[cma-l] Nice story from Bristol's Evening Post

[Phil Gibbons - BCfm 93.2fm]

This was in this week's Bristol Evening Post and also the Weston Daily 
Press- a full page article in both no less! Not a story that's unusual in 
The Community Radio sector I know, but nice to get recognised.

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Meet-seven-year-old-DJ/article-749476-detail/article.html

Meet the seven-year-old DJ
Saturday, March 07, 2009, 08:02

When Freddie Mercury belted out Radio Ga Ga, he claimed that radio had 
become a "backdrop for the girls and boys who just don't know or just don't 
care" – but he clearly hadn't met Mustapha Malik.
In fairness, it would have been difficult for him to have met the Bristol 
youngster given that Mustapha was born after Freddie died.
But the seven-year-old Easton schoolboy is truly ga-ga about all things 
radio. His regular Saturday night slot on Bristol Community Radio must make 
him one of the country's youngest regular DJs.
He may look remarkably young as he relaxes behind the studio mic, but 
Mustapha is actually an old hand.
"I started four years ago," he says, adjusting the enormous headphones to 
fit his tiny head.
"It was before I started school, even. My dad works in the IT department at 
the Beacon Centre in Easton, where the station is based.
"He came home one evening and said the community radio station was looking 
for volunteers to do DJing slots, and he asked whether I'd like to do a slot 
with him.
"I thought it sounded like fun, so I went and had a go. My dad and I have 
been presenting the Saturday evening show ever since.
"We play a selection of the latest Asian music and we have a section of the 
show each week devoted to reviewing the latest Bollywood movies. That seems 
very popular because it allows people to get to know about the Asian films 
rather than just the Hollywood movies. For example, we were talking on air 
about Slumdog Millionaire before it had become a hit with British 
audiences."
The show has made him something of a local celebrity. "My friends all think 
it's amazing that I get to DJ on the radio at my age," he says. "But it 
seems normal to me as I've been doing it since I was three years old."
His proud dad Zahir says Mustapha is a natural behind the controls. "It was 
amazing how quickly he picked everything up," he says, "because it's quite 
complicated when you're trying to present a radio show while working all the 
controls, jingles and music fades.
"But he's so relaxed in the studio it's incredible. There can't be many 
seven-year-old boys who come home from school each night and after doing 
their homework start working on the script for their radio programme.
"I'm really very proud of the way he throws himself into it. It's all good 
experience and will stand him in good stead if he ever wants to follow a 
career in the media.
"Sometimes the radio show actually crosses over with his school work. For 
example, this week he's been learning about ancient Egypt in school, so he's 
incorporated what he's been learning into his Saturday radio show. It's 
certainly a novel way of revising."
Station manager Phil Gibbons is also proud of his young DJ. "He's fab, isn't 
he?" says Phil. "His shows are always very popular because he and his dad 
have this great father-and-son banter.
"It's also good to be able to feature a family that also speaks Punjabi and 
Urdu because it offers accessible entertainment to one of the larger ethnic 
minority groups in the city.
"That's what we aim to do here at Bristol Community Radio – we try to make 
sure we're broadcasting something for everyone in the community at some 
point in the week.
"That's no easy task, but we're able to do it with the help of more than 50 
volunteer presenters ranging from Mustapha to one chap who is 90.
"I think that makes us more than just another radio station – it makes us a 
cohesive agent on the city's diverse communities."
To tune into Bristol Community Radio Station, turn your FM dial to 93.2 or 
log on to the website at www.bcfm.org.uk to hear a live streaming feed. You 
can catch Mustapha and his dad every Saturday evening from 7pm to 9pm.