Blog entries

It's time to pedestrianise Exeter High Street !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:59:22 +0100

With my Exeter FM radio hat on, I was given the honour of officially starting the 2011 Santa Run on Sunday morning. What a fantastic event ! Not only did it raise lots of money for a great local charity, Dream-A-Way, but the surreal sight of 350 adults and children heading off down the High Street in Santa outfits will stay with me for a very long time.

Great credit to Pete Ferlie from Ironbridge Runner for masterminding this event. There were red suits and white beards wondering aroundRead More...

On yer bike Tyler !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:07:40 +0100

Like a lot of people I normally get the urge to lose weight and get a little bit fitter in early January. The festive excesses culminating in a New Year resolution to live a healthier lifestyle which, in my case, lasts just a few days...a couple of weeks at most.

This year my guilt trip has started a little earlier and it’s all the fault of social media. Perhaps I should give that up instead in 2012!
For those of you that aren’t devotees of sites like Facebook, TwitterRead More...

The magic of Exeter's Christmas light switch on....

Mark Tyler — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:17:34 +0100

It so nearly didn’t happen, but the day has finally arrived. I don’t mind admitting that I really look forward to the switch on of the Exeter Christmas lights every year. I must be a kid at heart, because the magic of the festive season begins to wash over me as the city centre is illuminated.
Of course this year it looked for a long time as if the High Street would be a festive free zone. When a vote for a city centre Business Improvement District (BID) went the wrong way (iRead More...

Teen awards demonstrate strength of Exeter state schools...

Mark Tyler — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:48:30 +0100

It was a real honour for me to host the Express and Echo ‘Teen Team’ awards at the Thistle Hotel earlier this week. As you'll see from the special pull-out in this week's edition of the paper, the event celebrated success in our local schools. It was fantastic to see at first hand what many of our youngsters are achieving, despite a perception that budget pressures these days are compromising standards. This is clearly not true. There were winners from both the private and state sRead More...

Time Capsule Nostalgia !

Mark Tyler — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:57:55 +0100

Anyone who remembers the golden era of Blue Peter will understand why i’ve had a memorable, if slightly surreal, week. I grew up hanging on the every word of John Noakes, Peter Purves and Valerie Singleton, so if you’re of similar ‘middle age’ to me you’ll realise what a momentous occasion the burying of a time capsule in the programme’s garden was. There have been a couple over the years I believe, but the one i remember most was in 1971 when I was 8 yearsRead More...

National Adoption Week

Mark Tyler — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:33:12 +0100

It was great to catch up with Exeter celebrity chef Michael Caines last week. He was celebrating the Royal Clarence Hotel being named in the Michelin guide for an incredible 100th successive year.

After interviewing him for Exeter FM radio, we started talking about a subject very close to our hearts. We are both adopted and represent the Devon based Families for Children charity which does fantastic work in placing youngsters locally with loving parents.
This year alone, nine childRead More...

What next for nightclubs on Exeter quay?

Mark Tyler — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:15:20 +0100

Someone asked me the other day about which part of Exeter I love most. Not an easy question to answer because there are so many great areas of the City, some on the tourist routes, and some, lesser known, hidden gems.
After a bit of thought I opted for the Quay because I’ve enjoyed so many fantastic times down there.
My first memories of it come from 40 years ago when, as an 8 year old, I joined a crocodile of children from Central junior school (now St. Leonards) to go and watch the OnRead More...

Don't judge Exeter City solely on league position !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:17:35 +0100

I admit I was among the 4,000 who left St. James Park on Saturday afternoon mightily disappointed. I’d just witnessed Exeter City’s 4-0 defeat by Huddersfield which left them rooted to the foot of league one.

I’ve been watching City since the 1970’s ...the days of goalscoring heroes like Fred Binney, Alan Beer and Tony Kellow. Since then there’ve been plenty of lows, and those occasional highs which make following a lower division team seem worthwhile.Read More...

PCSO's - A return to traditional policing !

Mark Tyler — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:23:33 +0100

There was swift response to my article last week about dog mess disrupting youth football at the King George 5th playing fields. Quite a few people have made contact to say they agree that the problem in some areas of the city is getting out of hand.

