Beginnings
In the spring of 1977, the year something which came to be known as “punk” was making its first significant impact on the social and musical life of the UK, Phil Ross, then a Station Assistant at BBC Radio Merseyside and the producer of its arts programme, initiated a programme on the station called “Rockaround” dedicated to alternative music. New sounds were making an impact on Merseyside music at the time and the programme featured the most challenging of the new musical sounds, both locally and nationally, as well as related local developments, such as fanzines and concert promotions (one of Phil’s regular interviewees, fanzine editor Roger Hill, would in 1982 take over the programme from him when Phil moved to a BBC job in London). For five years, and longer under Roger’s stewardship, the programme occupied an early evening slot on Fridays and became a regular point of reference for Merseysiders interested in the increasingly energetic music scene. Both Phil and Roger were during the period involved in organising the legendary Larks In The Park summer gigs which brought to Liverpool’s attention a number of successfully aspiring acts and individual talents.
What's in a Name?
Since those early and formative days what is now understood to be the nation’s longest-running alternative music programme on local radio has changed and evolved, but the basic formula has remained the same – as much challenging new music, local, national and international, as could be crammed into the available broadcasting slot. Since 1982 Roger Hill has overseen a number of changes, in broadcasting time, name and staffing, and in 2008 the programme now broadcasts under the name of “PMS” (an acronym which was adopted in 2000 to signify “Post Millennial Sounds” but has subsequently covered “Pure Musical Sensations”, “Pretty Much Sorted” and the generic title “The Popular Music Show” – although the presenters have, in honour of its alternative content also alluded to “Pop Music Sucks”), at midnight on Sundays, and is available live and streamed on the Internet as well as being available “on demand” from the BBC i-player.
For a year at the turn of the 1990’s “”Rockaround” was adopted as BBC North West’s “regional rock programme” and renamed “World Noise Incorporated”. When that particular radio experiment was discontinued the programme was retained by Radio Merseyside but its original early evening slot had disappeared so it was broadcast at midnight on Fridays. In honour of this and the fact that it was nearly killed by the schedulers, it was again renamed, “The Late World Noise”. It continued through the 90’s under that name and at that broadcast time until the Millennium loomed when it became the “Late World Countdown” with retrospective features on the music featured during its previous 23 years, ready for its Millennial re-branding and re-launch.
Over the years the programme’s music policy has broadened, absorbing the impact of such important genres as world music, dance and studio-created sounds and the overall diversification of available popular music, and it now boasts the widest range of broadcast sounds of any music programme on UK radio. Retrospective sounds and re-issues of classic alternative music are also to be found on its playlists.
Assisting Roger over the 30 years of his presenter/producer incumbency have been a stream of talented and radio-hungry individuals, many of whom have gone on to work in radio and the media with the help of experience gained on the programme. The current co-presenter/producer is Karen Timms and the programme technical and communications management is handled by Rory Ballantyne, who produces the live sessions for the programme. Andy Hunt provides Programme Support and a regular survey of music on the Internet called “The Trawl”, and our most recent addition to the team is George Maund.
For a year at the turn of the 1990’s “”Rockaround” was adopted as BBC North West’s “regional rock programme” and renamed “World Noise Incorporated”. When that particular radio experiment was discontinued the programme was retained by Radio Merseyside but its original early evening slot had disappeared so it was broadcast at midnight on Fridays. In honour of this and the fact that it was nearly killed by the schedulers, it was again renamed, “The Late World Noise”. It continued through the 90’s under that name and at that broadcast time until the Millennium loomed when it became the “Late World Countdown” with retrospective features on the music featured during its previous 23 years, ready for its Millennial re-branding and re-launch.
Over the years the programme’s music policy has broadened, absorbing the impact of such important genres as world music, dance and studio-created sounds and the overall diversification of available popular music, and it now boasts the widest range of broadcast sounds of any music programme on UK radio. Retrospective sounds and re-issues of classic alternative music are also to be found on its playlists.
Assisting Roger over the 30 years of his presenter/producer incumbency have been a stream of talented and radio-hungry individuals, many of whom have gone on to work in radio and the media with the help of experience gained on the programme. The current co-presenter/producer is Karen Timms and the programme technical and communications management is handled by Rory Ballantyne, who produces the live sessions for the programme. Andy Hunt provides Programme Support and a regular survey of music on the Internet called “The Trawl”, and our most recent addition to the team is George Maund.
