Leona Graham
Encyclopedia
Leona Graham is a British radio broadcaster and voiceover artist. She is currently a presenter of Absolute Radio (formerly Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...

), a position she has held since 2000. She can also be heard on the digital stations Absolute 80s and Absolute Classic Rock.

In addition Leona Graham has recorded voiceovers for numerous national and local TV and radio stations and commercials.

Leona Graham was a judge at the Sony Radio Academy Awards
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...

 2011.

Education

Leona Graham was educated at Berkhamsted School for Girls in Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted
-Climate:Berkhamsted experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Castle:...

. She then studied at the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...

 from 1989 to 1993 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama. She is also a qualified school teacher.

Early career

She began her career in broadcasting at W963 University Radio Warwick (now Radio Warwick
Radio Warwick
Radio Warwick or RaW is the student radio station at the University of Warwick and winner of the 2000 and 2003 BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Association Best Station awards....

) where she presented the "Thursday Night Rock Show" and a nightly magazine style news programme called "Weekday Warwick".

Before joining Virgin Radio in 2000 Leona Graham worked for a number of radio stations, at first for low pay and during the night.
From To Station/Employer Slot/Function
01/1995 06/1995 Choice 102.2 Presenter 2-6am
08/1995 08/1996 Power FM Breakfast Show co-host
Presenter of Early Breakfast 5-6am
08/1996 03/1998 96.4 The Eagle Presenter 2-6pm weekdays
03/1998 11/1999 Surf 107.2 Breakfast Show DJ
11/1999 03/2000 Core DAB Radio Presenter weekdays 2-7pm

Virgin Radio

Leona Graham joined Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...

 as a presenter in April 2000. During her time with Virgin Radio she presented a variety of shows: Virgin Radio UK Album Charts, Virgin Radio Party, Teenage Kicks, 80′s Anthems, Smells like the 90′s, The Classic Rock Show, The Late Show, Virgin Love and Weekend Breakfast.

She was the second presenter heard on Virgin's digital station Virgin Classic Rock at its launch in 2003.

Absolute Radio

Leona stayed after Virgin Radio was re-branded as "Absolute Radio". She can be heard on Saturdays from 6.30 to 10.00pm with her "Absolute Classic Rock Party" and on Sundays from 12.00 to 5.00pm. She is also the swing-presenter and steps in regularly for other presenters.

She is also a presenter on Absolute Radio's digital stations Absolute Classic Rock (weekdays from 10.00am to 1.00pm; Sunday from 9.00am to 12.00pm) and Absolute 80s (weekdays from 1.00pm to 4.00pm; Saturday from 1pm to 6pm).

Interviews

At Absolute Radio Leona Graham has interviewed rock star Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...

, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

 lead singer Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson is an English singer and lyricist who has been the lead singer for the rock band AC/DC since 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 along with the other members of the band....

 and vocalist of Free
Free (band)
Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums; lead guitarist Paul Kossoff died from a...

, Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...

 and Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

 Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...

.

Voiceovers

Leona has been the voice for BBC Radio One, BBC 5 LIVE, 95.8 Capital FM, The BOX, E4, Virgin Radio and Absolute Radio. She also contributes regularly for BBC1, ITV1 and SKY1 and narrates programmes for Channel 4. She is also known for her voice in movie trailers on Virgin Media TV.

More recently she started working with Orion Media to produce trailers for its stations BRMB, Mercia and Wyvern FM and is one of the voices of Canadian radio station 102.3 Now Radio in Edmonton.

Awards

In 2010 Absolute Radio received a Bronze Sony Radio Academy Award in the category Best Station Imaging for its imaging package in which Leona Graham was one of the major contributors as Absolute Radio's station voice.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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