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Mike Shaft is a broadcaster of some repute in the North West. He was born in Grenada in the West Indies and has lived in the North West of England since 1968.
He began his broadcasting career as a freelance presenter at Piccadilly Radio, Manchester in 1978.
Mike remained with Piccadilly for 8 years after presenting a weekday show and becoming Head of Music in 1993, during one of the most successful periods in the history of the station. Mike presented shows of every type, but was probably best known for his soul show ‘Takin’ care of business’ and his late night romantic show ‘Love can be fun’, both of which are legendary in the Manchester area.
Read the full Mike Shaft biog here.
This interview was done by Neil Henderson, a News Producer at SKY.
You have been on-air in Manchester for over 25 years. the radio market today bares no resemblance to the market you started in. Are you proud of the way Radio has grown in the North West?
It’s going to be a bit of a funny answer to this one. I am really proud of the way it has grown but really disappointed as well.
You are right to say the market bears no resemblance today to the market I started out in all those years ago but I am delighted to say that it is almost exactly the way I predicted it would be.
It’s great to see all the different stations but really disappointing to see the lack of any real choice in the Manchester market. Stations are not offering enough. I hope that the new station coming to Manchester really does offer something different.
Stations changing names, formats etc is really out of line in my opinion. If you find you can’t do what you promised in your licence application then you should be made to give your licence back and there should be a new application process.
But don’t worry, it’ll never happen.
You have been part of station start ups when you look at the success of Jazz/Smooth FM surely if Sunset 102 which you started in the 90s came on air later it would have been a hit?
Firstly just a small correction, Sunset was a hit. It was a hit with all the people who used to listen. A 10% reach in its first JICRAR.
I knew all those years ago that the music format we had plus all our community programmes was a successful one and we proved it. The problem was that advertisers were not prepared to spend with the station. Some didn’t like it, some didn’t understand it while others didn’t want to support a ‘Black’ station.
Add to that the lack of support by the Radio Authority and you will see why it couldn’t survive.
Had we stayed the course and being around now, I am convinced that Sunset would be either number 1 or number 2 in the Manchester market.
How much of a thrill was it to be part of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games?
My involvement with the Commonwealth Games was a fantastic thrill and was the culmination of a 10 year process. It began back in 1993 when I applied for a Bursary from the Commonwealth Relations Trust to go to the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. My suggestion was that if the Games ever came to Manchester I would know exactly what to expect.
I must thank Julian Allitt (The then boss at the Bay in Lancaster) for supporting my application and giving me the time-off to go.
I spent 4 weeks working at C-FAX 1070, the number 1 rated station in Victoria and I saw every aspect of the 15th Commonwealth Games. It was sensational.
I remember interviewing Sir Bob Scott in Victoria within minutes of the end of their Opening Ceremony.
He was convinced that if Manchester got the Games we would make a success of it.
Fast forward 10 years.
When Tim Pemberton began setting up the Commonwealth Games Radio station for the BBC in Manchester, he asked me to do Breakfast and set up and run the play-list.
The station was a huge success in the Manchester area and out of that came the invitation to host the preludes to the Opening and Closing ceremonies.
It was a great honour but it was one that I had planned for, for 10 years.
Sunday Breakfast is a challenge for most people after a hard Saturday night, how do you keep it entertaining on GMR?
I wish I could say how easy it is but it is really tough, and I love it. I actually did my first Sunday Breakfast show during the Commonwealth Games and I really enjoyed it.
Many years ago I vowed that if I ever got the chance to do a Sunday Breakfast show it would be as good as any other show on the radio station, and I think we have done it.
The show is not just about me, we’ve got a great team including Producer Becky Kelly who works really hard on the programme. I should also give a mention to our former Producer Ali Hutchison who was in charge for the first couple of years that I did. Together we really set some high standards.
There are a couple of simple rules that we have on the show. There is no subject that we won’t touch and we give every item the time it deserves.
When you’ve got guests of the calibre of the Bishop of Manchester, the Dean of Capetown, Paul Goggins MP, Clare Short MP, I am not really interested in doing a 3 minute interview and then asking them to leave.
If you assembled a radio dream team who would be in it?
This is a really tough one, because it really depends on the type of radio station I was putting together.
I am really lucky because in putting Sunset Radio together I WAS able to put together my dream team for that station. That included Greg Edwards in the morning slot. The only 2 people I wanted and didn’t get were Cecille Wright, a producer now on Radio 4 and a guy called Binda Singh.
If I were putting together a music team now it would include Steve Quirk, Terry Christian, Tony Michaeledes, Mark Radcliff and Rosko. If it was a talk station then Allan Beswick would be on the list as would Nicky Campbell, James H Reeve, Eddie Mair and Dawn Payne. The MD of both of these stations would be Tim Pemberton.
What do you think the future is of BBC Local radio considering Commercial Radio is getting stronger across the country?
I am not sure that I agree with your assumption that “Commercial Radio is getting stronger across the country”. With the number of Commercial stations that exist at the moment, BBC Local stations should have been wiped out. But they havent.
The truth is that BBC Local stations are making the best and most interesting radio at the moment. You might say I’m bound to say that, but I really do believe it. It is not a coincidence that a number of presenters in BBC Local radio now actually come from the heyday of Commercial Radio.
If we had the kind of regulation in Commercial Radio that I have been asking for over the years then we would have the most exciting and diverse radio in the world. Instead we have loads of stations and very little choice.
Provided BBC Local Radio continues to do interesting talk and great music I think we’re going to be OK.
The problem for all radio in this country in the future is going to be multi-channel television and internet listening to foreign stations.
What are your broadcasting highs/lows.
Obviously one of the lows was losing Sunset but I left there with my reputation and integrity in place. I could have conformed and maybe I would have stayed there but I knew what Sunset was meant to be. Once that was changed I had no interest in being there.
Another low was being offered a job on Radio 1 only to have it not happen because of industrial action. The moment Tony Hale told me it wasn’t happening was truly horrible. Thankfully, it wasn’t my fault.
I am lucky to have been in at the start of a number of stations and highlights of course included the launch of Sunset Radio which was quite incredible.
I could spend three pages explaining what it was like but you still wouldn’t get it. You just had to be there.
The launch of the BAY in Lancaster was fantastic. Over half of the population were tuning in.
Another massive high was the Commonwealth Games Station in Manchester. Working with Tim Pemberton was a joy as was producer Kaylois Henry, and the rest of the team Sharon Tobias and the legendary James West.
The other major high was getting the job on BBC1’s Open Air. As I say I have had some highs but being told by Editor Peter Veil that I ‘had the job’ was just wonderful.
Finally, getting the job as Assistant Editor at BBC GMR is simply sensational and a definite answer to prayer.
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