Graham Dene at home in North London

Everyone seems to work from home these days.  Soon, no-one will recall running for the 7.30 bus clutching a sandwich box as we all used to.

It was always the plan for Boom to operate remotely from our homes, but that approach would simply not have been possible even about five years ago. Radio stations used to need expensive studios packed with equipment soldered to transmitters and aerials by very long wires.  Now, thanks to the internet and advances in broadcast technology, we can be anywhere.

Each Boom presenter has their own broadcast kit installed in their homes. In the early days, the task was far from easy, given we were in the depths of the Covid outbreak.

For Graham Dene, it's all plugged in to the office of his London home, lovingly lined with his huge record collection; for Rod Whiting, it's housed in his lovely new summer house in Lincolnshire, now equipped at last to cope with changing temperatures.

It's certainly not far to walk to work - and that's one of the real attractions of  Boom and how we've managed to bring together such an amazing range of broadcasters. We're all loving being back on the radio without having to drive in endless traffic - and it's a chance to renew lifelong friendships.

David Hamilton at home in Sussex

The kit is simple - just a normal PC or laptop, but connected to a pair of headphones and a top quality microphone. The acoustics of the room are important too if we are to avoid sounding like we are broadcasting from a church hall - so the location is usually a comfy corner rather than a hall with a high ceiling.

Then, things becomes really clever and we draw on the latest technology. To present our programmes, we each log on to a special broadcasting system. That links each of us up to the huge 'record' library that we've assembled digitally. Many of us have contributed suggestions and some tracks are even converted from vinyl to digital, so we can include real treasures.

Our 'Doctor Music' Paul Robey in Nottingham works with the presenters to co-ordinate all the music we play to make sure every programme sounds just right for you with the ebb and flow of genres and eras - and ensuring that one presenter does not play the same songs as the next!

We work together carefully on timing too to make sure that records can be played in full - and that each hour ends neatly when the news starts - beamed to us by satellite.

David Lloyd at home in Nottingham, Duncan Leven in Glasgow and Derek Webster in Hebden Bridge also play a key role in ensuring that all the bits fit together - from the jingles to the programme trailers and features. The diligent Phil Atkins arranges all the ads within the shows - in line with the client's instructions and budget - making sure that we always keep to the low limits of advertising we promise - much less than other stations.

Each presenter can also see your emails and messages from the website too, which we always love to see.

David Lloyd at home in Nottingham

The programmes are then sent via the internet to Surrey from where they are sent to the company which beams Boom - and many other radio stations - on its network of DAB transmitters from huge aerials on hilltops around the UK. Those signals reach about 83% of the population.

Our programmes are also sent to our online provider which distributes the station to your own broadband supplier and then on to your home so you can listen via Alexa or on your phone or tablet. Because this is a more localised approach, you may hear local commercials if you listen online. You can hear us online anywhere across the UK if you are connected to the internet.

We hope you agree it works brilliantly. Although there are challenges now and again - often outside our control - it's probably no more than traditional radio stations. Rest assured, night or day, if anything goes awry, we are scurrying around and our Quentin Howard gets a call. He set things up originally so can spot the issue pretty quickly!

Judi Spiers at home in Devon

The beauty of this approach is that we are where you are. At home. We speak into the microphone in our home - and we picture you sitting in yours. 

It gets no more complicated than that. No producers telling us what to do during the songs. No bosses peering through the glass.

Just you and us. Isn't that just the very best radio?

We love what we do - and as Judi Spiers said on her show recently, we all love listening to each other too.

Thank you for backing Boom.

Paul Robey at home in Nottingham