The Jonathan Miles Broadcasting Experience.
United DJ’s
Saturday Mornings
9am till 11am
BBC Newcastle
Mid-Mornings
October 2007 – March 2015
NAB Conference-European Radio Awards-Ceremony Host
Barcelona
November 2007
South London Radio 107.3/Time FM 106.8
Breakfast/Saturday Lunchtime
February 06-September 07
KMFM
Kent
Drive Time
August 06-cover
Capital Gold
G-Cap Media
London
Network Late Show/Jukebox/overnights cover
Dec 2005-2006
Capital Gold
G-Cap Media.
Kent.
Breakfast (Cover)
October 2005-2006
UK’s Capital Life.
G-Cap Media.
UK.
Evening Show-voice tracked Monday-Friday 18.00-21.00
February 06-September 06
Station now closed.
UK’s Capital Life.
Capital Radio PLC/G-Cap Media.
UK.
Late Show-voice tracked Friday and Sunday-21.00-00.00
December 2004-February 2006
Invicta FM.
G-Cap Media.
Kent.
Late Night Invicta-22.00-01.00
September 2005-November 2005
Invicta FM.
Capital Radio PLC
Kent.
Late Night Grooves-22.00-01.00
This was a Late show I loved, and that ‘we could do whatever we wanted with,’ to quote John O’Hara the Group Programme Director at the time. It started out with some Political satire and a few personal problems which I created to get the ball rolling, and ran the gamut over two and a half years which included dealing with someone’s attempt at suicide, and problems resulting from rape and sexual abuse.
As of October 2003 I added 24,000 to the existing 72,000 audience figure. In January 2004, although the station went down in Rajar, I still had a respectable showing, and in October 2005, the show, having suffered a few ups and downs, went back to where it was the year before!
June 2003-November 2005
Invicta FM.
Capital Radio PLC.
Kent.
Swing work.
Weekend breakfast/mid mornings/overnights.
August 2002-June 2003
Market Research.
National Opinion Polls & IFF Research.
London.
Phone research on varying topics ranging from Government figures needed on Ethnic Minorities working in small business, to a survey for Kimberly Clarke on what kind of toilet paper they use at Microsoft and The Bank of England. Why? Because getting a job in Radio at the time seemed more difficult than Hans Blix finding Weapons of mass destruction!
March 2002-August 2002
Channel 4 FM.
Ajman Independent Studios.
United Arab Emirates.
CHR.
Reach-UAE/Oman/Iranian Borders/Saudi Arabian Borders.
The Big Drive-16.00-19.00
The Friday Juke Box-10.00-13.00
‘The Big Drive with Ace Hardware,’ was the highest rated show in the Gulf, on the largest and at the time, only commercial station in the area.
The audience was of a broad based multiethnic origin, (Indian children of 6 years to western ABC1 adults).
Broadcasting in “the UAE” offered flexibility in many areas and allowed me autonomy which I took full advantage of in building a team, guests and music.
The programme generated a lot of interest within the country, so the team and I “went walkabout” with broadcasts from “The Middle East Motor Show“, “Gitex” (the worlds 3rd largest computer expo) and “The Dubai World Cup“-(The worlds richest horse race).
We also put ‘the UAE’ on the map, in a broadcasting sense, taking the show abroad and broadcasting for a week from Rome.
I, with help, was able to cross many Islamic and cultural barriers, and over time broke new ground with interviews on spirituality and the differences between Islam and other religions. Until that time looking for flaws in Islam or questioning Saudi Arabia’s policies or mentioning other religions as publicly as we did was frowned upon. It is said that once you have “done the UAE” you can survive anything.
The experience certainly gets under your skin, and in broadcasting terms, Payola was rife (not financial), and the lifestyle ABC1 and there is nowhere quite like it!
And I left because… I was the straw that broke the camels back!
September 1998- April 2001
Jazz FM.
Clear channel.
Regional-North West England.
Jazz/Soul/Funk.
Breakfast/Weekend Breakfast and Afternoon Drive presenter.
June 1998-September 1998
Piccadilly 1152 AM.
EMAP.
Manchester.
Afternoons-13.00-16.00
Due to some success on FM and with and a re-imaging for both brands, I was asked if I could try to build an audience such as I had created on FM. Basically, Fm was going younger, and I didn’t want to be out of a job!
January 1998-April 1998
Key 103 FM.
EMAP.
Manchester.
The Quiet Storm-22.00-01.00
The Giant Juke Box- Saturday afternoons/ co-presenter at a weeks worth of Broadcasts from Walt Disney World in Florida.
January 1996-December 1997
Key 103 FM.
EMAP.
Manchester.
I was invited to rejoin the station on a freelance basis due to my passion for Key 103 and Manchester, during a period when the popularity of the Station was at its height, and covered all major programmes,
August 1995-December 1995
Wire TV.
