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We caught up with Call Kaye presenter Kaye Adams earlier today (31 March 2010) and asked her how she felt the programme was going.

I'm often asked... "How has the show changed over the years, Fred?" Well, apart from various name changes for the show, presentation styles (with/without co-hosts), production staff leaving, new production staff arriving, several Ö÷²¥´óÐã reviews of staffing numbers, a number of changes of office location at Queen Margaret Drive and at Pacific Quay, three different Heads of Radio Scotland, two different Controllers of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland, numerous starting time changes and an equal number of changes to show durations... really, nothing much has changed. I still consider myself to have the best job on radio.

One fairly substantial change happened a few years ago when it was decided that I didn't have to do a topical opening. I used to come in to the office early, read the papers for an hour or so and then knock out a topical opening. I have every one of them on file and randomly have selected this one from September 2nd 2005. It was the blog of its day, I suppose. (It's attached below). It was interesting to remember what was in the news at the time... I guess Mike (Lord) Watson was in court for his arson-about at Prestonfield Hotel... and Makosi was on back in the days when I used to watch it. I'll maybe go back a few years another time and pull something out and see what I made of the news that day. We used to refer to it as the Freddietorial... which of course was certainly not nicked from one of my predecessors, Eddie Mair's "Eddietorials"

These were never gags that I could use as stand-up, but a nice way to start the shows, with a gentle poke at the news... what would I have done this morning? Probably an eight minute rant about how should be given the Premier League title since we hammered the (as yet not, but likely to be soon) 2010 Champions, 4-1 last night.

4 goals past an Old Firm team... Smith will be gone by Friday!

Hope you all enjoy the show... and continue to do so for another thirteen years....Here's the Freddietorial:

Freddietorial: Friday 2 Sep 2005

Anagram of Mike Watson... To draw nil smoke!

....she stole the show at the and her image is everywhere even in as well as in the broadsheet . Albeit their photo is pretty tame compared to the tabloids who have a shot of her.....and it's all thighs! There's no getting away from it...it's all thighs! I'm surprised they haven't done it over a two page spread.

The police are getting tough on the looters in . It takes a special kind of mind to think...."NOW's the time to get myself a waterlogged laptop!"

Couple of pages devoted to hyping up Celebrity Shark Bait....presumably has convinced herself that getting the great whites to slam into a cage is good for the endangered species. If this series works, look forward to next spring's Celebrity Poking Wasp Nests. Starring Abi Titmuss. She'll poke anything.

91 percent of the public surveyed said that they'd happily see deported even though she might get assaulted when she got to . It was only 61 percent before the threat of violence.

Fred MacAulay is the presenter of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's weekly morning show MacAulay and Co.

The second series of Forgive and Forget with continues in the vein of series one; individuals who face life-changing and challenging situations. Series producer Phil Sime gives us an insight into the idea behind the programme.

Phil Sime - Programme Synopsis:

Forgive and Forget is a 4 part conversation series which is presented by . It will explore the reasons why some people can and others can't forgive and if indeed there is a fine line to what can or can't be forgiven.

Each contributor will consider how important forgiveness is to them and the person they may be forgiving, furthermore the impact on their relationships before and
after forgiveness, if indeed that was possible.

Can complete forgiveness ever actually be achieved or do we always harbour resentment of some form?

One thing I have learned in the making of this series is that as human beings, yes we have the capacity to be bad but more importantly we also have the capacity to be good and where there is good, there must be forgiveness but how many of us know the true meaning of Forgiveness?

Forgiveness is something that most of us take for granted but in actual fact, the power of forgiveness is huge. In the first programme of the new series, Lorraine Kelly talks to Fiona Willox who tragically lost her son Shaun at the age of 18 in a car accident but the car Shaun was travelling in was driven by his uncle who was later charged with death by dangerous driving through alcohol.

