Wireless WaffleWireless Waffle
2005 DIARY ENTRIES
pictures missing but otherwise complete
JANUARY TO JUNE 2005 listed below
for July to December 2005 July to December 2005
each month in reverse order with latest date first
21st June 2005
Waffler:
Lovely weather here at the moment - but I have not had the time to tune around to see if there are any superb troposheric lifts or slumps to bring in interesting distant stations. I am in the process of packing for a house move and will eventually be packing up the editorial pc.
I have been to Madeira recently and enjoyed the radio there very much. All of the main Portuguese stations Antenne 1, 2 and 3 come in there as well. As soon as I can I will be adding a full report on Maderian radio to this website.
I also bought a copy of Radio Active today. It is the July issue and quite interesting, especially Chris Brands radio websites. There is a good review of all dab radios that are currently for sale. There are an amazing quantity now, so many more than when I bought my Evoke 1 several years ago.
One of my radio contacts Jonathan from Hertfordshire, has sent me a great copy of the start of Big L from Sky. He has also sent me some excellent recordings made in Venice Italy on 1395. It seems to blast into Europe, but did not get to Madeira on my sets unfortunately. I get it here but in the evening only at good volume. It does come in but very weak during the daytime
News from other sources
Smooth FM has appointed Steve Johnson as Brand Account Manager to work closely with both national media agencies, their clients and GMG Radio’s sales house Chrysalis Radio Sales
The Boards of Emap plc and Scottish Radio Holdings plc have agreed the terms of a recommended cash offer to be made by Lazard & Co., Ltd. on behalf of Emap for the entire issued and to be issued share capital of SRH not already owned by Emap.
Barry Everitt, ex Radio Geronimo presenter, can now be heard on Big L (Radio
London) in Western Europe on 1395 Khz, the internet at
http://www.bigl.co.uk/ & Sky Digital channel 940 every Sunday into Monday
morning from midnight.
Barry writes:
"First time I've been live on European radio since my times with Radio
Caroline and Seagull in the 70's, thought I was destined to remain in
cyberspace."
http://www.radiogeronimo.co.uk/sunindex.htm
(With programming recorded in London, Geronimo began life in 1969 as Radio
Rupert on 428 metres from Andorra. These tests were deemed unsuccessful so
late night airtime on Radio Monte Carlo on 205 metres was then hired from
January 1970. By Autumn it was all over. Adverts were placed in the music
press declaring 'Geronimo Is Only Sleeping..' )
Terry Wogan has been given a knighthood in the Queen's birthday honours.
Wogan's long-running career spans both radio and television.
Wogan, 66, will not be known as Sir because he is an Irish citizen.
Former chat show host Wogan, who receives an honorary knighthood,
boasts the highest audience of any UK radio DJ with his BBC Radio 2
breakfast show.
Jonathan Ross, who has received multiple awards for his radio show on BBC
Radio 2, is made an OBE for his services to broadcasting.
An MBE goes to BBC Radio 2 breakfast show presenter Sarah Kennedy, 54,
who came to public attention as one of four hosts of the 1980s game show
Game For A Laugh.
Live performances of Beethoven's first five symphonies, broadcast as part of The Beethoven Experience on BBC Radio 3, have amassed an incredible 657,399 download requests during a week long trial.
you have an old tranny (!) in your spare room or attic and eyeing up a new digital model then here is a deal that you can not miss. You will be able to get a 10% discount on your new set and more importantly could help families in Somalia with a mass Literacy Initiative.
On the 6th of July - the BBC is to launch a radio amnesty in aid of African nations – fronted by presenter Nick Knowles. The BBC's digital radio team and BBC Radio Five Live have teamed up with manufacturers and high street retailers across the country to offer listeners a discount of 10% on a new digital radio, when they trade in their portable FM sets.
The old sets will then be reconditioned and sent to Somalia and south Sudan, where they will be distributed by the BBC World Service Trust.
The amnesty starts on 6 July and lasts until 26 July, during which time Five Live will support the project on air and around a thousand stores up and down the country will take part.
Retailers will accept battery-powered FM/AM radios (not hi-fi separates or mains only sets), which will be reconditioned, fitted with new batteries and shipped for distribution by the BBC World Service Trust and its partner, the African Educational Trust (AET).
The trust and the AET will use the radios to further their work on the Somalia Distance Education for Literacy project - or 'Radio Teacher' - which offers education to men and women who have grown up during civil war with no chance of schooling.
9th June 2005
Waffler:
As I sit down to write this entry I can feel the benefit of today's lovely weather, my arms and legs are tanned. I fear that the good weather may not last but am pleased to see that the world of radio is still very active
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News from other sources
Arqiva new name for ntl Broadcast
=================================
A new name and corporate identity for the former Broadcast division
of cable group NTL has been launched as of 1 June. The company will
now be known as 'Arqiva', marking the final phase of its separation
from former parent ntl Group.
NTL Broadcast was sold by ntl at the turn of the year to a consortium
led by Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group. The re-branding
provides an opportunity for Arqiva to re-establish itself as a
stand-alone company with strong credentials and proven track record
in broadcast services, tower leasing and public safety
communications.
Arqiva can trace it roots back to the engineering division of the
Independent Television Authority over 50 years ago, set up just
before ITV started. With the advent of independent radio this became
the Independent Broadcasting Authority, which went on to launch
Channel 4 and develop numerous broadcasting technologies:
* 1955 - first transmitter built for ITV at Croydon (as ITA)
* 1960s - completed national 405-line VHF network for ITV
* 1969 - began the conversion to colour with 625-line UHF network
* 1970s - began building Independent Local Radio transmitters (as IBA)
* 1982 - Channel 4 network launched in record time
* 1991 - became a commercial company National Transcommunications Ltd
(NTL) following the demise of the IBA and broadened into satellite
services
* Acquired by International Cabletel in 1996, which later became ntl Group
* 1990s - developed Digital Terrestrial TV technology, mounted early
demonstrations and constructed Digital 3&4 and SDN networks. National
commercial DAB network built for Digital One. Expanded into
radio-communications support for the Emergency services.
* 2000s - Built regional and local digital radio transmitters,
demonstrated 'datacasting' and mobile TV. Contributed to planning for
digital TV switch-over. Introduced shared mobile-phone site solutions
in shopping malls and city centres.
Arqiva CEO Tom Bennie said:
"This is a strong and thriving company with a proud heritage of
innovation and technical firsts in the broadcast and mobile
communications industries. Arqiva stands for the 'energy' behind the
'connections' we provide to our customers and represents the talented
and committed individuals at the heart of our business. Our role in
transmitting radio and television signals, our involvement in the
planning and delivery of digital switchover, our leadership of the
forthcoming Oxford mobile TV trial, and our assistance in migrating
the emergency services to digital communications - all serve as
evidence of the energy and commitment we bring to the broadcast and
mobile communications industries we serve. Our new identity combines
a glorious past with a very exciting future."
22 million UK homes receive the analogue signals for ITV, Channel 4
and five, plus the majority of the independent analogue and digital
radio stations via Arqiva's national broadcast transmitter networks.
Arqiva also provides multiplexing and transmission for two of the
four multiplex operators that run the digital terrestrial TV platform
- SDN and D3/D4. It also uplinks around 150 channels onto the Sky
direct-to-home satellite platform.
Alongside this, Arqiva leases over 2,000 towers and sites to the
wireless communications sector including all five UK mobile phone
operators, as well as providing a full range of communications
services to the UK emergency services, including fire, police,
ambulance and other public-safety organisations such as the RNLI and
Coastguard.
Double Deals for talkSPORT
==========================
talkSPORT has converted its official Lions Tour coverage into a
six-figure sponsorship deal with DHL, the world's leading delivery
company. The station has also secured a significant promotional deal
with DIY giants B&Q.
talkSPORT's sponsorship will target all of the station's coverage of
the tour, including bulletins, promotions, interviews and features
and is part of an integrated PR and marketing campaign to support
DHL's status as event sponsor of the DHL New Zealand Lions Series
2005.
talkSPORT's official commentary of the three Tests - on June 25, July
2 and 9 - will also be DHL-sponsored in Test Special Programmes from
7-11 am, with kick-offs scheduled at 8.10 am. The talkSPORT team will
be led by ex-Lions captain and legendary rugby commentator John
Taylor.
In a separate deal - B&Q will sponsor the Hawksbee and Jacobs show
from 1-4 pm every weekday over the summer period. The activity kicked
off with a week-long promotion on the Sports Breakfast with football
legend Alan Brazil featuring a DIY shed version of Supermarket Sweep.
Blast Bags 8 Web Radio Awards
=============================
Blast 1386, the radio station for Thames Valley University Reading
Campus has picked up eight Web Radio Awards including Best College
Station.
Thompson offers Union Talks
===========================
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson has offered to meet with union
officials to clarify the offer made to them at ACAS last week and to
discuss any further concerns.
In a letter to the leaders of the NUJ, BECTU and Amicus - Thompson
says:- "We have a shared interest in resolving the dispute promptly
and working together to build a strong and independent BBC. I believe
that this offer represents a significant movement by the BBC to meet
the concerns you have raised with us about the change programme.
Unfortunately, we simply do not have any further movement to make on
the offer we tabled at ACAS and to suggest otherwise would be
disingenuous.
Although we want to minimise compulsory redundancies as far as
possible, the BBC cannot give a blanket commitment to no compulsory
redundancies given the sale and scope of the divisional change plans.
No organisation could."
The main elements of the offer tabled at ACAS are:
* A freeze on compulsory redundancies until 1 July 2006
* A review in two years to see if reinvestment in content areas can
mitigate the net job losses
* No sale of BBC Resources before 1 June 2007
* A commitment to ensure people and HR issues are a top priority in the
sale of BBC Broadcast.
In his letter Thompson added it would be useful to meet, both to
clarify aspects of the offer and to discuss ways in which the BBC can
use existing agreed procedures to further reassure the trades unions
and their members about remaining concerns. He said that one idea
underpinning the offer was full co-operation of the unions in the
early stages of the change programme to mitigate net job losses in
the third year of the plan and to minimise compulsory redundancies.
"You will understand that without your co-operation, the assurances
contained within the ACAS offer would have to be withdrawn as the
freeze on compulsory redundancies until 1 July 2006 is only
achievable if we can canvass for voluntary redundancies immediately.
Further delay would put our savings plans at risk and impede the
reinvestment of savings into new programmes and services, which is in
the interests of licence payers and BBC staff alike."
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BBC announce Coverage Plans for Live 8
======================================
Jonathan Ross and Graham Norton will be heading the line up of stars
at Live 8 on 2 July 2005.
