Terry from Strelley

Back on 6 Music

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:39:57 +0100

Things have been a bit quiet recently but it's not for the want of trying. I've been piling on the effort to raise my profile but it's increasingly difficult. Work has been busier than I'd like which means less time for planning how I can get on TV or in print and so radio is still where I'm at.

A few weeks back I managed to get another shout of mainstream national radio, 5 Live, but it was a hollow victory. Although I made a great point and had it read out on the radio, by my self-imposed rules, it doesn't count. I need to be referred to either as Terry Pownall or Terry From Strelley. The presenter only referred to me as Terry. I can't even remember what it was about. But last week I got back into the limelight on digital radio - my old favourite BBC 6 Music. The afternoon show was running a story on dodgy stuff that people had people put through their work expenses. I called out to my colleagues and offered them a wee bet that I'd be on the radio within 5 minutes.

The tale goes back to last year when one of my favourite bands, Maximo Park, was on tour. I was booking tickets online while on a work call and automatically pulled out my company plastic and fired the number in. I didn't even notice til the statement came through and for about 4 seconds I thought about admitting to the error and reimbursing the cash. I ended up shelving that plan and letting it ride to see what happened. As you'd expect, nothing did.

I figured the story would hit the right buttons for a music station and my vibe was right. Steve Lamacq was spinning the tunes on the afternoon show, and the boy pulled out my email giving it the full treatment.

He billed me as Terry From Strelley and I counted my winnings.

The Facebook Ploy

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:44:31 +0100

I've been struggling since the 5 Live event, I have to admit. Again, I think I got a bit carried away and expected that this 15 second soundbite would somehow propel me up the national media ladder. I've half been expecting Jeremy Paxman to call up for a residency on newsnight, or maybe Jimmy Carr looking for an extra panelist on 8 out of 10 cats or something. It's not happened.

So I've now set up a group on facebook - Terry From Strelley is a legend. I'm offering anyone the opportunity to join the group and use my name to help them get on the national media. This way, we could have several Terrys with several points of view. My ultimate would be to have two or three Terry from Strelleys participating in the same debate, live on TV. Or a series of vehement arguments in the letters page of The Times or something like that. I've been getting pretty excited about the possibilities for my name. Maybe a run of limited edition Terry T-Shirts for anyone who gets media exposure. The Terry Awards for the most creative appearance in local media. I bet Google would sponsor us to do some cool online caper. The Terry Commune. It's got to be a winner.

Friends will no doubt ask if I've sold out, allowing my name to be used by one and all. But no, I don't feel that to be the case. There is an opportunity to create an iconic character or brand; a man of the people, for the people, and of the people. Creating social justice and allowing a name to be used to speak out for common sense.

Terry for President.

On air - national fame!

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:04:44 +0000

I was driving in to work yesterday and there was this professional gambler guy being interviewed on 5 live. He reckoned to be making something like £60k a year tax free from betting big stakes on odds-on certs, like evictions on Big Brother and all that. He was giving it the big one about how we was a 'market maker' and all that - the bookies moved their prices based on whatever he was doing. Nicky Campbell was doing the interview I think, and he hit the guy with a few questions that he kind of avoided, like how often do you lose and all that. But the interesting one was the research side. This guy was doing 80 hours a week minimum in research. Well that just struck me as being mad.

So, I quickly pulled over and started whacking out a text. It's all very well making 60 grand a year but if you're putting in 7 eleven hour days, well, it ain't much fun. "Why spend 80 hours a week as a professional gambler when you can get a job and work 40 hours without any financial risk. Terry from Strelley"

About 3 minutes later, bingo. There it was. Read out on air. Even better, my phone rang shortly after that. It was my mate Iain. He'd been listening to the radio and heard the whole event. Fantastic. National exposure at last, and on peak time radio. TV next...

Nothing going down or out

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:47:00 +0100

I've not had much success over the last couple of weeks and haven't even been close to getting on air. There haven't been many articles or issues that have interesting enough for me to miss trains over: with one exception. The possible renaming of Nottingham East Midlands Airport...again.

