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Name: Jimmy Norman
Occupation: DJ, Galway Bay FM
Location: Corrundulla
Favourite thing about Galway: It still feels like a small town and everybody knows everybody.
Worst thing about Galway: There is no joined-up thinking in relation to planning and no accountability.
Radio fans all over Galway know Jimmy Norman for his effervescent lunchtime show on Galway Bay FM, but now he is taking on a new challenge by hitting the airwaves a few hours earlier and heading up the new breakfast show.
Growing up, Galway native Jimmy always wanted to be on the radio and never considered an alternative career. He got his first rung on the ladder over 23 years ago, when he began presenting the drive-time show on pirate radio station KFM after school. In 1990, he bagged the job of radio presenter on the breakfast show on Galway Bay FM and has never looked back. While he has achieved huge success on his lunchtime slot, Jimmy has this week returned to the early morning shift and will present the flagship breakfast show from 6.30am every Monday to Friday.
Although he admits the early mornings will be a struggle, Jimmy says he is looking forward to the challenge of a faster-paced show and would describe himself as a 'morning person'. He promises that the new show will be fast moving, with a mix of news and sport, traffic updates, music and craic, guaranteed to "put a smile on people's faces".
Despite his outgoing persona on air, Jimmy says he is his own biggest critic and says he is constantly trying to develop himself as a presenter. He cites Larry Gogan as an inspiration and says that no matter how long you are in the business, there is always more to learn.
"There is always stuff to learn. I often listen back to shows from a few months ago and think about how things sounded and what I could have done differently. I find that really helpful, as there is always a way to do it better. This business is very competitive, so you always have to be pushing forward to keep on top."
According to Jimmy, two of the biggest misconceptions about radio presenters are that they have big egos and only work for a few hours a day.
"There are always people who are going to come in and think that they are the business and have a huge ego but they don't tend to last long in my experience. You have to realise you own limits and know that you are only part of a larger team that is making the show happen. People do tend to think that we stroll in and do the show for an hour or two but that isn't the case at all. There is a lot of preparation to be done, so I will normally do at least three hours preparation for each show to go over the music, and make sure that everything is rehearsed and goes smoothly."
While he describes radio as his first love, Jimmy recently branched into the world of television by fronting a show on City Channel. With 65 episodes over two years, Jimmy says that he thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to delve deeper into the issues affecting local residents and wouldn’t hesitate in doing another television show should the opportunity arise.
However, he says he would never leave radio to pursue a television career and plans to stay in Galway for the long haul.
"I would never leave Galway at this stage, I love it and it's my home. Dublin is grand for a weekend but I couldn't live there. Galway still has that small town feel and everybody know everyone else. So despite the terrible planning and lack of accountability for all the city's problems, I'm going nowhere!"
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