Day Ten - Brians Sneeze

Hello Hello Blog people,
                                         Well its time for me to write about my second Friday, and tenth day at Absolute Radio in London. Its weird to think I have been there for two weeks now. In some ways its flown by, but then I realise I have still got two weeks to go! So its odd. I am extremely grateful at being offered four weeks, as it seems to be the right amount of time to be at Absolute. Two weeks would whizz by (Yes I just said Whizz) and three weeks probably wouldn't feel right.

So here I am at the end of week two, the end of another week, and another week nearer to Christmas. Literally the only bad thing about being at Absolute this time of year... Christmas presents. I have had no time to look for any! Seriously... even though I'm down the road from one the best places in England for shopping, I just haven't had any time to look for them! I have had to do my shopping at weekends back in Bournemouth. I still haven't got anything for my sister (Panic) '

Sure we get one hour lunch breaks, but all I want to do in them is sit in Cafe Nero drinking hot chocolate (The only hot drink I like) and with the added bonus of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top, I can't see myself changing this routine anytime soon.

SO ANYWAY

For those who don't know (or care) I am currently doing work experience at Absolute Radio in London. And this is the blog entry for day Ten.

BUT BEFORE I EXPLAIN MY DAY...

The amount of people who don't know who Absolute Radio are in Bournemouth... you'd think they live under a rock. Here's how a conversation will go:

Colin: Yeah I'm doing work experience at Absolute Radio in London

Random Person: O right, is that a national station?

Colin: Yes... there a pretty big station as a matter of fact...

Random Person: O... never heard of them.

Colin: They used to be called Virgin Radio

Random Person: OOOO I know who you mean, yeah I like them.

Yep, in Bournemouth, we've been stuck in 2008 for the past three years.

So finally onto my tenth day...

So I wake up. It ain't a nice wake up. The taste of cider and cheese in my mouth. I had too much pizza on Thursday, so I knew it wasn't gonna be a... lets say "pretty" day. I have never vomited from Alcohol, and luckily my record remains in tact.

So I get to Absolute. I am not feeling to good. Ya know, stomach ache and just generally drowsy. I get there and Guy hasn't turned up yet. Clearly all the wine he drank messed him up (Yep, seriously folks, he drank wine) Which is weird as he is normally there before me. Kerry on reception isn't feeling too good either (She blames cheap wine) Turns out nearly everyone feels rough, which is to be expected really. And throughout the whole day people are looking through the Photos from the Xmas Party... there are some "Lol" ones.

I will say this now and never again through this blog entry. The pizza messed me right up... lets just say I didn't envy the person who used the loo after me... and it wasn't just one trip I made... not pretty.

I take some parcels up to peoples desks for the first 15 minutes or so, and just as me and Kerry and discussing the possibility of Guy waking up on an London Underground platform, he turns up, right as rain (Apparently the trains were late, a likely tale)

So anyway, as its Friday different tasks have to be done. As the post is late, we get to work with the other tasks. The recycling for one, which just consists of changing bags on each floor (White for paper and Blue for Magazines)

BUT as we go to the first floor... the lift doors open, and standing in front of me....

Is none other than IAN WRIGHT

He does the Rock and Roll football on Saturdays, and had obviously come in to prepare for his show the next day. He says "Alright" to us. AWESOME

As you may know, I'm a big football fan, and Ian Wright is a footballing legend. He is also an Arsenal legend, and my Uncle (Who I'm staying with) is a huge Arsenal fan. Unfortunately I am too star struck to ask for an Autograph. Next time I see him I will....

So anyway

As there is only one computer free until the breakfast show team leave, Guy continued paperwork, whilst I went to do a task for Kerry. Daily, Absolute do competitions where listeners can win a digital radios. My job was to wrap about 48 radios, so that Kerry could easily send them when someone won one. That took me about an hour. I also refiled fridges... and bad news

THEY HAVE RUN OUT OF COCA COLA!

This is not good. and quite surprising, as so many people at Absolute drink diet coke... on average about 10 cans a day. So why is there still 4 cases of that in the basement storeroom? Its a conspiracy.

Once this is done I ask Kerry for any jobs she needs doing, as there are no computers free to do paperwork. There isn't so Kerry looks for people in the building who need jobs doing. Someone gets back to her and says they need some editing done...

FINALLY RADIO STUFF

Its for a guy called Joe Thomas, and ironically me and Guy are scheduled to have a meeting with him at 11 anyway. So I go and see him on the 2nd floor. I had completely forgotten about the studios there. There are studios EVERYWHERE at absolute. Literally. These ones are quite homely. Your sort of hidden away from everything else, so its an ideal place to get work done. Anyway these studios are next to the CD room... picture coming soon! So I go and see him. I had seen him a few times around the building but never spoken to him.

