- By Carlos Norton, AUT Journalism Student
Driven by a deep love for music, a local radio host has dedicated the past 15 years to promoting Kiwi artists, witnessing “countless” success stories along the way.
Radio host Phil Taylor has been volunteering at the Howick-based radio station East FM since its establishment in 2008, using his platform to uplift and showcase other local musicians.
The She’ll be Right show has a weekly slot every Saturday from midday to 4pm.
Taylor takes pride in the community East FM has created for musicians and bands looking to share their work, saying: “We’re all volunteers here, everybody brings different contributions to the table”.
With 35 years’ of experience in media, Taylor has covered Kiwi music and bands in both print journalism and radio, always aware of music’s benefits.
“Music is important to the health of one’s soul – playing or listening to it, or experiencing it being played live,” he says.
Services like Bandcamp and Soundcloud have meant that it’s a lot easier for artists to distribute music independently, however, musicians can still struggle to find a strong audience.
With a career stretching across various forms of media, as well as performing as a musician himself, Taylor has a deep passion for sharing Kiwi artists’ work.
He says: “It’s important – being a musician too and playing in bands, I know what it’s like trying to get public exposure.
“It’s still very hard for New Zealand musicians to get their recordings played on New Zealand commercial radio.”
The She’ll be Right show has covered countless local artists from around east Auckland.
However Taylor has also interviewed people from wider New Zealand who want to share their music.
He’s one of many volunteers at East FM. For him, payment is knowing he’s sharing local music with the wider community.
“This is what I do, this is my contribution to the New Zealand music industry,” he says.
“The New Zealand music community is very supportive, people are always there to help you out.”
The station live-streams on iHeartRadio and broadcasts on 88.1FM within Howick and 107.1 FM in the surrounding area.
If you’re in Howick, you’ll often catch their live broadcasts right by the Howick War Memorial Hall, also known as the Howick Information Centre, bringing the heart of the community to the soundwaves.
