Interview with Free Radio presenter Adam Wilbourn

TV Editor Laura Primiceri got the chance to talk to Adam Wilbourn, 26, a Warwick alumni who is now working as a radio presenter on Free Radio.

Boar TV: Could you tell us a bit about your current position as an Evening Presenter on Free Radio– what does your job involve? Do you enjoy it?

Adam Wilbourn: I love my job, it’s different every day and hardly ever feels like work. As the evening show presenter one of my main roles is interviewing popstars for the station which is a lot of fun. Alongside that I do all the usual stuff like topics, travel, competition and talking nonsense in-between the songs.

Adam is currently working as an Evening Presenter on Free Radio (picture source: freeradio.co.uk)

Boar TV: When did you decide that radio was the area that you wanted to go into?

Adam Wilbourn: I hadn’t even considered radio as a career prior to going to uni at Warwick. I went there to study Theatre & Performance Studies with an eye to becoming an actor. However, when I went around the Societies Fair signing up for all the theatre groups I got involved with RaW 1251am as I liked the sound of doing my own show playing the music I enjoyed as well as chatting with similar minded people about sport on a Saturday afternoon on air. I also ended up doing a show with a few mates called ‘The Big Chewsie’ which won a Student Radio Award at the end of our first year, so I figured we must be doing something right! When that happened I started thinking about it as a career and haven’t looked back since.

Boar TV: Was Warwick a good place to start a career in radio? What societies or services were the most useful to you?

Adam Wilbourn: In my opinion, Warwick (and in particular RaW 1251am) is the perfect place to start a radio career. The guys who run the radio station are always so welcoming to new members, shows & ideas and the facilities are ideal. Without RaW 1251am I wouldn’t be where I am today. They gave me the opportunity to have a go at something I’d never done before without limits and really helped me develop into a radio presenter.

Without RaW 1251am I wouldn’t be where I am today. They gave me the opportunity to have a go at something I’d never done before without limits and really helped me develop into a radio presenter.

Boar TV: Has the road so far been an easy one? Did you go straight into radio once you left University?

Adam Wilbourn: It certainly hasn’t been easy getting in to radio. Despite winning Student Radio Awards which allowed me to gain invaluable experience at the likes of Capital and Radio 1, when I left uni my first job was delivering Lidl leaflets around my home town of Chesterfield! I then worked for a while as ‘price integrity’ at Tesco and spent a few months doing a variety of roles at my local theatre. However, I eventually gained some work experience a few days a week at Free Radio in Birmingham helping out the programming team which lead to me covering the overnight show at the weekends, then presenting it during the week and eventually becoming the evening presenter a couple of years ago.

Boar TV: What kind of projects have you been involved in, at Free Radio and elsewhere? Could you expand on some of your favourites?

Adam Wilbourn: Free Radio Live is something I look forward to every year. It’s our big music concert held at The LG Arena and I get to interview all the popstars performing which is a real honour. The backstage interviews give you a real sense of the buzz of the night and always keep you on your toes. We’ve also done some great stuff when people come into Free Radio. For example, when we knew John Newman was coming in I challenged him to a game of table tennis as I’d found out he plays it all the time on tour and even has his own personalised bat. We did promo stuff on air around it and even made a video featuring post-match interviews. I won by the way. Also, when we discovered the singer Foxes was single we engineered the interview I did with her to take place on a suitably awkward date which got some great attention and reaction.

The most memorable thing I’ve done during my time at Free Radio though has to be learning to drive on air. We followed the whole journey on air, referenced it in interviews and did videos for the company sponsoring it…it wasn’t too bad getting your lessons paid for either!

While at Warwick, Adam’s RaW show ‘The Big Chewsie’ won a Student Radio Award (picture source: wikipedia.com)

Potential media employers aren’t bothered about grades – they want to hear about your experience and for you to show evidence of on-air miles. It’s all about getting your foot in the door and making the most of that opportunity!

Boar TV: What value do you place on internships and work experience in terms of getting into the industry?

Adam Wilbourn: As I mentioned at the media careers talk, I think internships and work experience are vital in terms of getting into the industry. Potential media employers aren’t bothered about grades – they want to hear about your experience and for you to show evidence of on-air miles. It’s all about getting your foot in the door and making the most of that opportunity!

Boar TV: What do you think it takes to be successful as a Radio Presenter?

Adam Wilbourn: You need to know your strengths and play to them, be very determined and willing to get involved in just about anything!

And as a final question, do you have any parting advice for students at Warwick aspiring to a career in television?

I did some stuff for Warwick TV whilst I was at uni too, I think a lot of what I’ve discussed with regard to radio is applicable to TV and there’s certainly more of a crossover today between the various types of media. If I can get filmed doing stuff as a lanky, specky ginger bloke, anyone can!