLER The Programme Controller at Pure FM is responsible for all the station output. This means you will have to create, organise and maintain the schedule, as well as endeavour to improve the content of all radio shows. The Programme Controller should set up a show monitoring system to make sure shows can receive feedback and can improve. You should also make sure there is an equal opportunity for shows when it comes to offering them competitions and guests, which may require coordination with the Music Manager. There is also a responsibility to organise the schedule around events and to facilitate any new programming ideas. MUSIC MANAGER As Music Manager you will be responsible for the music played out on the station, with a major focus on maintaining and updating the playlist and database on our Studio Playout Systems. The onus will be on you to make sure all songs are radio-friendly, and there is a reflection on what is popular – both nationally and amongst the student body. You will also be the main receptor of promotional material from record labels and agencies and will be asked, along with your Music Team, to create feedback, send members to gigs and get reviews and figure out what amongst the incoming music you will pass onto the system. As Music Manager, it is encouraged early on to build a Music Team from the membership to listen to the new music and cover any particular gigs or music events in the local area. MARKETING & PUBLICITY OFFICER Within this role you will be responsible for maintaining the image of the station. As Marketing Officer you will be tasked with engaging the public and student bodies to listen to Pure FM, this will involve all the advertising – maintaining our banners posters, and devising new ways to get the brand of Pure FM as exposed as possible. The Publicity role requires delivering the vital news and information from the station to the public. This involves the advertising of individual shows, generating ‘hype’ around Pure FM events and socials, and any cross-Media initiatives and events. This role requires somebody with creative flair and a drive to improve both the listener-ship and attendance to Pure FM events. HEAD OF NEWS As Head of News, you will be responsible for all of the station’s journalistic output. You will aim to ensure that regular news coverage is broadcast. You will be responsible for managing the Pure FM News team, which should include reporters and presenters/news readers as well as those interested in the production of news. You will strive to continue the development of Pure FM’s news output, ensuring coverage of Union, University and local news which affects University of Portsmouth Students. You will work with other members of the committee and the relevant Union staff to aim to provide news team members with relevant training opportunities. You will work with the Sabbatical Officer which has the Editor-in-Chief responsibility to ensure that news output conforms to media law standards. You will use the studios, recording in the studios, the Zoom Mic for outside recording and interviews, and Adobe Audition software for editing stories, training for all of which will be given in your handover. You will liaise with the other UPSU media outlets on the coverage of major events. SALES & FINANCE MANAGER The holder of this role will be responsible for the running and management of the Pure FM ‘B’ account, liaising with the Media Coordinator about purchasing, and opening and maintaining dialogue with local and national businesses regarding possible sponsorships. The holder must also update the committee with the state of Pure FM’s accounts, organise the payments of member deposits, and the financing of Pure FM events (including socials and conferences). The position holder should be able to work as a team member within the committee. In return the position holder will receive training and support from the Union, the opportunity for skill set development and recordable extra-curricular involvement. TRAINING MANAGER As Training Manager you will be responsible for the orientation and training of all members on the use of Studio 1. This will require in-depth knowledge of both the equipment and systems. You will need good time management and organisation skills in order to make sure all members are trained up and have signed their On-Air Agreements. You will maintain a checklist of the members trained and liaise with the Programme Controller to ensure that all members are trained before broadcasting. On request you may also be asked to train members on the OB and PA kits, so will need a working knowledge of these as well. The holder will also be responsable for the maintainance of the training manual. PRODUCTION MANAGER As Production Manager you will be responsible for sculpting the stations sound. This will entail creating jingles, idents and podcast for the station and shows. You will become familiar with the use of Adobe Audition, and training can be given to you by your handover if necessary. You will also have the responsibility to manage a production team, which will include giving your team members training so that they can assist you with any production-based tasks, such as creating podcasts and helping members construct pre-recordings of their shows. The role of production manager is a very practical role, therefore requiring detailed knowledge on how the studios and equipment function (particularly studio 2, which is primarily for production) and how a station sound is created. EQUIPMENT MANAGER Within this role you are responsible for the maintenance of the studio’s audio hardware, along with the Outside Broadcast (OB) Kit and PA Kit. This role involves arranging repair/replacement/addition if a fault develops with any audio hardware or a short fall in consumables/sundries, so that Pure FM can continue to function. This will often require liaising with the Sales and Finance Manager. The Equipment Manager will also be responsible for keeping an inventory/asset list of all equipment that is held by Pure FM, which must be updated on an annual basis together with the Systems Manager. SYSTEMS MANAGER This role requires the maintenance of all the IT equipment that makes Pure FM work. This includes the servers, routing equipment, workstations and network. If any faults develops with the IT equipment that Pure FM operates, it is the responsibility of the systems manager to arrange repair/replacement/resolution of the issue. Any purchasing will need to be approved by the Sales and Finance Manager as well as the Student Media Coordinator. As Systems Manager you will also be required to maintain our online presence, both with the Pure FM Google Apps space, in line with requests made by the committee and the station’s policies, as well as the Pure FM website. Ideally, candidates should have a computer background/knowledge of enterprise environments. EVENTS & SOCIAL MANAGER Within this role you will be tasked with creating, organising and running various events for Pure FM. Whether these be annual staples, such as Fresher’s Fayre and the Isle of Wight Pub Crawl, or unique socials. You will also need to take point on our annual RAG event, both determining which charity we will be supporting and in the genesis and running of the event to raise money. You will be required to work with the Publicity Officer/Team to create awareness for each event to make sure the membership are all aware.