I know this isn't a very exciting topic for most people, but aviation is something I know a thing or two about, and the fiasco of the local airport really gets me going. The place was originally known as East Midlands Airport, primarily as it sits near the junction of the shire counties of Notts, Derbys and Leics, and was then owned by the three local authorities. Nottingham is the largest city, the airport is in Leicestershire but the postal address is Derbyshire.
Some while back, they decided to add 'International' to the airport - probably around the time of the first scheduled international service. Then a while later an image consultancy was commissioned to investigate name changes and came up with the genius solution of reverting to East Midlands. Fast forward a couple of years, another rebrand, and hey-presto Nottingham added to the name.
Now, to me this is very wise. The major problem for the airport is that nobody outside of the East Midlands knows where the East Midlands is - that goes for Brits and overseas alike - so associating it with a city makes perfect sense. If I asked you where in Europe the Walloon region was, you might struggle. And sensibly the airport there isn't known as Walloon International - it's Brussels South. Nowhere near Brussels admittedly, but you wouldn't guess that from the name. The same goes for Stockolm Skavsta, which is actually much closer to the less well known town of Norkoping.
So, when I heard that the airport was consulting locals on the possibility of changing the name again, especially to something even more obscure such as Brian Clough airport, I went mad. The BBC was bombarded with well reasoned texts and emails over a period of 3 or 4 days - but nothing. No hint of a mention - and I made sure I listened to everything, so determined was I to get my point across. It was the most annoying episode of the whole year - hearing local politicians getting into a stew over the name of an airport, and missing the entire point about why it needs to be easily identified with a city. They still cling to the notion that the East Midlands will be a world famous region within 10 years. Well it won't, and no matter how many times it's rebranded, repackaged and all that good stuff that local governments like to waste money on, that will not change.

I might start a campaign...

Winning prizes but no mention...

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 12:21:00 +0100

Monday morning and I've dragged myself into the office despite wanting to be almost anywhere else but here. It's mid-October and the trees are starting to lose their greenery; the wind is getting colder and it's starting to get dark ealier in the evenings. I know that winter is just around the corner. Nursing a big mug of coffee I fire up my PC and look over the email action from the weekend, which fortunately isn't very much. A couple of offers of Viagra but other than that, it's an easy start to the day. There's one odd looking message that I nearly delete as spam but I fire it up anyway. It's from some guy at the BBC and apparently I've won some DVDs. How good is that?

I remember sending an email in to 6 music on Friday afternoon, fresh from my success at getting a mention on the Gideon Coe show. Nemone, who has the afternoon slot, posed the question 'how many US states begin with M'. Now I'm a bit tasty with my US states and cities, so I bashed out an email and thought no more of it. Listening to the rest of the show, there was no mention of who scooped the prIze and so I forgot about the whole escapade, but now it seems I was a winner.

With the wonders of modern technology it is also possible to listen to the whole show again online, so that's what I've been doing for the rest of the morning. There is definitely no mention of Terry from Strelley being the winner, but I have the email to prove it - and in a couple of days I'll have 4 spanking new DVDs too. Rock on...

And if you're interested, the answers was: Maine, Maryland, Massechusetts, Michigan, Missesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Montana.

Getting on 6 Music

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:18:59 +0100

I was checking out the Gideon Coe show on 6 music this morning. Every day he has a Lost Album spot in which he features a forgotton classic, and plays a track from the album. Today it was the 1990 Anthrax offering 'Persistence of Time' and the track 'Got the Time'

I instantly recognised this, not from the Anthrax effort but the original version by Joe Jackson from his 1979 'Look Sharp' album. There hadn't been any mention that the tune playing wasn't the original, so this presented an immediate opportunity to get online and onto the airwaves.

My recent record with the text messages hasn't been very strong so I went for the email option - not something I've ever tried for getting on the radio. And you won't believe it but within 5 minutes, Gideon was saying:

'Terry from Strelley has emailed the show with the following - "Excuse me if I'm being a musical dunce, but wasn't today's Lost Album track a cover of Joe Jackson's original, from the 1979 classic album Look Sharp" - well Terry everyone is a musical dunce about things they know little about, but you're right'. I also got an auto-response email back from the show...

