Track Record

Robin Valk has worked in music and music radio and, more recently, software and digital media, for over 40 years.

While at University he helped launch University Radio York. After graduation, he was offered a job by WPHD-FM in Buffalo, in upstate New York, who felt they could use an English accent on their Progressive Rock FM format. There were very few English broadcasters in the US at the time, and English music (especially Rock music) in the 70s was much more important and relevant to a US youth audience than it is now. Robin stayed at WPHD for just over a year, during which time the station went to #1 in the Buffalo market.

Returning to the UK, Robin joined the new Independent Radio sector, moving to BRMB Radio in Birmingham, again as a Rock dj. Robin’s stint as a Rock dj coincided with a host of music developments throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s: the end of ‘traditional rock’, the arrival and departure of punk rock, the Two-Tone movement centered on Birmingham and Coventry, and the growth of corporate rock and international megastars in the 80s and 90s. He did shows for BRMB in all specialist and mainstream formats, and interviewed just about everybody there was to interview. Under Robin’s direction, BRMB embarked on a series of recording sessions of local bands, and this kick-started the careers of artists like UB40 and Ruby Turner. There was also close involvement with the CBSO, as Robin was by now presenting Classical shows as well. At the end off his time at BRMB, Robin was Head of Music for two stations and Group Head of Research for all stations in the Midland Radio Group, and an acknowledged Selector expert.

Capital Radio bought the group in 1993, leading to a wholesale loss of jobs at the group, including Robin’s. Robin then formed the Radio To Go partnership (now Radio To Ltd), and embarked on a consulting career. This took him to Bulgaria (FM-plus, Sofia) Scotland (Scot FM, where he built the database and implemented Master Control), Sweden (Selector training for P4 radio) and back home to Birmingham, where he produced shows for Radio 2. This then led to a five year stint implementing playback software and building a digital library, and then producing the Overnights sequence for Radio 2 from Birmingham – 25% of the output – where he quadrupled the listening figures.

When the Radio 2 Overnight shows returned to London, Robin took on training and database development for RTE Lyric FM, where he trained staff in programming and scheduling at the Limerick-based national Classical music and Arts station. This overlapped with more consulting work for Swedish Radio, and work with a number of European stations, Program Director responsibilities at Riviera Radio in Monte Carlo, and the start of a ten year stint with RCS, makers of Selector, at their New York head offices. Robin authored online help and produced training videos for RCS’s leading products from 2000. 

While at RCS, Robin continued his consult work, retraining the entire programming staff of the UTV regional network of stations in 2007/8, followed by Coast 106 in Southampton and Amazing Radio in Newcastle in 2008 to 2010. The newest members of Radio To Go’s consult portfolio are the Classical and Folk channels of Magyar Radio, Budapest, Hungary, and Bauer Media outlets Clyde 1 and Forth 1 in Scotland..

Robin is acknowledged as one of the most experienced Music Radio programmers in Europe. He has extensive format and market experience. To this he can bring deep scheduling systems knowledge with established global leader RCS Selector / Master Control and UK-based PSquared AutoTrack Pro / Myriad. This system now has more installations in the UK than any other. Robin is currently beta-testing the latest version of Autotrack Pro (version 4), and authoring a new online context-sensitive help document for PSquared.

Robin still presents occasionally, with rare live DJ sorties at selected events. He produced a one-hour documentary in 2010 for Birmingham Music Heritage on 70s and 80s reggae in Birmingham.  2011 productions include In The Treehouse, and Steve Gibbons in the Studio, both available on this blog. He is a big supporter of local music talent in his city.  

For the past three and half years, Robin has been developing a music archive programme for the British Library, which seeks to capture and document the best new British online music. The first experimental website, the Pilot Project, launched in November 2010.

Robin is still based in Birmingham, which has proved to be an excellent city from which to build a national and international client roster. He speaks passable German, and is fluent in French.