Twenty years ago, a 21-year-old volunteer radio DJ at a London children’s hospital was asked by his dad what he wanted to do with his life. He said his ultimate dream was to set up a children’s radio station. On October 1 that dream will become reality as the 41-year-old Jeff Price and fellow Briton Nick Watson, 44, launch the first radio station exclusively for children in the Middle East – Pearl FM.
When he was in his 20s, Price was volunteering at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which treats children with rare diseases, as a way to give back to the hospital for saving his life when he was a child: when Price was 11, the doctors there treated him for a serious illness. It was then the only place in the United Kingdom providing a children’s radio service and working there had a profound effect on Price.
“People would ask me: ‘How do you deal with sick children? It must be really bad,’” says Price. “You have to experience it to understand how special and amazingly positive it is. It really changed my outlook. If we can bring a bit of that magic to Pearl FM, it’ll be fantastic.”
In 1997, Price moved to Dubai to launch the UAE’s first commercial radio station, Channel 4 FM. His radio career went from strength to strength – he also helped set up Dubai’s Virgin Radio – but Price never forgot his conversation with his father. “After the London riots [in 2011, when gangs of British teenagers went on the rampage], my dad asked me if I would revisit this plan to set up a children’s radio station. He really believed in it. We wanted children to retain their innocence, to shelter them from the negative aspects of society.”
Two years ago, Price mentioned his aspirations to Watson, a regular guest on one of his radio shows. Watson has spent the past 16 years setting up health clubs and personal trainers in Dubai, and also organises an annual Dubai event called Reaching You to raise awareness of children with special needs.
Watson had also experienced the joy of Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s radio, as his son Rio, 11, had been treated there for a rare genetic condition.
“Over the years I’ve always felt that my son has chosen my destiny. That’s why I feel I want to help kids,” says Watson.
Price adds: “Nick’s passionate about the health and fitness of children in this country. When we sat down to discuss our plans, we realised there was a real synergy between what he wanted to do in the community and my aspirations for this radio station.”
The pair received official backing for the English-language children’s radio station Pearl FM, which broadcasts on 102 FM, and an Arabic station, Lulu FM, which is due to launch at a later date. An ideal location was found for the stations – the newly built Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children in Jumeirah.
The station will target children ranging in age from toddlers to 12 years, and Price will present a show that will act as a support network for parents.
Price understands how demanding parenthood can be more than most – he brought up his 11-year-old daughter as a single parent from when she was 3. He was also a stay-at-home dad when his son was born, while also helping to set up the station. “Being a DJ, I’m used to multitasking – we press many buttons at the same time. I was literally juggling my son and the laptop, while on the phone to Nick. It was incredibly difficult, but we managed it.”
The duo are bringing on board some presenters without any radio experience. “But they all have an ability to connect with our audience in a very special way,” says Price.
“Pearl FM will be on air 24 hours a day, starting at 6am with an energetic ‘wake up and get ready for school’ programme. The 9am slot is chill-out time with nursery rhymes for toddlers and babies, then at 10am the support for parents kicks in with my talk show. In the afternoons there will be more music, with lots of children coming on air, too.”
“We’re launching a musical journey programme from 7pm, then we’ll continue throughout the night with chill-out music,” says Watson. “It’ll be nice at bedtime for kids to have our station on in the background.”
There are already online radio networks run by Disney and Nickelodeon. “But we’re more about providing children with a voice and supporting them,” says Price. “There are some artists we feel we shouldn’t give the airtime to, who get caught up in the wrong stuff. Parents these days are driving to school and having to plunge at the radio to switch channels because the song is inappropriate. On Pearl FM, children are safe – the music is selected especially for the youngsters.”
Watson and Price want the station to be their way of giving back to the Dubai community, in the same way, many years ago, that Price gave back to Great Ormond Street through his work as a DJ. And one place they hope to meet children on air will be Dubai’s Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, which is set to open next year.
“One of our first focuses will be to do live shows with kids in hospital,” says Watson. “Many people come to the UAE to make as much money as possible, then disappear. But we’re here to give back to the community. We’re fortunate to have the opportunity to do that.”
