Phonic FM: Spreading the word through the letterbox

By Martin Hodge

Saturday 11 October: 11am (ish). Early in the day for some, well into the day for others. Pete Bishop’s Phonic FM leafletting crew gather outside the Victoria Inn in Union Road.

"Good turnout," says Pete (Deep Sea Ball ) to Ellie (Radio Mund o), Terry (Collisio n), Rich and Martin (Roots and Shoots ), Pat (The Eccentric Selection ) and David (The Edge Of Jazz ). The pub is closed: maybe just as well as we might not have got anything done, apart from talking, which we all do well. Pete’s super-duper new leaflet is handed out:

PHONIC FM – Exeter’s Sound Alternative – No Playlists, No Advert s and in smaller print (‘rightly so’, say some): Your community radio station . 106.8FM in the Exeter area .

Our patch is sorted. Terry asks if he can be a bit cheeky and add his own Collision leaflet to our pile – and to his delight all declare it ‘a good thing’. Off we go to stick the papers in through a variety of easy-to-use as well as easy-to-get-your hand-stuck in letter boxes, occasionally meeting real occupants who are delighted to get the news of Phonic FM, “the perfect antidote for complaints about high rotation playlists” – Radio World Magazine, quoted on the handout.

At 2pm we get together for lunch and drinks at Exeter Phoenix (thanks to Patrick for proving there is such a thing as a free lunch) and we reminisce over the wonderful morning’s leafleting.

It’s going to happen again next month in another part of Exeter. Do come and join us to spread the word about “a genuinely refreshing, genuine alternative from which the best is yet to come” Radio World again, not us blowing our own trumpets – though we all agree they’re right!