Leona Graham
| Leona Graham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 18 January 1971 |
| Occupation | Radio Presenter |
| Known for | Absolute Classic Rock Party |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
Leona Graham (born 18 January 1971[1]) is a British radio broadcaster and voiceover artist.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] She is currently a presenter of Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio), a position she has held since 2000.[10] She can also be heard on the digital stations Absolute 80s and Absolute Classic Rock.[11][12]
In addition Leona Graham has recorded voiceovers for numerous national and local TV and radio stations and commercials.
Leona Graham was a judge at the Sony Radio Academy Awards 2011.[13]
Education
Leona Graham was educated at Berkhamsted School for Girls in Berkhamsted. She then studied at the University of Warwick from 1989 to 1993 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama. She is also a qualified school teacher.[12]
Radio broadcasting
Early career
She began her career in broadcasting at W963 University Radio Warwick (now Radio Warwick)[14] where she presented the "Thursday Night Rock Show" and a nightly magazine style news programme called "Weekday Warwick".
Before joining Virgin Radio in 2000 Leona Graham worked for a number of radio stations, at first for low pay and during the night.[12][15][16]
| From | To | Station/Employer | Slot/Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/1995 | 06/1995 | Choice 102.2 | Presenter 2-6am |
| 08/1995 | 08/1996 | Power FM | Breakfast Show co-host
Presenter of Early Breakfast 5-6am |
| 08/1996 | 03/1998 | 96.4 The Eagle | Presenter 2-6pm weekdays |
| 03/1998 | 11/1999 | Surf 107.2 | Breakfast Show DJ |
| 11/1999 | 03/2000 | Core DAB Radio | Presenter weekdays 2-7pm |
Virgin Radio
Leona Graham joined Virgin Radio as a presenter in April 2000.[10] During her time with Virgin Radio she presented a variety of shows: Virgin Radio UK Album Charts, Virgin Radio Party, Teenage Kicks, 80′s Anthems, Smells like the 90′s, The Classic Rock Show, The Late Show, Virgin Love and Weekend Breakfast.[17][18]
She was the second presenter heard on Virgin's digital station Virgin Classic Rock at its launch in 2003.[10]
Absolute Radio
Leona stayed after Virgin Radio was re-branded as "Absolute Radio". She can be heard on Saturdays from 6.30 to 10.00pm with her "Absolute Classic Rock Party" and on Sundays from 12.00 to 5.00pm. She is also the swing-presenter and steps in regularly for other presenters.[11][19]
She is also a presenter on Absolute Radio's digital stations Absolute Classic Rock (weekdays from 10.00am to 1.00pm; Sunday from 9.00am to 12.00pm) and Absolute 80s (weekdays from 1.00pm to 4.00pm; Saturday from 1pm to 6pm).[19]
On January 9, 2012, Leona took over the weekday 1.00pm-5.00pm slot for three months on Absolute Radio following the departure of Nick Jackson until Andy Bush arrived at the station.
Interviews
At Absolute Radio Leona Graham has interviewed rock star Alice Cooper,[20] AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson and vocalist of Free, Bad Company and Queen Paul Rodgers.[21]
Voiceovers
Leona has recently set up her own Voice over production Company called High Voltage Media.
Leona has been the voice for BBC Radio One, BBC 5 LIVE, 95.8 Capital FM, The BOX, E4, Virgin Radio and Absolute Radio. She also contributes regularly for BBC1, ITV1 and SKY1 and narrates programmes for Channel 4. She is also known for her voice in movie trailers on Virgin Media TV.[16][22][23]
More recently she started working with Orion Media to produce trailers for its stations BRMB, Mercia and Wyvern FM and is one of the voices of Canadian radio station 102.3 Now Radio in Edmonton.
Awards
In 2010 Absolute Radio received a Bronze Sony Radio Academy Award in the category Best Station Imaging for its imaging package in which Leona Graham was one of the major contributors as Absolute Radio's station voice.[24][25]
References
- ↑ Biography on debretts.com
- ↑ The Guardian of August 13th, 2004 about Leona Graham
- ↑ The Guardian of May 27th, 2008 (mentions Graham as a female presenter)
- ↑ The Guardian of 20 November 2007, mentions Leona Graham as a Virgin Radio DJ
- ↑ The Guardian of 9 May 2006 mentioning Leona Graham as a presenter
- ↑ cision.com, an industry news service, mentions Leona Graham as a broadcaster
- ↑ Broadcast Now, another industry source, mentions Leona Graham as a broadcaster
- ↑ Radio Today mentions Leona Graham as a broadcaster
- ↑ TV and radio production company mentioning Leona Graham as one of the narrators for "Passengers"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Blog entry "A Brief History of Virgin Radio by Adam Bowie" at One Golden Square
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Leona Graham's profile on Absolute Radio's website
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Leona Graham's biography on her official website
- ↑ judge profile for Leona Graham
- ↑ The Independent of 22 August 2005 regarding her involvement with Radio Warwick
- ↑ Trewin, Janet (2003). "Presenting on TV and radio: an insider's guide", Focal Press. ISBN 978-0-240-51906-7.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Leona Graham's professional profile and CV at Linkedin
- ↑ Radio career on Leona Graham's official website
- ↑ The Guardian, June 7th, 2004: "Music fades for Virgin DJs"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Schedule on LeonaGraham.org
- ↑ The Times Online of August 1st, 2008: People: Tony Blair, Gillian Anderson, Alice Cooper and Katie Price
- ↑ List of recent audio and video interviews
- ↑ Voiceovers section on her professional website
- ↑ rhubarb.co.uk artist page for Leona Graham
- ↑ 2010 Sony Radio Academy Awards, category "Best Station Imaging"
- ↑ Blog post regarding Absolute Radio's nominations at the 2010 Sony Radio Academy Awards
External links
- Leona Graham's commercial website
- Leona Graham's website
- Leona Graham's profile at Absoluteradio.co.uk
- Leona Graham's fan site
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