Takedown Fest 2012 Posted on April 20, 2012 by The Music Team University of Southampton 18/03/2012 This was a proud day for the UK music scene. Not only was Takedown 2012 set up and run by a British independent promotions company, all the bands that graced the 4 stages were also born and raised on our great shores. Diversity was the key word here, as each stage was filled with the best of metal, hardcore, punk, indie and pop; so every ones tastes were catered for. The venue this year was the University of Southampton, which served host to some great talent. The 4 indoor- stages were in separate areas of the Uni building, so there was no noise spilling into each of the performances and it never felt too crowded. The atmosphere of the day wasn’t too far removed from somewhere like Reading Festival: Everyone was in high spirits, and full of booze thanks to the cheap drinks prices! One of the sponsors, Monster Energy Drink, turned up in their trademark black and green trucks to give out free cans of their tasty beverages, which served as much needed fuel for the masses that came. Desolated helped kick the day off on the Guitar Central stage, the pit erupted into 2-step heaven as the Soton lads showed off their new hardcore sound. Straight after, The James Cleaver Quintet turned heads with their heavy riffs, loud shirts and brass instrument skills. It was Polar’s turn afterwards, who kept the pit alive with songs such as ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m the Batman’; and even though they are new kids on the block, a loyal fan base turned up to support the Surrey lads. Bands such as Hildamay, The Afterparty and Housefires entertained a constantly packed crowd on the Southampton Music stage (ironically only The After Party are from Southampton), and left a great impression for all those people who hadn’t checked out these up and coming acts. On the Big Deal Clothing stage (which was conveniently placed near the bar, much to my liking), local band Burn The Fleet played to a packed out crowd, who were all too happy to sing back the lyrics to vocalist, Andrew Convey. Proxies also graced the BDC stage with their blend of electro-hard hitting rock, and managed to sneak in a short version of ‘I Miss You’ by Blink 182 into their set. Meanwhile at the main stage Don Broco absolutely killed it and showed why they are one of the best live bands in today’s scene. Frontman, Rob Damiami, got involved in the pit and left everyone with big fat smiles on their faces. Canterbury had the crowd dancing along with their perfect mix of pop/indie tunes such as their latest single ‘More Than Know’, while the ladies in Evarose proved that it’s not only the guys who know how to rock. Lower Than Atlantis conquered the main stage and were definitely a crowd pleaser when they pulled out their Foo Fighters medley, in the middle of ‘Bug’. Mike Duce’ unique warm tones held out, despite blending singing with shouting. Bury Tomorrow headlined the Guitar Central stage, and showed their hometown why they are becoming one of the biggest names in today’s scene. The boys certainly put on an impressive stage show, with screamer Daniel Bates getting up close and personal with the crowd. After Lower Than Atlantis and Deaf Havana had their way with the crowd, main stage headliners, Skindred brought their fusion of reggae/metal to the table after a delayed start, but left fans remembering why they are rock legends. Band of the day had to go to Norfolk heroes, Deaf Havana, who took to the main stage to perform for us a whole range of tunes from their 2011 album Fools and Worthless Liars, plus a couple of their classics such ‘Friends Like These’ and ‘Nicotine and Alcohol Saved My Life’. Vocalist James Veck-Gilodi was joined on stage by his brother, who only served to amplify their already massive sound. The room was completely packed, which prompted a one in, one out policy at the doors. The only way is up for the Havana boys from here! After the day came to a close, the fun didn’t stop, because the official Takedown after party was starting up at Unit. The likes of Don Broco, Bleed From Within and Bury Tomorrow got behind the decks to battle it out in a series of DJ sets. The event also gave fans the chance to chat and hang with some of their favorite bands, and definitely left more than a few people star struck. Once everyone was full of alcohol, great music and company it was time for it all to come to an end. This festival really was a testament to how great the music scene is these days for us Brits, so here’s to Takedown 2013. Written by David Morgan Photographs provided by Marianne Harris [Show as slideshow]