United Artists.
Bristol.
General Entertainment.
Reach–Cabled UK.
Presenter/producer of the “live” afternoon show “soap talk” where I interviewed guests until the channel changed hands.
March 1995-June 95
GWR FM.
GWR PLC.
Avon.
Breakfast to The City of Bath from the Bristol based station trying to create a community feel, which wasn’t that difficult as Bath felt it was ever so slightly above the population of next-door Bristol. Also, I hosted the Sunday Breakfast Show and a request show across the GWR FM network. At this time I was also writing a weekly column reflecting issues of the day for a local newspaper.
January 1993-May 1995
Radio Luxembourg.
RTL.
Luxembourg.
Reach potential-The World.
(ASTRA Satellite/Long Wave).
Presenter of the weekday Afternoon Show/the Saturday Dance Party on a rota basis (which I don’t really think I was very good at) and occasionally ‘The Original Top 20. Sadly Radio Luxembourg closed on the 30th December.
March 1992-December1992
Key 103 FM.
Transworld.
Manchester.
Relief presenter on Breakfast, Mid-Morning and Afternoons.
October 1991-March 1992
Hallam FM.
Metro Radio Group.
Sheffield.
Breakfast Show presenter and, in my time, afternoon presenter, after which I was put back on Breakfast. During this period I was also freelancing, presenting Evenings across the Pennines for Key 103.
February 1991-October 1991
Piccadilly Key 103 FM.
Transworld.
Manchester.
I freelanced as presenter of Night club, and it was a club. It’s incredible the relationship that you have with an audience between 2 and 6 am that mostly you don’t get during daylight hours.
At this time we were immersed in the Gulf War and with my knowledge of the forces was asked to present Piccadilly’s highly acclaimed, “Messages from Manchester” to an audience I knew well, broadcast each week to the troops in the Gulf Conflict.
October 1990-February 1991
BFBS.
British Government.
Germany.
CHR/Talk.
Reach-15+ million per week.
Core Audience-250,000
The Breakfast Show from Cologne was my first real foray into presenting 5 days a week, and I created quite a stir I believe.
As part of my duties I had to pre-record “Radio 4” style continuity for BFBS 2 programming, and also on a rota basis read the German news in English, versatile?
(Not when it came to Interior Ministers by the name of Herr Wanker-the “W” becomes a “V”-oh we laughed!).
I maintained a loyal following with the “core” audience of service personnel and their families, and supplemented this with part of the available potential audience from the rest of Germany.
The Falklands and I just didn’t seem to be compatible at that time, as that was where management wanted me to visit next, as they move you around the World regularly, so the management decided it was a troop carrier to Port Stanley or the highway, I took the highway!
In my time in Germany, I did many a voice over in English, and took part in English radio dramas for Deutsche Welle.
January 1989-September 1990
Capital Radio 194/Capital FM.
Capital Radio
London.
Relief Presenter on the Early show (4-7 am) weekdays/weekends.
Presenter on the ‘Cruiser’ and ‘Capital Rig’, the Stations promotional vehicle.
Presenter for warm-ups at ‘Junior Best disco in Town’ and for every other conceivable promotional event the station ran, both with main-line presenters and solo.
Assistant producer
Operational Engineer
Studio Technical Assistant
Capital gave me a grounding in everything!
Ten years at London’s oldest commercial music station, saw me starting as a Studio Technical Assistant, working with bands such as ‘Sky’, ‘Buggles’ and ‘The Police’, for whom I diligently coiled cables and made coffee.
Moving through the ranks I became an Operational Engineer handling the output of the Radio station and the pre-recording and production of many shows like the Network Chart-the UK’s first commercial chart show. Next came an Assistant producer’s role for Chris Tarrant (Breakfast), David Jensen (Drive time), and the stations Mid Morning shows.
While still in engineering and preceding my move to programming, I got my first shot at presenting professionally, firstly at promotional gigs doing warm ups, and ultimately fronting the shows we put on from the stations promotional vehicles and at stores around London.
To realise an ambition though, and to take it further and be taken seriously you have to leave the womb, and so it was that I resigned to Richard Park, which was a novelty!
Capital, and the many experienced broadcasting professionals it employed were my mentors, and helped me to achieve some of what I have so far.
May 1979-December 1988.
Leeward Sound Recording Studios.
London.
Tea-boy/Gofer/toilet cleaner and audio assistant (responsible for transcriptions) all for 33 pounds a week!
August 1977-May 1979
School.
The Downs Comprehensive Dartford
Let’s not talk about academia, but I did play the Tuba in the Brass Band getting me out of PE and also trod the boards in school productions a bit!
Westhill Juniors
Laleham
Wentworth Primary!