The other day, I had the privilege to talk to the folks at Real Radio, in their Real Radio Boot Camp, held in a hotel close to Newport in Wales.
Organised by the excellent John Simons, Real Radio has a yearly 'boot camp' for their producers, presenters and PDs: and appeared to be a great way of sharing ideas, meeting others in the group, and feeling engaged and focused in the future of their stations.
Others taking part included Dennis Clark from Clearchannel, Nik Goodman and Radio 2's Bob Shennan - in a day and a half of work and play designed to awaken new ideas and keep the team motivated.
It would be too easy for Real Radio not to have bothered with any of this. They'll be part of Global Radio soon enough, many would think. Except Real Radio, being a decent employer, is doing what's right with its people: training them to be better broadcasters, and expanding their skillset. Many will make the journey to Global Radio, too. And for those that might not, their current employer has given them a real gift to help them find something new. John Simons and Real should be highly congratulated.
When I worked as a full-time presenter for the Metro Radio Group, I'd have killed for this opportunity: to learn from others in and outside the group. Training - often the first thing to go in difficult times - is hugely important to keep people focused in what can, sometimes, be quite a lonely job.
It's one of the reasons I love running nextrad.io, with Matt. Over the last few years, just £99 has bought you a day of brilliant speakers and enthralling ideas - as well as, yes, some useful training stuff too. There's another nextrad.io on the way this September - and almost all of the speakers from the last two years, for free, on the website. (No, it's not a "techie" conference - as you'll see.)
If you care about your career, and you don't get a "boot camp" as good as Real's, it would be great to see you at the next one. There's a link here to get on the nextrad.io mailing list. Cheers.
Real Radio - really caring about their people
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Why Real Radio's Boot Camp is a great idea - and an alternative if you want to further your career
James Cridland is the Managing Director of Media UK, and a radio futurologist: a consultant, writer and public speaker who concentrates on the effect that new platforms and technology are having on the radio business.
E-mail James Cridland | Visit James Cridland's website
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I’ve never met anyone yet, regardless of the type of training they’ve invested in, and regardless of who has provided it for them, who has NOT considered it time and money well spent.