France

So, earlier today I was looking though the 'Pete Helmore Archives' and found some of my pictures from France 6-8 years ago( I have now forget when I went away but it is in that range)! So seen as I have not blogged for ages, for few reasons, I have been busy with stuff and also I couldn’t be bothered to type this ha.

So here are some of the pictures. Oh just before I shut up, I was on one of these 'home or away' house programs with video of us canoeing down the main river in the small French village with a tiny population, and only 2.7% of them speak English. People who know me will know that I have a big hate of people who go away abroad, but the places they go everyone is English!! WHAT IS THE POINT?




See the full gallery on posterous

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Is Anyone There? Well EMMMM YES!!!

Hello!!

So I have had lots of emails from .... Myself!! No only joking. I have had lots of emails from people asking where have I been, I think I said this in the last blog post so I should just copy and paste it.. Well anyway the reason I have not blogged is.... wait for it.... wait even longer.... well I just haven't :):):)

To tell everyone the truth I really have not had time to blog, there has been lots of things going on and there has been lots of times I have thought to myself 'I should blog this' but just didn't do that.

So what’s going on to make me so busy? You may ask!

Well as everyone knows I am involved in the local radio station and present 2 shows on the station (1 of which is a 'mainstream' show) but some people would say well doing 5 hours of talking rubbish and playing rubbish songs what have been over played by every radio station in the UK is not hard... Well then you’re correct, and that’s all they do on radio 1.

At the moment writing this blog and just thinking about what I just wrote there. Why would I want to work at a radio station what does something I described as crap... well I don’t know maybe as it is one of the biggest radio stations in the UK. If anyone from the BBC is reading this well the last 2 paragraphs I was made to write;)

Anyway as I was trying to move on to say at the local radio station I don’t just do shows (And let me add my shows are very good you should listen to them, the links will be at the bottom of the page) I do lots of other stuff there... All of which cannot be named as I’m sure all the hours I put in would be against a law as of my age or something.

There is a statement i hear nearly every week from all different people "Without you, this place would fall apart" Well good!

But no on the serious note I am working on lots of exciting projects at the radio station, I have recently joined up with Matt Clifford who presents the Drive Time show and Jodie, or as Matt calls her 'The one what doesn't speak.... Long story and I'm not going into it!. so we are planning lots of things some of which include outside broadcast which should be fun. Well I will say I am having fun when I have made everything work and link back to the station, at the end of the day if everything does not work it will be my fault. Although if something doesn’t work I will blame it on someone else...

Moving on from the radio station let me tell you about... guess.... another radio station. Yes I am being serious!

So I have been working with 5 'Youth' radio stations in the UK 1 of these is in Cornwall and another in Scotland. Well because I setup one of the latest online radio stations which to this day is doing very well I won’t give them a plug as people will get annoyed with my endless plugging, but if you want to visit it just ask me for the link. So the company which has taken on the role of making these 5 Youth radio stations work and make money has appointed me into 'Technical Project Leader' the title I give myself is THE BOSS!!!

I have also been working on a new online social media client, for a company in the US. The social media client will be like twitter but for a smaller, safer community.

We are working on something which will work along the US and the UK schools, think of it as something when you were 10 you had a school project where you had a pen pal, with someone in another country well the truth is it was probably your teacher.

So this social media site will be a private hosted site which means the only people able to access it is the people with the correct login details. It will be for age range 9-16. The site will have features like pictures and instant chat. IT will enable students to do the thing of talking to someone else in another country but do it the modern way. The world is moving on and I think people need to realize that.

Oh also we (Well my mum) is awaiting a bran new car which is currently being built. So for the next 5 weeks I have a private driver!! Makes me feel like I am someone who I am not!

So moving on as this has been a long blog post, thanks for reading....

Oh before I go, just as reading this though to check it over one of the worst songs ever just came on my play list... Don't Look back in anger by The Wurzels.... Well it could be worse it could be classical music (Private joke)

Pete

Show Websites: InstantRadioMix.co.uk TheCommunityShow.co.uk

Blog: PeteHelmore.co.uk

About site: PeteHelmore.info

Twitter: PeteHelmore.com

Main Website: NeedTechHelp.co.uk



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Where Have I Been?? Ask No More!