As a parent of 2 young children myself, I can't even begin to imagine how you start to rebuild your life never mind trying to find forgiveness but I wonder if it is easier to forgive a family member rather than a complete stranger.

Just by listening to Fiona's tragic story both myself and Lorraine realised that finding forgiveness for someone else can not only set them free but it can also be the first step to rebuilding your own life.

has been overcome with Who fever this morning as the new series was premiered at before an audience of invited schoolchildren.

I've just come off stage after hosting a Q&A with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, the new doctor and his companion. I can't tell you too much about the first episode (if I were you I would take the phone off the hook on Saturday night as you definetly won't want anyone interrupting) but I can tell you that Matt and Karen are a great combination and are going to be one of the coolest couples on TV. Despite the fact that Matt is sporting a tweed jacket and a bow tie he is without doubt a doctor for a new generation. Both Matt and Karen will be guests on tonight's Get It On and will tell us about their new roles. Karen also reveals how she got her start in acting right here in . They will also both be choosing songs for tonight's theme which is science fiction. Email getiton@bbc.co.uk with your suggestions.

Most of you already know, that as well as , the Tom Morton show also broadcasts from the Ö÷²¥´óÐã studio in .

Tom's very kindly passed us some photos to give you a wee snapshot of life in Shetland.

Tom tells us about his album of the week, below, but check out this week's Radio Scotland Playlist for other songs he could be playing.

Who could've guessed that planning an could be such hard work? On the Beechgrove Potting Shed we've decided that we don't just want to talk about gardening, we want to get involved as well, and what better way to do that than to build an allotment in the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland car park in !

Several meetings have been held and the team are all really keen. But like any gardener we've faced some hurdles - in particular where the allotment should be built.

In the Aberdeen car park we have a pretty area of grass, trees and flowers - the perfect place to add an allotment, if it weren't for the fact it's our fire meeting point and there are old tree roots which need to be protected.

But all was not lost - there's a little space at the edge of the car park garden which is lying bare (apart from some stones and glass) and we snapped it up. The hope is to build a raised bed and plant veg such as carrots, potatoes and lettuce. We've even discussed the idea of planting in old tyres.

The Beechgrove Potting Shed team, and our listeners, are lucky in that we have some of the best gardening brains in Scotland giving advice every week on the programme. So we took one of our experts - Carole Baxter - to the planned allotment site to get her verdict.

Carole thinks our site is far too shaded for good vegetable growth. She told us that vegetables like a sunny spot and the mature beech trees will cast a lot of shade when they put on their leaves.

However, Carole believes a lot of people will be in the same situation as us ie wanting to grow veg but with limited space. She suggested right in front of the Ö÷²¥´óÐã building. Carole feels it's the perfect site because it's south facing and the building will provide some shelter.

A new site in front of the building would obviously throw up a whole other set of problems, such as access etc. But we're a determined bunch and we'll make something work somewhere - we'll just have to get creative.

And, our allotment idea's already received some good feedback from listeners. One lady in Aberdeen has offered to help us out - she feels it could become a community effort.

So watch this space and we'll keep you posted on the trials and tribulations, but also the rewards, of allotment growing.

Denise Glass is the Producer of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's weekly gardening programme, the Beechgrove Potting Shed.

Some of you will remember that way back in January we launched our motivation season. Along with many of our listeners, some of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's presenters agreed to take on the challenge to do something new for the new year. Fred learned to Kayak, Shereen overcame her fear of moths, Gary got fit and I learned to...er...streetdance.

The problem was that while most of my fellow presenters finished their challenge by the end of January, I was still plugging away at it until last week. Right up until we filmed this 'finale' video I had real doubts about whether I'd ever master it.

As you'll see from the video, I am not a 'natural' when it comes to dancing. Unlike running, swimming or other kinds of fitness, i think you need to have some basic talent to begin with. I know that if I don't run very well that if I keep training then eventually I'll run faster. Dance doesn't work like that.

