Tony McDonough meets RICHARD MADDOCK,station director of Radio City

IT IS often said that one of the keys to success is being in the right place at the right time – Richard Maddock can testify to that.

In November, 1990, Maddock was just 17 and on a radio production course when a decision to answer a ringing telephone sealed his destiny.

“I was doing the course at a place in Liverpool called the Ariel Trust,” said Maddock, now station director at Bauer-owned Radio City.

“About a week in, I was walking past the boss’s office when I heard his phone ringing. There was no one there, so I answered it.

“At the other end was a guy called Ian Mann, who at the time was the news editor at Radio City.”

Margaret Thatcher had just resigned as Prime Minister and the ruling Conservatives were about to elect a new leader to run the party and country (John Major was the eventual winner).

Mann was planning a news special on the night of the leadership election and was looking for a hard-working and enthusiastic student to help out.

Maddock added: “I told him we had just the right person and his name was Richard Maddock – I thought at the time, I’m either very clever or very stupid.

“I turned up on the night and it went very well. I was doing things like running tapes up and down – studio runner stuff.

“At the end of the night, I deliberately left my coat in the studio so I would have an excuse to go back the next day.”

Maddock did go back the next day and never stopped going back. He ended up freelancing at the station for four years, while studying for a degree in media and business.

Within six years, he had become the station’s youngest-ever programme director, having performed many different roles.

Based high up in the Radio City Tower, in Liverpool city centre, Maddock now oversees the output of three radio stations – Radio City 96.7, Magic 1548 and City Talk.

It employs around 50 staff – including freelancers – and boasts the biggest market share of listeners of any commercial station in its catchment area – encompassing Merseyside, Chester and North Wales.

“I spend around 70% of my day overseeing the output,” said Maddock. That includes the music that we play, the content provided by the presenters and news and sport.

“For the other 30% of my time, I concentrate on the business side.”

Radio City’s main source of income is advertising, and Maddock claims the station is holding its own in a tough environment.

He added: “When we started out here, Radio City was the only commercial station and now there is more competition.

“About six or seven years ago, we saw a big rise for the BBC, but audiences are coming back to commercial again.

“People have been predicting the death of radio for a long time.

“They said the Sony Walkman would finish us off and then the iPod, but we are still here.

“There is something unique about what radio can offer. People can listen to it when they’re in the bath or lying in bed with their eyes shut – that is not true of other media.”

In January, 2008, Maddock oversaw the launch of City Talk. Its output was to be entirely speech-based.

However, commercially the concept struggled and in 2009, with the consent of broadcast regulator OFCOM, City Talk started to introduce music into its output.

Maddock said: “What happened at City Talk was very frustrating for us.

“It was five years in the planning, then as soon as we launched the recession hit. The audience was good and there was a desire for it among listeners, but the challenge was making the commercial model fit.

“We had to changes things because the figures weren’t adding up.

“We also did some research among listeners and while they told us they liked the station, some found it difficult to listen to just speech all day.

“They said adding a little bit of music would help.

“So we sat down with OFCOM and they agreed to let us change the format. I think we have a good mix now and we have built up a solid, loyal audience.”

Having an online presence has become as important for radio stations has it has for other sectors of the media.

Radio City’s website offers news, webcasts and the opportunity to listen to recordings of shows.

Maddock added: “The web is particularly important for the demographic that listens to Radio City 96.7 – they do spend their lives online.

“On the web, you can offer people something a bit extra.

“On the radio, you may play the latest release from a particular artist and that’s all you can do.

“Online we can offer stuff to go with that – tour dates, pictures, etc.”

Maddock has seen many changes since he first joined the station, perhaps one of the biggest was the move from its old Stanley Street base to the top of St John’s Beacon, about a decade ago.

“Stanley Street was full of memories and it was a big decision to move,” he said. “However, from a business point of view, it was a fantastic decision – it basically gave us the best billboard in the city.

“We did worry initially whether the audience would feel a little disconnected from us as people had always gathered at Stanley Street.

“We did some research and what came back was really positive.

“The tower had been empty for years and people thought that was a little embarrassing for the city, so they were really pleased we were in there.”

Since 1999, both Richard and the station have won a clutch of accolades, too many to mention here.

Those he is most proud of include the Sony Station of the Year Award in 2002, 2005 and 2007 and, for himself, the Sony UK Programmer of the Year in 2005.

The Everton season ticket holder and music fanatic lives with his long-term girlfriend, Rowena Blythe, who runs her own design agency, Honey Wolf.

He retains the same infectious enthusiasm for radio as he did as that cheeky teenager.

“The future of radio is really exciting,” he said. “Everything is changing, with some of the regulatory shackles coming off, which is good because giving listeners what they want when they want it will become increasingly important.”