So I have been getting lots of emails and @mentions asking where I have been. Well if you follow me on twitter @PeteHelmore (Like my plug there) you will see I am still around. To tell you the truth I have really not had time to blog at the moment.

The reason for this is because I am currently working on lots of little and big projects in the UK and the US. I can’t go into too much detail as I will get told off by the people running it. But basically I’m working on lots of ‘Youth Web Projects which brings media and web together.

So moving on from that as I don’t want to go into too much detail.

I can tell you about my little projects though, so as you all know I run the website www.needtechhelp.co.uk . This website has gone from strength to strength. I’m really proud of the website and everyone who helps me run it (I will give them a plug later).

The website started as a little bit of fun back a year or two ago. It was setup to offer people like you and me Tech Help for Free. I never realized it would take off to the extent it did.

 In the first week it was running it had 5 Emails (Bad I know) Well two months after the website had been running it was getting 200-300 views a month and around 70 emails a week.

Now the website is getting about 2000 unique views a month and around 300 emails a week.

At Christmas last year we hit our target number of getting 1578 emails in one week, we reckon this is due to people getting all these new presents and then getting stuck on how to use them (Happens to the best of us).

So I’m trying to focus a lot of my time working on the site and planning ahead for the future. Some people would have noticed recently I did a re-brand. I spent 3 days working on the new look and now happy with it, a big thank you goes out to all of so many people who have commented on the new look about how much they like it. I’m really happy about this.

Now time for the plug:

I would like to say thank you to the website sponsors who without them we would not be where we are at the moment.

The show sponsors are:

1, Sharmar Publications are paying for the running cost of the equipment for TechHelp24/7, check there website at http://bit.ly/7t82Iv.

2, Custon Covers are paying for the website hosting cost, check there website at http://bit.ly/8RvqmA

3, Frank James Bailey has helped TechHelp24/7 by doing the jingles for us, check his website at http://bit.ly/6Hgkza

4, Air Media helped us produce some jingles and recordings check there website at http://bit.ly/60cKA2

Now time to thank all the people working with me on Tech Help 24/7

1, Ben has been with us from the start going back to the days when I use to broadcast on internet radio stations, Ben use to help produce the shows. Ben now is co-owner of TechHelp 24/7.

2, Jake has been with us for the last 6months his role is just helping to answer all the email we get.

3, Lauren has been with us for about 3 months and like Jake she is just helping to answer the emails.

4, Tobie joined the same time as Lauren. He is going to be taking on a bigger role soon but shhhh this is still in the planning.

5, Brendon is the newest member of the team and has only been with us for 3 weeks. At the moment he has been helping to manage the email accounts but will soon be helping me and Ben manage the website.

6, Emma has been with us for the last 4-5 months, and is working on a new Social Media website, more info soon....

7, Sam joined about 2 months ago and is helping Emma with the new Social Media website.

8, Reece came along about 4 months ago and is working with Emma and Sam on the Social Media website. Reece will be helping to integrate Facebook and Twitter into the new website.

Last but not least, Jamie joined about 8 weeks ago and at the moment he is currently working on improving how we answer emails.

Now all that is out of the way. Everyone should be happy.

So just to finish this long blog off, I am still here, catch up with what I’m doing by following me on Twitter @PeteHelmore.

I’m also on air Fridays 6-8pm Sundays 12-3pm www.somervalleyfm.co.uk or 97.5fm.

Like I said earlier in the blog, I’m working on the website lots and we are improving email answering systems to increase our overall pro look. At the moment we aim to answer all email between 24-48 hours.

If you have any feedback please send it to admin@needtechhelp.co.uk

I look forward to your response.

Once again a huge thank you for taking time out of your life to read this blog...

 

Pete Helmore

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New Design for Tech Help

via needtechhelp.co.uk

Check out the new look.. This is what i have been working on the last few days www.needtechhelp.co.uk

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Christmas, New Year and just some general info...

Just a little blog post to talk about Christmas, and what my plans for next year and some more general stuff, it is going to be about 898 words but I do appreciate you taking the time to read this.