Highlighting the truly global nature of this event, the two hosts
will be reporting live and direct from different sides of the
Atlantic, with Jonathan stationed in the UK and Graham in the USA.
BBC Radio and Television will be bringing all the action, music and
backstage news live to the UK and around the world - with coverage on
BBC ONE, TWO and THREE as well as BBC Radios 1, 2, BBC World Service
and the Nations and Regions.
The BBC is the host broadcaster for Live 8 London, working alongside
other broadcasters in Europe and America to bring this huge
international event to the world.
Jana Bennett, BBC Director of Television, says:
"This concert promises to be one of the defining events of our
generation. The BBC was at the heart of Live Aid coverage in 1985 and
20 years on we are proud to be the host broadcaster of such a
momentous occasion.
The BBC will be there engaging its viewers with the issues and
arguments raised as well as documenting the journey from Live Aid to
Live 8."
On 2 July the BBC will be exploring the issues that have brought
musicians in Europe and America to perform at Live 8 and putting them
in context for viewers and listeners.
Names including Chris Evans, Davina McCall and Dermot O'Leary are
already signed up to cover the event for Radio 2.
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Radio 3 offers Beethoven Downloads
==================================
Listeners are being given the opportunity to download live
performances of Beethoven's nine symphonies, as part of BBC Radio 3's
Beethoven Experience.
New Home for BBC Asian Network
==============================
From Saturday 4 June, the BBC's Asian Network follows BBC Radio
Leicester to take up residence at the new state of the art
broadcasting centre in St Nicholas Place, Leicester.
The Word is Hepworth is on the Arrow
====================================
Chrysalis Radio's adult DAB rock station - The Arrow is to broadcast
a new monthly show from magazine Word, presented by music guru David
Hepworth.
The one hour show transforms into tunes and speech everything going
on in the Word universe, and enthuses about the music and the people
featured in the magazine and accompanying CD.
The show is presented by publishing and music expert David Hepworth,
who is currently the Creative Director of quality music magazine
Word.
It was as the Editorial Director at Emap that he made his mark and was
behind more successful magazine launches than anyone else in the UK
industry. His broadcasting experience includes the BBC's Whistle Test
shows and he is a regular contributor to Radio Four.
In return for the monthly programme on the station, Word will feature
The Arrow in the magazine every month.
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RadioScape launches new Combi-Module
====================================
RadioScape has launched a new module which can receive DRMT (Digital
Radio MondialeT) as well as DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast), FM with
RDS, LW, MW and SW to form the basis of the world's first affordable,
integrated, multi-standard, digital radio receivers.
Techie Alert!!!
The RadioScape RS500T module is based on RadioScape's innovative
radiOST architecture, enabling re-use of existing applications and
features previously developed for the RS300LT DAB/FM module.
Many of the innovative features available on the RS300L have been
directly implemented on this module, accelerating time to market for
a fully featured receiver design. The RS500, for example, immediately
supports capabilities such as the highly popular Pause, Rewind and
Record to MMC card features as well as the ability to display and use
Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) data.
Andrew Moloney, Marketing Manager for Receivers at RadioScape
explains:
"Because we create our modules using radiOS - our own advanced
Software Defined radio architecture, it has been possible for us to
add DRM in an affordable and user friendly form to our existing range
of receiver capabilities. The RS500 is size and pin compatible with
our very successful RS300L enabling radio manufacturers to migrate
existing designs to the RS500, rapidly bringing to market ranges of
receivers, which include DRM-capable designs, in time to catch the
pre Christmas 2005 sales."
The RS500 is based on the Texas Instruments TMS320 DRM350 digital
signal processor-based (DSP) baseband, the first integrated digital
baseband that supports both DRM and DAB standards, for which
RadioScape designed the DRM baseband stack. The radiOS architecture,
which is only available on RadioScape modules, extends the DSP's
basic capabilities, and seamlessly manages uploads of the appropriate
RadioScape software stack and/or applications to change functionality
to suit the requirements of the moment. This significantly improves
the user experience, masking transitions between different broadcast
standards by automatically listing all services alphabetically
regardless of transmission type so that users select by content and
avoiding the need for manual band switching.
Modules will be sampling in August of 2005, with volume production
following shortly thereafter. RadioScape forecasts that
multi-standard, multi-band receivers based on the RS500 could have
end user prices below $250 - almost a quarter the price of existing
DRM receivers in the market.
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UK Stations in DRM trials
=========================
UK radio stations - including Virgin Radio, Asian Sound Radio,
Classic Gold Digital, Premier Christian Radio and CVC are currently
taking part in DRM, conducted by VT Communications.
The commercial trial, which runs for two months, is the first of its
kind targeting the UK. It allows commercial broadcasters to assess
the benefits of the new digital AM technology, including real time
text and data based information services, in addition to
demonstrating the superb quality of reception that is now available
on the AM bands. DRM - Digital Radio Mondiale can provide clear, FM
like audio quality and excellent reception, free from static fading
and interference, currently available to short wave, medium wave/AM
and long wave bands. (There are plans to extend this system into the
broadcasting bands up to 120 MHz)
The programming is being broadcast from transmission facilities in
Western Europe reaching the whole of the UK as well as North West
Continental Europe, demonstrating the exceptional coverage offered by
the AM (SW, MW & LW) DRM technology platform which enables
broadcasters to reach mass audiences cost effectively from one single
transmitter.
VT Communications owns and operates three DRM capable transmitters in
the UK which are already carry programming for several international
broadcasters into Europe.
DRM UK Pilot Transmission Schedule
* Virgin Radio - (06:00-10:00 BST Daily)
* Asian Sound Radio - (10:00-12:00 BST Daily)
* Classic Gold Digital - (12:00-14:00 Daily)
* Premier Radio - (14:00-15:00 BST Daily)
* CVC - (17:00-18:00 BST Sunday)
Special receivers are required to tune in to these DRM broadcast.
These should be more readily available, following the official
commercial launch of DRM - later this year. Some manufacturers are
looking to produce radio sets that will allow listeners to tune in to
Analogue / DRM and DAB services.
Smooth 102.2 Secures First Sponsorship Deal
===========================================
London's 102.2 Smooth FM has secured its first sponsorship deal with
Côtes du Rhône wines, which commences when the station re-brands on
7th June 2005.
The six figure deal, initially spanning six months will sponsor Sarah
Ward's Smooth Selection - four hours of beautiful jazz music every
(Monday to Friday 8pm-12am).
102.2 Smooth FM will launch a two-phase £1.5 million marketing
campaign across London in June aimed at introducing the new brand to
listeners looking for a radio station that plays mellow music. The
marketing drive will span TV, outdoor, Underground, online and
ambient media.
The sponsorship deal was secured by Chrysalis Radio Sales and media
agency MEC.
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3rd June 2005
Waffler
I have done quite a lot of shortwave listening in the past week and there is still some interesting programming going out there.
I am also delighted that at long last I have fixed my aged SP25 record deck which I fitted a new cartridge to in 1995. I traced the fault to broken contacts in the cartridge and also in the connections to the amplifier lead. I have also changed it from a DIN plug to conventional phone plugs and the sound of vinyl is pure delight once more! I do not have many vinyls but am in a position to listen to any I find in charity shops or boot sales. I have noted that the deck runs at 78rpm and am trying to find a source of 78rpm cartridge wired to an SP25 Mk 5 headshell - please let me know if you know of a source.
Regular site visitors will know that when this diary gets full up with news it is transferred into the archive vaults for the year which can be accessed at any time via the link about our cartoon.
Despair here as I still get poor listening quality from the new Radio London from Holland on 1395 KHz. At night the reception is very clear but still prone to some fading and often there is a programme on which specialises in psychic matters. I did visit my daughter and boyfriends recently in Eastbourne and heard Big L on sky - I have put a picture of the screen which appears when the audio comes up on Sky. It does not need any special tuning either which is a pleasant surprise. The output at around 2pm in the afternoon was not particularly good anyway - the music was but the presentation to my mind was not representative of the 60s Radio London or any of Ray Anderson's excellent RSLs.
not has sent in a June update and there is a link above which I recommend you visit.
News from other sources
As part of Chrysalis Radio's drive to increase its DAB digital radio investment, the group has asked Alan Carruthers to take on full time the role of Programme Director for its digital radio adult rock brand, The Arrow.
The popular temporary local community radio station is set to return to the airwaves across East Antrim on 3rd June 2005, with the backing of Carrickfergus Borough Council.
A new name and corporate identity for the former Broadcast division of cable group NTL has been launched as of 1 June. The company will now be known as ‘Arqiva’, marking the final phase of its separation from former parent ntl Group.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has received 57 expressions of interest for the provision of new commercial sound broadcasting services, in the Republic.
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22nd May 2005
Waffler
For just
over a week I have noted that Abracadabra Radio In London has been
identifying as Fun Radio. That must have been the winning name in
their competition. Still not much happening on that channel other
than back to back music but I suppose early days yet. A DAB radio has
an irritating feature of still listing stations which are not on with
a ? and then the name afterwards. This happens when Fun Radio is off
the air in the night. It is a pity that somebody else cannot use this
wasted part of the multiplex at night.
I am grateful to my contacts for recordings I am listening to at present. Keith Skues last Friday show recorded in April - or part of it. Also an offer of the first day of Radio London on Sky which I have yet to receive. Radio London is still very weak in this part of London. I understand some people are using frame aerials to pick up the station. I would be interested if somebody could write an article for the site so we can all learn how to do this. I also am not a great constructor so would be grateful if somebody could make one for me!
Also I have just put a new page on site which has a lovely picture of a radio that Tim Ritchie obtained when I was visiting him in Suffolk recently. Thanks for sending the picture - I hope a site visitor may be able to reveal some information about the date of the radio. I think possibly 1965 or 1966. It may have been as late at 1967 though because no manufacturer would have made a set with the name of a station on it when they were not sure it was going to be on air for some time? geccaroline.htm
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News
from other sources
Weblink: www.rti.fm
Listeners
will also get a chance to tune in on Wednesday night as RTI
trials
the short wave transmitter from Rega - the station will be
available
on 9290 Khz from 8.00 to 12.00 UK time.
Three Towns Radio FM
(3TFM) is to broadcast on a restricted service
licence throughout
June (3rd - 30th) to Stevenston, Ardrossan and
Saltcoats in
Ayrshire, Scotland.
The station has a vision to improve the
Health of the Three Towns
Community, by engaging with them in the
production of a range of
locally produced programmes which will
enhance the physical, mental
and social well being of residents.
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New
from Scotland's International Radio
Station
===============================================
Scotland's
Radio 6 launches a new Saturday transmission aimed at
listeners
across Europe.