Black Stone Cherry Posted on April 17, 2012 by The Music Team Southampton Guildhall 27/03/12 Having already performed at 10 different major cities in the UK and with this being their only Southern date of their UK tour, Black Stone Cherry needed to make it a good one to leave a lasting impact on the region. With the ever growing fan base purchasing every single ticket available for the tour, it’s no wonder the expectations of their performance were high. However, to get the crowd warmed up and ready for what was to come, they needed a band that knows how to get the audience rocking and this band was Rival Sons. Having been given a 40 minute slot, the pressure was on them to keep the energy alive within the Guildhall and it sounded like they had achieved this without even breaking a sweat. With the lead vocalist hitting incredible notes and using the power in his voice to enthral the crowd, they sure put a great start to what was going to be a night to remember. Now it was time for the fans had been waiting for. Black Stone Cherry were ready to hit the stage. Keeping the atmosphere going, Black Stone Cherry didn’t introduce themselves with the typical guitar strike of the first note from their opening song. They decided to play something to remind the fans exactly where they are from. The Kentucky Quartet began their show with Jerry Reed’s ‘East Bound and Down’. Once hitting the stage, the liveliness of the band was undoubtedly clear to see why the bands fan base is forever growing. Ben Wells (Guitarist) is what is known as a photographer’s nightmare. Bouncing from side to side on the stage and making it practically impossible to capture a focused shot of his performance. He would step up onto the front speakers on the stage and encourage the Guildhall to join in. What was hard to miss about Ben was his love and respect for his influences as Elvis and Aerosmith featured prominently on his guitars. Also, John (Drummer) became a magician whilst performing as he was twirling his drumsticks, throwing them in the air and catching them and launching them at the audience. With all this happening seamlessly, he simultaneously received new drumsticks to play with. Throughout the performance, BSC consistently interacted with their audience to ensure they were still as pumped up as the band. They decided to give the fans a rest from the frantic performance by performing a few acoustic songs and gave the audience a good sing along with songs including Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and Oasis’ ‘Champagne Supernova’. The fans treated BSC to singing ‘Things My Father Said’ which put a blown away emotion on their faces. It’s at that point in which it’s clear how much performing to people and creating music means to Black Stone Cherry. Coming towards the finale of their set, Black Stone Cherry catch out the singing crowd with a rendition of their hit ‘Blame it on the Boom Boom’ which had every person in the Guildhall up and jumping. This left the crowd chanting their name. It was only moments later they couldn’t help but to come back on and perform two more songs for the enthusiastic audience. In an encore filled with Fans singing, John’s drumsticks flying off the stage and through the crowd and Ben still bouncing as if it’s the first song, the band went out with a bang and never looked like they wanted to stop. It truly was a concert that was played with every inch of passion that each member possessed. It was understandably clear to see that if they were to return to the South coast, they would once again play to a full house as they rise from strength to strength. Words by Nicola Rainbird and James Frampton Photo provided by Andy Pritchard [Show as slideshow]
Noah and the Whale Posted on April 12, 2012 by The Music Team Portsmouth Guildhall 25/03/12 Dashing suits, violin quartets and red socks; just a few of the words to sum up the Noah and the Whale boys’ elegant performance at Portsmouth’s Guildhall last night. Indie-folk support act Emmy the Great (originally a member of Noah and the Whale) were crowd appreciated, with quirky acoustic hits from their most recent 2011 album Virtue and first 2009 album First Love. Along with the amusing quotes “I had my belly button pierced in Fratton” from lead vocalist Emma-Lee Moss, they entertained and hyped up the crowd, ready for the main act of the evening. With gleeful smiles and posh appearances, Noah and the Whale walked on stage, and the crowd uproar showed the tension building wait by the audience had paid off. Opening with ‘Life is Life’; a well known single from latest album ‘Last Night on Earth’, the crowd awoke. After a few more chirpy tunes such as ‘2 Atoms in a Molecule’ and ‘Old Joy’, to which the audience sang out loud, the gig took a different turn… Usually when a band turns mellow during a gig, the audience grow tiresome, but when Noah and the Whale calmed their music down it was mesmerising. The elegant string sounds of the violin, at one point used as a siren-styled sound effect, the strum of the acoustic guitars, the soothing voice of lead vocalist Charlie Fink- all of this causing an absolutely star-struck crowd. ‘Wild Thing’ was definitely a melodious song proving this, as was ‘Love of an Orchestra’ from their second 2009 album First Days of Spring. The Portsmouth Guildhall was a strange venue, at times it was upbeat and packed out, but towards the climax of the gig, it felt very eerie and empty, also with a slightly rude and unappreciative crowd, but Noah and the Whale strove above this with an excellent performance. The audience are enthused again by the well known chart singles ‘Tonight’s the kind of Night’, and the spelling bee chorus of ‘L.I.F.E G.O.E.S O.N’. By any measure, it was a triumphant gig. With a powerful encore of ‘First Days of Spring’, Noah and the Whale elegantly ended their show with bows and gleeful expressions, pleased with their talented performance. Words and Photos by Emma Huskins [Show as slideshow]
