Bill Sneazwell, Former Volunteer
The two programs I started with were a film music program and then Saturday Celebrity. The former had a bit of a rocky start as film music is not as popular as it is today, because it wasn’t considered classical.
I had a bit of training with a mentor and then the first night I was on by myself. I arrived early and Harry Douglas, who was on before me, said 'Put your finger on this button and don’t take it off'. Apparently, something had gone wrong with the equipment—it was pretty primitive in those days, this was in the mid-1980s. Anyway, in between tracks he told me if I took my finger off the button, we would be taken off air. At the end of his program, he said, ‘Well I’m off’ and I said 'What am I supposed to do?'. He said 'I don’t know but I’m going'. I had this elaborate program set up with classic film scores, but I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t cue anything because I had to keep my finger on this button. I rushed to the library to get a couple of long symphonies to play and then apologised to the listeners that the classic film scores would have to wait until next week.
The third program I did was called A Time to Remember. It featured music that I felt had vanished from the radio and it was certainly my most popular program.
My favourite program though was the classic film scores. Of course, the station didn’t have any film score music in its library, so I had to use my own collection. It became quite an expensive exercise as I developed quite a collection of music.
I got real joy out of sharing music—it helped me to enjoy the music more. Music is not like a chocolate bar which if I had to share with ten people, I would only have a tenth of the enjoyment. With music it goes in the exact opposite direction to share music with ten people is to enjoy it ten times more.
I always liked the Seekers, and I approached Judith Durham to come on my Saturday Celebrity program. She said I don’t think anyone knows who I am any more. I told her that wasn’t the case, and she agreed to come on. She came into the studio, and I said you’re not going to have any time to answer phones as they will run hot, and she said, ‘Bill you’re joking.’ Well, the phones did run hot, and she answered every phone call and then at one point she started crying her eyes out. I said Judith what’s wrong? She had been talking to this Seekers lover, and he said he was dying and wanted to hear this one track. We put it on, and it gave him a bit of a lift. That was a great experience for me.
People at 3MBS are all united by their love of music. If ever you needed evidence of the power of music, then 3MBS provides it.
[Bill Sneazwell was interviewed by Kiera Stevens]