The Bored Housewife Radio Show

The Bored Housewife Breakfast Show is a radio show broadcast Wednesday mornings from 7am-9am on Auckland radio station Fleet FM. Hosted by journalist Benjii Jackson, the show regularly features bands and musicians coming into the studio as part of the "Bored Housewife Sessions", a nod to one of Jackson's influences, the late John Peel.

Features in the past have included "That's New!", "It Came From The UK" and "Battle Formation", which sees two bands battle for an area of land with the winner decided through listener interactivity (text messaging, e-mailing). However, "Battle Formation" is loosely themed around geographical locations; one episode of the show saw Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh battle for the use of Lou Barlow. The show also pays homage to a character known as "Alex Manford", spawning such uses of the term as "The Alex Manford Track of the Week" and "Alex Manford Approved", which defines something the hosts of the show believe is of utmost quality.

More recently, NZPWI contributor Troy Rawhiti-Forbes has joined up with Jackson on a Friday afternoon, subsequently renaming the show "The Afternoon Show", however the format of the show has not significantly altered. The breakfast show, however, is viewed as the more "serious" of the two, despite keeping the "Bored Housewife" monicker.

There is a heavy emphasis as of late on newer music, however, with the radio show having helped to an extent New Zealand artists like The Tarantinos, The Randoms, Calamity Jam, Battle Circus and Sora Shima amongst others. The show has also introduced an array of international artists to New Zealand listeners, including Colon Open-Bracket, Cajun Dance Party, Los Campesinos, Skindred and We Need Leads.

During his March 5th 2008 show, Jackson announced that he was stepping down as presenter of the Friday afternoon show due to work obligations. Troy Rawhiti-Forbes looks most likely to transition from co-host to full time presenter from April 2008.

The radio show finished broadcasting on Fleet FM on June 2008 due to "exhaustion".

Who is Alex Manford?

The question of who Alex Manford is was raised weeks prior to the first Bored Housewife Radio Show live event on June 7 2007, when "The Alex Manford Benefit Show" was held at the Schooner Tavern in Auckland. Many a story has been woven by bands and presenters who appear on Fleet FM, however Jackson officially stated who Alex Manford was in a blog posting in mid-June 2007.

Alex Manford, contrary to belief, isn't dead. He is working for 'the man', but he isn't inept to the whole indie scene. Truth be told, Alex Manford was someone who helped shape both the Bored Housewife name by inventing it and allowing me to use it, and also my taste in diverse indie music. I've a lot of love and time for the guy, and it's a shame he's all the way over in the UK. He was also partly responsible for getting our old producer and myself into a lot of trouble with Siren FM, a student radio station. But meh... what's a few naughty words post watershed?

The usage of Alex Manford has become an integral part of the identity of the radio show and events associated with it; in 2007 the name was used in conjunction with a live event at the now defunct Schooner Tavern and in 2008 another live event will adorn the Alex Manford name, with the MySpace page regarding the concert already containing his likeness.

See also

* The Magic Cauldron
* Fleet FM

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/boredhousewiferadio The Bored Housewife Radio Show] at MySpace
* [http://boredhousewiferadio.wordpress.com "Things To Blog In Auckland When You're Bored"] - Benjii Jackson's official blog