"Thank you for your email to Gideon Coe at 6 Music. Please note that due to the sheer volume of emails received, although every effort will be made, we are not always able to respond to everyone individually." etc etc

Who cares about a response? I was hardly expecting Gideon Coe to become my new best e-friend. I've made it onto the national media. This is tremendous news and, far from the challenge being over, it instantly know that this is just the beginning. No disrespect to Gideon, but now I need to work my way up the national media food-chain until I make it onto something really big...

Trying the direct route

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:56:38 +0100

This morning on 5 live there was a story about a Labour MP who had put a spoof blog online which claimed to be the Tory leader, David Cameron. It had apparently spawned a great deal of interest as to whether this was a good thing for Labour or the Tories, and the article went on to discuss how politicians are increasingly using blogs as a means to reach the new generation of internet-savvy voters. Following this, the wider issue of blogs became the hot topic and so I saw an immediate opportunity to get on air and publicise this blog. I fired in a quick text with a very simple plea:

Please can you plug terryfromstrelley.co.uk which is my blog about how I keep trying and failing to get on 5 Live? Terry from Strelley"

Surely this will appeal both to their debate on blogs and also my quest to get on the radio. Also at the back of my mind I'm thinking that it'll raise awareness of my quest and lead to even more popularity and support for my blog. At that point, I'd not really considered that if the message was read out on air, it would effectively mean an end to the challenge, as I'd have won - and therefore the additional public support would have come too late. This quickly became a dilemma. Although I want to win the challenge and succeed in my quest, it feels almost as if I'm not ready for it yet. So, I turned off the radio. Unable to hear whether the message gets read out means I won't know if I've won, unless someone else hears it and tells me. I'm assuming neither will happen. The challenge continues.

5 Live and the Army Pay debate

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:20:00 +0100

I was on my way north to meet someone yesterday, listening to the morning phone in on 5 live again. I normally miss this particular show, being stuck at my desk, but this time I was out on the road. The debate wasn't very exciting - something about whether soldiers should pay income tax while based overseas. This must be a chance to get on air - surely there can't be that much opinion about the pay scales of the armed forces? There was a text-in vote, simply 'yes' or 'no', and the huge majority of voters were in the 'no' camp. But I've got mixed feelings about this. I know front line soldiers risk their lives for the country, and their levels of pay aren't very high, but then again they don't need to spend too much while on tour, and accommodation is provided as far as I know, so they probably save plenty. Surely the solution is to introduce a lower rate of tax for our soldiers, recognising that while overseas they won't be using many of the services that are supported by tax payments back home, but for it not to be seen as a tax-free job. A winner all round.

Unfortunately the text-vote didn't account for my mid-ground solution, so the only solution if I was to get my point over was to get on air. Without my handsfree kit it seemed risky to try phoning in, so I parked up and typed out a quick text. This taxation stuff isn't my field of expertise but I was pretty confident it'd get read out. I pulled out and continued the journey when a text message landed in my phone - maybe the BBC asking me to phone in and explain the finer points of this groundbreaking idea on air? I was getting nervous as I opened the message but you probably already know the answer. It wasn't the Beeb - it was the guy I was driving up to meet, apologising but he wasn't going to make the meeting. 50 miles I'd driven, and all for nothing. Except it gave me another hour to wait and listen for my message to be read out. The bet would be won...

Obviously it wasn't.

Mike the Headless Chicken on 5 Live

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 09:09:39 +0100

There was a story on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning in which the presenters were discussing a Saint who had apparently lived for some little time after being beheaded, which led to discussion as to the length of time one could survive without a head. Probably not all that long, I thought. Anyhow, one of the presenters came out with the startling revelation that, apparently, chickens will run around for a while after being decapitated - something that I'm sure everybody knows about as being either urban myth or reality.

