Back in 1980, Steve Barker presented Spin Off, the first alternative music show at Radio Blackburn, and this evolved into On The Wire, first broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire on 16 September 1984. Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, Depeche Mode and Lee Scratch Perry were among the first guests in the classic Sunday afternoon 3 hour slot. Way back in the 20th Century, Steve aired the first UK radio plays of Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and 808 State's Pacific State and his uncompromising laconic style of playing full track new releases by little known artists endeared him to his audience for three hours on a Sunday afternoon. But times, broadcasting and the BBC change and OTW was almost axed until someone realised it was a unique BBC product. Steve and other contributors to the show were saved but with a 2 hour show moving around the schedule until eventually settling into a midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning slot. It is the longest running UK alternative music show and still at the cutting edge, thanks to a modest almost shy Steve Barker being a very clued-up man when it comes to quality music. Steve also writes for The Wire magazine, collaborates with musicians (especially dub) and occasionally DJs at special events.

At the start of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, BBC Local Radio schedules were cut back and On The Wire came off-air temporarily, but Steve and the other contributors continue to record from home and publish a show every week on mixcloud, often longer and more freeform than the constraints of the BBC local radio schedule would allow. Subsequently the BBC agreed to broadcast around 6 editions of OTW a year on BBC Radio Lancashire, generally on bank holiday weekends, until the final show in May 2023, when it was finally axed along with many other local BBC programmes as part of reforms of BBC local radio. On The Wire found a new home on Slack City radio broadcasting on DAB in various cities, with shows still being archived at mixcloud and on totallyradio.com.