In addition to writing about it in the Express and Echo, I also broadcast an interview on Exeter FM radio. It was gratifying to get a phone call immediately from Sarah Giles, the Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) who covers the Read More...

Some dog owners put our children's health at serious risk ! Do they care?

Mark Tyler — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:53:33 +0100

I’ve scrapped was I was going to write about this week. My original article will have to wait another 7 days, because I’m more angry than i’ve been for a very long time.

The reason is simple.
The unbelievable selfishness of some local dog owners who let their pets run free in local playing fields and don’t pick up the mess they leave behind.
This is not an ‘anti pet’ rant. We have a dog ourselves, and there are many many owners who diligently caRead More...

Rest of Exeter City Centre needs Princesshay shine !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:53:42 +0100

As one of the new owners of Exeter FM radio, perhaps it’s only right and proper that i’m constantly thinking about music, particularly some of those great tunes from what i consider to be ‘my era’, the late 70’s and early 80’s !

I promise you that i won’t be mentioning my favourites in this column every time, but following my reference to the ‘Jam’ last week, another classic from 30 years ago came crashing into my head a couple of daRead More...

The true value of sporting legacy !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:57:14 +0100

So a press release arrived in the Exeter FM office this week. The headline went something along the lines of “£17 million comes into the region thanks to three major events”. They were the Tour of Britain Cycling, The Americas Cup and Agatha Christie week. Apparently the pro cycling stage between Exeter and Exmouth...via Dartmoor...accounted for £5 million of that according to Devon County Council. Now forgive me if i’m being extremely thick, but how on earRead More...

That's entertainment...but not if you live in Exeter !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:54:40 +0100

Anyone who knows me will tell you i’m a massive fan of the ‘The Jam’. One of their biggest hits was ‘That’s Entertainment’.... but if Paul Weller and the boys were still going strong you could pretty much guarantee that they’d never be entertaining anyone in Exeter.

The best we could hope for would be Plymouth, or Bournemouth, or even Bristol !

Our city seems to have fallen off the map when it comes to attracting the top singers and bRead More...

Traditionalists...please give the new weekly Echo a chance !

Mark Tyler — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:52:29 +0100

I’ve never considered myself to be much of a traditionalist. I’ll admit I like singing along with ‘Abide with Me’ on cup final day and I’ll give the Queen a watch at xmas, but when it comes to most other things I’m definitely in the ‘progress is a good thing’ brigade.

A few years ago I even advocated Exeter City leaving St. James Park to ground share with the Chiefs !

I suppose being in the media you have to get used to change. Read More...

FORCE Cancer Support Centre, Exeter - Film by SAV Media's Trina Lake

Mark Tyler — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:22:50 +0100

Keeping Stanno's legacy in the spotlight

Mark Tyler — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:50:25 +0100

Today is hugely significant for British sport – it’s now just one year until the start of the London Olympics. The countdown to the greatest show on earth moves up a gear as we prepare to welcome the world to come and play in our back yard.
But here in Exeter, we’ll be marking a one-year milestone of a more poignant nature in just a couple of weeks.

On August 10 2010 Adam Stansfield died fRead More...

SAV Media's Mark Tyler and Paul Nero - New owners of Exeter FM Radio

Mark Tyler — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:46:09 +0100

(SAV Media's Mark Tyler with Exeter FM Presenters Chris Dinnis and Nino Firetto)

Exeter 107.3 FM is now in local hands after a takeover of the city’s radio station in a move that has the backing of the former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Ben Bradshaw MP. Broadcasters Mark Tyler and Paul Nero, who work together at SAV Media, have gained control of the station, which has studios at Marsh BartoRead More...

Royal Artist Darren Baker visits Torquay

Mark Tyler — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:01:14 +0100

New School Project

Administrator — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

SAV Media's Demelza off to help deprived children in Bulgaria

Mark Tyler — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 17:37:09 +0100

SAV Media’s, Demelza Sampson, is hoping to help improve the lives of some of the most deprived children in Europe when she heads out to an orphanage in Bulgaria this Friday.
Demelza, who works as Client Liaison Manager for SAV Media in Exeter, ITV’s Emmerdale and runs her own face painting business www.scrynaptic.weebly.com, is joining local charity The House of Rachel and staff and studeRead More...