The Team is created

After receiving the call from Emma, I was very interested in the idea. In some way I had being looking for something like this to come along. I had always found the experience of working in radio as incredibly satisfying. The thought of being involved in creating a new station centred around gay culture was exciting.

We met in the Digital Hub at 1.30pm. I was introduced to a recent graduate and friend of Emma's, Liam. The idea had come to while walking to the post office. Within a matter of an hour we had come to realise, we were all on the same page. Well most of the time. We agreed that we wanted the station to highlight the gay culture while open the listeners mind. So many people have little or no experience with gay people that they revert to the old stereotypes. I have to admit I was even ignorant until my early 30's. This was probably due to my own fears and I imagine the same is true for a lot of people. So, with a resounding commonality we agreed on a style and format for the station. There was a strong sense of passion from all involved. It looked like we were in the process of creating something that could make a difference.

Liam had a contact with the Dublin Pride committee, so we planned for that meeting. The brainstorm went on for a couple of hours with loads of brilliant ideas and enthusiasm. At this stage we had no real foresight of what was really involved in taking on this baby. By the end of the meeting a name for the station was thrown in to the circle. OpenFM. I liked it. Emma liked it. Liam was a little....