Channel 4 FM Fan Blog
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Meet the DJs: Laurie Healy
She's recently joined Channel 4 and is the better half of The Big Drive Home. Always sounding like a million bucks, she is infamous with celebrities and would trade wadi-bashing for snowboarding in a second. Say hello to Laurie Healy!
Q1)You're the latest addition to the Channel 4 crew...how has it been so far?
Excellent! Everyone at Channel 4 has been great...even Neal!
Q2)And what do you do at the studio aside from presenting "The Big Drive Home" with Neal?
I am also the Afternoon News Presenter and I host the RAK Bank Top 40 on Fridays at 5pm.
Q3)You always sound so cheerful on the radio...have you always had such a great personality or is it just really good coffee?
Let's just say, you DON'T want to be around me when I haven't had my jolt of caffeine!
Q4)You've been on the radio since about 1995 - what were some of your early memories of going on air?
Well, I remember my first on-air job included weekend afternoons for a small station. It was summer and we were sponsoring a 24-hour baseball tournament. We even managed to put a team together ourselves. We played ball and partied all night long, then I had to get to the station for my show. As I left the ball park, sleep-deprived, my boss told me to keep every break SHORT that afternoon...30 seconds or less. But I had SO MUCH TO SAY, I must have talked 5 minutes during my first break, chatting about the tournament and all the great people taking part. When I got hauled into his office on Monday to be reprimanded, he was incredibly concise in his displeasure...a hard lesson in getting to the point!
Q5)You worked at "Peak 107.3" in Calgary before it switched to playing classic rock. Your listeners back home really miss hearing you on the air...they told me so!
That's nice to hear! I loved the Peak and the listeners were incredible. A couple of us stayed on after the flip. I maintained a management roll for another year with the company, but missed being on-air, so I jumped at the chance to come to Dubai.
Q6)Moving to the U.A.E must have been quite a shock to your system...I mean we have 10 months of summer!
Everyone thinks Canada is so cold! And I suppose it is compared to July and August in the U.A.E. The crazy thing is, though, I wear sweaters all the time here...I'm always cold because of the air-conditioning!
Q7)What do you miss the most from back home?
I miss my friends and family, of course, but I also miss the 'green-ness.' Where I live here, it's all cement and sand. I miss green grass and trees. In Canada, I lived just an hour away from the Rocky Mountains. I love running, snowboarding in the winter, and just being outside in natural settings (ie: away from traffic!).
Q8)Tell us something about yourself that no one at the studio knows about you...
Hmmm, sadly I'm not much of a mystery!
Q9)What's the biggest personal challenge you've faced in the years you've been on the radio?
I'm probably going through it right now, in this job. I've never been a news presenter before, so it's been a bit of a learning curve for me.
Q10)Dish out some dirt about someone at the studio...
Nice try!! I haven't been here long enough to screw anyone over yet!
Q11)What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you while you were on the air?
I'm really good at blocking that stuff out! I did cross the line with Dido once. She and I had been talking over the phone, a great interview. We were chatting like old friends. But I got too comfortable. Off-air I asked her to say a line for the station...something like "Hi, This is Dido and you're listening to The Peak 107.3" (Artists say these lines all the time for stations). She said it once and it just sounded a little flat. But instead of just asking her to do it again, I felt like I could be honest with her. So, I said, "Okay, now can you SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" Ouch! I give her full credit, she bit her tongue, just responding with a clipped, "uh, right," and then repeating the line. I've never been asked to interview her again!
Q12)Favorite song at the moment?
I think KT Tunstall is fantastic. I love "Other Side of The World."
Q13)What's the best part about being on the radio?
I've had a number of roles within radio stations, on-air and off, and the best part about being on the radio is the sense of autonomy it gives me. Even though I have a boss, when I'm on air it doesn't feel like it, not in the same way a 9-5 gig does. Plus, playing music, talking to people, giving away prizes, making someone's day...how do you pick the best part of that?...it's all fantastic!