Streetdance is a particular challenge. According to this week's , is "classic funk (popping and locking) and b-boy styles (breakdancing and hip-hop), club and house dance, MTV-style formation, vogueing and the explosive energy of krump. The result is a potent mix, and rhythm is its lifeblood." Wow - and here's me thinking it was just striding about looking mean and moody in a pair of joggies. I don't know if rhythm was my lifeblood, but I'm pretty sure the only thing that was surging through my veins was fear. Learning to dance was one of the biggest challenges I've taken on and it has caused me great angst, but at long last it's done. I hope the video makes you smile. Thanks to Jackie Moir, my amazing and motivational dance teacher. If you are needing some help with your challenge then you can find some advice on the A New Year, A New You section of the website.

The clocks have gone forwards (did you remember?), and hopefully summer, or at the very least, spring, is on its way!

In celebration I've published a gallery of spring flowers I photographed at the in in March 2010. The Botanics are still pretty bare compared to this time last year, but there's finally more to see than just numerous varieties of snowdrops! I found three different irises (possibly my favourite flower) as well as crocuses, daffodils and the odd tulip.

If you're interested in flowers and gardening listen to Beechgrove Potting Shed this week where the team give advice on growing dahlias.

Bryan Burnett tells us about next week's Get It On themes. Why not leave a suggestion or join the conversation on Bryan's Blog.

On March 9 Fred MacAulay compered a night of Scotland's best stand-up comedians on the in . It was called Radio Scotland's Funny Turns 2010. Here's some photographs from the night and I asked MacAulay and Co Senior Producer Stephen Hollywood about what to expect.

Stephen Hollywood:

I reckon Fred must have mentioned this programme everyday this week on MacAulay and Co and he said roughly the same thing everytime "I can't wait to hear what it sounds like" - and he said this for two reasons:

1. Cos he wants to know how funny he was (very funny - that's why the whole place was laughing)
2. How on earth the producer made it broadcastable

I hope it doesn't ruin the magic for anyone out there but we do edit our pre-recorded programmes and anybody who was at on the 9th of March will know that great night though it was it wasn't going to go out un-cut - no chance. , , the ever so well spoken and even uncle Fred MacAulay - potty mouths one and all. However, and I really mean this, all the best bits are still there - even Raymond's gag about the powerboat - listen out for the edits you won't hear them.

Here's a couple of photographs from Brian Taylor's Big Debate which came live from Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland at Pacific Quay, , on 26 March. If you'd like to be part of Brian's audience where you can put your questions to the key decision makers email Brian.

If you fancy coming along to other Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland shows you can apply for them too.

In Tuesday's blog we listed our Radio Scotland Facebook pages and madmacfraeclydebank came back with a perplexing query... "what's better, blogging or facebooking?"

I thought long and hard about it and realised I couldn't decide... and as I'm a very new blogger, I decided to call in a favour...

So, I popped over to the Get it On team and asked Bryan Burnett for his expert advice, seeing as he uses both.

We have a new series on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland right now called Keeping the Bed Warm, presented by Clare English. On this week's programme Clare talks to Harriet Gillet about her husband Phil's extended trips to to study penguins.

We asked Clare to tell us a little bit more about the series.

It's an every day scene. Your partner closes the door and heads off to work leaving you holding the fort. But what if that long day at the office actually lasts for months at a time? Some careers aren't governed by the laws of 9 to 5 and that brings pressure to bear on the person who's left at home. They become a de facto single parent, taking charge of all domestic arrangements and juggling the finances. They're the ones who have to put up with tantrums and demands from the kids, they pick up the pieces when Dad leaves home for a long spell of work, and they may even have to put their own career aspirations on the back boiler so that they can give their full attention to keeping everything together at home.

To me these are the unsung heroes who are left Keeping the Bed Warm in our new series for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland. So far, I've met some wonderful women who seem to be able to keep calm and carry on with little or no support or contact from their partners. There's the funny and feisty submariner's wife based in . He goes off for a few months at a time and her life goes on - she works and looks after two children and does it all with such good grace and humour.

