Graham Wright has been a continuous voice on the airwaves of professional radio stations across the East Midlands for over a quarter of a century - from Leicester Sound in 1986 through to BBC Local Radio in 2012.  He’s an accomplished freelance show presenter with an in-depth knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, a wide range of popular music, old and new. He has first rate interviewing skills - getting the best out of guests in the studio and on location ranging from nervous local charity event organisers to celebrities such as Beverley Knight, Bill Oddie, Status Quo, Esther Rantzen, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Hayley Westenra, Alan Duncan MP and even the current Archbishop of Canterbury!  Graham also works as a news presenter and journalist, roving reporter (in 2008 even broadcasting “live” from the deck of the QE2 on Guernsey’s Island FM!), discussion show host, features editor, creative writer, media trainer, researcher, producer of general and award-winning religious output, station ID producer, commercial producer and voiceover – with a wide repertoire of vocal styles. In the past decade he’s helped Rutland Radio win the Radio Academy "Nations and Regions" East Midlands Radio Station of the Year Gold Award for SIX years running (2003 to 2008), get them nationally nominated for Radio Station of the Year at both the 2000 ntl Commercial Radio Awards and 2004 Sony Awards, and WIN the accolade of ntl Commercial Radio Station of the Year 2004.  After Graham became their Sunday morning Faith & Ethics presenter early in 2011 BBC Radio Derby was runner up in the Faith Programming category at the 2011 Frank Gillard Awards.  Behind the scenes Graham is a skilled scheduler of music and commercials using Selector, Powergold and Broadnet - being conversant with state-of-the-art digital playout and editing systems like RCS, EncoDAD, Genesys, Radioman, Rivendell, Adobe Audition, Sadie, Garageband & Newsroom.

Anyone tuning in to Graham will discern his key interests as music, going to concerts (primarily classic rock), real ale & traditional pubs (being a long time CAMRA member), local cinema, Ordnance Survey maps, collecting 7" singles (new & old) for his jukebox, playing the piano (badly!),

A HISTORY
Graham's interest in radio started as a young boy in West Yorkshire - putting together mock music radio shows with his best friend using a record player and a portable cassette recorder in his bedroom - to be inflicted regularly on his parents!  But his interest found a wider audience when, as a student, he became involved with Nottingham Hospitals' Radio at the Queen's Medical Centre.  As well as presenting two weekly shows - one of them being being a rock show called "Shockwave" (aimed at all "hospital headbangers!") - he served as both news editor and programme controller.

Graham's first paid radio job was in November 1986 when he moved to Ruddington in Nottinghamshire and joined Leicester Sound as one of the presentation team for its new "Careline" service.  A year later he found himself working behind the scenes at sister station Radio Trent in Nottingham before being finally allowed "on air" as a fully fledged music radio presenter when East Midlands gold station GEM-AM was launched in October 1988.  During this time he graduated from overnight shows, to Early Breakfast, to Lunchtimes - as well as becoming producer of the Tony Lyman Breakfast Show and many radio commercials for the GWR group.  Voiceover work also became part of his portfolio.  To hear a selection of classic GEM-AM jingles click here.

Sadly all good things usually come to an end.  A management decision was taken to "network" more and more of GEM's output with other Classic Gold stations in March 1998 leaving Graham (and many other long established presenters) with no job.  But an enjoyable eight months were then spent working at new East Midlands Station Radio 106FM (which became 106 Century FM, then Heart 106 and is now GEM 106) as a regular weekend and freelance cover presenter, as well as producing their daily "Time Out" Entertainment feature.

December 1998 saw Graham employed full time by the Lincs-FM Group in Oakham at the launch of Rutland Radio.  He began as presenter of its weekday Daytime Show and as their traffic manager.  He also presented additional recorded weekend shows in Rutland and at Fosseway Radio in Hinckley (now Oak FM).  He was promoted to presenter/journalist in 1999, initiating and producing the weekly “Sunday Night Story” local writers’ feature for six years.  In 2003 he moved to the Afternoon/Drive Show and became Features Editor - writing, directing, producing and acting in Rutland Radio’s serialised fifth birthday pantomime.  He moved up to Senior Presenter status in 2007 having taken on music scheduling and additional station responsibilities.  Over ten years he additionally presented many other regular shows ranging from ‘40s/’50s Nostalgia to The Rutland Radio Top 30, and covered all the others - always standing in on the weekday Breakfast Show.  Graham was last heard on Rutland Radio on the 13th December 2008 - the station's 10th birthday - before rejoining the freelance market.  The same day there was also a grand reunion of former presenters and staff, pictured beneath:-

To put names to the faces, and to view the rest of Rutland Radio's Tenth Birthday Reunion photos, please click here.

THE PRESENT

On leaving his full time post at Rutland Radio Graham resumed his freelance career.  As well as still presenting regular radio shows Graham is also on the books at LG Creative in Doncaster, scripting and producing radio commercials, and sometimes to be found working in the Lincs FM Newsroom writing and reporting with their team of journalists.  He is the relief News Editor at Harborough FM.  In 2009 he joined the presentation team at BBC Radio Nottingham in July and then also BBC Radio Derby in November - where he began to host his own weekly show from May 2010 - and can now be heard presenting both Saturday Lunchtimes and their Sunday Breakfast Show, as well as providing frequent cover on various other weekday programmes. He made his BBC Radio Leicester debut in October 2010, so completing Auntie's East Midlands' trio!  Also in Leicester he has been asked to hold masterclasses for BSc Radio Degree students at De Montfort University, alongside helping to train presenters for Community Radio Station Demon FM based on campus.  Additionally he is able to provide cost-effective creative audio solutions, such as radio commercial scripting and production, directly to you via his own media company North Point Productions.  In February 2010 its' web site site expanded to include the audio work of East Midlands writers and poets, which can be heard here.  This company has filmed and produced web site video content for Skills for Care as well as running media training sessions in Holland for APM Terminals.  In a voluntary capacity Graham was also on the launch team of the Ruddington Village Newsletter in February 2010 and has been a regulator contributor ever since.  In March 2010 Graham started to do some corporate TV presentation work on location and in the studio for Linney in Mansfield.

Finally, if you'd like to enquire about Graham's availability for cover or regular shows at your station, weekdays (live and voice-tracked) or weekends (voice-tracked only) he would be pleased to hear from you via the email address below.  Alternatively you can contact him through .

Thank you for visiting - and please come back soon for further updates!

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To contact Graham Wright email enquiries@grahamwright.org.uk.
He will reply as quickly as possible to all genuine emails received.

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