From June 4th-Tony Currie will host "Saturday
Sounds" with a mixture
of unsigned bands, guests, record
reviews and listeners' letters. The
show will come live from
Glasgow between 06.00 and 07.00 GMT and will
be repeated twice
later in the day for listeners in other timezones.
Details
are:-
* 06.00-07.00GMT on 15,725kHz (20kW) from Milan, Italy;
on 9,290kHz
(100kW) from Ulbroka, Latvia, on 88.2MHz in stereo
from Tawa,
Wellington, New Zealand, and on the Radio Six
website.
* 15.00-16.00 GMT on the web feed only
*
23.00-00.00 GMT on 5,105kHz (50kW) from Monticello, Maine, USA and
on
the web feed.
The complete transmission schedule for June 2005
(with all times in
GMT) is:-
* 00.00-23.59 (Daily) Web
feed
* 00.00-03.00 (Sat/Sun) 88.2MHz stereo (Tawa, New
Zealand)
* 00.00-01.00 (Daily) 5,105kHz (Monticello, USA)
*
01.00-02.00 (Sun/Mon) 5,105kHz (Monticello, USA)
* 06.00-07.00
(Sat) 15,725kHz (Milan, Italy); 9,290kHz (Ulbroka,
Latvia) and
88.2MHz (Tawa, New Zealand)
* 07.00-08.00 (2nd Sun) 13,840kHz
(Milan, Italy)
* 08.30-09.30 (2nd Sat) 13,840kHz (Milan,
Italy)
* 19.00-20.00 (2nd Thu) 5,775kHz (Milan, Italy)
*
23.00-00.00 (Daily) 5,105kHz (Monticello, USA)
Weblink:
www.radiosix.com
For one day only
traditional radio rivalry will be put aside as talk
radio
broadcaster LBC 97.3 FM goes to the picket line to support
BBC
friends.
In sympathy with the plight of colleagues and
friends at the BBC, LBC
97.3 FM will be supporting those picketing
job losses at the BBC on
Monday 23rd May 2005. The talk radio
station owned by
Chrysalis Radio will hand out Orange Juice and
Croissants to
protestors from 7am in the morning.
Mark
Flanagan, Managing Director of LBC 97.3 FM commented:
"We
don't wish to take sides in this dispute, we just wanted to
show
support and solidarity for the colleagues and friends whose
jobs are
in jeopardy."
LBC 97.3 FM's special helpers
will be distributing breakfast to
friends on the picket line from
7 am on strike day at the main BBC
picket line in London.
The
members of three unions at the BBC voted for strike action, the
first
for 24 hours on 23 May and 48 hours on 31 May and 1 June in a
row
over job cuts. The BBC website reports that Unions say a
fourth
stoppage will also be announced to create the "greatest
amount of
disruption" possible.
BBC employees are
protesting at plans to cut 3,780 jobs and privatise
parts of the
corporation.
Former lead singer of 80s Pop Group -
T'Pau - Carol Decker has been
approached by LBC 97.3 FM to become
a broadcaster of her own show.
Before her debut show, the
singer will be testing the airwaves as a
guest on Friday 20th May
when listeners will get the chance to win
'CHINA IN THEIR HANDS'
aka a visit by the star to their office with a
cup up tea.
She'll
appear on James O Brien's mid-morning show 10 - 12am to
campaign
for votes and then Daisy Sampson's Drive Time programme 4pm
-
7pm.
She'll then make a re-appearance the morning before the
big ITV1 vote
in Hit Me baby One More Time where she is a finalist
- on Saturday
21st May on Jono Coleman's show 10 - 12 noon.
Carol
will then broadcast her first solo show on Saturday 28th
May,
covering for Dr. Pam between 7pm and 10pm.
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18th May 2005
Waffler:
Pity
that Radio London on 1395 Khz is so weak by the time it reaches my
part of London. Bad luck Ray that the transmitter blew up almost as
soon as the station launched. I heard reports that it was due to the
air conditioning failing and then the transmitter overheated. Perhaps
we will get better reception in time. What I have heard of the
station is very good. Mike Read and also a psychic phone in during
the night. Mind you Big L was really only music in the 60s bar
religious programming?
By the way the book "Making Waves"
about the story of Radio Eassex is excellent I must get round to
doing a proper review soon.
Some emails in recently:
From
Colin Berry
I note you still have me down as a former
presenter on the above (Radio 355). I'm afraid I never appeared on
this station (as e-mailed sometime ago)
I am now presenting
late night Saturday - The Club on BBC Three Counties Radio
(Beds/Herts & Bucks). Great to be spinning music once again...and
appearing on no less than TWO Sony Award winning Stations of the Year
!!
>Dear Sir/Madam
>
>
>
>My
name is Keith Fahey and I work for midwestirishradio.com. I wonder
would it be possible to have a link of our website placed on your
site. It is a 24 hour a day 7 days a week dedicated internet radio
service. Our tag line reads "Giving you a taste of Ireland
wherever you are in the world".
>
>
>
>We
play predominantly Irish music including such artists as Daniel O
Donnell, Mary Black, Tommy Fleming, Sean Keane, The Pogues, The
Dubliners, The Chieftains to name but a few. Our listeners are openly
encouraged to make requests and pick particular tracks.
>
>
>
>We
are a new organisation and are putting a great deal of work into
making our service a success.
>
>
>
>If you
can be of help it would be most appreciated. Also if we can assist
you in your business please do not hesitate to contact myself
directly.
>
>
>
>Our Link
http://www.midwestirishradio.com/ or the logo below will link to the
site
>
>
>
>Sincerely
>
>
>
>Keith
Fahey
>www.midwestirishradio.com
>
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News
from other sources:
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Smooth to take on BBC in London
Submitted
by: Published: Tuesday, 17 May 2005
102.2 Smooth FM will go
further than any other commercial station in London to try to win
back audience from the BBC when it launches on 7th June.
The
somewhat bold move is to win back listeners from the BBC which
continues to dominate listening in London and the UK as a whole. The
new station - which will replace Jazz FM, will offer 40 minute sweeps
of ad free music every hour from morning til night – called the
Smooth 40.
The move hopes to be an attractive proposition for
the busy 35 year+ Londoner looking for a relaxing listen.
102.2
Smooth FM will offer a unique mix of soulful music from artists such
as Lemar, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Alicia Keys,
Luther Vandross and Mary J Blige.
Programme Director Mark
Walker said:
“The Smooth 40 will be a real
audience winner. It will give us stand-out on the dial and help us
win non-commercial listeners who have maybe become fed-up with the
stop start listen you get on many stations in London.”
In
preparation for the rebrand from 102.2 JAZZFM, the daytime music on
the station has been evolving in recent months.
The
line-up of experienced presenters is now complete and sees many
familiar voices remain, including Jon Scragg at breakfast and Russell
Pockett on afternoon drivetime.
One of London’s
most talented broadcasters, Kevin Greening will move into the
mid-morning/lunchtime show and Sarah Ward’s Smooth Selection
will see her gain an extra hour each night (8pm-midnight) to
broadcast a sophisticated collection of contemporary and classic
jazz. The capital’s most famous news voice Howard Hughes also
joins the team as weekday morning news reader.
At weekends
Angie Greaves joins the station to host the Sunday afternoon show
from 2pm. Angie’s 15-year career in radio spans BBC Radio, LBC
and Choice FM. Jim Colvin moves from weekday early mornings to host
the weekend breakfast show, while music experts such as Mike
Chadwick, Peter Young, Ramsey Lewis and Campbell Burnap will provide
a wealth of specialist programming dedicated to soul and jazz
music.
102.2 Smooth FM will boast the least number of
commercial messages of any major London radio station and the 40
minute sweeps of music will encourage station trial and thus build
hours.
For the first time advertisers will have the
opportunity to advertise in a minimal commercial environment,
ensuring they achieve stand-out on the dial. 102.2 Smooth FM will
have just three commercial breaks each hour.
Award-winning
radio host Christian O'Connell is to join Virgin Radio's breakfast
show from London station Xfm. O'Connell recently won three prizes at
the prestigious Sony Radio Awards, including breakfast show of the
year and the entertainment award.
From BBC Site - DJ duo quit
Virgin breakfast show
Pete and Geoff won a Sony award in
2002
Virgin Radio presenters Pete and Geoff will step down
as breakfast show hosts at the end of the year.
The duo,
full names Pete Mitchell and Geoff Lloyd, plan to remain with the UK
radio station in a new time slot. Their replacement has not yet been
announced.
"They are absolutely integral to the
future of Virgin Radio," a station spokesman said.
The
pair's breakfast show attracted 1.2 million UK listeners in the first
three months of 2005.
Irreverent double act
Terry
Wogan hosts the most popular national breakfast show on BBC Radio 2,
attracting 8.09 million listeners in the same period, according to
Radio Joint Audience Research figures.
Irreverent duo
Pete and Geoff have worked as a double act for 10 years, and on
Virgin Radio for eight years - three in the coveted breakfast
slot.
The pair won a Sony radio award in 2002, in the
daily music programming category.
"Three years is a
long time on a breakfast show," the Virgin Radio spokesman
said.
"Pete and Geoff previously presented a show
in the evening 'drivetime' slot, so they may return there - but no
decision has been made."
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Pop legend opens new radio
station
BY JULIETTE MAXAM
May 16, 2005 07:50
POP
legend Sir Cliff Richard delighted shoppers in a quiet seaside town
by turning up in a red double decker bus to open a new radio
station.
The star, who has been in the music business for 47
years, was in Frinton on Saturday to perform the opening ceremony at
revived pirate radio station, Radio London.
Station manager
Roy Anderson invited Sir Cliff to do the honours because his single,
I Could Easily Fall in Love with You, was the first record to be
played on Radio London in 1964 when it was broadcasting from an old
minesweeper off the coast of Frinton.
Four decades later Sir
Cliff was promoting his latest single, What Car, which was played by
veteran DJ Mike Read, who also interviewed the Peter Pan-like pop
star.
Sir Cliff was greeted by a crowd of about 200 people and
was happy to sign autographs and have his picture taken with fans as
he hopped on and off the bus, parked in Connaught Avenue.
"It
takes me back to the days of Summer Holiday. It's great to see so
many people in little Frinton. I didn't know I had so many fans
here," he said.
Sir Cliff recalled the start of his
career in 1958, just down the road from Frinton, at the former
Butlin's camp, in Clacton, where he was a singer, but not a red
coat.
The celebrations were supposed to include a trip on
board the old radio ship, the LV18 in Harwich harbour, but it was
cancelled due to windy weather – much to the relief of Sir
Cliff. "I'm not that good a sailor," he said.
"I
never went on board the pirate ships. I listened to them. They were
good for broadcasting. I hope this goes well."
Young twin
pop stars The Cheeky Girls, added a glamorous edge to the launch.