And what about Harriet Gillet based in with her own high powered career that's had to wave goodbye to her husband every winter for the past 17 years. He misses Christmas, New Year and his daughter's January birthday because he's off in the frozen lands of South Georgia where he puts all thoughts of domesticity aside to study the behaviour of penguins. Surely this "semi detached" relationship brings its own pressures? How on earth do you cope with the little bug bears and the big decisions if your other half is away and out of contact for much of the time? You don't even have time for a late night natter over a cup of tea!

I'm not sure I could deal with this kind of life without becoming deeply resentful yet none of the women I met were! Actually they feel that despite the downsides, of which there are many, absence really does make the heart grown fonder. Who'd have thought that this kind of enforced separation can actually inject a bit of va va voom into your love life?

Hear about Harriet Gillet in this week's episode, and we also have more great photographs taken with her husband Phil in South Georgia where he was studying the penguin population in our Keeping the Bed Warm gallery.

David Stenhouse, Senior Radio Producer based in , phoned to let us know about a new programme which is broadcast on Radio 4 on 30 March and on Radio Scotland April 12. The documentary is based on a real event which took place at the in the area of .

The graveyard has 250,000 graves and was opened in 1840. The necropolis is also know as the Gorbals and David tells when in history his story takes place - and why.

The Gorbals Vampire

Vampires today are pale skinned, melancholy young men who make teenage girls swoon. But more than half a century before or the , hundreds of children thronged into a Glasgow Cemetery armed with sticks and knives to hunt "a Vampire with Iron Teeth" which they blamed for "killing and eating two wee boys."

Read the rest of this entry

On the back of JZ's Blog.

Last week Bruce MacGregor presenter of Radio Scotland's new Music Cafe came down from to perform with his band the , at in . So we took the opportunity to ask him about the programme which starts Wednesday 07 April at 1315.

The world of broadcasting and blogging waits for no man or woman, and while I've been on hols Alan and Karen have stocked up the blog pages with Screes of Radio Scotland info and comment!! It's Blogtastic!

One of the easiest ways to find out what's going on in Radio Scotland is to visit its pages - I've added links to a few of them below - it's a great way to get involved with the shows.

For more facebook chat, tune in to Wednesday's Radio Cafe where Sociologist Kate Orton-Johnson and join Janice Forsyth to discuss the subject in a little more detail.

The Beechgrove Potting Shed, Radio Scotland's gardening phone-in programme returned to the airwaves in late February. Producer Denise Glass tells us which topics were covered on Sunday's show.

The snow has finally thawed, spring flowers are appearing and the shops are stocking up with gardening equipment. That's all good news for the Beechgrove Potting Shed, which has seen a good number of callers since the programme re-started at the end of February after its winter break.

This week our expert guests were gardeners Jim McColl and Nicola Singleton, who answered questions on a range of plants such as clematis, petunias and beech hedging.

But it's our animal friends which are causing problems for many of our listeners, including Ina in . Ina has whitebeam and evergreen trees, but rabbits have been eating the bark and some of the lower branches. Ina wondered if the trees were now ruined.

Well, Nicola had some mixed news for Ina. If the bark has been removed in a ring all the way around the tree then often it will start to die. However, if the damage is in patches then the tree could survive.

Plum trees are also a popular topic on the Beechgrove Potting Shed. Daphne, who lives near , wondered if it was the right time to prune her Victoria plum tree. Jim's advice was that we usually prune just before the buds break. That should be in the next couple of weeks, or into mid-April, depending on the temperature in different parts of the country. Jim also gave advice on how to prune the trees - which you can hear on the iPlayer until Sunday 28 March.

The Beechgrove Potting Shed is really keen to hear gardening questions and stories from right across the country, so phone 0500 92 95 00 between 12pm and 1pm on Sundays or post your questions here and the panel may be able to help.