I recalled stumbling across a website some time ago which featured the brilliant Mike the Headless Chicken, who allegedly lost his head sometime in 1945 and managed to survive for an unprecedented 18 months. The website is resplendent with pictorial evidence, and Mike has subsequently become something of a posthumous hero - surely a tale that would get me much interest on the radio.

I pulled over at the soonest opportunity and began typing out a text, trying to keep it as concise as popssible so it didn't spill over into 2 messages. This process took rather longer than I'd thought, which ultimately caused me to miss my train to work and get into a spot of bother with the boss, but the chance of getting on air drove me on to creating the perfect message.

I triumphantly sent my masterpiece off after about five minutes and drove slowly on to the station, giving plenty of time for them to research the story and get it out on air but by the time I'd arrived at the station nothing had happened. Having now missed the train, I sat until the end of the programme - hoping it would form the grand finale to the breakfast show. It didn't.

i-pod and the BBC Radio 6 Music Web Post

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 15:46:39 +0100

Tenuous this one but I've got to get something into the national media sooner or later. Maybe they know what I'm up to and there's a conspiracy afoot - could there be inter-company memos and emails zipping around warning presenters and editors to keep Terry from Strelley off the airwaves and out of the press?

I haven't even decided whether posts on websites can really be counted in this challenge, and I'm thinking they probably don't. Message boards and any instant forum are definitely can't be included. Anything that doesn't require editorial discretion is no good.

So I notice there's a poll on the 6 Music section of the BBC about the ipod and whether the whole ipod thing is coming to an end. 2006 sales are apparently way down on previous year but surely this is just because everyone who wants one has got one already? It's in the 'Great Debate' section and they're looking for comments that will be posted online and also read out in a random show on Sunday afternoons. There are no comments showing on the website - it actually says 'There are no comments yet' so I'm straight on the case, filling out the 'email your comments' box and firing off a few wise words. I'm thanked for my contribution, I refresh the page - but my message hasn't appeared. Maybe there really is editorial control after all, and maybe they think it's rubbish. Or maybe I'll have to wait til Sunday afternoon to listen to the show, shelving all my other plans to do stuff with Maggie and Kelly only to find they don't read it out.

I'm going to have to re-visit this one to see what happens, but for now I've decided it won't count anyway unless they read in on-air. Here is where it might appear.

Trying for Five Live

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 10:09:00 +0100

It's Friday morning and I'm on the way to the station, listening to BBC Radio 5 Live. The breaking news is that Roy Keane, the ex-Forest, Manchester United and Celtic legend, is going to join Sunderland as their manager. He's not managed a club before and the presenters are musing as to whether this is a good appointment or if he has the temperament and experience to succeed in this high-expectation job. Nobody seems to have picked up that in his playing career, Keane worked under Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson, two of the greatest managers of all time. If he hasn't learned something from these guys, then he's not the man I think he is.

And so I pull over and type out a quick text to the show. This is another attempt to make it into the national media, albeit at the lowest level - texting 5 Live. The text is sent and I anxiously listen out for Terry's wise words to be broadcast to the morning communters nationwide. It doesn't happen. I remain in the car park for as long as I can, listening out for that magic moment, almost missing the train. But it's no good. I have to switch the radio off and head into work without knowing if I succeeded.

That evening as I listen to the evening programme, I notice that they're talking about the potential influence of Clough and Ferguson on Keane but I'll never know if it was something to do with my message that morning. So it doesn't count - I've not made it onto national radio. The rules of this challenge, which I've invented myself, are that I have to see or hear my effort to know that I've managed it.

Keep attacking...

St Valentine's Day Shout

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:35:00 +0000

I woke up early yesterday and Maggie was still sleeping, so being the romantic bloke I am, and seeing as it was Valentine's day, I went downstairs to sort out a bit of breakfast in bed. The radio was still tuned in to BBC Radio Nottingham, and the DJ was wishing someone well, so I figured I'd have a crack at getting a message read out too. I wasn't feeling like appearing on air in person, so while the kettle spluttered into life, I typed in a quick text wishing Maggie a happy valentine's day from her mystery admirer. Easy. All being well I'd get back up with the tray of grub in time for her to hear the message on the radio in our room. Nice touch.

