Please feel free to post your thoughts on the interview we conducted with Hallam FM's Big John on May 7, 2003. If you haven't read it yet then click here. (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=912)

Originally posted by "Big John Interview"


How much of a say do you have in what music is played during your show?
A little, but not much. All the tracks we play are “scientifically proven” to be the most popular at that time. We play a broad mix of songs from the charts, album tracks and stuff from the last few years. As well as gut instinct as to whether we think the song is good or not, all are “tested” on a sample of our audience everyday to see which are their absolute favourites. Hallam FM pay a lot of money for this research and take it very seriously. That is why I let the bosses choose the tunes. Luckily I like a very broad range of music. They must be getting something right as Hallam FM is still far and away the number one hit music station in South Yorkshire and The North Midlands.

I used to take part in the research above. I just got a random phone call one day (when I was a student) asking which radio station I listened to most. Since it was Hallam FM, they sent me a sheet with about 40+ song titles on each month. I then had to phone a freephone number and listen to about 30 seconds of each song and give it a score. These scores included ratings like "I've never heard this before and never want to hear it again!", "I love this song, but I hear it too much", etc...

It was quite good fun. My housemates used to pick up the other phones so they could have a sing along :lol: