interview39

jmkj

Disclaimer: This website is totally unofficial. talkSPORT1089.co.uk has no links and is not endorsed by talkSPORT, The Wireless Group or Ulster TV. Any opinions expressed on this website are made by the inidividuals and are not ther opinions of the website as a whole. We would like to thank talkSPORT Ltd. for the use of their images on this website. To visit the official talkSPORT website click here.

The Robyn Schonhofer Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Robyn Schonhofer joined talkSPORT in September 2005 from Virgin Radio to
deliver the on-the-hour Sky News bulletins every weekday between 1:00pm-
7:00pm during Hawksbee & Jacobs and The Game with Rodney Marsh.

After spending 3 years at Southern FM, Robyn decided to up sticks and move to
Century FM in Manchester where talkSPORT‘s Chris Cooper and Jim Proudfoot
also plied their trade as commentators for Manchester United‘s matches.

The bright lights of London beckoned and after just nine months in the north she
upped sticks again, this time to London to be part of Virgin Radio‘s news team.
Robyn was also part of the team on Virgin Radio’s Jezza’s Confessions
programme before he left the station to move to London rivals Capital FM.

In the last few years you have worked for Virgin Radio and now talkSPORT, but
what other radio stations have you worked for and what were your roles at each of those stations?
My first job was at Southern FM & Capital Gold in Brighton where I was a reporter and newsreader. I did the weekly manager interviews at Brighton and Hove Albion and also did a few shifts in the flying eye! I guess you could say I was an all rounder. After 3 years I decided I needed a change and I moved to Century in Manchester where I was reporter and evening and late shift newsreader. Century is where I hooked up with Jezza.

You had a work placement at Southern FM in Brighton as part of your Honours Degree in Journalism but instead of completing the course you decided to take a job at the station. What were your thoughts at the time and do you regret not completing your studies at University at all?
Never. Why would I? You do a degree to get into specific career I just progressed a little quicker. I was lucky the head of news at Southern FM & Capital Gold in Brighton at the time gave me a chance to prove myself, I took it and ran with it. I got the job through hard work and good manners. If I hadn't have followed my work placement with a thank you letter and offer of free labour during the summer I wouldn't have been in the mind of the Southern FM News Manager when his reporter quit that summer.

After your time at Southern FM, you moved to Century FM in Manchester where you apparently worked with Jeremy Kyle, or Jezza, on his Confessions Programme each weeknight. What was your role on the show and how much has Jeremy helped you in your career to date?
I was a newsreader. Nothing more nothing less. I did funny stories at the end of the news that provided a bit of banter at the end of the bulletin and that banter usually ended up with us taking the piss out of each other. Jezza's show brought me to the attention of the bosses at Virgin Radio who were looking for a newsreader. I'm sure Jezza had a word but if I couldn't do the job they would not have hired me!

Following stints on other stations in the Capital Group such as BRMB and Century FM in the East Midlands, Jezza’s Confessions became a national show on Virgin Radio in 2003. How delighted were you and the team that you had landed a role on a national radio station for the first time?
I never actually worked at BRMB. Virgin poached me 2 weeks before my start date. I joined Virgin about a month before Jezza went on air and originally I wasn't meant to be involved in the show but Paul Jackson decided I should work with Jez and Lucy again. Obviously we were all very happy to be working at a national radio station.

In 2004 Jezza left Virgin and later returned to Capital Radio with Capital FM in London. However, you stayed at Virgin and remained in your role as newsreader. Why didn’t you following Jeremy to Capital FM this time?
I had actually made a decision to come off Jezza's show 2 months before he left Virgin Radio as I wanted to do more sociable hours and move back to my home town of Brighton. I actually had no idea Jezza was going to be axed by the station when I asked to come off the show.

In 2005, you left your role at Virgin Radio to join talkSPORT, again, as a newsreader. How did the move to talkSPORT eventually come about?
talkSPORT called me and asked if I would like to meet with them. I did and they told me they wanted me to come and read the news for them. Wwe discussed terms and the deal was done. Simple!

Have you so far enjoyed your time at talkSPORT and what were your first impressions when arriving at the station for the first time?
I love working for talkSPORT. I was worried the lads would be a bit hostile to a girl joining the programming team but they were the complete opposite. I was made to feel very welcome and they are a great bunch of lads.

Have you found that the way you gather and research news stories is different between that of Virgin and talkSPORT? Is there a big difference between the stories that you broadcast on Virgin to talkSPORT?
Of course they're completely different stations with one sport based and one music based. Both have differnet target audiences. You tailor your stories to what you think your listeners would be interested in hearing about. The work load is completely different too. At Virgin I had to do separate news for FM and AM. That meant I was having to write and pre-record 2 bulletins an hour during the day. However when Drive started I was writing and recording 2 news bulletins, 2 half hour heads and 2 sports bulletins every hour. You were chasing your tale a lot. That's not the case at Virgin anymore through. Strangely enough they cut the bulletin load down after I left. Maybe they were testing me! I find it much better at talkSPORT. You get time to put together your bulletin, access to great interviews done on the shows and to interact with the presenters. It's a refreshing change that I enjoy.

You are the newsreader during the Hawksbee & Jacobs show and The Game with Paul Breen-Turner & Rodney Marsh. Had you heard their programmes at all before joining talkSPORT?
Yes. I had to know what I was letting myself in for!

