Easy Potatoes

There's a saying in Sweden that if something is simple it's "easy potatoes". In other words, "a walk in the park" or "no big deal". That's how Gabriel, on the left of the picture, described presenting a radio programme to his friend, Jasper.

Gabriel has been making radio programmes for a long time but today it was Jasper's first appearance behind the mic. As it turned out, it really wasn't "easy potatoes" for either of them. At least it wasn't "live" radio but still, there was a lot of huffing and puffing, tripping over their words, stalling in the middle of sentences and links had to be recorded several times before it was "a wrap". But they got there in the end with the guidance, encouragement and patience of professional radio producers Nadia and Arash. Before recording, Nadia and Arash wrote the script based on "round-table" discussions as they all reviewed the tapes to be included in the show.

Gabriel and Jasper were presenting Radio Fri, the weekly radio programme giving a voice to young offenders, which goes out on a community FM radio station in Stockholm. The hour-long show is recorded at a place called Ex-Cons which is a drop-in centre and all-round support centre for ex-offenders and people with drug problems. And guess what? Ex-Cons is in a converted police station. You couldn't make it up.

Gabriel hasn't been in prison, but he has been through drug treatment at an institution and his past habit meant that he was involved in crime. Meanwhile, Jasper is lucky to be at Ex-Cons in the first place, because only the other day he was in court charged with assault. He was found not guilty.

So why commit to making a weekly radio programme, putting yourself through the stress of presenting and reading out loud? Gabriel said that when he first started he was very shy but he's grown in confidence. Nadia and Arash say that they can see presenters grow and develop over time. Gabriel and Jasper hope that it will help them be more employable and they also like the challenge. They enjoy the group discusson before the recording too, allowing them to explore issues more deeply. For example, the programme they recorded today included a lot of interviews about sex and relationships. This provoked chat between Gabriel and Jasper about feelings and being in love, and that formed the basis of their links (i.e. the bits where the presenter is talking between items, which is often scripted even though it sounds very natural).

Just to keep me on my toes I was interviewed. Gabriel introduced me as a "special guest" and talked to me about how Prison Radio in England and Wales worked. He joked with me about how I was going "free-style" because I didn't want to know the questions he planned to ask, just the general gist of the interview instead. I think it spoils the flow if you know too much beforehand.

Of course, Gabriel and Jasper's input is what makes Radio Fri unique. You very rarely hear these voices on the radio, but credit where credit's due. Nadia and Arash are the ones who keep their presenters focused. They are the ones who draw out a performance" or "delivery" from young men who find it hard to read fluently and naturally. They put their own egos to one side, to give a voice to people who are never heard or see in the mass media.