They have recorded a cover version of the 1960s song We Love the
Pirate Stations to celebrate Radio London's comeback.
This
time around Radio London is totally legal. It has a permanent licence
to broadcast from a studio above the Woolwich building society, in
Connaught Avenue. During the day it can only be received in East
Anglia and the South East, but at night it can be heard all over
Europe.
As a pirate station Radio London, or "Big L"
as it was known, was the first to play many records which went on to
be hits, including the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Many of its DJs launched Radio 1 when the Government outlawed pirate
radio in 1967. Now, Mr Anderson said Big L will be competition for
Radio 2.
"We're going to be broadcasting seven days a
week, trying to do live programming, with some good DJs," said
Mr Anderson.
"It's going to be interesting to see if over
the next few months we can try and build a very large audience to
rival Radio 2."
Regular shows will include psychic Susie
Quinnell, who will feature on Trevor John's show from 10pm to midday
on Saturdays and Sundays. She will offer readings over the air and a
"psychic detective" slot.
As well as Mike Read, who
has been voted National Broadcaster of the Year 10 times, DJs include
Mike Ahern, formerly of Radio Caroline, Radio 1 and numerous
Australian stations, and another ex-pirate Randell Lee Rose, who has
also appeared on Virgin and Radio 2.
The station can be heard
on MW frequency 1395kHz, Sky channel 940 and www.bigl.co.uk
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Pirates searching for a home
May
15, 2005 02:30
LANDLOCKED pop pirates wanting to broadcast
from off the Felixstowe coast are still searching for a vessel to
fulfil their dream.
Radio enthusiast Shaun Brown and his
colleagues have gone official and applied for a licence to become
pirates after hearing that a commercial radio station for the
Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge was up for grabs.
Bidders
will have from June to the autumn to submit their ideas to Ofcom, the
Office of Communications and radio licensing body, for the new
station, expected to have an audience potential of 500,000 and go on
air in 2006.
They are preparing to submit the application next
month but if they are successful, they currently do not have a ship
to meet their needs.
Mr Brown, of Bredfield, near Woodbridge,
said he and his partners visited the Orkney Islands to see the
up-for-sale 50-year-old MV Communicator, once used to broadcast cult
radio station Laser 558 to around 10 million listeners across the
south east of England and Europe.
However, they were a little
disappointed in its current condition.
He said: "It's got
leaks in several places and is not very seaworthy at all.
"We
put an offer in but we don't know if they will accept it and are
still waiting to hear.
"We have looked at other
possibilities and have seen a lightship in the same area which might
also make a good base. We have spoken to the owners but again are
waiting for a detailed reply.
"Our application is going
ahead though and we plan to submit it in June as soon as the licence
is announced officially."
The company's aim is to
broadcast from a ship anchored four miles off Felixstowe just as the
pop pirates did in the heady days of the swinging sixties.
Only
this time the authorities will not be hunting them down and running
them out of British waters, cutting off their food supplies or
warning people not to listen, as they did in the when the likes of
Radio Caroline ruled the waves.
Mr Brown, who has been
involved in radio stations, would love to recreate that era and
atmosphere, though this time it would be completely legal.
The
station would play all sixties music. Boat trips would also be
arranged for people to visit the radio ship, tour the vessel, meet
the DJs and see them at work.
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12th May 2005
Waffler
Some real
developments in Radio coming up this weekend. Big L returns courtesy
of Ray Anderson and colleagues on Sky and 1395 KHz. I have yet to try
to find whether that spot on the dial in my part of London is free of
other stations. I do not have Sky but hope that the coventional
frequency will be ok from Holland. I will report later on. I
would also appreciate a copy of the start if anyone can record me a
good copy from Sky.
I have been listening to radio
in Suffolk for the past few days. I heard Vibe FM, Dream FM, SGR and
Radio Broadlands. Well I have taped them but not listened yet so will
do a report on the stations in the next few weeks.
I did get a chance to look out to sea in Felixstowe and saw Sealand (Roughs Tower) I do not have a massive zoom lens but here is a small picture that I got of the famous country on a fort! It is a genuine picture but may look like I have drawn it on to a picture of the sea!
Looks like
the radio scene is coming alive - enjoy reading the news!
Return
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News
from other sources
Return of Big L
Submitted
by: Published: Monday, 9 May 2005
Some 38 years after being
forced off the airwaves by Marine Offences Act - Wonderful Radio
London - Big L is to return this weekend. In those days it was a
pirate station broadcasting in International Waters - now however the
station is fully licenced with an AM licence in Holland and via
digital technology to a world wide audience.
Based offshore
outside national waters, seasickness and near collision were never
far away for the crews on these little boats, heaving with their
bulky broadcast equipment but to them it was all worth it. Pirate
Radio was the Internet of the 1960's - the one place where people had
a vehicle to express opinions normally gagged by the extremely
restrictive broadcast licensing conditions of the day.
Famed
for its mix of upbeat fun-packed, wacky shows, often irreverent
swipes at authority and its unerring ability to pick the
chart-toppers before any other station, Radio London was also the
spawning ground for many of the next decades top Radio Artists
including: Kenny Everett, Tony Blackburn, John Peel & Ed Stewart
to name but a few.
Radio London will be broadcasting from
Holland reaching most of the East of England on MW frequency 1395
kHz, the rest of the UK on SKY channel 940 and the whole of the world
online web streaming.
Long overdue in their return, the Radio
London team intend to resurrect the spirit of 60's radio and plan to
run a fun and frisky program of entertainment aimed to encourage and
air new talent whilst keeping the 'best-bits' rockin' through the
airwaves.
The new talent program kicks off with a competition
aimed at unknown songwriters 'Star Songs' where young hopefuls will
submit their work to the station for selection, and the finalists
will have their tune performed on air by a chart topping artist for
judging by an industry panel. What's more, later in the year, the
lucky winner will see their song recorded by a star and available as
an MP3 download from Radio London's own website.
Sir Cliff
Richard will officially open the station on Saturday 14/05. As his
1964 recording of "I could easily fall in Love with You"
was the first ever song played on the station, originally spun by
veteran DJ Pete Brady, the New BIG L will be repeating history by
kicking off with a Cliff song, so his latest release "What Car"
will be the first played.
The first show will be hosted
by Mike Read who joins BIG L to head up the team of presenters.
Mike's career spans Radio Luxembourg, BBC Radio One and many TV shows
including 'POP QUIZ' and more recently he will be remembered for his
short stint in "I'm a Celebrity... Get me out of here". The
new team at BIG L also includes, Michele Stephens, Mike Ahern,
Randall Lee Rose, Ray Anderson and many others.
Celebrating
the opening of the station during their first week with guest spots
and interviews will be an eclectic mix of celebrities and artists
from the likes of Dr Hook, who can remember when the Big L first
aired to the Cheeky Girls who's mum can! The girls have even recorded
a cover version of the 1960's song "We Love the Pirate Stations"
to celebrate the stations comeback!
Weblink:
www.bigl.co.uk
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The Community Radio
5
=====================
Communications regulator - Ofcom
has awarded to date 5 new Community
radio licence in a new third
tier of radio broadcasting - being
introduced in the UK.
This
new sector will complement the mix of services already provided
by
the BBC and commercial radio sectors. The characteristics
of
community radio are distinct from commercial radio in that
the
services will cover a small geographical area and be provided
on a
not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific
social
benefits to enrich a particular geographical community or a
community
of interest.
Ofcom has not specified where these
radio stations should be. Instead,
it has invited applicants to
apply for a licence identifying the
community or communities they
wish to serve. Licences are available
on either the FM or AM
waveband in most parts of the UK. However, in
some areas the
availability of suitable radio frequencies may limit
opportunities.
Community radio services will use frequencies which
would not
generally prove viable to support commercial services.
We take
a look at the first 5 to be licensed and briefly what they
have
planned for the future.
Forest of Dean Community Radio
The
first community radio licence to be licensed was Forest of
Dean
Community Radio who have been part of a pilot Access Radio
trial over
the last 3 years, with its first broadcast in July
2002.
The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is a rural area,
and Forest of
Dean Community Radio has built a relationship with
communities across
the varied landscapes and distinct culture of
the Forest, through its
commitment to social inclusion. This has
been achieved throughout the
Access Radio pilot and previous trial
weekend RSLs from 1995 to 2002.
Forest of Dean Radio was set
up in 1995 with a 3-day Restricted
Service Licence broadcast to
Cinderford, coinciding with Cinderford
Carnival. This was so
successful a small group was set up to work
with communities
across the Forest of Dean district to run their own
short-term
broadcasts. Between 1995 and 2002 there were 16 weekend
broadcasts
with over 1,000 programmes, involving 5,000 local people.
The
station can be heard on 1503 and 1521 medium wave.
Angel
Radio
One of the UK's most unique radio station, Angel Radio,
which
broadcasts to the Borough of Havant has been granted one of
the
country's first official Community Radio Licenses. The station
has
been running on a special project licence, which was set up to
test
the feasibility and viability of long-term community radio in
the UK.
Angel's Station Manager, Tony Smith, said "This
is wonderful news and
a great opportunity for older people in the
area to take part in a
project which enables them to take over the
airwaves and have a radio
service entirely dedicated to
them."
When considering Angel Radio's application for a
community radio
licence, Ofcom's Radio Licensing Committee said
that they were -
"impressed by this well-established group.
It considered the
application was particularly strong in its
social gain objectives, in
how well its output catered for the
tastes and interests of its
target community and broadened choice
in the area, in its
arrangements for access to the station and
accountability, and in the
support it had received from the
over-60s of Havant."
Station Manager Tony Smith said that
support from listeners, local
businesses, community groups and
Councils had all helped to win the
radio station its very special
licence. He added "Many people, when
they first hear about
our station, think that it's just a little
group of volunteers
playing a few vintage records on the wireless,
but in fact there
are 70 volunteers doing a total of 740 hours a
week, which, if
they were paid, would mean a wage bill of £500,000 a
year.
Angel Radio is committed to providing a full radio service
24-hours
a day, 7-days a week, specifically for persons aged 60 and
over
who live in the Borough of Havant. Uplifting nostalgic
entertainment
in the form of music, humour and memories from the
years 1900 to
1959, together with current information regarding
health, diet,
pensions, etc. and stimulation in the form of
reminiscence therapy
for mental health, and dance and exercise for
physical health,
accentuate the positive aspects of old age for the
29,000 older
persons who live within the borough. The station creates
a sense
of value and self-worth for staff and audience and gives a
voice
to a section of the community who are often segregated and
generally
undervalued and underserved by the media."
