Jeremy Mansfield back on the airwaves
Says he is there because ‘it’s the right thing to do’.
It’s been eight years since millions woke up to Jeremy Mansfield’s familiar voice, rubbing red eyes while stumbling to the coffee pot. Those days are no longer forgotten. On Thursday, Mansfield made his return to the airwaves, serving a hot brew with a new approach to radio broadcasting.
Last month Hot 91.9FM announced Mansfield would take over from now-controversial DJ Sasha Martinengo.
Between the former morning host’s axing and Mansfield taking the reigns, it left the new morning team only a few weeks to prepare.
“The last three weeks have been hectic ... Its been wonderful insanity,” Mansfield laughs.
But stapling a show together last minute gave the new team a wonderful opportunity to get listeners involved.
“We haven’t actually put together an entire show,” Mansfield says. “When the opportunity arose I thought about what would go into the show. I deconstructed it and thought we should let it develop organically.”
On the first day, one of the first things they did was ask the audience what they wanted from the show – a clever move.
“We got thousands of suggestions and we are going to design the show around what the audience wants and needs.
“Some of it is retrospective, some of it is people wanting some of the old characters we used – which I think we’ll do.
“But we are going to let it develop organically because that way the audience is part of this medium.”
Mansfield is aware that the radio and media landscape has changed – a lot – and he’s not threatened by it.
“I’ve surrounded myself with people who are great at social media. I will do what I’m best at and they will adopt and change that into the new areas we have to feed into. Social media is a vital part of media,” Mansfield says.
“The basis of the show, to be mercenary, is to use it to attract an audience advertisers want to get to; to use advertisers to make a difference in the community. It’s a conduit for charitable purposes,” he says.
Mansfield’s return has also been interesting in the modern media landscape.
Without the glitz of big-name channels or shows, you can’t help but wonder why he decided to join a radio station that’s more slanted toward community engagement.
“There’s been speculation about how much I’m getting paid – and I just ignore it. Right now I don’t need this as a means of income. I’ve invested wisely. I’m here because it’s the right thing to do.”
Joining Mansfield is an expert team, including Sam Cowen – and they didn’t need that much prep before sliding behind the mic.
“Sam and I know how to press the buttons to get the feedback we need. It’s good old rock-and-roll radio.”
As a veteran broadcaster he knows breakfast radio is a powerful medium that touches on humanity in a unique way.
“It determines your day. If you wake up with something that makes you think and laugh, that is going to be your day,” he says.