Sheila Porrit has been manager of London’s first easy listening station, Melody FM, since its inception, but she has never employed a woman as a music presenter. Lorna Clarke holds a powerful position as a hirer and firer at Kiss FM, yet still male DJs outnumber the women by more than ten to one.Clarke admits that Kiss has a rather blokey image, but is indignant at the suggestion that she is not doing enough to encourage women on to the station. “You can’t go steaming in to bring the numbers of female DJs up whatever the cost,” she protests “It’s important to make a policy realistic. Changing people’s minds is a slow process.”For some the process is just too slow. Recently Sarah HB decided to take the situation into her own hands by holding a DJ-ing competition for women on her late-night show on Kiss, the reward being a chance to DJ on the show. “It’s absolute rubbish [to say] that women won’t submit demos,” she protests.”I’ve received loads of demo tapes from women, and the quality is brilliant. But I’ve never heard anyone else publicly encourage women to get involved as DJs on air.” She sees this as an essential part of the process of change “Every station should do it.

It’s really the only way to bring in new talent.” The Women’s Radio Group hopes to help turn the tide. This is a networking organisation encouraging women into areas of radio where they are under-represented. It recently ran a course in music presentation, which focused on developing confidence and technical skills. For Julie Hill, who runs the group, gaining technical ability is vital for women who are seriously considering a career as a DJ. “Women create obstacles for themselves by lacking technical know-how,” she points out. “To present music you must know how to drive a radio desk, and a kind of mystique still prevails that this is a man’s domain.”Hill also acts as programme consultant for Viva! FM, Britain’s first official station designed primarily for female listeners, which is due to begin broadcasting in July.

She is confident that Viva! and other new stations will provide many new role models for women who want to present music. She is resolutely upbeat: “There are new opportunities opening up. The time has come for women to stop moaning.”n The Women’s Radio Group: tel 0171-241 3729.. ON A GOOD night you might know everyone in this northern nightclub. Tonight, Big Al is in his favourite spot, just to the right of the edge of the top bar I got my Tag Heuer watch off him It cost £19. Of course it’s not real, but it looks the part in this dim light You can tell that it’s snide when you take it off It’s as light as a feather.