Angel Radio
broadcasts on 101.1 MHz fm
Cross Rhythms Radio
After
three years as one of the pioneering pilot stations for
Community
Radio, Cross Rhythms City Radio were awarded a 5 year
licence, to
broadcast FM radio across Stoke-on-Trent
and
Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Chris Cole, Cross Rhythms CEO
said:
"We couldn't be more thrilled, and it is such a
release of
encouragement for the whole team. The hard work and
dedicated
commitment the team has put in over the last three years
has been
richly rewarded. It is also wonderful confirmation for us
that our
vision and heart for community radio has been so affirmed
by the
governing body at Ofcom".
Community Radio is
one of the new jewels in the broadcasting crown in
the UK as Ofcom
consider applications from right across the country,
to roll out
this new tier of broadcasting. A statement from Ofcom
said:
"The
RLC (Radio Licensing Committee) viewed this group's (Cross
Rhythms)
proposals favourably in relation to all of the statutory
selection
criteria. It has a good track record in securing the
funding it
needs, has good links and demonstrable support both within
the
Christian community of the area and within the wider community,
and
has well-considered social gain objectives reflecting an
inclusive
approach to the whole community as well as its core
Christian
target group."
Cross Rhythms City Radio broadcasts as a
community station for the
whole community of Stoke-on-Trent and
Newcastle-under-Lyme, with a
Christian values ethos. Jonathan
Bellamy, Cross Rhythms General
Manager said:
"This
award really affirms our desire to be a service to the
whole
community. The station is underpinned by Christian values
but its
content is driven by local issues. In the last three years
we have
established working partnerships with many community
organisations
including the police, council, local newspaper,
health, employment
and education agencies. We support and profile
the theatres, local
businesses, arts groups, ethnic organisations
and many more. We have
been invited to support, and play an active
role, in city wide
initiatives such as Citizen Of The Year Awards,
Stoke-on-Trent Music
City, and CQ5 - The Cultural Quarter
Festival. With this brand new 5
year opportunity we are so excited
to be able to build upon the
foundations we have laid. We are
already in discussion of how we can
provide media training for
young and disadvantaged people; how we can
support drug awareness
and education into schools; and how we can
raise the profile of
local businesses. We really believe we are a
valued contribution
to the whole community, and we hope that value
will increase in
the coming years".
Cross Rhythms City Radio can currently
be heard on 101.8FM across
Stoke-on-Trent and
Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is also broadcast
nationally on Sky
Digital 876 and on the internet. Cross Rhythms City
Radio is part
of the wider Cross Rhythms organisation comprising a
music
magazine, festivals and the most popular Christian website in
the
UK. They are the leading name in contemporary Christian music in
the
UK (this being rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, R & B, styles
of
Christian music in addition to more traditional church
styles).
GTFM
GTFM is one of Wales's first full time
community radio station. Based
in Pontypridd (North of Cardiff)
the station has just been awarded a
5 year Community Radio
licence. The award follows a highly
successful pilot broadcast
which informed government policy on the
development of Community
Radio in the UK. GTFM was the only station
in Wales selected to
take part in the pilot.
Station Manager Andrew Jones
said:
"This a fitting reward for all the hard work that
has gone into
establishing GTFM. It also shows the confidence that
radio
regulators OFCOM have in us." GTFM aims to provide a
local and
inclusive radio service for the residents of Pontypridd
in
partnership with the University of Glamorgan. The station has
built
up a loyal local following. The station is run by a small
team of
paid staff, but volunteers are the life blood of the
station.
Community Radio Tutor Steve Johnson said "Volunteers
can get involved
in all aspects of GTFM - from presenting
programmes to working behind
the scenes. Training opportunities
are provided for anyone who wants
to take part"
Afan
FM
Afan FM is the second licence to be awarded for South Wales
- this
time in Neath & Port Talbot. Afan was not part of any
pilot scheme
but has run a number of RSL broadcasts in the
area.
The station was setup in March 2003 by then 18 year old
local boy
Craig Williams, and has conducted two trial broadcasts
to the area in
October 2003 and April 2004. The April broadcast
was a phenomenal
success attracting over 129,000 hits to the
website alone, as well as
over 4,000 phone calls/text messages and
emails!
Local residents can now expect a youth-orientated
local radio service
playing predominantly Alternative music from
the likes of Keane, The
Killers, Snow Patrol, Razorlight &
Coldplay - as well as helpings of
cutting edge dance and chart
music. In addition, AfanFM will also
give local bands and talent
an opportunity to shine with dedicated
shows for them to do
so.
In awarding the licence, Ofcom gave a brief breakdown of
its reason
for granting the licence to AfanFM:
"The
RLC (Radio Licensing Committee) was impressed with AfanFM's plans
to
give young people a forum to express their views, to get
involved
with the operation of the station, receive appropriate
training and
the support it has attracted from a good range of
governmental and
other bodies"
It is expected that
AfanFM will begin broadcasting on an as yet
unknown FM frequency
in 2006.
Return to
Top
Sony Radio Academy Awards 2005 -
Winners
========================================
The
winners of the 23rd Sony Radio Academy Awards, were announced
on
Monday evening at London's Grosvenor House.
As well as
the Gold, Silver and Bronze Winners of the 32 categories,
the
annual Gold Award was presented to Radio 2's evergreen DJ
Steve
Wright and The Special Award, was presented to Commercial
Radio, for
the groundbreaking UK Radio Aid for the Tsunami
Appeal.
The Special Award and The Gold Award were decided by
the Committee of
the Sony Radio Academy Awards. The 2005 winner of
The Special Award
was UK Radio Aid for making radio history on
Monday 17 January. On
this ground-breaking day, a 12 hour
broadcast across 300 commercial
stations took place in aid of the
Tsunami Appeal - it was the first
time that commercial stations
had united to form a nationwide
network. The programme attracted
27.5 million listeners and to date
has raised over £3.25
million.
Radio 2's Steve Wright won the prestigious Gold Award
"for his
distinctive mastery of the medium, for the
inspiration his own work
has given to so many other music radio
broadcasters and for the vast
creativity he's brought to his
output across three decades."
The Gold, Silver and Bronze
winners were selected by a panel of over
100 judges chosen for
their particular expertise, drawn from radio,
the arts,
entertainment and sport. This year's Award presenters
were
wonderfully eclectic, including Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey,
Natalie
Imbruglia, Barbara Windsor, Ulrika Jonsson, Terry Gilliam,
Shakin'
Stevens, Maureen Lipman, Brett Anderson, Lord Kinnock,
Kirsty
Gallacher, Jon Snow and Alison Goldfrapp.
WINNERS
THE
EVENT AWARD
GOLD - The Drive Show: D-Day Anniversary, BBC
Radio Kent
SILVER - The Ray Clark Afternoon Show: D-Day
Anniversary Live from
Normandy, BBC
Radio Cambridgeshire
BRONZE
- The Welsh Weekender, BBC Radio Cleveland
THE COMMUNITY
AWARD
GOLD - The Stephen Nolan Show, BBC Radio Ulster Factual
for Radio Ulster
SILVER - Oxford Rd - The Story, BBC Radio
Berkshire
BRONZE - Safer Sex In The City Campaign, Key 103
THE
PROMO AWARD
GOLD - A77 Guardian Angel Campaign, West Sound
Commercial Production
for West Sound, West FM & SouthWest
Sound FM
SILVER - FCUK FM, Somethin' Else & Delicious Digital
for FCUK FM
BRONZE - Closer To The Boro, BBC Radio Cleveland
THE
SPORTS AWARD
GOLD - City Till I Die, BBC Radio York
SILVER
- Sportsweek, BBC Radio Five Live
BRONZE - I Don't Know What It Is
But I Love It: Rome 84, BBC Radio
Merseyside
THE COMEDY
AWARD
GOLD - The National Theatre Of Brent's Complete And
Utter History Of The
Mona Lisa, Above the Title Productions for
Radio 4
SILVER - The 99p Challenge, Pozzitive Television for BBC
Radio 4
BRONZE - Clare In The Community, BBC Radio Entertainment
for Radio 4
THE INFORMATION AWARD
GOLD - Unhappy Hour,
Viking FM News Team for Viking FM & Magic 1161
SILVER - Five
Live Money, BBC Business Unit for Five Live
BRONZE - University
Challenged, Galaxy Programming for Galaxy Network
THE NEWS
OUTPUT AWARD
GOLD - The Beslan Seige, BBC World Service News &
Current Affairs &
Newsgathering for BBC World Service
SILVER
- BBC Radio Berkshire News: Ufton Nervet Rail Crash, BBC
Radio
Berkshire BRONZE - The Today Programme, BBC Radio News for
Radio 4
THE NEWS STORY AWARD
GOLD - The Tsunami BBC
Radio News for Five Live
SILVER - The Impact Of The Madrid Bombs:
Today Programme, BBC News for
Radio 4 BRONZE - Ken Bigley &
Boris Johnson, BBC Radio Merseyside
THE NEWS JOURNALIST OF THE
YEAR
GOLD - Eddie Mair, BBC Radio 4
SILVER - Hugh Sykes,
BBC Radio 4
BRONZE - Key 103 & Magic 1152 News Team, Key
103
THE STATION SOUND AWARD
GOLD - Kiss 100
SILVER -
talkSPORT, talkSPORT Creative for talkSPORT
BRONZE - Kerrang!
