What is your job title and main responsibilities?

I’m the host of ‘Geoff Lloyd’s Hometime Show’ and ‘Unknown Pleasures’ on Absolute Radio. The former is an entertainment and music show weekday evenings at 5pm, the latter is an alternative music programme on a Sunday evening.
I’m broadly responsible for devising and presenting content – stories and humorous material, phone-in topics, feature ideas , interviews etc. I work with a brilliant co-host, Annabel Port, who scripts her own material, and a studio producer, Gareth Evans, who provides research material, edits and creates audio, and collaborates with me on generating competitions and sponsorship & promotions content.

Where did you begin your broadcast career?

I started out by answering the phones after school at Piccadilly Radio in Manchester. They eventually allowed me to do a weekly on-air film review, although I’m not sure that a 15 year-old’s perspective on the latest Oliver Stone release was that insightful.

What made you want to work in radio?

As a teenager, I became obsessed with late-night radio. I used to listen to a guy called James H. Reeve, and he remains one of my favourite ever hosts. He was erudite and a wonderful raconteur, the antithesis of most radio DJs, and because he was so funny and clever, the audience would respond in kind. People would write in with these wonderful and hilarious stories, and listening to the show felt like being a member of a secret club. Listening to Jim taught me that if you treat your audience like they have a bit of intelligence, they’ll respond in kind.

Where do you see the radio industry in ten years??

Music intense radio has no business model for the future. David Rowan, editor of Wired magazine recently said to me that if it’s possible that what your business does can conceivably be done by a computer, get out of that business as fast as you can. Playing ten songs-in-a-row is done so much better by Spotify, Pandora, Last FM than it is by radio, because instead of getting some songs you like and some you don’t, the algorithms know your taste exactly. At the moment, some of this is pretty niche, but as tablets and smartphones become more prevalent, and as technology means most of the workforce are online, this stuff will be the norm, not just for the tech-savvy.
This will mean that broadcast radio must adapt in a couple of ways: Firstly, by being everywhere – not just inside AM/FM radios, but utilising new technologies and platforms. It needs to be abreast of the changing ways people consume audio – listen again etc.
Secondly, the actual content needs to be more than just records. Human communication – be it comedy, news, storytelling etc – is the one thing we can do that computers cannot replicate. Also, I think that ‘trusted guides’, experts in the John Peel or Mark Kermode mould will rise in importance. With so much music and media available, passionate people with a depth of knowledge are valuable filters. Authenticity and passion will become more highly prized. Idiot cheesy DJs who tell you everything is ‘GREAT!’ will hopefully become a thing of the past.
Finally, the radio of the future needs to create ‘moments’ – live event coverage, exclusive performances, interviews, listener experiences – stuff where listeners can feel they’re a part of something.

What makes a good interview?

An engaging talker being asked interesting questions.

What has been your favourite interview and why?

I’ve done Paul McCartney many times, and he’s so good. He has a warmth and energy that is uncommon for somebody who’s been around and successful for so long. He’s a seasoned pro who will churn out the same pre-prepared answers in every interview given the chance, but I enjoy getting him off piste – asking him odd stuff, being irreverent. To his credit he goes with it with gusto.

Thinking about your radio career, what are you most proud of?

I’m proud of all the stuff we’ve done as Absolute Radio since the rebrand from Virgin. It feels good to be a part of a company which is trying to do something different. To work alongside people like Ronnie Wood, Frank Skinner and Dave Gorman is exciting, they are all one-offs and natural broadcasters. It’s not just the household names, though - Iain Lee hosts one of the oddest and most engaging programmes on radio, and newer presenters like Pete Donaldson and Danielle Ward are good communicators with their own style.
I genuinely believe there’s more character and originality on Absolute than any other commercial station, and I hope the station is given the chance to flourish and reap the rewards of its innovation. I’m very proud to be a part of it.

If you weren’t working in radio, what do you think you would be doing?

I used to work in a shop, but I’m not sure I could go back to it as I don’t know how chip & pin machines and barcode scanners work. Shop work has moved on since my day.