STEVIE MERIKE

Stevie Merrick with Alan West (in foreground)

 Stevie Merike was born Michael John Willis, in Lewisham, South London, on 23rd October 1945. He joined the RAF at the age of 15 and spent six years travelling the world. He got his first taste of radio, presenting shows on a local closed-circuit station at the RAF college in Hereford. After six years he left the service and became a club DJ working in south coast holiday resorts. Like many disc-jockeys he has also made records but, unlike most of them, he has actually had a hit, albeit a minor one. Under the name “Tony Merrick” he reached number 49 in the charts for one week on June 2, 1966 with a version of The Rolling Stones' Lady Jane. 
He joined Radio Scotland in July 1967 but the Marine Offences Act closed the station down the following month. In August 1967 he joined Radio Caroline South came next where he presented the popular 3-6 pm show, staying with the station until it closed in 1968. In 1970 he joined Radio One, presenting "Pop Workshop" & "Radio One Club", and also deputised for Tony Blackburn on the Breakfast Show for two months. He returned to sea as Programme Director with Radio Northsea International when the station relaunched in February 1971. By the summer of 1971,  both he and Alan West wanted to spend less time on the Mebo II. Both requested that they be allowed to pre-record their programmes in R.N.I.’s Bussum studios. The request was turned down and both men were sacked in late July. 

In September 1971 he joined Radio Sussex as Senior Producer, followed by spells at LBC in London (1973-74), Piccadilly Radio in Manchester (1974-75) & Pennine Radio in Bradford (1975-77).

In 1976 Stevie was the presenter of Pop Quest, a quiz series for Yorkshire Television. 

Spells at Radio Forth, Radio Victory, Radio Trent, BBC Radio Leeds & GEM-Am followed, before between 1988 & 1990 he ran production & media courses at South College, Notts & then moved to Leicester supervising radio training unit media courses.

He quit the UK to work in Australia for one year. 

After a period away from broadcasting, running a web-site design company called "announce", Steve has recently returned to the air. He can now be heard presenting the Sunday morning Breakfast show on Saga 106.6 in the East Midlands. His personal "biog" on that stations, quotes:

  • Has a great interest in news and current affairs. Actually he’s a news junkie.
  • During the week is a lecturer at New College Nottingham teaching media and multimedia.
  • Lived in the East Midlands since 1977 in various locations but now considers Loughborough as his ‘home town’.
  • Loves include travelling, amateur radio, a good curry, and warm weather.
  • Favourite song: Pretty Ballerina by Left Bank
  • Favourite film: The American President with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening.
  • Favourite hobby: Flying
  • Thing he’d most like to learn: How to use the Sky channel changer!