So to start off, the lead up to Christmas this year did not seem that ‘brilliant’ I think this shows as the world is in the economic state it is in, people are cutting back on being ‘big spenders’ on Christmas lights, outdoor lights and just general house decoration.

This surprises me, I was expecting it to be a little less  this year but not to the extent it has been, for example only a few houses put up decorations down my road, now not to be big headed or anything but my road is not exactly a poor road... Even with this it still stopped them doing all the lights.

I think this is the time where people really focus on ‘what is Christmas meant to be’, well what it means to them and I think nowadays a lot of people think it is just a good excuse to spend money and give people stuff. I think some people have forgotten why we celebrate Christmas sometimes.

 The 25th December was a date picked by the Catholic Church to appease the pagans who they were trying to convert, but they did not want to give up their traditional holidays and festivals. (Fair enough I wouldn’t give them up Ha)

 Saturnalia was one of the popular Roman pagan festivals of celebration, drunkenness and making merry which ran from the 17th to the 24th of December. Gifts were exchanged on the 23rd and 24th. On the 25th December they would celebrate "The Birth of The Unconquerable Sun."

It was decided that this would be a day for celebrating the birth of Jesus instead. Many of the pagan traditions such as decorating the house with trees and greenery were banned at this time, but they have crept back into our Christmas traditions. I think the word crept is a little understatement, anyway that’s all the religious views from me (It doesn’t happen much)

I also have been watching peoples status updates on Twitter and Facebook, and even with the state the country are in, it seems like people are still getting very expensive presents.

 Maybe families are cutting down on all this rubbish and democracy which is Christmas decorations and more focusing on buying their family presents. (Do I think this is a good idea?) Well that’s a simple no!! If we get into this thing where as we don’t decorate the house and just spend all the money buying presents, well then the  Christmas spirit is just gone, (Not much left of it now)... Sitting in an un-decorated house opening presents, seems a bit odd. (Let me guess the next thing is people won’t even bother with the roast dinner!!)

I do hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, I know I did. Let me know what you got, email pete@petehelmore.co.uk or just twitter me @PeteHelmore.

For those who have been asking I got an iPod Touch 32gb.  (Apart from my computer and laptop what I got a few years back, this has been the best present I have had in awhile)

Oh also just before I go I have got some news... I have recently been focusing on my career (Which is in radio, I hope). I am in the process of making, a 1page website with like a profile page of Pete Helmore the web address for this will be www.petehelmore.info (If you go there now, it re-directs you to twitter).  Now if anyone would like to write me any quotes for the website just saying how great I am HA I would appreciate them.

Also I am in the process of making a new ‘Online Community Webpage’ www.petehelmore.com  This page will be one of the many new projects I am working on. I will be working on this project with Ben Griffin pa@needtechhelp.co.uk my long time PA / Helper for all my radio stuff and for www.needtechhelp.co.uk. I will let you know more about the site when I know more...

The next two years for me are going to be very busy and I think this will be the time where I 1, Shine in my career or 2, End up in Community Radio all my live... (Oh I have nothing bad to say about Community Radio, as if it was not for that I would not be at the stage I am currently at, but I’m sure everyone understands that I want to get higher up the scale. Everyone should have a goal what seems impossible (but in the back of your head you always think ‘I can do this’) to get but one day you will get it if you really want to be somewhere doing something you will do it!!)

Anyway that’s it from me, I hope to blog more in 2010 but it is sometimes hard to find time, for example I am typing this at 3.27 in the morning (I work best in the silent which is night time, with my iPod on and in that zone where someone could be looking at you and you wouldn’t realize and your just typing away listening to some great, and not so great tunes!!)

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Be safe and have FUN!!!

Posted via web from petehelmore's posterous

Christmas!!

Just a little blog post to talk about Christmas, and what my plans for next year and some more general stuff, it is going to be about 898 words but I do appreciate you taking the time to read this.

So to start off, the lead up to Christmas this year did not seem that ‘brilliant’ I think this shows as the world is in the economic state it is in, people are cutting back on being ‘big spenders’ on Christmas lights, outdoor lights and just general house decoration.

