02 March 2010
Farnborough College of Technology degree student Chris Philpot has been appointed Radio Station Manager of Echo 87.7. The College radio station broadcasts throughout the month of March each year –this year the station will be live from 7am on the 1st of March to 7:30pm on the 26th of March.
Each year two teams of students bid for control of Echo by producing an extensive bid document and an audio podcast. This bidding process comes to a head in December with a live Dragons’ Den style TV show during which a panel of lecturers and technicians choose which team will have ultimate control of all aspects of the radio station, from selecting presenters and music to designing graphics, posters and the website.
Chris said “I’m looking forward to the challenge of running a professional radio station alongside presenting my own Breakfast show. It’s an excellent opportunity to gain experience of working in a live studio environment. Considerable thanks must go to our lecturers and technicians.”
Echo began in May 1992 under the name FCT FM, 18 years later, Echo FM broadcasts to a radius of over six miles. The station also has worldwide coverage via the internet on www.echofm.co.uk – in fact, when the station ran in 2009 it had 2,000 regular online listeners as far afield as North Korea! In recent years, comedian Lee Evans and Big Brother winner Brian Belo have appeared on the station
Guests confirmed for 2010 include musical acts Example and Aquablakk, British Touring Car driver Paul O’Neill, and Skins actor Merveille Lukeba – with many more to come. For the Drivetime Show idents were specially recorded by voice of The X Factor Peter Dickson – “It’s time to face the music!” past accolades in 2000 Echo was nominated for the title of BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Station of the Year. Tony Cook, radio lecturer: “It’s a wonderful opportunity for students and the audience is building every year.”
Studio 1, the main broadcasting studio, has been completely soundproofed and renovated with £15,000 worth of new equipment and has a Sonifex mixing desk, three professional condenser microphones and a Myriad digital playout system allowing us to produce programmes to a higher quality than ever before. Student Emily Mustill, Head of News: “The passion and interest shown by students is truly inspirational and exciting. I can’t wait to get on-air I hope we offer a real alternative for local people to listen to”