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Rock Spectrum Home Page Other than a couple of tracks put into the “Audience Builder” test transmission and the odd track played during a show, rock music was conspicuous by is absence during the first BritFM RSL in 2001. This oversight was corrected the following year, and the first edition of Rock Spectrum was broadcast at 1 o’clock in the morning on July 16th 2002. Despite the early hour, the show quickly gained a large audience and for the 2003 RSL Rock Spectrum was moved to an afternoon slot at 2:30. The first couple of shows featured guest presenters, and despite the smooth and professional sound, the show lacked a certain “pizzazz”, until Jazz and Fleecy, who presented the Punk show, took their turn, and stayed in place for the rest of the RSL. With Harry, aka Arnold, in the driving seat, this was the team that shaped the show into the one we all know and love today. Each year, in common with the other programs on BritFM, Rock Spectrum has personnel changes as students leave, and by the time of the 2004 RSL Jazz, Fleecy and Harry has left The Brit School for university. They would be a difficult team to replace, but Kelly, Vanessa and Simon filled the vacant spaces admirably. They were joined by Tom and Joe, two students from Devon who were on work experience at the school. The show was now in the mornings at 11 o’clock, and 2004 also saw the first of the weekend rock shows, two hours of music partly selected by the many text messages, emails and phone calls from listeners. BritFM in 2005 was different to previous years, as it was not possible to obtain an RSL licence to allowing us to broadcast locally on FM, so the “RSL” that year was a pure Webcast. The 2004 RSL has been simulcast on the web, and had been very successful and this success grew in 2005. This time presenters Joe and Tom, again on work experience, were joined by Chris, also on work experience, and Brit student Julian working the controls. A new spot, The 50’s Flashback, was introduced in the first and this proved an instant hit so continued for the rest of the series. After the 2006 RSL, Rock Spectrum took up a regular weekly timeslot on the, now full time, Webcast. The, then, current team of Rachell and Julian, usually interrupted by me, presented an hour long show every Thursday, during the school term, at 1 o’clock. This was, and still is, an unscripted show and the music is chosen by the presenters and the visitors to the studio, they have great fun and, judging by the mails received from regular listeners the world over, the audience enjoys it as well. You can see a typical play list HERE. For 2007, the show was hosted by, the now regular team , Rachell & Julian and we introduced a new spot, "Who was that?". On this spot we played a well known track by an unfamiliar artist, and invited the listeners to tell us who it was. By the end of the RSL, the audience had won, the score being 4 to 3. After the 2007 RSL, Rachell & Julian moved on to pastures new, and the search was on for new presenters. In September 2007, Ellie joined the team and can now be heard presenting, and sometimes driving, the show. The regular Thursday slot for Rock Spectrum continues, and it is now joined by an "As Live" repeat on Saturday at 8PM. As ever, the show is unscripted and maybe one day will have a theme, but don't bet on it. For now Rock Spectrum has become part of the meaning of life, and our interpretation of this is "Play lots of loud rock music, and then some more loud rock music". As I write this, the 2008 RSL is only a couple of months away, and we are already planning the show schedule. This year Ellie will be the full time presenter, and will be joined by some guest presenters. I do not yet know if we will continue the Who Was That? spot, or reintroduce the Fifties Flashback. Whatever happens, it will be fun, as usual. John Milton |
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