An audience with Matthew Bannister

Joshua Wright sitting behind a radio mic

By Joshua Wright, history student

In November I had the immense privilege of attending a talk with former BBC executive and host of the award winning Folk on Foot podcast, Matthew Bannister. The event, put on by the university's Careers and Employability Service and the Development and Alumni Relations Office in collaboration with University Radio Nottingham.

It was a wonderful opportunity to hear from a highly accomplished name in the radio and podcast sector and to ask him directly about his experience in the industry.

Folk on Foot podcast

Folk on Foot is a show in which Bannister takes a leading folk artist out for a walk in the landscape that helped inspire their music. A combination of folk music and riveting interview, the podcast is recorded live on location. Bannister shared with much earned pride a review in The Telegraph that stated how:

“The music is transcendent, the sense of place is transporting… It’s a restorative breathing space in sound.”

A labour of love

Listening to Bannister, one could tell how much the project was a labour of love. Without sharing any specific numbers, he was quite candid about the shows financials, admitting that whilst the podcast would never be a big money making venture, they had turned it into a sustainable venture through the monthly contributions of Patreon supporters, tips on Ko-fi and a small amount of advertising revenue. This honest insight was really useful from a careers perspective for people considering a career in broadcast media.

Another motivating factor

Furthermore, I got the impression Bannister’s drive to make the podcast derived not only from a sense of passion, but also out of duty of care to do what he could to help support the folk music scene.

During the pandemic, the podcast organised several virtual folk music festivals that were able to raise a cumulative total of over £300,000 to support musicians and folk artists that would otherwise have been struggling for an income during a period in which live performances were illegal.

The opportunity to ask questions 

In the second half of the event, Bannister opened the talk up to questions, and I was lucky enough to ask multiple over the course of the Q&A.

I queried if he had a particular ethos and approach when booking guests. He openly shared how some of the bigger folk artists he’s had on the show boosted listener numbers so it’s exciting when they get prominent guests. On the other hand, he hopes the programme can provide a real platform for lesser-known talents to get their art in front of an audience.

Check out the careers events at UoN 

Overall, I wholeheartedly enjoyed hearing from Matthew Bannister and learning more about the production and behind the scenes thinking process for the Folk on Foot podcast.

The discussion was genuinely riveting so I’m tremendously grateful to Bannister, URN and the Careers Service for putting on such a brilliant event. I will undoubtedly be keeping a far closer eye on the university's careers events from now on. If any of them prove even half as interesting as this one, they would be well worth attending

Read Joshua's full article on his blog.

Find out more about the events we organise on our website and book your place through MyCareer. Our events cover job and sector insights and job hunting workshops to careers fairs and employer presentations offering you can insight into their organisation and graduate and internship roles.