Matt Cardle Posted on April 7, 2012 by The Music Team Xfactor’s winner of 2010, Matt Cardle brought his tour to Portsmouth Guildhall, with fans queued up outside the venue to await the opening of the doors. There was a variety of people looking forward to the concert, the majority of the soon to be audience were women. Roxanne Emery, from Fareham supported him, and what a support act she was. Being her home gig, she wowed the crowd and I was completely blown away. Many of her songs told a story, starting with Walk through fire. She sung softly, it was unique. Her song Tug of war revealed her ongoing passion and desire for music “music is my best friend…” After the crowd were warmed up by the outstanding singer and guitar player Roxanne Emery, the curtain on the stage suddenly dropped. I was confused as to why the set was dressed with carpets, tables with lampshades as well as chairs propped next to them. However, it felt very homely, which was the atmosphere Matt clearly wanted to get across. It all made sense; it showed he felt at home when he was performing. With the creative lighting in place, the audience began to cheer with excitement for the X Factor’s former winner to come on stage, and he did not disappoint. He opened the concert with the song Amazing from his album Letters. The song was quite rock influenced, and the backing of the guitars, keyboard and drums made this performance one never to forget. Throughout the concert Matt was a great entertainer, and like Roxanne, many of his songs told a story. He explained that the songs were personal to him, which sparked emotion through his voice. One of these was called Walking on water; it was such a strong song, with lyrics that stood out. Matt Cardle showed the talent that he and his band had, varying between alternative rock, pop, and acoustic songs. At some points Matt stopped singing and let the band grace the stage with their talent. From amazing guitar solos to them playing altogether really worked. Without a doubt it showed that he enjoyed singing more than just one genre of music. Of course it wouldn’t be the same if there wasn’t an encore would there? The stomping of feet and chanting of voices showed that they wanted more. One of his last songs he performed was his winner’s single, ‘When We Collide’ which sold 439,000 copies in the first week of being released. This song clearly had a very close place to his heart, as it was lovely to listen to. He may have got to where he is through a talent show; however he is a great performer, and a very talented singer. I hope he continues to grow as he more than deserves it. Great concert, great singer, what more could you ask for? His debut album Letters is available now. Written by Helen Brennan Photos by Jake Ratcliffe MATT CARDLE’S WEBSITE [Show as slideshow]
Fighting Fiction – Self Titled Album Posted on April 7, 2012 by The Music Team What’s this? Fighting Fiction you say?! Could we be talking about tussling with T. S. Eliot or shakedowns with Shakespeare? Of course not, we’re instead referring to the Brighton four piece, who unleash refreshing and melodic tinged punk with substance on their self-titled debut. So what exactly is all the fuss about when it comes to Fighting Fiction? It’s clear to see that having being snatched up by Xtra Mile Recordings that they fit in well with the musicians on the label. Having this in mind, their debut seems to reflect this companionship and newfound sense of belonging. The rousing lyrics and vocal performances are reminiscent of folk troubadour Frank Turner, crossed with intelligent voice of someone who’s observed the current music ‘scene’ and people’s perception of them selves and has come up with astute conclusions. Opener ‘Amazing Grace’ kicks thing off with a raucous riffs courtesy of the guitars that are complimented perfectly by groove-laden bass and staccato drums, driving the song home and embedding a real punk ethic within the first minutes of listening to the band’s first offering. Nothing is more evident of this than on the album’s highlights; ‘Rock N Roll is Dead and It’s Corpse is For Sale’ and the very catchy ‘Cameraphones & Choruses.’ Ironically enough, the song’s subject matter deals with the posturing hipsters who only follow bands because of trends rather than thinking about the actual substance of the music as they aptly put it, “you just go down to the shows for the choruses.” Ironically enough, it’s their extremely catchy chorus refrain that stays stuck in your head after countless listens to the song. It is a skill that Fighting Fiction utilises, by expertly creating catchy melodies accompanied with meaningful and thought provoking lyrics which adds character to the music and sets them apart from any ‘scene’ tags, they so ardently sing about. To dampen the mood slightly, with some of the songs being of such a high calibre, it seems that some songs following such classic bodies of work (such as the first two songs) come across as b-sides, purely down to the fact that they seem to lack that fine attention to detail, which ends up rounding off the songs in fine style. However, this is a minor hiccup, on a record that is bursting full of maturity and ends up being an album, which is altogether a captivating, and engaging listen. 7/10 Written by Nick Gray