Former Real Radio presenter Galloway claims station’s best days behind it
In an interview with Radio Today, Clyde 1 presenter Robin Galloway claims his former employer Real Radio Scotland’s best days are behind it, and that his departure was a factor in the station’s subsequent loss of listeners.
Dismissed last year following on of his regular pranks bombed with bosses – he dared producer Barrie Hodge to streak past a studio where Miliband was being interviewed – Galloway is asked in the interview: "You were at Real for just over ten years and over that time it's gone from strength to strength. The [RAJAR] figures last week show it's lost some audience - do you think that's down to your departure?"
Galloway replied: "There's a big loyalty factor in Scotland and I do honestly believe that the audience thought I was hard done by, and I think that has showed up in the figures. They've never had a two-point drop in percentage reach before – they've gone from 25 to 23. In 2007, we were at 31, so that's an implosion, if I'm being honest.
"It's funny when you cross the divide [from Real to Clyde] and go to the other side you can then see some of the inherent mistakes that've been made. I'm not about to tell you what those are because my former employers are now my opposition and I bear no ill-will whatsoever, especially the on-air team because I'm very close to them and fond of them. But I think the halcyon days for the brand are very much in the past now."
Galloway is then asked "Do you think they guessed you'd end up on Clyde, being their opposition?" to which he replies: "Probably not. No I don't think so because Real and Clyde was always the never-the-twain shall meet - a bit like Rangers and Celtic."
When quizzed on Clyde-owner Bauer's reported plans to network daytimes across Scotland, Galloway is quoted saying: "At the moment Bauer's policy is certainly to keep it live and local for the major day parts and the only networking is a little bit at weekends and obviously Romeo and In Demand. I can't see that policy changing in the immediate future.”