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Production apprentice: James Payton on his first weeks working at 成人论坛 Radio

James Payton

Production Apprentice

Faders and switches, presenters and countless cups of coffee (often decaf because I cannot handle the buzz). What a ride this has been so far, and a very enjoyable one. I’ve gone from marching to the beat of left right, left right in the military to working at the biggest broadcasting corporation in the world.

If you are reading this, and you are thinking of joining us, then do not hesitate for one minute. I can promise it will be the best thing that you ever decided to do, and worth every moment that you contribute.

I started working for the 成人论坛 on 26 September 2016. I'd styled my hair to the best of my ability (yet I can guarantee a llama would pull off a better hair style than me). I put on my best suit, polished my shoes and headed for the Mailbox in Birmingham.

It was a fantastic day meeting my new colleagues, learning stuff about the corporation and what would be happening on my scheme, about 成人论坛 values and various other things. I also got to experience the great foods of Birmingham - a £3 meal deal from Tesco. Every little helps, eh?

For this position, I braved the 50mph zones on the M6 and moved north from a small town called Redditch to Manchester. Leaving home was nothing new. Before the 成人论坛 I served in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy. But it was nice to live in a new home this time instead of a small university style box room, with a cramped en suite, loud neighbours and the distant echo of the firing ranges. I work at MediaCityUK and I am part of an excellent team. 

Media City UK at sunset

I work predominantly on 成人论坛 Radio Four's  with the wonderful . I always compliment Winifred on her show and tell her how much I love listening to her present, but she thinks I say it to every presenter! If only she knew I don’t...

In my time so far, I have learned so much about engineering sound. We use some great software to edit packages that become part of a story on a radio show. I’ve spent a good amount of time working the desks, too (the audio desk that is), which is an excellent experience.

I am already really looking forward to working on the live programmes, and being the actual studio manager for a show. I think when I'm doing live shows, I will probably drop the decaff coffee, and move on to the real stuff! You've got to remain focused when you have that kind of responsibility.

What I've certainly learned - taking the audio part aside - is how closely you work with each other. Teamwork is a big part of all of this and if you end up working here, you’ll understand how crucial it is. For example, in a studio, a presenter isn’t a presenter without a studio manager. Studio managers can’t do their role if the production team aren’t there to come up with ideas. You get the idea.

It has been excellent to see how much everyone collaborates. It is an amazing feeling when things go as planned because you get a real sense of achievement.

The days can be really busy sometimes, which is great. You’re always on your feet, you have to think proactively about what is coming up next because having a radio-based role, there is no time for after thought, especially on a live show.

I am still in the early days of my time at the 成人论坛, but I have never been so proud about working for a company before. I absolutely love my role. Every day is challenging, fun and interesting and I cannot wait to see how much more I develop over the coming year. Exciting times ahead. So go on, get stuck in! It’s the best decision you’ll ever make.