Since joining the station you have been to Turin, Madrid and Barcelona with The Game alongside Paul Breen-Turner, Rodney Marsh, Nigel Pearson and Alvin Martin for coverage of the Champions League action. Have you enjoyed your visits and is it something you thought you would be doing when you initially joined?
Yes I was told I may be doing outside broadcasts when I met with the bosses here. There's a certain adrenaline level you operate on during OB's and I like stepping out of my safety zone sometimes.

Whilst working as a broadcast journalist and newsreader, what has been your most memorable news story that you have researched and broadcast on air?
I was on my way into work when the London bombers struck. Like everyone else on the desk that day I just flew into newsperson mode and started doing what needed to be done. It was a really hard long day and it wasn't until the weekend, when I had time to comprehend what just happened, that the enormity of it all hit me. We get a lot of info that is to harrowing to broadcast to the public and I found some of the details difficult to deal with. Sometimes listeners think of people on the radio, particularly news presenters, as robots without feelings. It's worth remembering we are human. We do get upset.

You’re a massive fan of Brighton and Hove Albion, how do you rate this season despite getting relegated to League One from the Championship?
We were crap. We had chances, goals that should've been scored but we just couldn't finish. We didn't have anyone who could put the ball in the back of the net and while our defence tried to keep them out the other end there's only so much that can do to help the cause! The Albion is known for holding its head high and fighting when were up against it but we lost our way this season and sometimes we were running out there with our heads down. I also felt, as did many other fans that there were players taking to the pitch who didn't feel for the club and were playing for themselves rather than for the team. That may not be the case but it certainly came across that way. Seagulls fans don't like that, we want players like Charlie Oatway, guys who have passion for the game and the club they're playing for regardless of division or table position. We've got Dean Wilkins on the first team coaching staff now and it should help shake things up a bit. Hopefully we'll sign some good players and we'll be better this season!

Mark McGhee has been criticised by certain sections of Brighton fans on talkSPORT, but how would you rate his tenure at The Withdean Stadium despite this season’s relegation?
Like I said we lost our way this season. For whatever reason the team didn't gel as well as it has in the past. Some of that has to have something to do with what's going on in the dressing room. There were attempts to get McGhee out at the end of last season. Deano was brought in as a compromise. I wouldn't be surprised if they'll see how he does this season and look and McGhees contract.

You must have been delighted earlier in the year when Brighton got the go ahead to build their new stadium at Falmer. However, in the last couple of weeks there has been some confusion over the decision itself. Do you think it will still go ahead and what will a new stadium mean to the club?
Lewes District Council has made it clear it does not want Falmer and will go all out to try and prevent it. They're hitting us where it hurt: in the pocket. They're hoping that by continually delaying the process we'll go out of business. John Prescott and his staff didn't help much though. The whole planning permission had to be withdrawn because of a problem with the permission letter. You'd have thought they could've got that bit right.

It is actually very distressing that there are small minded people at Lewes District Council who want to prevent the progression of a football club that has fought for its existence more than a decade and does so much to help the community. The Albion are fighters and we will get the stadium in the end though. I have to believe that. The other scenario does not bare thinking about.

What has been your proudest moment as a Brighton supporter to date?
It has to be automatic promotion and promotion through the playoffs. Oh and, of course, when we beat Crystal Palace last season. You cannot help be proud of the boys then. The club as a whole makes you proud though. Everyone there from players to the office staff works really hard.

What is the best sporting moment you have been at and why?
For scale it has to be the Champions League Final in Paris between Arsenal and Barcelona earlier this year when working for talkSPORT. However, or personal reasons, Brighton's Playoff win at the Millennium Stadium a couple of seasons ago was another highlight for me.

What was the last CD you bought, and which CD’s are in your car?
The late album I bought was the latest album from Bon Jovi! They are my guilty pleasure but I love them! I don't have a car so I'll give you a small insight into my Ipod. Obviously Bon Jovi is on there, Black Crowes, Tonic, Lenny Kravitz, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, The Kooks, Stereophonics, Velvet Revolver and various other tracks that help me run faster at the gym!

What was the last film you saw at the cinema and what did you think of it?
The last film I saw was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest. I loved it. I cannot wait for the third one. I have asked the girls in the office at talkSPORT and they agree that it is totally acceptable to fancy Jonny Depp when he's dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. I also recommend Devil Wears Prada, but it is a chick flick.

What books are you currently reading, and are there any that you have recently read that you would like to recommend to listeners?
I spend 2 hours a day on a train so I read an awful lot of books! I love reading crime books. I've read my way through the entire Karin Slaughter and Val McDermid collections, most of Kathy Reichs (although give Cross Bones a miss) and PJ Tracy needs to write more quickly! I also love Sophie Kinsellas Shopaholic series.

Finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years in your broadcasting career and as a fan of Brighton?
Obviously I would love to work in TV and I would also like to do voiceover work. In a dream world I would be getting paid enough money not to worry about things and working less hours so I could enjoy it! If I was loaded I'd buy shares in the Albion and have a box for me and my family at Falmer!

Thanks to Robyn Schonhofer for the chance to interview her. You can hear Robyn on the Hawksbee & Jacobs show and The Game with Adrian Durham & Rodney Marsh every weekday afternoon between 1:00pm-7:00pm on talkSPORT.

The Robyn Schonhofer Q&A Interview
talkSPORT Newsreader
July 2006