Colin Lamont

Colin Lamont is a media consultant, actor, writer, broadcaster, academic, educationist and polymath. He has had a highly successful media career spanning over thirty years to date.

He is also known as the man behind the on-air persona of radio host Scottie McClue.

Career

Lamont was educated at Greenock Academy The University of Glasgow, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and Jordanhill College of Education, where he trained as a secondary school teacher.

He started his career working as a trainee manager for the Clydesdale Bank before joining Scottish Opera in 1980 working in a number of roles including Touring Manager, Marketing Officer and Director of Education Programmes.^[1] In 1981 He became Assistant General Manager at Pitlochry Festival Theatre.^[1]

In 1984 he became a continuity announcer and newscaster for Grampian Television (1984–85),^[2] before moving to Scottish Television (1985–88) and Border Television (1985 - 1989)^[3]

In September 1989 he set up the radio station CentreSound 96.7 in Stirling (Now Central 103.1 FM) as its founding managing director ^[4] In 1992 Colin Lamont moved to Red Rose Gold in Preston,^[5] to become a senior producer and presenter for the station creating the on-air persona Scottie McClue who became a controversial but highly popular figure, attracting substantial listening audiences and subsequently presenting on a variety of UK stations across Scotland (including Scot FM and Q96, The North East of England, The North West of England, Yorkshire and The Midlands including national station Talk Radio UK in London and in syndication throughout the UK over the next twenty years.

In August 2008, he became a shareholder of the Scottish independent local radio station L107 saving it from imminent closure as the former owner was on the brink of returning the licence to OFCOM. The manager was former Q96 manager Alan Shields.^[6] Lamont invested more than £62,000 of his own money into the business and ran L107's programming broadcasting on the station mid-mornings 10.00-12.00 under his Scottie McClue persona.

Even with Lamont's substantial investment the station experienced management and stewardship issues and Lamont left the station accusing Shields of failing to contribute his share of funding. The station closed shortly afterwards.

In recent years Lamont has taught and lectured widely in communications, performance, acting, media and theatre, presenting his 'Scottie McClue Hogmanay Bash' at New Year on local radio stations. He also appeared on national radio during the Scottish independence referendum and is often sought out as a commentator and contributor for important public events. He has become a pioneer for PAR (Public Access Radio) broadcasting Worldwide on the internet and for The Commonwealth.

References