Radio
THE SPECIALIST MUSIC AWARD
GOLD - Zane Lowe, BBC
Radio 1
SILVER - Andy Kershaw, BBC Radio 3
BRONZE - Charlie
Gillett, BBC London 94.9
THE ENTERTAINMENT AWARD
GOLD -
Christian O'Connell's Breakfast Show, XFM
SILVER - The Jonathan
Ross Show, BBC Radio 2 & Off The Kerb Productions
for Radio
2
BRONZE - Junior Interviews 96.3 Radio Aire
THE NEWS
PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR
GOLD - Vote Friction, Unique the
production company for BBC Radio 1
SILVER - Weekend Business: The
Battle for Marks & Spencer, BBC
Business Unit for Five
Live
BRONZE - File on 4: A Hidden Army, BBC Radio Current Affairs
(Manchester)
for Radio 4
THE SHORT FORM FEATURE AWARD
GOLD
- Blind Man's Beauty, BBC Radio and Music Factual for Radio 4
SILVER
- The Poetry Pod, BBC 7
BRONZE - Short & Precious Lives, BBC
Radio Bristol
THE INTERACTIVE RADIO AWARD
GOLD - Three
Counties Breakfast, BBC Three Counties Radio
SILVER - The Stephen
Nolan Show, BBC Radio Ulster
BRONZE - Groundswell, BBC Radio
Nottingham
THE COMPETITION AWARD
GOLD - Christian
O'Connell's Rock School, Xfm
SILVER - The Game, Galaxy 105 &
106
BRONZE - The Real Radio Fugitive, Real Radio for Real Radio
Yorkshire,
Wales & Scotland
THE DRAMA AWARD
GOLD
- Laughter In The Dark, Catherine Bailey Productions for BBC Radio
3
SILVER - The Permanent Way, Catherine Bailey Productions for BBC
Radio 3
BRONZE - Banana Republic, BBC Radio Drama for Radio 4
THE
FEATURE AWARD
GOLD - Missing The Message, Unique the
production company for BBC Radio 1
SILVER - Five Live Report:
Bhopal's Toxic Tomorrows, BBC Radio Current
Affairs for Five
Live
BRONZE - Kindertotenlied - Song On The Death Of Children,
Falling Tree
Productions for BBC Radio 3
THE SPEECH
AWARD
GOLD - Beyond Belief - Islam and Women, BBC Religion and
Ethics for Radio
4 SILVER - The Stephen Nolan Show, BBC Radio
Ulster
BRONZE - Life Stories: Losing Sight, BBC Radio
Scotland
THE DAILY MUSIC SHOW OF THE YEAR
GOLD -
Kerrang! 105.2 Drivetime with Lucio, Kerrang! 105.2
SILVER - James
Cannon, 95.8 Capital FM
BRONZE - Colin & Edith, BBC Radio
1
THE 'MUSIC SPECIAL' AWARD
GOLD - Teenage Dreams So
Hard To Beat, BBC Speech & Campaigns for Radio 1
SILVER - The
Second Summer Of Love: Episode 2, BBC News & Current Affairs
for
Radio 2
BRONZE - Andy Kershaw In Iran, BBC Radio 3
THE
WEEKLY MUSIC SHOW OF THE YEAR
GOLD - The Selector, Somethin'
Else for FCUK FM
SILVER - Paul Gambaccini with America's Greatest
Hits, Howlett Media
Productions
for BBC Radio 2
BRONZE -
Speakerbox, 107.6 Juice FM
THE STATION PROGRAMMER OF THE
YEAR
GOLD - Richard Maddock, Radio City 96.7
THE MUSIC
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
GOLD - Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1
SILVER
- Ian Camfield, Xfm
BRONZE - Charles Hazlewood, Somethin' Else /
BBC Radio 2 & 3 for Radio 2 &
Radio 3
THE SPEECH
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
GOLD - Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2
SILVER
- Stephen Nolan, BBC Radio Ulster
BRONZE - Stephen Rhodes, BBC
Three Counties Radio
THE DJ OF THE YEAR
GOLD - Danny
Baker, BBC London 94.9
SILVER - Christian O'Connel, Xfm
BRONZE
- Jo & Twiggy, Creation for 96 Trent FM
THE BREAKFAST SHOW
OF THE YEAR
GOLD - Christian O'Connell's Breakfast Show,
Xfm
SILVER - The Ugly Phil Breakfast Show, Kerrang! 105.2 FM (West
Midlands)
BRONZE - The Johnny Vaughan Breakfast Show, 95.8 Capital
FM
STATION OF THE YEAR: UNDER 300,000
GOLD - BBC Radio
Foyle
STATION OF THE YEAR: 300,000 - 1 MILLION
GOLD -
BBC Three Counties Radio
STATION OF THE YEAR: 1 MILLION
PLUS
GOLD - Radio City 96.7
STATION OF THE YEAR:
DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL
GOLD - Capital Disney
UK STATION OF
THE YEAR
GOLD - BBC Radio 2
The Special Award - UK
RADIO AID
The GOLD - Award - STEVE WRIGHT
Highly
Rated - Riviera Radio
============================
This
weekend 106.5 Riviera Radio based in Monaco will air 300
snippets
of songs live to it's 1,000,000 potential listeners and
asking
them to rate every single song on the station by scoring each
song
on a 1 to 3 scale.
The station has joined with local
newspapers and is using it's
website to print the list of songs so
every single listener can get
their hands on the list.
The
station has again grown it's audience to an all time high
level
according to mediametrie, the French ratings company.
Paul
Kavanagh, the stations Managing Director said:
"Music is
very important to us and as we are a local station competing
with
national stations we can tune up our music to better suit the
people
across the South of France. We are a consumer focused station
and
we have now put the listeners in charge of the station.
This
is a first but it will become more common in time across
the
world".
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Pure unveils
latest Tri-band and Record DAB
Sets
================================================
PURE
Digital - has unveiled its latest development for the popular
EVOKE
DAB radio. The new Evoke-1XT Tri-Band DAB digital radio is a
special
international edition of the portable DAB radio. It is
also
demonstrating a new handheld with triband / MP3 and record
feature.
EVOKE-1XT Tri-Band adds several enhanced features
specifically for
international users, including: Band III and
L-band DAB reception; FM
with RDS; support for a wide selection of
European languages
(English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish,
Italian, Danish, Swedish,
and Norwegian). The EVOKE-1XT was voted
Best Portable Radio in the
UK's What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision Awards
2004.
EVOKE-1XT Tri-Band has easy-to-use DAB features such as
station
selection by name and scrolling text showing song titles,
artist
information, news updates and sports results. The stylish
radio
features radius-edged veneered casework and a large,
clear
white-on-blue display.
3rd May 2005
Waffler
I have been
enjoying listening to Easy Radio on dab radio here in London. It is
Avtar Lit's only totally English speaking station and very good
indeed. Ron Brown, Ex Jackie and other stations, does breakfast, and
to my mind is a top broadcaster. It is actually the old Country and
Ritz 1035 format woken up with oldies and easy music. Some of the
Jingles for Easy Radio London sound very much like the old 60s
jingles for the offshore station Big L.
I have also been
listening to Roots FM and Freeze in the mornings. My wife asked the
question as to how these people are broadcasting during the daytime-
perhaps they are unemployed or students?
Following on from the
Superdrug radio and the shower radio I wish to report some findings
today whilst shopping in Harrow.
Tschibo have a small radio
like the superdrug am,fm and sw 9 bander for £9.99.
Tschibo
have another radio slightly bigger with am,fm and lw for
£7.99
Woolworths have a radio with am fm and lw for
£4.99
I cannot vouch for the reception or sound
qualities of these. It is a great pity that the shops do not put one
on demonstration. I suppose they would get broken by children playing
with them. Or even perhaps adults!
I have scanned
Practical Wireless and Shortwave Magazine and found nothing of
interest to make me purchase them. It is about time that we had
magazines which covered a variety of topics rather than focusing on a
subject like Marine communications in depth then another the next
month.
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News
from other sources
RAJAR Q1/05
The latest
Quarterly radio listening results are to be published on Thursday
(05/05) by RAJAR for the first Quarter of 2005. The RAJAR website has
full listings on their website, and as usual ukRadio.com has provided
graphical analysis.
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BBC
Radio 2 continues to pull in new listeners, with Terry Wogan
extending his lead as the UK's most popular DJ. The audience for
Wogan's breakfast show has risen 40,000 to 8.09 million for the first
quarter of 2005, according to Radio Joint Audience Research
figures
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Radio
Caroline's radio ship Ross Revenge was moved on Thursday 28th
April
2005 just round the corner at Tilbury Docks in Essex where
she has been
berthed since last August.
She is now in a
secured private berth with access just for the crew and will
be
closed to the public for the immediate future. The picture
at
http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/ (taken by Graham Winning) at
shows the tow
underway.
"We were at the Ocean Liner
Terminal since last August where we enjoyed the
facilities of this
convenient berth for broadcasting, maintenance and
visits."
Station manager Peter Moore reports, "The move is simply
because
Tilbury port has seen a big increase in cruise ship traffic for
the
2005 season. 54 liners are visiting during the season, so that
sometimes
there will be two liners docked simultaneously. In
simple terms, Ross
Revenge would be in the way and would prevent a
second liner from docking.
So we had to move."
The
Radio Caroline radio ship Ross Revenge was last open to visitors
on
15th,16th & 17th April 2005.
(Caroline UK web
site)
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Baker
- Jailed
==============
Classic Gold Breeze presenter -
David Baker has been sent to prison
in order to broadcast a
mainstream live programme from inside
Bullwood Hall, a specialist
women's correctional and training
facility at Hockley near
Southend.
Baker broadcast his Drive Time programme from the
prison for the
whole four hours.
Planet Rock signs Horne
for new Show
====================================
DJ Nicky
Horne has been signed to the Digital Rock Station for a
brand new
weekday show which kicks off on Tuesday (3 May) with an
exclusive
interview recorded on the road with Queen.
Horne's new show
from 10.00 to 14.00 on national DAB digital radio
station Planet
Rock will feature the best rock music in the world and
interviews
with the biggest rock legends.
During the first week of the
show, Horne reports from Hamburg after
being given exclusive
backstage access to Queen and new lead singer
Paul Rogers on their
European tour. As well as talking to the group,
Horne talks to
roadies and fans to find out about life on the road
with one of
the world's greatest rock acts of all time.
Over the next few
weeks, Horne will also be catching up with Robert
Plant and Status
Quo.
Music will be the core of the programme but this will be
one of the
most interactive shows on air. The listeners will be
able to access
the station via text, email or phone and will be
able to choose music
through various innovative daily features,
including 'I Was There',
which will reunite fans who went to some
of the greatest gigs in rock
history.Think of it like a Friends
Reunited for rock fans. This is a
feature that will build into a
'virtual' rock community.
Nicky Horne said: 'I've waited 19
years to present a show like this.
We're going to play the best
rock music in the world - Pink Floyd,
Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzie,
The Who - music that rock fans grew up
with, music that means
something, music that is not catered for by
any other radio
station.'
He added: 'Planet Rock is a station I've been
listening to since it
started. Now to be part of this team that
are so passionate and
knowledgeable about their music is an
absolute joy.'
Horne also currently presents classic album
tracks on Capital Gold,
having first joined Capital Radio as one
of its original DJs in 1973.
Dirk Anthony, who will be
Content Director of GCap Media when it
starts on 9 May,
said:
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UK-based
commercial broadcaster Radio Caroline says its radio ship
Ross
Revenge has soon to leave its current anchorage at Tilbury,
Essex, because
it's in the way. The vessel has been berthed at the
Ocean Liner Terminal
since last August where it has enjoyed the
convenience of facilities for
broadcasting, maintenance and
visits.
However, on the station's website, station manager
Peter Moore explains that
"The Ross Revenge must soon leave
Tilbury. This is simply because that port
has seen a big increase
in cruise ship traffic for the 2005 season. 54
liners are visiting
during the season, so that sometimes there will be two
liners
docked simultaneously. In simple terms, Ross Revenge would be in
the
way and would prevent a second liner from docking. So we have
to move. Where
we will go is not clear right now."
