96.2FM Revolution Radio is all about breakfast DJ Steve Penk. In 2008 Penk bought the station and…read morehis illustrious history of DJing at stations such as Key 103 and Capital FM, coupled with the fact that he actually owns the place, means that he really is the figurehead of thestation. His breakfast show starts at 6am every day is really lots of fun. For example, Steve has just become an ordained minister. What more do you need to know? Think Chris Moyles or Scott Mills but local to Manchester and a bit more down to earth. He's a good guy. Music-wise The Revolution's playlist is a bit more grown up, but when I'm fed up of listening to Tinchy Styder or whatever his name is on Radio 1, The Revolution is often where I head.

We booked a tour of the BBC at Media City UK a few weeks ago, make sure you book well in advance as…read morethese tours sell out very quickly! Media City UK is the newest part of the BBC in the UK and its huge, and its expanding even more. We was on the 10:45am tour which starts in the main foyer of the BBC studios right in the heart of Media City UK, you have to check in at the lobby where a lovely receptionist asks for youre confirmation and then they give you a lanyard each. Two girls introduced themselves to everyone in the party who worked for the BBC and told us a little bit about themselves and what we was about to see. There was about 10 other people in the tour group including ourselves which i thought was great as i like the intimacy and wouldn't want to be in a huge group. We was firstly taken to where they film BBC Sports in one of the huge buildings, where we could see where they filmed and where people work in the BBC sports section, unfortunately we wasn't shown it right up front though but through huge glass windows but you could get to see where its all done. After this you are taken to a mock up of the BBC breakfast studio where they ask you to volunteer to take part in a mock up of the BBC breakfast news and weather, i was taken up to take part which was fun where you get to read the news and see what its like for the presenters. you can take as many pictures as you like in this area, unfortunately though you are not shown the real BBC Breakfast studio though. After this we are taken to another huge building where BBC radio 6 is and you get to see a real DJ box and all the equipment which i thought was the best bit of the tour, as i love music. so i got to sit in the Dj seat where some famous DJS have sat before. the tour guides are really good at telling everything about how the DJS work and what they have to do. After this we are then taken to the Studios where they have filmed The Voice,Match of the Day amongst many others, we didn't get to see the studio where they filmed the Voice which was a little disappointing but we did get to see the Studio where they filmed Match of the Day, unfortunately it wasn't football season so it was all getting packed away though the tour guides was really good in telling us everything about the studios. After this we are then taken to a sound studio where they perform Radio shows,such as the Arches, a bit boring for me but still very interesting. At all times the tour guides were excellent and told us and the rest of the party absolutely everything we needed to know and if we had any questions to ask them. The tour lasts for a good 1 Hour and 30 Minutes and for £10 each it a fantastic price for everything you get to see but wish they would have shown us a bit more, like the real BBC breakfast set and more of the studios. But we had a great time and would recommend to anyone.

A brief but exploratory visit on Saturday - I even found the TARDIS from the photo!…read more My brother's friend was hosting a premiere of his short film Assassin. I'd never been invited to a premiere before so I was super excited to go. We were to go to Dock 10 to be met by our hosts and taken to The Landing. Up 7 floors we went and we arrived at "The Landing". We were taken through some swish fancy doors in to a tiny, plush, private cinema screen - with sofa's for chairs! Well... almost! The chairs were chairs, but they were HUGE. And some at the front even had leg raisers! I regretted instantly not going for the front row... Everything was so comfy and well looked after. Through the 15 minute screening, it felt like an actual cinema and the sound was so much better in the smaller space. I didn't want to leave and glad that they played the short film twice! I made sure to visit the toilets before I left - bright, immaculate toilets that smelt 'nice'. On our way in and out the security were firm but very nice. The BBC should be proud of their security. They question everything but they help you along your way. No one would be able to get past them without an answer! I'm hoping I can go again to explore more!

I contacted Echo for a quote for an extension I was having built. Jack came and offered excellent…read moreadvice from a proffessional viewpoint and gave me ideas I hadn't thought of. They came and wired the extension up and did an excellent job, the lads were extremely tidy (a rare occurance for tradesmen!!) and polite. The job ran smoothly and was on time and budget. I'm now having them back to fit an alarm and CCTV!!!

Well, it's not every day you find yourself in a professional music studio, no siree. And my, was it…read moreamazing! I shall give you some context first, as although it would be awesome, I am not some kind of upcoming, next-big-thing music maestra (sigh), although my dad has been writing songs for a long time and has enough for a full album. So, seeing as I have music contacts, I arranged for him to record it in a proper studio. And boy, did I pick exactly the right place!! Marcus Alexander was our studio engineer for the day, and has been a friend of mine for quite some time, so he was how I found out about 80 Hertz. The studio is based in The Sharp Project, which has been built as sort of a counter point to Media City; an alternative space to use, if you will, and therefore has all the facilities necessary for almost any media work; there are studios in which they film T.V. for Channel 4 and Sky, media lawyers have offices there, there are web development, promotional and advertising companies... Basically, anything you may want in the world of media, you will find it here! Back to the studio though; upon arrival we were treated with a really friendly welcome and brew (always a winner), and were given the tour by John, who was helping Marcus, while my dad was able to set up and get his bearings around the studio. It was all of our first times in that environment as we were told to "Make [ourselves] at home" and were given free reign of the facilities such as the kitchen, canteen, vending machines, and were given an access pass allowing us into and out of the building for smoking purposes. We immediately felt comfortable, though obviously the initial hour or so we were trying to get used to the environment, but I highly recommend this studio for anyone who wishes to record an album or lay down a track in Manchester. I am aware there are alternatives, of which I am not yet versed, but I know that the way in which we were treated by everyone involved in the studio was lovely to each of us, and our first day of recording was hard work, but tonnes of fun! None of us can wait for day two of studio antics, and whether you are looking for an unusual gift for a budding musician, or something to further along your own musical ambition, 80 Hertz is a wonderful place in which to live and love the rock'n'roll experience!

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