This surprises me, I was expecting it to be a little less  this year but not to the extent it has been, for example only a few houses put up decorations down my road, now not to be big headed or anything but my road is not exactly a poor road... Even with this it still stopped them doing all the lights.

I think this is the time where people really focus on ‘what is Christmas meant to be’, well what it means to them and I think nowadays a lot of people think it is just a good excuse to spend money and give people stuff. I think some people have forgotten why we celebrate Christmas sometimes.

 The 25th December was a date picked by the Catholic Church to appease the pagans who they were trying to convert, but they did not want to give up their traditional holidays and festivals. (Fair enough I wouldn’t give them up Ha)

 Saturnalia was one of the popular Roman pagan festivals of celebration, drunkenness and making merry which ran from the 17th to the 24th of December. Gifts were exchanged on the 23rd and 24th. On the 25th December they would celebrate "The Birth of The Unconquerable Sun."

It was decided that this would be a day for celebrating the birth of Jesus instead. Many of the pagan traditions such as decorating the house with trees and greenery were banned at this time, but they have crept back into our Christmas traditions. I think the word crept is a little understatement, anyway that’s all the religious views from me (It doesn’t happen much)

I also have been watching peoples status updates on Twitter and Facebook, and even with the state the country are in, it seems like people are still getting very expensive presents.

 Maybe families are cutting down on all this rubbish and democracy which is Christmas decorations and more focusing on buying their family presents. (Do I think this is a good idea?) Well that’s a simple no!! If we get into this thing where as we don’t decorate the house and just spend all the money buying presents, well then the  Christmas spirit is just gone, (Not much left of it now)... Sitting in an un-decorated house opening presents, seems a bit odd. (Let me guess the next thing is people won’t even bother with the roast dinner!!)

I do hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, I know I did. Let me know what you got, email pete@petehelmore.co.uk or just twitter me @PeteHelmore.

For those who have been asking I got an iPod Touch 32gb.  (Apart from my computer and laptop what I got a few years back, this has been the best present I have had in awhile)

Oh also just before I go I have got some news... I have recently been focusing on my career (Which is in radio, I hope). I am in the process of making, a 1page website with like a profile page of Pete Helmore the web address for this will be www.petehelmore.info (If you go there now, it re-directs you to twitter).  Now if anyone would like to write me any quotes for the website just saying how great I am HA I would appreciate them.

Also I am in the process of making a new ‘Online Community Webpage’ www.petehelmore.com  This page will be one of the many new projects I am working on. I will be working on this project with Ben Griffin pa@needtechhelp.co.uk my long time PA / Helper for all my radio stuff and for www.needtechhelp.co.uk. I will let you know more about the site when I know more...

The next two years for me are going to be very busy and I think this will be the time where I 1, Shine in my career or 2, End up in Community Radio all my live... (Oh I have nothing bad to say about Community Radio, as if it was not for that I would not be at the stage I am currently at, but I’m sure everyone understands that I want to get higher up the scale. Everyone should have a goal what seems impossible (but in the back of your head you always think ‘I can do this’) to get but one day you will get it if you really want to be somewhere doing something you will do it!!)

Anyway that’s it from me, I hope to blog more in 2010 but it is sometimes hard to find time, for example I am typing this at 3.27 in the morning (I work best in the silent which is night time, with my iPod on and in that zone where someone could be looking at you and you wouldn’t realize and your just typing away listening to some great, and not so great tunes!!)

I wish you all a very Happy New Year. Be safe and have FUN!!!

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Time for a change? DAB? FM? AM?

So the following article you are about to read, was a recent post in a multi media magazine in the U.S and the U.K. I hope you understand i did put a lot of effect into researching this subject and would welcome any response.

DAB has not attracted a lot off new buyers...

In July 09 it was reported, switching off analogue radio would make up to 150milion radios obsolete, 20% of the country will never be able to receive DAB unless another £100millionn is spent on improving the network coverage for DAB.

In 2013 DAB is expected to account for more than 50% of the listening figures.

