RICK JACKSON: We've developed thick skin, but we're still human beings

It's been two months since I took over hosting the Wave 105 radio breakfast show and I'm loving it.
Vanessa FeltzVanessa Feltz
Vanessa Feltz

I’m only the third breakfast presenter in the station’s history and replacing Steve Power and more than 17 years of heritage is a tall order.

On the whole the response has been very positive indeed. Many have woken up with me before during my 14 years hosting breakfast on Power FM and Ocean FM and enjoy having me back on at that time of day.

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Then again, not everybody is happy. Anyone who works in media or theatre will know that everyone is a critic, but in our line of work people are very quick to tell you personally!

The one thing I won’t do, though, is e-mail or tweet any of the names I’ve mentioned direct, telling them how unfunny I thought they were!

This doesn’t stop people doing that though. The other weekend, I received an e-mail, addressed personally to me, from a man telling me how much he disliked the new breakfast show.

He also went into specific details, some of which were very personal.

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I thought long and hard about my response to him calling for Steve’s return.

Should I say I agree and that I’ve resigned, but not to worry, as my wife has a part-time job and I’m sure we can survive?

Maybe I should have asked him what he does for a living and then tell him how much he sucks at his job.

No, I kept my counsel. But you do need a thick skin in this job sometimes. As with social media, some people think they now have the right to badmouth, degrade or bully people.

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Remember, we are human beings doing a job we love and are passionate about and trust me, are more self-analytical than most.

But I count my lucky stars that I’m not on Radio 2. You should read what their listeners say about their presenters.

Vanessa Feltz fans are my personal favourite.

She must have skin like a crocodile, otherwise she’d never lift the microphone fader again.

No wonder she’s not on Facebook or Twitter.

MUM WOULD HAVE TO STAND BY THE WINDOW WITH THE AERIAL

Portsmouth has one of the best super-broadband services in the UK, but only half of people are using it.

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Surprised at this, we talked on the radio about the days of dial-up via the phone line for internet connection. Then we were reminded of our 1980s PCs and playing a cassette which would screech out tones to download software for games.

We then went back even further to sharing a telephone ‘party line’ with six other houses back in the 1970s and our first colour TV, rented from DER.

Mum would stand by the window with the aerial to relieve a ghostly picture so we could watch Man About The House!

And how much fuss do your kids make when the internet runs slow?!

GOOD TO SEE THAT DEMOCRACY REIGNS SUPREME ON THE ISLAND

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Ten out of 10 to the Isle of Wight Council, which is asking residents to choose the name of the new Cowes Floating Bridge.

The National Environment Research Council may have blocked calling its new Arctic exploration vessel Boaty McBoatface, but democracy reigns supreme on the island.

As the old chain ferry, blandly called Floating Bridge Number 5, rusts away next to the Gosport Ferry pontoon, the name Floaty McFloatface is the favourite and the council WILL use the name if it wins the public vote.

With that in mind, listeners have been renaming some of our local ships – Kermit McGreenface (Gosport Ferry), Monty McFrogface (Brittany Ferries Mont Saint Michel) and Latey McLateface (Wightlink’s St Clare)!