Once again a very nice guy. So I go in as he is editing a promo, which is what I had been waiting to see. By that I mean, I had been waiting to watch a professional at work with editing.

So we greet, shake hands etc, and he explains what he wants me to do. He has an interview with Woody from Madness (The Drummer) which is about 28 minutes long. What he needs me to do is cut it down to "Two Four minutes segments" to be played on Cafe 80's, which is the Sunday breakfast show on Absolute 80's.

I am more than happy to do that, as I want to do some actual radioy stuff whilst at Absolute. He says there is no rush, just that they have to be done by the end of the day... We shall return to this later.

So 15 minutes later I am heading back to see Joe with Guy for our meeting. He explains what he does, how he got into radio and he shows us the programs he uses to edit.

It was extremely interesting, and I finally got the chance to see the playout system that Absolute use. A program called Genesys, which I hadn't come across before.

So its half 12 and after a quick trip to the Zoo for some Bourbons and Custard creams we return to floor one. Guy wants to meet his friend at half one, So I have my break at Half 12.  (We can't have our break at the same time)

I get back at about 20 past 1 to find Guy already gone. So I decide to get to work on the Madness interview editing. I have to use a program called Adobe Audition, which is what we use at my Uni. It is a pretty advanced editing program, which is Ideal for editing. It can also be used to make features, jingles and other radio stuff.

I firstly listen to the whole interview, and cut it into sections. Joe wants each section to have full questions and answers, not lots of cut up little clips. So I listen, and just as I finish cutting up the clips, Marc comes over to me.

Now if you don't remember, Marc is the guy who knows everybody. Well, if you like good music, he does. He pretty much knows all the bands I love, and he is pretty much a god in my eyes.

Anyway he comes over to me and says hes gonna show me how to sort the promo CD's. Basically, Absolute gets sent CD''s all the time. Most of the time they are from record companies, who want you to play their bands new song. But sometimes they are from Unsigned bands.

It is our job to sort them into boxes. There are two boxes. The first box is for new Cd's that have come in, and the second for week old ones. When they have been in the boxes for two weeks they are given to charity. Or staff can take them for free.

If the CD is from an Unsigned artist, it goes in the bin... which I think is harsh, but you soon forget that when you see the amount that is sent. So I'm taught that, and then I return to my editing.

I have never liked Adobe Audition. O sure it does the job, but it is fiddly. One wrong move can ruin your whole project. It takes me about 2 hours to finish the first four minute segment, and the reason was: I was trying to make it sound good. When you cut audio in an interview it can sound rubbish and obvious. It took a while to get the interview to sound decent, or at least audible.

BUT

You will remember I am supposed to be sitting in the studio for Geof Lloyds Hometime Show today. I forgot to mention earlier in this blog, that we have been told we can leave at 4.30 today, due to the Xmas party the night before. I can't do that, due to my Geoff Lloyd commitment. Guy isn't messing about though, as soon as 4.30 comes, he is outta there. He looked a little like this before he left:

I am panicking with my editing. I am no where near finished, and I told Joe I would finish it before I left. It is nearing 5, and I know that is when the Hometime show starts. I am editing, and then Gaz, the Hometime Producer, walks up to me. They have a guest in today (Karl Pikington) which means they will have to devote most of the show to that. It also means they will have to set up a camera in the studio, restricting space. He asks if its okay for me to sit in on Monday. I am happy to do that as I need to finish the interview, but I also want to sit in on the Hometime show.

It comes to 5.30, and I am about to finish when a piece of newspaper flies past my head... I ignore it, thinking its someone missing a bin... then another flies by... I look to my right, and Brian (The guy who wants me to edit Ian Wright clips) is looking at me. He has been told to tell me to ring Joe. I ring him. He asks, in the most politest of ways, how I'm doing with the Interview. I tell him I have almost finished and he is happy.

Now I have to hope the interview edits are good. Well I guess it was my first attempt at Absolute, so hopefully he wont hurt me.

So I'm done for the day. I get my coat from the coat holder, and then go down on my knee to sort my bag out. My bag is basically right behind where Brian sits. Unfortunately for me, as I kneel down, he turns and sneezes, almost right in my face. Luckily he misses me by inches. The fool.

So That was my day. A hard week, but awesome like the first. Tomorrow sees the start of week three :D

And hopefully Geoff Lloyd!

So until tomorrow

You stay classy Internet

Colin