Now this may sound a lot, but when you break it down into figures there is still a lot of people who will not be able to listen, for example 5 billion people may listen to radio, that is 2.5bilion people who will not be able to get it. It isn't until you start looking at the figures, you understand how big of an audience could be lost.

Now if we think about it, in 2007 London had an estimated population of just under 8 million people. Now divide 2.5billion by 8 million, I will let you work out the answer to that but the only thing I’m going to say is that’s a lot of London’s.

Now what station owner (either commercial or BBC) is going to be prepared to switch off their analogue signal and lose 50% of their listening figures.

Now from my experience in working in radio stations I’m sure most of the station owners would not do that.

For example at Somer Valley FM, The Community Radio Station in Midsomer Norton, if I told Dom Chambers the manager, I was going to make us loose 50% of our listening figures, I think he may have one word to say..... That word would be a simple NO!

Also there is another angle to look at this from, a commercial station, where advertising is a big part of the success of the station. Losing 50% of listening figures would mean losing 50% of revenues, now looking at this with my business head on (I don’t have my business head on most of the time), who is going to do that. I know I wouldn’t.

Now one thing which is happening at the moment is radio stations are paying to broadcast on FM and DAB, now this is a good idea as it means they are covering both angles. The only problem with this is it will cost the station more money to do, but I do think this is what’s going to happen for well who can say I would guess the next 3-4 or even 10 years.

Now I’m not sure how many people will remember the term ‘Long Wave’

Well in 1992 there was word on the street that ‘long Wave’ would be slowly closed down and sadly forgotten about. Now I was born in 1992 and all my time in radio I have never heard the term ‘long Wave’ until researching this project I’m talking about now.

Well this caused some heartache with some people. So they set up a protest to save it, well they were successful in one way.

‘Long Wave’ is now only officially being used by one radio station which is radio 4.

The point I’m trying to show here is this so called closure of long wave was meant to happen in 1992, and 17 years later radio 4 are still using it.

This just shows when the British people want something to happen it happens.

And I think we will find this with DAB, the British do not like change and I think it will be 3 or even 10 years before all the radio stations think about turning of FM.

Also another good point the FM Wave is it is cheap, it has been tried and tested and works perfect. It’s close to 'universal' coverage as we will ever get.

I think we also need to think about it from another angle. If we change over to DAB, pirate radio stations will start using FM like they use AM. So in my mind we would be doing our selfs more harm than needed.

So my conclusion about this is that yes we will turn over to DAB and turn of FM but not yet.



(A audio version will be uploaded in the next week or two.)

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HI, yes I am still here...

In my mind, this blog is worth reading but may take you 5-10 mins so make sure you have time. Thanks 


So I know I have had lots of emails from lots of my blog readers asking where I have been.

Well I have been really busy with my college work at the moment, and all my radio work. As you all can understand I'm trying to focus on my career at the moment.

So well what have I been up to recently, the other week I did a interview with Leah Smith about 'if I think DAB radio will work'. This was a good subject for me to talk about as recently I did an article for a media magazine. I will try uploading the article sometime this week; I will also try uploading the recorded interview I did, so watch this space... I really enjoyed doing the interview and also helping out a good mate.

Also I have been working more on stream lining the local radio station. I'm trying to put functions in place that in the long run will help out the station. E.G. I recently fitted a remote login system to our streaming computer; this means if the stream goes down me and the manager can log on and just start it back up. What I would want the readers of this blog to understand is all this work is self taught. I learn as I do it, I come up on mistakes do research and learn how to fix them and in my mind that is a great ability what I don't think everyone has, which is a shame.

There are some people I know what don't learn as they do stuff, now saying this some of them people are very smart, and like to study before doing it. Whereas I am more a hands on person, I do it and then think about later, and in my life it has not done me any harm. This is one of them things what just shows everyone is different, and I think people should remember it. I hate it when I know or work with younger kids who say stuff like "I want to do this as my mate is doing it" I always want to say don't just do something because they are doing it, there has to be a point in your life where you focus on yourself and let others worry about them self's. Now in that statement I'm not trying to say you should have no friends and you should live a single  life away from everyone, because if you start doing that you will start to drift off from your friends.

Now moving on from my little speech there HA.