The
uncertainty over the Ross Revenge should not affect the
station's
regular programming, as most of it comes from a
landbased studio in
Maidstone,
Kent.
http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/
23rd April 2005
Waffler:
I
have been listening in to Radio Jackie's morning programmes nearly
all week. The station does use two announcers in both shows but the
mixture of male and female staff all with something slightly tongue
in cheek works well. I have wrapped up the week by ordering one of
their fleeces from the Radio Jackie shop online. I wonder if I have
been brainwashed? Joking apart the station is working well and has a
good identity which extends well out of its target area of South West
London. I checked out a new location I may soon be living at and much
to my delight - even though that is outside the target area the
signal is good. It must have something to do with the aerial being on
top of the Tolworth Tower. I noted after 9am a Radio Jackie jingle
sung by announcers which was reminiscent of Kenny Everett's
work!
They are on 107.8 fm and also have a web stream for you to
listen to.
I understand that Eric Wiltsher the King of the Media Zoo programme and boss of the new RTI station is in hospital at present and wish him a speedy recovery.
Thanks to the people visiting the Anorak Nation site for rating this site at number 4. This is done automatically by their server which counts how many people click on the links on their site.
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News
from other sources
More BBC
Podcasts
=================
More FM celebrate new
Oxfordshire licence
=========================================
Long
established Oxfordshire radio applicant More FM is celebrating
after
the radio regulator announced it will licence a new station for
the
county next year.
More FM has been campaigning for greater
radio choice in Oxfordshire
for nearly 10 years and their work has
finally paid off. Ofcom, the
government's communications industry
regulator, announced today that
the City Of Oxford and South
Oxfordshire will get a new local FM
radio station sometime in late
2006. Applications will have to
be submitted next Spring and it is
likely that the new station will
be on air sometime at the end of
2006. Chairman Barry Giles said:
"We are pleased that our
long campaign has paid off. We now look
forward to getting down to
the hard work of preparing our
application. More Fm have run after
2 trial broadcasts in
Oxfordshire". More FM is backed by
local Oxfordshire businessmen
along with Newsquest, owners of the
Oxford Mail and Town and Country
Broadcasting which has existing
interests in several local radio
licences in the UK.
Radio
Caroline's manager Peter Moore is reported to considering
replacing
the now closed 'Radio Caroline Sales' with a new
charitable fund raising
venture. The "Radio Caroline
Charitable Society" will replace the
previously successful
Radio Caroline Sales, which had been based at
Ramsgate.
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Television
presenter Chris Tarrant has launched an outspoken attack
on
"mindless" radio stations and outlined his plans to
revitalise the industry.
The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
host and former Capital Radio DJ hopes to
start his revolution in
the Solent region by launching The Coast 106 - a new
radio station
for Dorset and Hampshire.
Chris is on the Celador Radio board
bidding for the radio licence and, in an
interview with the Daily
Echo, said he was desperate to shake-up the
broadcast
industry.
He said: "I just love radio but I find
everybody's doing all this rotated
music, they're depersonalising
all the presenters - I mean, the whole point
of radio is the
presenters, even if you hate them, you still listen to them.
"We're
not allowing DJs to develop, it's so formatted. A lot of these
young
kids have got instructions not to speak for 20 minutes, then
do one link and
mention the name of the radio station.
"I
just find it sort of mindless, it's not all radio everywhere but
there is
a horrible dumbing-down trend that we've got to get away
from.
"We've got to get back into personality radio and
intelligent
radio...(extract)
"
http://www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk/dorset/bournemouth/news/BOURN_NEWS_NEWS2.html
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18
April 2005
Afghanistan's ousted Taliban, which banned
entertainment and football when
in power, has launched a
clandestine pirate radio station.
The station broadcasts
anti-US and anti-government propaganda as well as
Islamic hymns
from a mobile transmitter.
Called "Shariat Shagh",
or Voice of Shariat, after the station the Taliban
ran while in
power between 1996 and 2001, the broadcast can be heard in
five
southern provinces, including the former regime's old power
base of
Kandahar.
Abdul Latif Hakimi, Taliban spokesman,
was quoted by the Pakistan-based
private Afghan Islamic Press news
agency as saying: "The radios of the world
which are
apparently free, are in fact slaves of others. That is why we
have
launched the radio, to make people aware about the Taliban's
thoughts and
objectives."
It goes on the air between
six and seven o'clock in the mornings and same
time in the
evenings.
A bloody insurgency during the past two years has
claimed more than 1,000
lives.
US-led forces toppled the
Taliban government after it refused to hand over
al-Qa'eda chief,
Osama bin Laden, the architect of the September 11 attacks
on New
York's twin towers and the
Pentagon.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/18/utaliban.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/04/18/ixportaltop.html
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Increased
International Support for
DAB
=======================================
According to
the latest update from the World DAB Forum -
international support
for DAB is on the increase. In recent weeks, a
series of
announcements from legislative bodies and broadcasters
around the
world has indicated a wave of growing support for Digital
Audio
Broadcasting as the technology of choice for the digitalisation
of
radio.
In the next months more announcements are expected, to
include Korea
and Taiwan.
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Smooth
Manager Director Appointment
===================================
Roy
Bennett has been appointed Managing Director of the Smooth FM
Brand,
overseeing both the development of the North West station and
the
launch of the brand in London this June.
As Managing Director
Roy has driven Smooth FM to huge success in the
North West since
it hit the airwaves in March 2004 and one of his
first duties in
his extended role will be to work closely with GMG
Radio Chief
Executive John Myers in overseeing the transition from
102.2
JAZZFM to Smooth FM in the capital.
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The
BBC is to podcast up to 20 more radio shows - including sections
of
the Today programme and selected Radio 1 speech content - as
it
extends its download trial.
The BBC is to podcast up to
20 more radio shows - including sections
of the Today programme
and selected Radio 1 speech content - as it
extends its download
trial.
Speaking at Music Radio 2005, Simon Nelson, Controller
of BBC Radio
and Music Interactive, revealed that more programmes
will be
available to download and podcast at bbc.co.uk/radio until
the end of
the year, following the popularity of the BBC's
previous downloading
trial.
"These technologies can
transform the value we deliver to audiences
and make our
programmes more accessible for both new and existing
audiences,"
said Mr Nelson.
"The BBC was the first British
broadcaster to podcast when we made In
Our Time available last
year and this trial will enable us to further
explore the
editorial, technical and distribution issues involved."
The
trial means the BBC will offer its first daily podcasts - the
Today
programme's 8.10am interview - along with weekly titles and
speech
highlights from Radio 1 programmes for listeners to download
and
transfer to portable audio players.
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Forthcoming
public consultation on amateur radio licensing
On 26 May Ofcom
will publish new proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on the
amateur radio community whilst retaining the necessary safeguards to
ensure the integrity of this important use of the radio
spectrum.
The proposals will be published for public
consultation; and Ofcom believes it is very important that as many
amateur radio users as possible are willing and able to share their
views on the different options presented.
In order
to receive an email notification as soon as this consultation
document is published please register for Updates from Ofcom on radio
spectrum matters. Users can register at
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/subscribe/radiospectrum.htm
For
clarity and transparency, below are the key points Ofcom wishes to
set out in greater detail in the formal public consultation on 26
May.
Ofcom believes that:
The amateur
radio community is an important radio spectrum user group. Ofcom must
continue to take the community's interests into account and ensure
that the needs of the community are reflected in
policymaking.
Ofcom wishes to seek the least intrusive
means of regulating wherever possible and is committed to reducing
the regulatory burden (and therefore, costs) for all of its
stakeholders. However, Ofcom will balance against that the need to
retain all necessary safeguards to ensure the integrity of radio
spectrum use, including use by the amateur radio community.
Ofcom
therefore believes that radio amateurs must hold a valid WT Act
amateur radio licence and must hold a valid Radio Amateur Examination
Pass Certificate in order to obtain a licence.
The
public consultation document will propose two changes only:
To
make amateur radio licences valid for life (they are currently
renewable annually).
To make electronic licences (probably
issued as Adobe PDF® documents) available online and free of
charge.
Specifically, Ofcom believes the following would
NOT change if these two proposals were put into effect:
Existing
standards would be maintained.
There would still be a legal
requirement for radio amateurs to hold a valid WT Act amateur radio
licence.
The licensee would retain the responsibility for
ensuring that licence details are amended as and when necessary (upon
a change of address for example).
Ofcom would retain the
power to revoke the licence should the radio amateur breach the terms
of the licence.
It would still be a requirement to hold a
valid Radio Amateur Examination Pass Certificate in order to obtain a
licence.
For radio amateurs who wish to operate overseas,
there would still be a licence document available for inspection by
foreign administrations.
Ofcom would continue to hold a
database of the names and addresses of all licensed radio
amateurs.
Every amateur would continue to hold their own
unique call-sign(s).
Ofcom would continue to notify amateur
radio licence holders of changes to their licence terms and
conditions.
It would still be possible for radio amateurs to
apply for a Notice of variation to the licence if required.
It
would still be possible to operate amateur radio repeaters.
It
would still be possible to operate packet radio.
Current
spectrum access rights would be maintained. Ofcom’s spectrum
management and enforcement activities are not determined according to
the level of the licence fee.
All licensed radio amateurs
would automatically receive a ‘licence for life’. No
action would be required on their part unless their licence had
lapsed at the point when ‘licences for life’ were
introduced.
Ofcom, or its agents, would continue to provide
a postal service for applicants who do not have access to the
internet or who prefer not to use the internet.
For the
avoidance of doubt, whilst the formal public consultation will put
forward a number of other options for the future, those options are
explicitly not recommended by Ofcom. Specifically, Ofcom will not
recommend any options to make the amateur radio service WT Act
licence-exempt; however, for transparency and completeness, this will
be put forward as an option in the public consultation in order to
gather the community's views
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17th April 2005
Waffler
This evening I listened to Beyond our Ken and the Al Read Show on BBC7 digital radio. When my children were small I tried to introduce them to the same concept of Sunday listening that I had enjoyed as a youngster in the 60s. Alas playing the Clitheroe Kid and the Goons and I'm Sorry I'll Read that again did not raise much enthusiasm at all. The new Children's station on DAB in London which has replaced Abracadabra is still testing and asking listeners what they want to hear. They are playing a wide variety of music from Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf and the Teletubbies to current pop music.
Typing up this entry
I am listening to Chill on Dab. It is on quite a few complexes and
London received it last. It is quite good but the announcements
are obviously computerised and rather repetitive. I could not listen
to this during the day but at night it is restful. I do not think
though that this would satisfy my son and partner's idea of what
Chill music really is!