Features and Beyond
Nowadays music predominates over spoken features since there is a such a wealth of good music to feature, but periodically ways are found to theme the music played. Long-time listeners will recall weekly features like “Trance Co-ordinates”, “Beat Routes”, the occasional radio “JukeBox” special and a listener panel called the “Reaction Club” whose reactions to new music were passed on to the record companies. Listeners can now communicate with the programme via mail, E-Mail, phone, texting, and the ubiquitous Facebook.
Local music, encompassing the output of North Western bands and musicians, is still very much a staple of “PMS” and the station facilities have been used over the years to record specially-commissioned sessions from a wide range of artists. These initiatives include a series of live acoustic sessions in 2003-4 which harvested recordings by many bands in the current “new wave” of bands from Merseyside and beyond, many of whom, like The Zutons, have gone on to greater fame and glory. In the 2010’s the programme has taken on a series of increasingly ambitious projects to draw upon the immense creativity of Merseyside’s more alternative musical sector. There have been challenges to respond creatively to The Beatles (“Love Me Don’t”), Cilla Black (“Local Musicians Salute Cilla”), and the creation of two sound-works, one, “Music For Empty Spaces” (2015) a compendium of music created by local artists in response to particular local locations, and the latest (2016) a bespoke sound-walk with a similar brief for Liverpool Light Night. As a result of these initiatives, and others, the programme is highly respected for its encouragement of musical creativity.
Local music, encompassing the output of North Western bands and musicians, is still very much a staple of “PMS” and the station facilities have been used over the years to record specially-commissioned sessions from a wide range of artists. These initiatives include a series of live acoustic sessions in 2003-4 which harvested recordings by many bands in the current “new wave” of bands from Merseyside and beyond, many of whom, like The Zutons, have gone on to greater fame and glory. In the 2010’s the programme has taken on a series of increasingly ambitious projects to draw upon the immense creativity of Merseyside’s more alternative musical sector. There have been challenges to respond creatively to The Beatles (“Love Me Don’t”), Cilla Black (“Local Musicians Salute Cilla”), and the creation of two sound-works, one, “Music For Empty Spaces” (2015) a compendium of music created by local artists in response to particular local locations, and the latest (2016) a bespoke sound-walk with a similar brief for Liverpool Light Night. As a result of these initiatives, and others, the programme is highly respected for its encouragement of musical creativity.
Live and Kicking
“Live” has always been a watchword for the programme. It broadcasts live, despite its late slot, and has been the medium for a number of recordings from “live“ concerts sponsored by BBC Radio Merseyside at local venues and the St Helens Show. As “The Late World Noise” it also claims to be the first radio programme to feature “live mixing” on air, a special which included sets from DJ’s James Barton (of “Cream” fame) and DJ Sonia. Despite the technical limitations of local radio the programme continues to offer the best alternative music to the highest standards of broadcasting.
With the dawning of the 21st Century “PMS” has established itself as the radio home of musical experimentalists from across the North-West, including Merseyside pioneers like aPAtT, the Frakture collective and fonik. Apart from showcasing challenging new sounds the programme has twice paired these with visuals for live soundtracks to silent films on the BBC’s Big Screen in Liverpool as part of Liverpool Music Week. Technical adventures are nothing new to a programme which, twice, was remixed as it was broadcasting live and the remix played before the programme concluded. Vinyl also still has a happy presence in the programme’s play-listing. More recently “PMS” has invited individuals to “curate” the music in the middle hour of the programme. Eminent sound-artist Janek Schaefer with long-time associate Liverpool-based Philip Jeck began the sequence which has resumed with some of the recipients of PRS’s “New Music Plus” bursaries in the North West. All these recent initiatives have served to sustain a musical diversity unmatched across the U.K. airwaves, and more adventures are always on the way.