Before I'd finished making toast, the DJ announced he'd got a couple more messages to read out. My heart was pounding - god knows why - at the prospect of my message being read out. Suddenly I was hearing it on air, wishing Maggie all the best from her mystery man. And then it was over. And then I realised I'd made two big mistakes. Firstly, Maggie was still asleep so I'd missed the mark there. But more importantly because I had been the mystery admirer, my name hadn't been read out. On the other hand, it was a 100% record for using text messages to get on air - even at a local level. This might be the way forward from now. Next, national exposure...

Back to the Beginning

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Fri, 24 Dec 2004 16:00:00 +0000

Christmas Eve. Nothing has happened in the last few months and I've not really been keeping much of a log of my efforts. I didn't think it would be this difficult for an ordinary bloke with ordinary views to get himself a tiny moment of fame, a wee small mention, a couple of lines in a buried column at the back of the papers, six seconds when everyone hears his views. I've mostly been trying radio phone and text-ins, with the odd email to the BBC and letters to the papers, but nothing has made it even anywhere near the press.

This is starting to look like more of a steep challenge than I first thought. Maybe I need to start at the bottom and work my way up. The easiest is surely going to be internet message boards. Unless I post something totally off-the-wall, I'm going to be out there and ready to be shot down.

Rules of the Challenge

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 15:51:00 +0100

I don't know if you ever set yourself crazy little challenges for no reason, like 'if I manage to hold my breath while running up 2 flights of stairs, I'll win the lottery tonight' and all that; but I do. So now I've challenged myself to get some exposure in the national media before anyone else I know. That part shouldn't be too difficult, as I haven't told anyone else about the challenge meaning unless I'm very unlucky, there's no chance of defeat. Having said that, there's no guarantee of success either - and consequently something really good might not happen to me.

The task has been formulating in my mind for a few days now. I've got to get something either printed, read out or spoken by me in the national media, as soon as I can. The rules are, beyond this, pretty flexible. I can phone, text, write or email my views in to pretty much any publication or media channel and as long as I see/hear the result, I've won. If I don't, but someone I know contacts me about seeing my efforts, I also win.

On the radio

terry@terryfromstrelley.co.uk (Terry) — Fri, 03 May 2002 19:14:00 +0100

There's a rumour a striker called Chris Greenacre is leaving Mansfield Town this week. Everyone knows he's going to Stoke, but I find myself wondering what would happen if he came to Forest. I'm back in the car park, about to drive home. The radio is on - the football phone in - and they're asking for callers before going to a commercial break. Before I can think about it I've pulled out my mobile phone and I'm typing the number in. I haven't even thought about what to say, but this could be it. Before hitting 'send' I'm overtaken by nerves and almost cancel the call, but a final surge of courage sees me dial. A researcher answers, asking me what point I want to make, and says they'll call me back if I'm going to get on. This is a major surprise and a big disappointment - for some reason I was expecting just to be put straigh on air.

I'm half way home when the phone rings. There's no number showing but I answer the call and pull over into a side street. It's Century, and this time I'm about to go on air. The trouble is, I've lost the confidence that had me boldly typing in their number a few minutes ago. Nightmare. The presenter introduces 'Terry from Strelley' and suddenly the world - well, a few thousand bored football fans in the East Midlands - are all waiting on my every word.

In the end I pull it off somehow. I make a couple of observations about whether Greenacre could cut it stepping up two divisions to Forest and how he'll probably join Stoke. The presenter is polite and probably bored. He moves on to the next caller and although I can still hear the radio show through my phone, my moment of fame is over. Did I blow it? Will anyone recognise me? I wonder if my family and friends will call me with messages of surprise and support?

Of course not. When I tell them, nobody seems very interested. I realise that to gain credibility, I need to do more than appear on a local football phone in. I need national media exposure.

But where to start?

Continue reading "On the radio"