Dale Winton - Trent - 28th Nov 1983

Dale Winton arrived at Trent with the objective of becoming a star. He was yet another of a talented bunch from UBN, the successful station broadcasting to the United Biscuits factories; back then a key training ground for a young commercial radio industry.

Dale's first Trent show was aired on 6th August 1977. Dale graduated through the schedule, eventually ending up at a fitting home mid-morning, where he excelled. I remember him outlining to me exactly the life he aspired; and, in an almost eerie fashion, he has achieved every detail of that vision. Like many with clear ambition, he behaved back then as if his vision were already true - and that is maybe the secret.

As a rookie, I was summoned to segue for him as he disappeared from the mid-morning studio to attend to whatever needed doing. Women loved him, and he treated every caller (not least in his 'Dial Dale' segments!) in the way that made them feel special. There was little show preparation (like most pop radio back then!); Dale relied on his personality, show energy, and a big smile. Nottingham took him to their hearts.

Here he is, and a sizeable chunk of a (late) breakfast show on 24th November 1983. As above, this daypart was not his natural home. Highly-produced breakfast teams now may cringe at some bits, but back then, even in key markets, you were lucky if you had any support at all to help iron out the detail of breakfast. As a piece of history, it's great though; and a clear reason why 'Our Dale' became part of Trent's DNA.

Have a good day now.