I love presenting my shows live on Radio Woking as you can’t beat the realtime interaction with my listeners as Woking is getting ready for whatever the day ahead may bring. I often wonder what people are doing  as they are listening.

On a Wednesday morning, I imagine families getting ready for work or school. Then on a Sunday maybe things are more chilled out. I know lots of listeners go food shopping on a Sunday as I have had messages telling me this and making me hungry seeing what goodies they have in their trolley.

I also know recently on what seemed like a normal Wednesday breakfast show that many may have been thinking that their smart speaker or DAB radio may have packed up after Radio Woking went silent for around 5 minutes.

The reality was me, sitting in the studio at the Winston Churchill School in St John’s village chatting away and then suddenly the lights and all the studio equipment cut out.  Yes, we had a power cut.  Not good for live radio.

Suddenly, just before 8.30am I found myself in a pitch-black room wondering what had just happened. The next five minutes seemed to go on forever until the computers and lights came back on and we were back on air.

This all happened moments before I was about to do a live interview on Zoom. The computer I use to do this takes ages to reboot following a power cut and the clock was ticking towards 9am when we needed to  switch to the pre-recorded Sunny Sessions show.

Listeners were hearing music and behind the scenes I was franticly trying to work out a plan of switching the interview to be over the phone, which we did in the end and just got it all in before 9am.

That was a manic morning even before the working day had begun. This is the thing about live radio; we need to expect the unexpected and think up a plan when things like this happen, which is thankfully not often.

Before all this mayhem unfolded, I was watching a seagull on our Window to Woking camera. 

I love it when birds land on the roof but often it can be quite scary when they are right by the camera.

Maybe the local seagulls and pigeons are secret Radio Woking listeners too? Clearly they have good taste!

Listen to the Sunny Sessions, the inclusive radio show from The Sunnybank Trust on Surrey Hills Community Radio Monday and Thursday at  11am and on the first Monday of each month at 9pm.

Sunny Sessions is also on Radio Woking every Wednesday at 9am.

My other Radio Woking shows are Wednesday breakfast 7am to 9am and Sunday mornings 9am to noon.

If you want to take part in my radio shows you can reach me on email at [email protected].