So getting back to what I was talking about, I have recently been teaching myself lots of skills, to use in 1, my college course and 2, my day to day life.

What else????

Oh I know, I have been focusing my time online to learn more about social media, and all about the online communities. For example this blog is a online community using social media to publish it over the net. Now as a lot of readers of this blog will know, I use twitter a lot. Well recently I have not been as much but I am still a big twitter fan. I also have facebook and I am on that lots but only use the status updates to advertise my radio shows, I more use twitter to update. I think this is because some of the people I have on facebook I think well they may not be interested in what I have to say, whereas I know the people following me on twitter are interested otherwise they would not follow me would they.

I also had a interview today, with Simon Davis who soon will be getting more and more involved in the radio station, I think it was a great chance to do this interview and would like to say thank you to Simon Davis.

So at the moment if you don't see me tweet that much it is probably because I'm trying to study (Not looking at books, but generally learning) about twitter, and facebook.

Tomorrow well later today I am going into BMI Bath Clinic to have another operation but I will not bother you with any of the details in this.

Once again I would like to say thank you to the readers of my blog, and please do understand at the moment I'm trying to focus on my career so if I don't blog for a while you know why.

Also I would like to thank Jodie and Leah as we have been working together at the station this year and I think it is always nice to have a couple of people who understand where you are coming from, as they are in media them self's they understand what I am trying to do in my career. Now I have worked with Leah for 3-4 years before the station this year, but coming into the station at the start of this year was the first time meeting Jodie. Now sometimes I think I have known them both for the same amount of time, and I think this shows if you're willing to get out there and talk to people, you will meet some interesting people. Now in that statement, that's not saying all the other volunteers are rubbish lol, as there not all the volunteers well most ha are great and I have enjoyed working with them all this year.

Once again thank you so much everyone online, and in real life for the support.

Pete Helmore

P.S Have a very nice festive season, and hope you all have a very good Christmas. And if your birthday is on Christmas Eve or Christmas day... Happy Birthday.



You can find the people I have mentioned in this blog at :

http://twitter.com/leeeeeeeeah

http://twitter.com/Jodie_kemp

You can find me at www.needtechhelp.co.uk and www.petehelmore.co.uk and twitter.com/petehelmore or facebook.com/petehelmore

Testing 1,2 1,2

So I'm just testing this blog thing as im writing and posting this in word.... So it should just send to my blog

Change of plans for this saturday, all info in the blog.

So today I was at the station chilling with couple of friends while in the studio talking on the Drivetime show... Dom (The boss) comes and gets me and well it was a person on the phone that I did not really want to speak to, but all good.

I then go back up stairs to carry on my convocation with jack and couple others and then Dom comes to get me again (I’m thinking, “Oh what now!”) Dom then went on to say “It’s CLLR Chris Watt (I’m now thinking, oh no what have I done)

Well this call then turned out to be a very interesting call and very good for me.

I have been asked to go work with their ICT guys, and help them setup some servers and some virtual machines. (For you people who don’t know about the tech, it basically means a lot of work involved) Now not all of this I know how to do but some I do. So it means I will be learning and also getting some great experience. This is the company I will be working with, check it out http://www.bathasu.com/

Also more good news about this project is that I will be getting paid to do it, now I’m not worried about the money as I would do it for the experience and I know I will learn stuff which will help me on my college course.  But the money does make it that little bit nicer... (And I’m sure it won’t be too little of a payment, if you get my drift)

So tomorrow I get collected by taxi all paid for of course which will take me to bath well just outside of bath but it is easier to call it bath, and then do work and then get picked up by taxi to bring me home. (I’m getting used to people driving me around now days; I’m going to hate it when I have to catch the bus next) I may be doing the same thing Sunday but they will pick me up then have me back ready for me to do my show at 12 on Sunday. (See I am quite busy)

I may also be doing this on Monday but maybe after the recording what I will be doing at 11 down the radio station (I can’t cancel as I agreed to do it a week ago)

Then college on Tuesday and then Wednesday we have a 4.5 hour test, and the all the stuff I’m learning this weekend will help me so I’m happy.

So I will probably not be on twitter that much over weekend as I am going to be busy

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