Let’s see who’s sharing a birthday with Adolf.

dan o'day

Dan O’Day used his library of audio clips to illustrate the dos and don’ts, based on things he had heard, admired or cringed at from radio stations all over the world. One example was that hackneyed feature The Birthday List, when a radio presenter gave a roll-call of famous people – dead and alive – who might also be sharing a birthday with you on that day. But who, asked Dan, as he fired a clip of a bored presenter going through the motions, really wants to know that “… also born on this day was notorious Nazi, Adolf Eichmann, responsible for implementing Hitler’s Final Solution that led to the murder of millions of Jews.”

It was a fair point. You would have trouble shoe-horning that into the conversation at coffee break.

-The Red Light Zone (Chapter 12)

Dan’s website

Chapter 10: The Elephant in the Room

Let’s do the Show Right Here: “News anchor Jackie Bird presented the first series and compered shows across Scotland, always bringing another famous name to help boost ticket sales. Barbara Dickson sang her hit songs in Aberfeldy; magician Paul Daniels conspired with the audience in Brookfield, explaining that radio was a great medium for magic and making an entire elephant disappear.”

-The Red Light Zone

Preface: An Apology

On this website we’ll be adding pictures and video content releated to the book, The Red Light Zone: An Insider’s laugh ‘n’ tell of BBC Radio. In this post, author Jeff Zycinski, explains – and apologises – for the misleading title of his memoirs of a career in the BBC and commercial radio.

The Red Light Zone? Yes, I know. it’s a bit misleading, isn’t it? I’m sorry if you came across this site thinking it might be an edgy expose of Amsterdam brothels, Edinburgh massage parlours of Lochwinnoch tearoooms (we’ve all heard the stories). But no – it’s all about my book on radio, which is sexy in its own way, of course.

It’s The Red Light Zone because much of my career has been spent in sound proof studios where the red light signifies a live microphone and a reminder not to cough, sneeze, swear or blurt out any honest thoughts about the Government, Opposition parties, Ofcom, the BBC Director General, awards committees, football teams, and accordionists, But now that I’ve left the BBC, that red light is off and I can say what I like about all of those things.

So let me tell you about how I sold my mind and body to broadcasting and about the people I met, the places I visited and the programmes we made, Friends have asked if this is going to be one of those ‘kiss ‘n’ tell’ memoirs, but I don’t think my air-kissing encounters with luvvies would justify that description. However, there were lots of laughs so maybe ‘laugh ‘n’ tell’ is more appropriate.

There are movie stars, one car chase and some nudity. Not much sex though.

Again, sorry about that.

The book is published in January 2019, but you can pre-order by clicking the link below to amazon.co.uk.

Buy Book Here