- Opinion
- 14 Apr 20
Dee Woods – Broadcasting From Home: "I just want to offer some form of escapism for those that want it"
As people turn to radio during the lockdown for company and a sense of community, a selection of the country's top DJs tell us how they've kept the show on the road whilst broadcasting from a variety of novel spots around their homes.
Luckily radio stations can be fairly stripped back into a neat little set-up and that’s exactly what ours is. We don’t have much room in the cupboard we’ve set up, but it’s enough. I’ve a PC to display Radio Nova’s playout system as if I was in the studio, a Rodecaster Pro mixing desk and microphone. Then a laptop for keeping on top of social media, WhatsApp, texts, emails and the like during the show.
In terms of challenges, trying to juggle kids, work, keeping house and keeping sane has been huge. I’ve been approaching this the same way I approached life with newborns: taking it one day at a time. Some sort of routine is important. The little ones are great at ensuring I never sleep in, then getting dressed is essential, if only to differentiate day from night! Despite jokes on air, I haven’t actually done a show in my jammies yet, though I do broadcast in slippers.
People’s reaction to the show has been overwhelming. The amount of listeners that have been getting in touch to say we’re actually helping them get through this time is amazing. Obviously the heroes are those working on the frontline or in essential retail, putting themselves at risk on a daily basis. To think we at Radio Nova could actually be making a difference too is fantastic. One woman got in touch to say she’s self-isolating from her husband in their own home: she with a lung condition and him working on the frontline. They are both listening to Radio Nova in their separate rooms of the house and loving it!
It’s brilliant that this is so doable. We’re really lucky to be in the kind of industry that doesn’t have to go to too many lengths to still be the same. Anyone who talks on the radio for a living does it for the love of it. If we can, then we will, in any circumstances, and if it’s bringing entertainment or comfort or solace to people, then job done.
With regard to emotions, I’m grateful I can still do my job and that I’m lucky enough to have a nice home to do it in. Then there’s fear for the more vulnerable people in my family and life in general, as we try and ride out this storm. You worry for the world and how it will look when this is all behind us. But I’m not gonna lie, there’s also an element of contentment that the pace of day-to-day life has slowed right down and in many ways has become much simpler.
Looking at the long term impact on radio, I know there are people who have fallen in love with radio again after seeing and hearing the positive power it has. There's no doubt that more people are listening, but the sudden drop off in advertising - a knock-on effect of the stalled economy – is a worry. No one knows what the other side of Covid-19 will look like. We can only hope we, like so many other businesses, we'll thrive when the world starts to spin again.
I don’t have a message in particular for listeners. It’s not for me to bombard people with more messages at this time. I just want to offer some form of escapism for those that want it, as well as solace in great music.
Dee Woods presents The NOVA Lunchbreak with Dee Woods, weekdays 1pm - 3pm, and Friday Night ’80s from 7pm on Radio Nova.
See the full Broadcasting From Home feature in the new Hot Press 'Stay Safe' Emergency Issue – available now.
