James Stannage obit

Manchester Radio Legend James Stannage dies at 76

 

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Manchester Local radio legend James Stannage has died at the age of 76

Stannage was known as the host of a no nonsense late-night phone-in show in the mid-1970s and appeared on Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 into the 2000s.

He was famous for his abrasive style and had numerous run in with the authorities which would eventually lead to him leaving Key103 in 2005

In a statement his son Darren said:

It is with great sadness that today cancer took another victim. This time it was a partner, a dad, a grandad and a brother. Also someone who meant so much to so many people in Manchester as my Dad James Stannage has passed away. He died peacefully this morning at MRI after battling cancer for over a year. Listening to The Who, he was surrounded by people that loved him and died at 1152am. Such a remarkable time as that was the Radio Station that made him a legend in Manchester to so many people who grew up listening to him on Piccadilly and later on Key103. There will be so many stories and memories that people will have. I will miss him so much as I know so many people will and am very lucky to have been able to have called him my Dad. X

He presented The Late Night James Stannage Talk Show on Manchester's Key 103 until being dismissed in June 2005 after numerous warnings and a history of run-ins with regulator OFCOM. He went on to host an online radio show.

Charles James M. Stannage was born in Norton, County Durham, on 22 February 1950. He originally started out as an amateur actor and secondary school teacher.

Stannage first worked for Piccadilly Radio in the mid-1970s, presenting his own late-night phone-in show. Occasional guests on the show were Mike Harding and Jasper Carrott. He was renowned for his abrasive and aggressive style even then, so much so that the Bishop of Salford publicly condemned him as a bad influence.

After leaving Piccadilly Radio, he went on to work for other local radio stations such as TFM Radio during the 1980s before returning to Piccadilly 1152 in 1989. In the early days of his second stint at Piccadilly, his style was mellower than it had been before, but as time wore on became increasingly aggressive again and insulting comments to callers were stoked up as well.

His show was in the format of a phone-in where callers could discuss anything they wanted, from sport, religion, current affairs or politics. Stannage would often argue his case severely (which were usually anti-politics and anti-religion) if he disagreed with callers. Stannage was a well known fellow around Manchester as a result of his Key 103 talk show. In many surveys, Stannage came out as the number one Manchester DJ.

Stannage had a long-standing rivalry with Radio City talk show presenter, Pete Price. Infrequently, each would 'slag' the other off on their respective shows, and upon Stannage's sacking, Price posted on his forum a topic entitled "James Stannage Sacked"

On 24 November 2005, Emap Radio Group, owners of Key 103 received a fine of £125,000 (then a record for UK radio) after reading out comments and jokes submitted by a listener about the death of Ken Bigley (just two days after his death was confirmed) in October and November 2004.

Key 103 received several fines during Stannage's 20-year career on the station, formerly Piccadilly Radio. One outburst cost £15,000 and in 2001, Stannage came under fire for describing First World War soldiers as "thick and ignorant" and he was questioned by police in the same year over allegations that he made a racist remark on his show. In May 2004, he got into trouble because of his jokes in the aftermath of the death of Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay.

Following his dismissal, Stannage worked as a bar tender at the Ark Royal Pub on Tavistock Square in Harpurhey, North Manchester, before moving on to be one of the first presenters on the online radio station ManchesterRadioOnline.com.