About – James Denmead

Biography

James has been involved with various areas of broadcasting as his work history details. He has done the mobile disco circuit, been a resident DJ in a busy seafront nightspot and presented on radio station roadshows during the summer. On air, you may have heard him watching traffic as an eye in the sky over the Southwest. And in 1996 James broadcast on Classic Gold Radio from the centre of the Second Severn Crossing to celebrate its opening.

With his own studio, James has voiced various scripts for companies around the world and stations in the UK. He is serious about what he does and concentrates on the customer being happy no matter how big or small the job being offered.

Today

Today James can be heard presenting daily on Sunshine Radio Online. Weekends in Spain on Total Star and a weekly show on Bradley Stoke Radio a local community station he supports. In addition to this his voice may pop up unexpected from one of his many voiceovers.

Background

Many people gain an involvement in broadcasting following a studio tour, and James is no different, his tour was in the early 1990’s and was of the Watershed buildings in Bristol, where GWR was then based. At the time the weekend morning shows had a character named Hungry Howard out and about on the streets with a weekly challenge. James soon became a regular to the team in both Bristol and Wiltshire stepping in on occasions with on air commentary when Hungry Howard had more important things on his mind, like abseiling from Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol or being driven around a racetrack by a stunt driver.

When GWR needed a weekend technical operator, James was first choice and spent many hours locked away in GWR’s MCR in Swindon playing out pre-recorded programming and arranging the split adverts for live studio and outside broadcasts. In between his paid radio work, James also helped out at Sunshine Hospital Radio in the Weston General Hospital, along with various RSL stations in Portishead and Clevedon. He also ran his own Mobile Disco providing entertainment for parties of all sizes and was a resident DJ at a busy fun pub in Weston super Mare.

He soon swapped the indoor life of the MCR for daylight, when he moved on to work on the Roadshows for GWR and could be found operating the PA at any event from a school fete to car launches on Garage Forecourts, including the big events like Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Airshow’s at RAF Fairford, Badminton Horse Trials and Truck Fest to name just a few. For a 3 year period he was also the voice for the Bristol Leisure and Motor Show at Ashton Court.

Being the voice for various radio stations around the world James was part of the launch schedule for 365 Radio in the UK. He has recently helped with the launch of Sunshine Radio Online where his daily show can be heard.

Earlier

If you were to ask James what his most interesting job interview has been he would say “In the back of a light aircraft between Bristol and Biggin Hill.” James went up for a flight with then traffic reporter and manager for Metro Networks Joe McGrath. After landing at Biggin Hill was told that, as he wasn’t air sick he could he start on Monday.

This began a 2-year period of airborne traffic reports for the Southwest GWR group stations from ‘Thunderbird 1’ and occasional inserts for Virgin 1215 and Talk Sport. It was during his time as a traffic reporter that the Second Severn Crossing opened; and Classic Gold and Classic Gold Radio covered the event with an outside broadcast from the centre of the bridge. Trevor Fry made the historic broadcast and James was there with him.