With the dawning of the 21st Century “PMS” has established itself as the radio home of musical experimentalists from across the North-West, including Merseyside pioneers like aPAtT, the Frakture collective and fonik. Apart from showcasing challenging new sounds the programme has twice paired these with visuals for live soundtracks to silent films on the BBC’s Big Screen in Liverpool as part of Liverpool Music Week. Technical adventures are nothing new to a programme which, twice, was remixed as it was broadcasting live and the remix played before the programme concluded. Vinyl also still has a happy presence in the programme’s play-listing. More recently “PMS” has invited individuals to “curate” the music in the middle hour of the programme. Eminent sound-artist Janek Schaefer with long-time associate Liverpool-based Philip Jeck began the sequence which has resumed with some of the recipients of PRS’s “New Music Plus” bursaries in the North West. All these recent initiatives have served to sustain a musical diversity unmatched across the U.K. airwaves, and more adventures are always on the way.
What Now?
As we head deeper into the 21st Century and the programme nears its 40th anniversary it has been both under threat and in its strongest form. In 2011 the BBC’s proposed budget cuts threatened to sweep away most specialist music programmes from local radio, including “PMS” and other music programmes on BBC Radio Merseyside, but a major campaign of support from listeners and music industry professionals prevailed and helped to avoid a complete cut. One thing the campaign uncovered was the range and depth of support which the programme has garnered over its long history and the level of appreciation in messages of support to the BBC has reinforced a sense that “PMS” has a purpose and a mission which has not been superseded by other broadcasting.
The introduction of a second local music programme on the station has freed “PMS” up to embrace Merseyside’s more experimental, roots-based and individualistic music and to complement that with music from other places and times as a stimulus to the local scene. It has also enabled the programme to undertake adventurous commissions. When Liverpool celebrated the theme “City Of Radicals” “PMS” produced a month-long series of programmes in connection with the theme and the exhibition “Democratic Promenade” at The Bluecoat next door to the radio station, including a call-out for listeners’ protest songs which formed the core music of the last of the programmes. There is still a regular series of studio sessions with local bands and, most recently, specially-recorded sound-works from Paul Simpson of The Wild Swans and local band Loved Ones whose future-fiction epic “The Last And First Men” to the words of Olaf Stapledon was broadcast in 2012, as presenter Roger Hill celebrated his 30th anniversary in music radio (and received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first Liverpool Music awards Recent listening figures suggest an encouragingly large audience for “PMS” but as Bill Drummond put it in his letter of support for the programme in 2011,-
If there were only ten people listening to a Roger Hill’s programme, you could bet your dole money, that they would be the ten people making the most interesting music on Merseyside in the next five years. And they would also be the ones that the rest of the country would be wanting to know about.
The introduction of a second local music programme on the station has freed “PMS” up to embrace Merseyside’s more experimental, roots-based and individualistic music and to complement that with music from other places and times as a stimulus to the local scene. It has also enabled the programme to undertake adventurous commissions. When Liverpool celebrated the theme “City Of Radicals” “PMS” produced a month-long series of programmes in connection with the theme and the exhibition “Democratic Promenade” at The Bluecoat next door to the radio station, including a call-out for listeners’ protest songs which formed the core music of the last of the programmes. There is still a regular series of studio sessions with local bands and, most recently, specially-recorded sound-works from Paul Simpson of The Wild Swans and local band Loved Ones whose future-fiction epic “The Last And First Men” to the words of Olaf Stapledon was broadcast in 2012, as presenter Roger Hill celebrated his 30th anniversary in music radio (and received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first Liverpool Music awards Recent listening figures suggest an encouragingly large audience for “PMS” but as Bill Drummond put it in his letter of support for the programme in 2011,-
If there were only ten people listening to a Roger Hill’s programme, you could bet your dole money, that they would be the ten people making the most interesting music on Merseyside in the next five years. And they would also be the ones that the rest of the country would be wanting to know about.
What Next?
The more visionary of musicians, local and beyond, continue to offer their choice of listening courtesy of the programme and it is to be hoped that “PMS”s unique combination of the most interesting music made by Merseyside and the new music Merseyside wants to hear will sustain it and guarantee its future for some time to come. In 2017 it will be 40 years since Phil Ross made that first tentative suggestion to the radio Merseyside management and produced and presented the first “Rockaround”. 40 years of history is a lot to sum up but we hope for the anniversary to draw upon the best of our achievements and produce some new ones in the spirit of the present. Longevity is not always a good thing in music, but in music radio it’s something to celebrate.