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Radio lover The real Steve James By Carol Fok |
Courtesy of Steve James |
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Mr. Steve James was born in England and knew nothing about Hong Kong before he came here. “It was a complete unknown to me,” Steve said. He had finished high school by the time he left England, but he did not want to continue his schooling because he was not a “study” person. Therefore, he asked for his tutor’s advice before making a decision to leave Great Britain. “I thought she would say that I should stay (in England), and then I would not come here,” he continued. “However, she said I should try to gain more experience on my field of interest.” Steve was always interested in drama and stage management, and this was the only subject in which he did well in school. His tutor told him that if he stayed in England, there was little chance of getting a good job and that many people were unemployed. She advised him to grasp the opportunity. Steve was promised a job in a studio in Hong Kong by his father, who was a player in a band. Based on the tutor’s advice, Steve decided to take the job, and the whole family moved to Hong Kong. Steve said he always has loved record players. He would spend a long time in front of the record player when he was a child. “My parents did not need to worry about my whereabouts. I was always with the record player,” he said. Little did he know how important this machine would be in later life. He worked in a studio and in a company that made music for hotels. After that, he was invited to be a disc jockey for Good Earth Disco in the Sheraton Hotel. This was the first time he had to talk in front of the public. “I was very nervous and spent lots of time in the toilet,” said Steve, laughing. “I only talked when being pushed very much.” Although Steve thought it was a scary experience, he continued to work there. Gradually, he found a way to overcome the problem. That was music. He would put his fingers on the control panel and when he talked he would lower the volume a bit. He said he felt more comfortable this way. As time went by, he built up his confidence. |
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Challenges came all the time. After working at Rick’s Cafe for a few years, the cafe sponsored a radio programme and they wanted Steve to be the DJ. He was nervous there, too, but the programme was recorded, and this made him feel easier. Then Commercial Radio, where the recorded programme was broadcast, invited Steve to do part-time work live. “That was really scary. For the recorded programme, I could do it over again if I made mistakes. There is nothing I can do in a live programme,” said Steve. |
Chloe Chan Steve says he was scared to be a DJ. |
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Still, he accepted the invitation. Steve joined the Metro Broadcast a few years after it was established. He remembered when the broadcasting company first started, he and his colleagues were interested in it. “We looked for the mistakes they made,” Steve said with a smile. “Apart from that, we noticed that the sound was very clean and clear with FM broadcasting. And the company has all kinds of music.” FM Select later offered Steve a job as a production officer. He accepted it because that was what he wanted to do. He thought this might an opportunity to move into operations. He likes being a DJ, but he prefers operations. Apart from that, money is also one of the considerations. Like many expatriates, Steve is always encouraged to learn Cantonese. However, he never attended a class. “I am not drawn to learn the language. I know enough to communicate with taxi drivers or cashiers,” he said. “I joke with the language most of the time.” He recalled that once he had a $500 note, and he asked some people in the office to change it into smaller notes in Cantonese but they did not understand what he said. After trying a few times, they understood it and laughed loudly. Steve felt embarrassed and tried to think what was wrong. This sort of experience keeps him away from the language. Like others, he is afraid of making mistakes. Therefore, he does not try to learn it. Besides, he said it is very important whether the person is interested in it. In his radio programme with Harry Wong, they always make jokes and sometimes Steve says a few Chinese words. From his point of view, the only point in speaking Cantonese for Westerners is just to get by. In most of the programmes on FM Select, Cantonese is used more often than English now. Steve thought it was reasonable because most of the audience are Chinese. He does not worry about Jouh Good Morning San. They get comments saying that they have quite a unique programme. They are doing something that no one does. Steve said that they will keep the successful elements of the show and keep their current style regardless of changes in the surroundings. Steve is now enjoying his job and he is quite satisfied with it. He is not interested in climbing the ladder. He thinks that if he is promoted to a higher level, more responsibilities would make him enjoy his job less. He does not want to reach that stage. Steve will probably stay in this field for a long time — and continue to be a humorous Westerner. |
December 1997
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