On Friday Serena Field, producer of the Book Cafe, phoned to tell me about a trip to St Andrews for the which she attended to gather some ideas for the programme. Over the weekend Serena found some time to write the following account of the visit, and the challenging task of trying to get back from to late at night.

The Lengths We Go To To Bring You The Book Cafe

'You should definitely come. It's going to be great this year.' my friend's email said. But St Andrews is quite an awkward place to get to- involving a train and a bus. So, feeling tired in the middle of a busy Thursday afternoon in the office, I decided against going there for the evening. And then went anyway because I didn't want to miss anything. I'd never been to , Scotland's poetry festival, before and that night's attraction was the mighty . On The Book Cafe a few days earlier the Director, , had told us that the event was sold out but that they'd be beaming the event live to other rooms of the , therefore 'rugbyizing' Seamus Heaney as the Director's PA said. Maybe I could catch him that way.

Read the rest of this entry

We've been asked a question by Scotch-git on our inaugural blog post:

How come requests to Get It On sometimes cannot be found, despite the fact that the songs requested have been played previously on, e.g., Travelling Folk and/or the Iain Anderson Show?

Don't all the producers access the same database? If not, why not?

I forwarded the question to "Miss Babs", the Senior Producer for Get it On with Bryan Burnett who replied:

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland has a huge music database instantly available along with another half million tracks instantly available from Ö÷²¥´óÐã Grams online facility which is the main source of music for our mainstream output for shows like Get It On and Tom Morton, in addition there are core artists and tracks which are featured regularly on our specialist evening shows kept on the database.

However some tracks which experience few plays and are used by specialist shows like Travelling Folk are retained on CD. The Get it On team do have access to these CDs, ahead of the programme, but it is not always possible while we are on air to locate them quickly - it would mean the producer literally running downstairs and searching through the CD collection (which is fairly large) which would in turn mean that the immediacy of our interactive element would be reduced on air. Although all the Get it on producers have done the sprint to the office on occasions! If a track is selected in advance of the show, we do try hard to make sure we've located it.

So in short, yes all producers have access to the same database, however not all the specialist tracks are retained on the database long-term.

The Iain Anderson Show is produced by and is broadcast from their own studios therefore Get it On is unable to access their music.

If you do want to request a song, or theme for inclusion on Get it On, then you can contact the show via Bryan's blog, or email.

Hi I'm Sushil K Dade, Producer for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's Jazz House programme. Last week was exciting for the show, we launched our new feature 'Inside the mind of...' which made its debut with contributions and thoughts from Grammy Award winning vocal legend Bobby McFerrin.

I caught up with Bobby backstage after his educational workshop as part of the music festival. He was such a warm, generous, kind hearted spirit, a lot like his approach to music-making. Seeing him in concert you never know who is going to end up on stage or who'll be behind the mic. As Bobby says in the feature ' the element of risk' and the joy of collaboration is what fuels his live shows and makes them such a wonderful experience and very special 'one off' performances. Bobby also revealed what is going on 'inside his mind' when he is performing at live shows and talks about everything from the Bible to Mozart!

In future editions of this new feature we'll be getting inside the mind of and founder of , , who trundles into town on the 31st March with his 19 piece Spatial AKA Orchestra to play Edinburgh's . Jazz House will be there to record the concert so we're really excited about that. Loads of great British jazz musicians will be onstage that night including Zoe Rahman, , , to name but a few.

Also listen out for 'inside the mind' of Indian percussion legend Trilok Gurtu over the coming weeks as well as a special interview with guitar legend Pat Metheny. The jazz team are: Stephen Duffy (Presenter), Shona Pew (Production Assistant) and resident jazz educator Richard Michael. We're excited and hope you will be too!

The interview with Bobby McFerrin is available via The Jazz House episode page until Sunday 28 March.

Our colleague Craig Frew up in has just published a new Out of Doors photograph gallery which relates to this weekend's programme.

