Oneword radio: A novel approach to broadcasting

Few people have heard of Oneword radio. But it's just won a prestigious Sony award with a former male model as its top presenter

In these days when prestigious jobs in the media appear to be won by ambitious networkers who began working on their CVs in nursery school, Paul Blezard is a curious exception. With a PhD in geology and a career that embraces stints in stockbroking, rock stardom (in Bulgaria), modelling, chartering yachts, selling art and working in war-torn Rwanda for an independent United Nations procurement agency, he has made no obvious effort at clambering up the broadcasting ladder.

Yet he now hosts his own daily half-hour programme interviewing authors for Oneword radio, a digital radio station that can also be heard on the internet or on Sky digital. And last week, the Oneworld team was the surprise winner of a top Sony award at radio's annual prize ceremony in London.

Nearly two years ago when Oneword was getting going, Blezard had just spent three years writing a book and was looking for work. His friend, Ben Budsworth, the managing director of the station, decided to take a punt that the versatile jack-of-all-trades might be able to do radio. "Ben threw me into the lion's den," says Blezard.

They came up with the idea of a show dedicated to interviewing authors and called it Between the Lines. Blezard, 39, had never interviewed anyone before, but has now notched up more than 400 shows, which are broadcast largely unedited and with the inclusion of two extracts read by the author.

"It's the only half-hour daily author interview show in British broadcasting," he says. "It's amazing, given the tradition of literature we have in this country and the huge range of authors." Blezard also contributes to Oneworld's weekly chat show, Speakeasy.

Oneword has no officially audited figures so far, but it gets between 400,000 and 450,000 hits online every month for its mix of classical and contemporary drama, vintage American comedy and shows such as Paul Blezard's.

Even authors of the stature of JK Rowling have agreed to be interviewed by Blezard. "You have time to explore the ideas; you don't just get the bullet points," explains Blezard. Frederick Forsyth, Ian Rankin and James Herbert have also taken part.

Blezard's first interview was with Norman Mailer's wife, Norris Church Mailer, about her first novel, Windchill Summer. "I was so nervous and she was so gorgeous, all I did was flirt with her."

It is possible that men and women may be equally impressed by a bone structure still used to good effect in adverts for Paul Smith, work that supplements Blezard's radio income.

The ebullient presenter admits that only the comparatively low wages in radio, compared with television, are a blot on his generally jolly landscape. In dramatic Blezard fashion, money is a bit of an issue because he has to support his child by a former partner now living in Poland. However, as he points out: "I'm paid to do a job that, if I were a millionaire, I would happily pay to do."