When you think of Whitstable’s community figures your mind tends to wander towards the stalwarts of our society, the long-standing members who have had a presence in the community for years. Despite his youth, Jordan Foad is almost certainly on his way to becoming a community figure. CommunityAd checked in with the founder of Whitstable Bay Radio (WBR).
So, Jordan, congratulations on a year and 7 months of broadcasting. How’s it feel? And how supportive have the community been of the station?
Well, where do I begin! The past year and 7 months have been quite a challenge, as it has been for many people/businesses large and small. Lockdown has held us back on so many things we had planned, it put a pause to all of the fantastic local events the town puts on, that we were also invited to, for music and outside broadcasts and live bands etc! It was really unfortunate because we had so much planned but it was all put on hold so suddenly, I was even sent home from school the Monday morning on the week schools closed before we went into the first national lockdown, it put me under so much pressure due to not being able to go to the studio and collect the equipment I needed to work from home.
I spent weeks working with the very limited equipment I had, during that time I faced a laptop that wouldn’t charge and needed a new charger and faced another computer that broke down and wouldn’t work at all, but as the saying goes the show must go on and that’s what I set out to do! My team was amazing and so helpful and really, really supportive, they worked with me and helped move the station forward as best as we could as a very limited team but we got through it, we tried our best to produce as much content as we could with the limited equipment we all had access to at the time. But as a team, we moved through it and smashed through the challenges we faced and we continue to do so!
Now we are really looking forward to catching up on lost time and progressing with our projects and really giving Whitstable, Tankerton and the surrounding areas their ONLY Local Community Radio Station they deserve.
WBR will also aim to provide a service and really more than just the music, working towards our aims to work with local news groups, local support groups, local businesses, event holders, and really underlining the fact we are a Community Radio Station. We want to help the community have a voice in our fantastic local community and help people speak out, while providing a fantastic service full of loads of information and entertainment for all ages!
As for the community they have been amazing showing us so much support, telling others about us, giving us donations to help keep us running as it really isn’t cheap running such a large service as many would know, with all the bills and things you have to buy. We still have a long way to go yet which is why all donations large and small are really appreciated and there is a donation page on our website for people to donate www.whitstablebayradio.co.uk. Generally, we just appreciate the love and support we get from the fantastic local people.
As a young station we are still getting known in the community but our listeners, volunteers and local business have all been so encouraging and we strive to continue to make Whitstable Bay Radio the community station Whitstable, Tankerton and the surrounding areas deserve.
What do you like about living in Whitstable in the summer?
I love living in Whitstable, with the beach, the sea and most of all the general vibe of the place. I enjoy the local events, carnival, festivals and local bands. The summer is the time WBR starts broadcasting at events and we get to meet some great people, both local and visiting, and play some really good summer music. To spend time outdoors in a fantastic area is just amazing!
Any local events you are looking forward to personally?
I’m looking forward to Whitstable Carnival. I enjoy the floats, the community coming together to support each other and just the general optimistic festival feeling of the event. Whitstable Bay Radio will be in the Carnival this year. We are excited to be playing some great music and handing out flyers and doing a lot of waving, as well as meeting new people.
What’s on the agenda for the summer in terms of radio events?
You can catch us at the Church Street Boot Fairs, events at Whitstable Castle and of course 24 hours at whitstablebayradio.co.uk. Please see our website for more details and keep up to date on our social media to find out where we are and when.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Whitstable Bay Radio is looking for a new home, if anyone can help, we would love to hear from them.
The other thing to add from a personal note is on 8th October 2020, I was nominated as a member of the Radio Academy 30 under 30 class of 2020. I was up against people from BBC, Global, Virgin, and a load of others and I was one of the loads of nominations that made it into the top 30! At the time I was 16 now 17 and I feel so proud to know Whitstable Bay Radio has an Award Winning Station Manager and Owner.
I started the station when I was 15 now 17, and with ADHD it’s just fantastic and it is a journey I never thought I’d be on this early in my career but the station really is doing so well. Just to be known as Whitstable, Tankerton and the surrounding areas’ only local community radio station and for people to know we are here and the immense support from the community is just so overwhelming, and I as well as my team really, really appreciate it and want to say thank you to everyone for their continuous help and support as we move forward!
Keep listening to Whitstable Bay Radio:
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