See photographs of Ruth McKenzie, one of the guides from a company called jogging through a snowy in , and Mark Stephen with pupils from Priorsford Primary School at in .

There are many more topics covered in this week's programme and you'll find full details and related website links on the Out of Doors episode page.

Kaye Adams went along to the hallowed corridors of this week to meet the new Scotland football manager . They talked tactics, how the new gaffer plans to manage the egos of a big group of players and getting the very best out of a team from a small country.

Hear the interview on Call Kaye on Friday, 19 March at 0845.

Our colleagues Nick and Paul who look after the Scotland's Music website and blog went to over the weekend of 13 and 14 March to film sessions from the .

You can still listen to highlights from the festival which were broadcast on Vic Galloway's show on Monday night (repeated on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland on Friday 19 March at 2205).

Here's one of the videos the guys made of Silver Columns performing "Brow Beaten" and take a look at the Scotland's Music blog for loads more.

Bryan's on leave and we've heard a certain Graham Stewart is going to lend a hand to Thursday's Get It On (and Miss Babs). Tonight's theme is 'songs which put a spring in your step' so get the requests at the ready on Bryan's blog.

cafe1.pdf

Ö÷²¥´óÐã Scotland health correspondent Eleanor Bradford has been discovering why some of us struggle to lose weight whilst others stay naturally slim, in a series of reports for Good Morning Scotland, Reporting Scotland and .

We asked Eleanor to tell us a little more about her findings:

Most of us have tried to diet at some time in our lives. Many of us have given up. Some good friends of mine who struggle with their weight are always saying, "We're having a re-launch!" It got me thinking - why are diets so hard? It's easy enough to put the weight on in the first place, but not to get it off. The answer, disappointingly, is that nobody entirely understands why we find it so easy to get fat and so hard to stay slim, but science is giving us a few clues. Some of us seem to be born with more of a 'sweet tooth' than others. If you find staying slim hard because you're constantly hungry, you may be able to make changes to your diet to help you feel fuller for longer. By working with scientists at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, I've come up with a series of short features which, I hope, will help all of us understand what's going on in our bodies so that we can make simple, easy changes. There's also a message for the food industry in Thursday's report on Reporting Scotland at 1830! Also I couldn't have done it without the help of my two lovely dieters, Lisa Jane and Lyndsay, who are slimming for Lisa Jane's wedding in July, and who have allowed me to record their progress since January. Lisa Jane's wedding dress has been ordered two sizes too small. Will she fit into it? Tune in to find out!

You can read more from Eleanor in the following Ö÷²¥´óÐã News online articles:

If you find it hard to motivate yourself to stick to a diet or exercise plan, check out the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland Motivation website - A New Year, A New You. Here you'll find plenty of great information including tips from life coach Gillian Brown.

Norrie McLean asked us the following question about the Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland weekly playlist on our inaugural blog post:

"I have a question! It is only fairly recently I noticed songs popping up again and again (particularly on the Tom Morton Show). Then there was metion of playlists and I can't help but wonder why a playlist is thought neccessary for Radio Scotland given the diversity of the music programmes. Has there always been a Radio Scotland Playlist? If not why bring one in now and how is it decided who makes the list and on what shows the music will be played on??"

We asked Helen Munro, Editor, Music for an explanation:

"Radio Scotland has had a playlist now for over a year for its daytime and more mainstream output. However the playlist makes up only about 40% of the music played across daytime. The reason it's there is to provide a consistent sound across daytime and it reflects current trends and popular taste in quality adult pop and rock. Scottish artists will often feature on it as part of our commitment to support new and emerging Scottish talent as well as more established artists. Our specialist music producers continue to programme music relevant to their particular programme however all the music producers contribute to suggestions for the playlist."

The playlist is published every Friday and links through to the artist pages on Ö÷²¥´óÐã Music. There are also links to some of the great videos and audio recorded by Scotland's music team on the playlist page.

