Cool move for former SERC media student

Former Bangor FM presenter and SERC alumnus Franky Mac has landed his dream job at Cool FM as a radio presenter. 

The 19 year old will be heard on Cool FM for the first time on Friday 21 October between 10pm and 1am.  He began his route into broadcasting when he visited the Bangor FM studio as part of a SERC open day in early 2019. From there, he began his training with the SERC-owned radio station and then enrolled on a Level 3 Creative Media course. 

Lecturer in Creative Media Production at SERC Keith Martin says of Franky Mac “He was an enthusiastic student who made good use of his knowledge of music in his coursework. This, combined with his positive personality, showed in his project work - particularly his audio production. He was always keen to share his experience of the local music scene with his classmates." 

Franky Mac was the presenter of Bangor Fresh until March 2021. As well as presenting his own show, he got the opportunity to host a category in the Bangor Business Awards in 2019, with Cool FM’s Pete Snodden, and compered a quiz night that the station helped to arrange for the North Down Community Network. 

Reflecting on his time at Bangor FM, Franky Mac says “The station was a very open platform for me. I was able to do what I loved and even though there was help and advice, it was all about learning stuff and doing what I wanted to do.”  

In March 2021, Franky Mac moved from Bangor FM to Blast 106 in Belfast, where he presented Blast Alot in the evenings, as well as occasionally presenting the breakfast show. Due to his experience at Bangor FM and Blast 106, he was approached to begin training with Cool FM. 

Franky Mac says “Cool FM is the golden ticket for me. It does mean a lot because even when I was with Bangor FM and Blast, Cool FM was always something I had my eye on. I’ve worked hard to get here in such a short space of time and I’m so proud to be part of the team on Cool.” 

Franky Mac is also a popular nightclub DJ in Belfast’s Kremlin nightclub, where he has a residency there at Krypto on Monday nights. “Going full-time DJ-ing and radio presenting at 19 has happened because I put so much work into it, and every opportunity that came my way - I took it. That’s the best advice to give to anyone wanting to get a job in the media.” 

You can follow Franky Mac on Instagram @radiofrankymac. 

Bangor FM can be heard on 107.9FM in Bangor or online - just search for Bangor FM. 

Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.