A 61-year-old community radio presenter says he could face this winter on the streets. By the time Tristan Bolitho was 30, he was a radio programme director and owned a detached three bedroom house in Bristol but now he can barely afford to rent a room.
Tristan B, as he’s known to listeners, presents a regular lunchtime show on BCfm and came third place in the UK community radio awards for the entertainment show of the year. While friends and family have told him to give up the voluntary role, his passion for radio and the lack of paid opportunities available in the industry for ‘veteran’ presenters like himself has kept him in the role.
“For me it’s been such a positive thing for my mental health, there’s been times where I’ve felt I had nothing – no money, no future and it can put you on such a downward spiral. But community radio gives me that incentive to get up in the morning, to prepare for the show and then I get a natural high from presenting, by the time I walk out of the studio at 2pm I’m buzzing,” explained Tristan who does the odd bit of paid DJing work alongside his voluntary role but said he is currently not earning enough to cover his rent.
When Tristan moved to Bristol from Cornwall in 1985, the city was full of opportunities. He started out as a resident DJ at the former Broadmead shop Concept Man and Chelsea Girl and soon after becoming a Bristol nightclub DJ, he worked with the BBC for four years. He then spent 12 years at Galaxy Radio where he ended up as their Programme Director.
But after becoming a single dad he quit his job at Galaxy and left Bristol for several years to focus on raising his daughter. When he returned to Bristol in 2012, there were few paid opportunities in radio. “Before, radio was full of lots of characters and local presenters, now it’s so formatted and strict, the presenters are often not based in the local area,” he said.
In 2023 workers across BBC local radio stations went on strike over cuts. Bristol presenters who had worked in local radio for decades ended up leaving as changes were implemented that cut local shows from the programming schedule.
“With the demise of local radio across the UK, there are few opportunities for new young presenters to learn their trade and on the other end of the scale there are lesser opportunities for veterans like me who would still love to present but there are very few places we can go. That’s why I’ve got so much love for community radio because it gives young people the opportunity to learn their trade and old timers like me a place to graze,” added Tristan who began presenting his regular show from his bedroom studio in Whitchurch over the lockdown and has never looked back.
He now has until December 31 to find somewhere else to live and is hoping that something will come available soon. He currently does not have enough money to cover a deposit but said that he is trying his best to remain positive and is prepared to move out of Bristol to avoid potentially being out on the streets.