Thanks a lot for your time Laurie, it's been great to have you featured on the Channel 4 FM Fan Blog!
Q1)You're the latest addition to the Channel 4 crew...how has it been so far? Excellent! Everyone at Channel 4 has been great...even Neal!
Q2)And what do you do at the studio aside from presenting "The Big Drive Home" with Neal?
I am also the Afternoon News Presenter and I host the RAK Bank Top 40 on Fridays at 5pm.
Q3)You always sound so cheerful on the radio...have you always had such a great personality or is it just really good coffee?
Let's just say, you DON'T want to be around me when I haven't had my jolt of caffeine!
Q4)You've been on the radio since about 1995 - what were some of your early memories of going on air?
Well, I remember my first on-air job included weekend afternoons for a small station. It was summer and we were sponsoring a 24-hour baseball tournament. We even managed to put a team together ourselves. We played ball and partied all night long, then I had to get to the station for my show. As I left the ball park, sleep-deprived, my boss told me to keep every break SHORT that afternoon...30 seconds or less. But I had SO MUCH TO SAY, I must have talked 5 minutes during my first break, chatting about the tournament and all the great people taking part. When I got hauled into his office on Monday to be reprimanded, he was incredibly concise in his displeasure...a hard lesson in getting to the point!
Q5)You worked at "Peak 107.3" in Calgary before it switched to playing classic rock. Your listeners back home really miss hearing you on the air...they told me so!
That's nice to hear! I loved the Peak and the listeners were incredible. A couple of us stayed on after the flip. I maintained a management roll for another year with the company, but missed being on-air, so I jumped at the chance to come to Dubai.
Q6)Moving to the U.A.E must have been quite a shock to your system...I mean we have 10 months of summer!
Everyone thinks Canada is so cold! And I suppose it is compared to July and August in the U.A.E. The crazy thing is, though, I wear sweaters all the time here...I'm always cold because of the air-conditioning!
Q7)What do you miss the most from back home?
I miss my friends and family, of course, but I also miss the 'green-ness.' Where I live here, it's all cement and sand. I miss green grass and trees. In Canada, I lived just an hour away from the Rocky Mountains. I love running, snowboarding in the winter, and just being outside in natural settings (ie: away from traffic!).
Q8)Tell us something about yourself that no one at the studio knows about you...
Hmmm, sadly I'm not much of a mystery!
Q9)What's the biggest personal challenge you've faced in the years you've been on the radio?
I'm probably going through it right now, in this job. I've never been a news presenter before, so it's been a bit of a learning curve for me.
Q10)Dish out some dirt about someone at the studio...
Nice try!! I haven't been here long enough to screw anyone over yet!
Q11)What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you while you were on the air?
I'm really good at blocking that stuff out! I did cross the line with Dido once. She and I had been talking over the phone, a great interview. We were chatting like old friends. But I got too comfortable. Off-air I asked her to say a line for the station...something like "Hi, This is Dido and you're listening to The Peak 107.3" (Artists say these lines all the time for stations). She said it once and it just sounded a little flat. But instead of just asking her to do it again, I felt like I could be honest with her. So, I said, "Okay, now can you SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" Ouch! I give her full credit, she bit her tongue, just responding with a clipped, "uh, right," and then repeating the line. I've never been asked to interview her again!
Q12)Favorite song at the moment?
I think KT Tunstall is fantastic. I love "Other Side of The World."
Q13)What's the best part about being on the radio?
I've had a number of roles within radio stations, on-air and off, and the best part about being on the radio is the sense of autonomy it gives me. Even though I have a boss, when I'm on air it doesn't feel like it, not in the same way a 9-5 gig does. Plus, playing music, talking to people, giving away prizes, making someone's day...how do you pick the best part of that?...it's all fantastic!
Thanks a lot for your time Laurie, it's been great to have you featured on the Channel 4 FM Fan Blog!
posted by nick, 5:20 PM
