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LBC Radio is one of the growing stations to hit Yorkshire via DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting)
One of the station’s most popular presenters is Jim Davis. He pulled his chair up to Shout!’s kitchen table to tell Paul Hunt about life as a gay man on the radio.
Tell us a bit about your background, how did you break into radio?
I was born in South Africa and my family travelled round the world during my first few years on this planet. We eventually settled in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where I grew up. It was my cousin Julie who first introduced me to radio when I was 15. I went to visit her in Carlisle and watched her doing her show at the local BBC station. When I got home I immediately signed up to my local hospital radio station and began learning my craft. My first break in professional radio came in 1995 at Signal in Stoke on Trent presenting the ‘Late Night Love Affair’. Ironic that I now present a show about sex and relationships on LBC!
As LBC can now be heard here in Yorkshire via DAB, you and your colleagues have become staple listening for us northern folk - have you any connections with the north?
I lived in South Manchester for nearly 10 years, then Derbyshire and then Nottingham so I feel very at home north of Watford Gap unlike many Londoners! I’ve got many good friends in Leeds and Newcastle too, who sadly I don’t get to visit anywhere near enough.
What do you enjoy the most about life at LBC?
Having spent over 13 years presenting music radio, working on a speech-only station presents a huge challenge. I’ve been here for over a year now and still get nervous before every show! The thing I enjoy the most however is the freedom to really engage with your audience which sadly you don’t often get a chance to do on a music station. It makes me smile when I get emails from people who have only just found us and are genuinely shocked at how incredibly addictive it is listening to speech radio. We should come with a health warning!
You are open about your sexuality on air; do you remember when you came out?
I came out in 1990 which makes me feel so old (LOL). I told my best friend Pete first of all (who I desperately fancied!) He told me he had guessed as much and arranged for us to go for a drink with his older brother and his best mate, Colin, who had done exactly the same thing and come out a year earlier. I ended up dating Colin for about four months I think! He was the first person to take me to a gay club - Heaven! Talk about in at the deep-end!
When not ‘on air’ what do you do to relax?
I live between London and Nottingham so I travel a lot. My family is all over the country too so I try and see them whenever I can. Next week for example I’ll be in London, Manchester, Nottingham, Stoke and then down to Devon for Easter!
I go to the gym (almost) every day. You get spoilt in London with choice for a great night out. I saw Avenue Q this week at the Noel Coward Theatre and it was hilarious! I can highly recommend that if you fancy a show, and it’s only five minutes’ walk from Soho.
We have seen the emergence of ‘minority radio stations’ in the last few years, those targeted at for example the older, the BME community etc. What are your views on this type of specialist broadcasting and do you think where is room on the dial for a specialist station for the lgbt community?
Truthfully I think it’s unlikely that commercial radio stations designed to suit highly specific target audiences will ever work. Sadly, it’s just not financially viable. I do think however the BBC should be forced to provide even more specialist programming which serves the needs of minority groups in their area. We pay the licence fee so I believe they should strive to reflect the communities they broadcast to every day.
If someone reading this wants to begin a career in radio, any tips?
Simply that if you really want to do it and you believe in yourself, then there’s absolutely nothing to stop you. There are more and more opportunities opening up all the time. With huge diversification in the broadcasting world from DAB to the internet, if you want it - go for it!
What’s on your radar in the coming months?
I’ll be continuing with my LBC shows every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm on LBC 97.3. I’m also doing some shows for our sister station Heart in the Midlands. I’m going on holiday with friends in April to good old Gran Canaria which I can’t wait for. I’m just desperate for the summer to begin now - I’m so sick of my winter clothes!
Jim Davis can be heard Friday and Saturday evenings from 10pm on LBC 97.3 in Yorkshire via DAB or the internet or on Sky Digital - Channel 0177
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