Student radio demos face live judges who can buzz them out or hit the golden buzzer in a minute.
The episode is a podcast from the Student Radio Conference 2018, focusing on Demo Factor, a competition where students submit one-minute radio demos to be judged live. It takes place at the University of East Anglia with the Student Radio Association and Livewire. Judges include Chris North, Paul Sylvester, Jocelyn Stainer, Aled Hayden-Jones, Pandora, and secret judge Jordan North. The format allows judges to buzz out demos or hit a golden buzzer for standout performances. Early demos feature Kerry Coshan from Fly FM debating scone etiquette and playing music, earning a golden buzzer from Aled. Stephen Small from Smoke Radio wins over Jocelyn Stainer with a demo involving a Google search to find a location 1,000 miles away in Sweden. Kaylee Golding also receives a golden buzzer from Paul Sylvester for her energetic hosting and bizarre questions. At halftime, judges like Ben Burrell discuss the competition's seriousness and talent scouting, noting no winner has been decided yet. Harry Benjamin from Livewire presents a chart show demo that impresses Chris North. The final demo from Jake Peach of CSRFM involves a humorous story about mint shower gel, but Tom Hinkley from Shock Radio wins with a demo analyzing Maroon 5 lyrics and sharing personal anecdotes. Paul Sylvester concludes by praising the top five demos and the overall high standard. The episode is supported by Abrupt Audio for podcasting assistance.