You can find a link to the playlist under the "About Radio Scotland" section of the Radio Scotland homepage.

A couple of weeks back Radio Scotland's Fred MacAulay and Dougie Vipond paddled a kayak the length of the Caledonian Canal in aid of . They braved the - literally - frozen elements over three days and nights. It was filmed for TV, the programme is called Up a Long Creek and is on Ö÷²¥´óÐã One Scotland Wednesday 17 March at 2100.

Up a Long Creek gallery part one
Up a Long Creek gallery part two

On Monday's Book Cafe crime writer treated Clare English to a personal tour of her study and revealed insights - not to mention a rather choice bookcase - into her working life as a writer. You can listen to the programme and hear their conversation about Louise's writing process.

Portrait of Louise Welsh by Steve Lindridge of .

Hello and welcome to the new Radio Scotland blog.

Last week, Jeff Zycinski posted on his blog a message about this one, and here we are.

So, what's it all about, what will we offer and who are 'we'?

We'll go behind the scenes of some of Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's programmes. We'll introduce you to our presenters, their production teams and offer insights about forthcoming programmes - as well as looking back at some of our great archive content.

Each week on the blog we'll highlight new content on the website - photograph galleries, videos, other blogs and extra audio. For example, we can show you some photographs from Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland's Funny Turns 2010 comedy night at The Ferry in Glasgow, which was recorded on March 9 and will be broadcast on Friday 26 March.

What topics were discussed on Call Kaye last week? What songs are on this week's Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland playlist? Who does Vic have in session on Monday night? Where is Brian Taylor coming from this week and how do you get tickets? Which films are being discussed on The Movie Café? We'll do our best to keep you informed.

We'll ask presenters what music they are listening to, what gigs they've been to, and what they're reading right now. We'll find out more about regular guest presenters such as Susan Calman.

Don't know how to find playlists? Unsure how to locate your favourite programme? We'll be answering your frequently asked questions and once a month we'll take your questions to the key figures across the station and get some answers.

Who are the blog team?

I'm Alan Braidwood and I look after the Radio Scotland website along with Karen and Simone. As editor of this blog I'll try and make what you see online compliment what you can hear on air through photographs, videos, exclusive audio and extra info.

And I'm Karen Miller, the Assistant Producer for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland online. I've been campaigning for this blog for a long time as a way to personalise the website and shout about all the great content, and am delighted it's finally seeing the light of day. I come from a radio background, and produced the station's Brand New Country for five years so I'll try not to stray into the world of Americana music and cowboy boots too often on here although I do hope to be reporting from the Americana Awards in Nashville in September - watch this space...

Simone Byrne here with my first blog entry for the Radio Scotland blog. I'm nervous but absolutely elated to have the chance to blog about all the amazing things that are coming up on Radio Scotland and happening around the Ö÷²¥´óÐã in Scotland. But, first, who am I? Well, I've been working for Radio Scotland in various roles for around 4 years now - from answering the phones for Get It On to reading traffic announcements in the newsroom. I joined the Radio Scotland Online team in 2008 where, under Alan's watchful eye, I've been mostly in charge of the recording and playout of audio for the iPlayer - not that far removed from when I was a lass sitting with a finger on the tape record/play buttons, making up tapes of the week's charts. Anyway, there's always loads to keep me busy here, what with the gizmos and new innovations regularly being added...and the occasional gremlin to deal with! It's never boring. I still reckon iPlayer's absolutely amazing and I'm always astounded by it. As they say, 'you don't need to miss a thing'; 'Listen to what you want, when you want'.

Talking of which here's a few links to programmes you might have missed if you were out and about over the weekend....

Off the Ball - Tam and Stuart share very funny ice cream van memories.

Shereen - Great chat with feminist author Germaine Greer.

Chick Young's World of Football - last week's show included an exclusive interview with Brazilian football legend Carlos Alberto.

So, we're off. Join us for titbits and info from the corridors, offices and studios which make up Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Scotland.