Tuned into Worldspace today and found
the stations left without encryption to be very boring. African
Learning Channel told me how to make roof tiles, but alas I do not
own a suitable vibrator! Orient was playing exotic sounding music and
then lots of French speech. The BBC African World Service was not in
English. RFI was on with French Speech. The preview channel was not
really showcasing what I really feel is a great array of stations on
the Afristar satellite. Unfortunately I cannot afford to subscribe to
Worldspace and with this current lack of good material to listen to
am considering selling the radio. I have had my moneys worth out of
the set - literally hundreds of hours of Radio Caroline and The Hop.
When I first bought it the best pop channel was Radio Voyager. The
owners of Worldspace are going to lose others as well; the concept of
charging to listen to radio in the UK is not widely accepted. After
all it is years since there was a charge for a wireless only licence!
Even car radios in the UK do not need a licence.
No sign of
Bashment FM this Sunday - missed the Sunday Revival Show.
I am beginning to add some more recommended programmes, also updating music section of the site more regularly. I have recently scanned quite a few 1980s radio cuttings and may put some on the site soon.
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News
from other sources
First Israeli-Palestinian Radio
Station launches
Submitted by: Published: Thursday, 14 April
2005
"All for Peace - Radio Without Borders" is
now broadcasting live on a national frequency 107.2 FM.
Operating
from studios in East Jerusalem, All for Peace – Radio Without
Borders is a joint initiative of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace,
Givat Haviva and the “Biladi” organization.
Broadcasting
in three languages (Hebrew, Arabic and English) the station offers a
varied program of news, culture and music. With a mission to promote
peace, coexistence and pluralism, the station makes a point of
covering the activity of Israeli and Palestinian peace organizations
and expresses viewpoints currently underrepresented in the
media.
Shimon Malka, Israeli Director said:
We
hope to create a place where Palestinian and Israelis can hold a
dialogue, without actually being in the same place physically. This
is becoming increasingly important as the situation on the ground and
political developments, separate the majority of the communities
physically.
Maysa Baransi-Siniora, Palestinian Director
added:
The radio station isn’t limited to
supporters of one political camp or other, but aims to target a
diverse audience. All for Peace Radio Without Borders will enable
everyone, regardless of political standing, to learn about the other
side. Israeli-Palestinian cooperation conveys an optimistic message
and transmits hope for the end of the conflict.
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Tapes
of BBC Radio 4's The Archers with episodes from 1977 have been found
at BBC Radio Wiltshire.
A BBC archivist has
confirmed that they will fill a lot of the gaps in the existing
Archers collection.
Gerry Hughes, a broadcast
assistant for Radio Wiltshire, couldn't believe his eyes when he came
across the box of tapes during a spring clean.
The
reel-to-reel tapes were donated by Dr Barbara Carter, a Radio
Wiltshire listener from Swindon, six years earlier.
They
had been put aside at the time and ended up buried amongst the other
tapes in the studio.
Gerry Hughes says: "I
must admit that I'm not the tidiest of people but I can't believe
that I hadn't spotted these tapes earlier.
"It
is such a find and a real treasure for us to have here at Radio
Wiltshire.
"This will certainly inspire me
to spring clean on a regular basis!" he adds.
It's
particularly apt that Gerry found the tapes as he currently holds the
Guinness World Record for the longest running one-man radio drama for
a show which he wrote, produced and starred in from 1994 to
2000.
The Archers, which has been running since 1951,
also holds a world record for the longest running radio drama
series.
Over four million listeners tune in each
week to The Archers as they follow the lives of the residents of
Ambridge.
Up until 1994 only selected episodes
of the popular drama were saved.
Editor of The
Archers, Vanessa Whitburn, comments: "It's wonderful to get
these tapes, part of Ambridge's history. Now we can store episodes in
a more compact way, the more of these we find the better.
"The
BBC was only able to keep selected episodes over the years and many
everyday episodes were lost.
"Our thanks
indeed to Dr Carter and Gerry Hughes."
Dr Carter
taped The Archers for her elderly mother and had recorded nearly 25
omnibus editions.
Snippets of the original tapes
will be broadcast on Radio Wiltshire and Radio Swindon's breakfast
shows this morning (Monday 11 April, 7.00am) and listeners all over
the world can tune in via bbc.co.uk/wiltshire.
Points
West (BBC ONE West, 6.30pm) will also be broadcasting extracts from
the tape on Monday evening along with footage of a special visit they
arranged for Dr Carter to The Archers studios where she met Patricia
Gallimore, who plays Pat Archer, and editor Vanessa
Whitburn.
Patricia plays one of the long-standing
characters and her voice can be heard on the discovered
tapes.
Radio Wiltshire and Radio Swindon, Monday
11 April, 7.00-10.00am
Points West, BBC ONE
West, Monday 11 April, 6.30pm
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Live
TV and radio coverage of the general election and Wimbledon could be
targeted if BBC staff decide to strike over job cuts, a union has
warned. Unions are to ballot members for strike action this week over
plans to cut up to 4,000 posts at the corporation.
102.2
Smooth FM will launch in London at 10am on Tuesday 7th June,
replacing JAZZ FM in the capital.
Ten days prior to the
launch of Smooth FM, all JAZZ FM branding will be removed from the
airwaves and the station will play continuous music reflecting the
fresh soulful sound as we countdown to the launch of London’s
new radio station.
Presenter Kevin Greening will join the
weekday line-up in the lunchtime 10am – 3pm slot. Kevin’s
voice is already familiar with listeners as he moves from his weekend
mid-morning show to take up his new role in the weekday line-up.
Kevin, who shot to fame as one half of BBC Radio 1’s breakfast
duo with Zoe Ball, will work exclusively for 102.2 Smooth FM.
Kevin
Greening said
"I can't wait to get installed in my
‘Smooth Booth’ to roll out five hours of London's smooth
favourites every day. It'll be radio with the crusts cut off."
Full
details of the programme schedule will be announced shortly along
with plans for the £1.5 million marketing campaign, which will
support the launch.
The 2,050 job cuts -
including 424 announced in December - take total job losses at the
BBC to 3,780, saving £355m a year to reinvest in programmes.
They are part of director general Mark Thompson's plans to streamline
the BBC. He told staff it was "the toughest period any of us can
remember (12th April 2005)
31 March 2005
RTE are
testing a new Optimod 9200 with version 3 software on 252 Long
Wave
over the next days/weeks and are looking for reception
reports which can be
sent via www.rte.i.e. (Digital Spy).
Return
to Top
11th April 2005
Waffler
More shortwave logs are available on site and also a reminder that all of our diary entries from 2004 right up to March 2005 are available on site via a link on this page.
News
from other sources
Terry
Wogan returned to sports broadcasting for the first time since the
Barcelona Olympics in 1992 today as he took the reigns on Radio Five
Live's satirical Fighting Talk show as guest Chairman.
BBC
Radio 1 announced today the introduction of changes to the station's
playlist, the method by which tracks are selected for play during
daytime shows. The 1 Upfront list will exist alongside the current A,
B and C lists and will allow Radio 1 to further increase its
commitment to new music
Ambridge's newest resident rushed into
the world on Thursday 7 April as Emma Grundy gave birth to a bouncing
baby boy in The Archers
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to Top
Tune
in To Tatras
Submitted by: Published: Thursday, 7 April
2005
This weekend sees the launch of RTI - the new
International Radio service headed by Eric Wiltsher and backed by
business man - Jan Telensky.
The Pan - European station will
have its heart in Poprad - Slovakia but will have satellite
broadcasters supplying programmes from the UK with local output in
affiliated stations in Central Europe.
The service will be
available from this Saturday (09/04) from 7.30PM Central European
Time (UK 6.30) and will be available on various platforms -
Online
at - www.rti.fm
Satellite via Sky Digital - The Eurobird
Satellite - 28 East 11.623H 27500 2/3
Radio 1350AM -
Baltics, Scandinavia, Germany tune your radio to 1350AM
Radio
Riga FM - T.B.A.
Radio 94.2FM - in Slovakia
RTI hope to
launch a DRM shortwave service late in the year.
On the
technical side of things Eric explains how RTI will work
-
Historically, radio groups were forced to drag presenters to
central studios. In turn network radio stations were forced to use
out-dated systems to connect stations just a few kilometres
apart.
In 2005 RTI bring you radio of the future, TODAY!
All
the international programmes and commercials are sent to the RTI
Master Control Centre using the latest computer
technology.
Presenters no longer need to travel to a central
studio – they simply make the shows in their nearest/home
studio and connect to the RTI Master Control Centre.
Poprad,
SLOVAKIA, receives its network feed from the RTI Master Control
Centre using our latest computer technology. Via the Radio Tatry FM
transmitter - the RTI Network broadcasts are available in southern
Slovakia for reception in cars, at work and at home.
At
pre-arranged times of the day Radio Tatry will generate it’s
own local programming, broadcast in Slovakian, which will be aired
via the Radio Tatry FM transmitter.
Riga, LATVIA, also
receives its network feed from the RTI Master Control Centre again
using the very latest computer technology.
The Medium
Wave (AM) service of RTI will cover Scandinavia, The Baltics and down
towards central Europe – at night the signal carries even
further across Europe. The 1350AM service from Riga will broadcast
RTI Network programmes 24/7.
The local AM service in Riga
(945AM), covering central Latvia, broadcasts local Latvian
programming combined with RTI network programming.
Riga is
also home to the RTI shortwave service which will be transformed into
a digital service this Autumn. Once the shortwave service has been
upgraded to digital, known as DRM, listeners across Europe will
receive RTI network programmes in FM mono quality. At certain times
of the say this service will also be receivable in the USA and as far
east as Japan.
The Shortwave/DRM service also receives
its programming directly from the RTI Master Control Centre.
London
Switching centre – InformationTV
Again the RTI Master
Control Centre sends a computer based signal which in this case is
received by InformationTV switching centre in London
iTV then
combines the signal for inclusion with the signals of the Eurobird
satellite. This satellite covers ALL of Europe and beyond. It ca be
received on both Sky Digibox receivers as well as European satellite
receivers providing the dish is facing 28 degrees east. -iTV also
combines the RTI Network signal for reception vie the Internet using
the Windows Media Player system (WMP). WMP technology is supplied
with around 95% of the worlds computers. Access to the RTI Internet
service is via www.rti.fm
Weblink: www.rti.fm
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We're
not for Sale says GMG
===========================
Guardian
Media Group, which owns the Guardian newspaper, put a "not
for
sale" sign on its radio business.
The move came after a
takeover approach from its rival Chrysalis,
owner of Heart FM in
London, for radio assets that include Smooth FM
and Real
Radio.
Chrysalis, which is keen to take part in industry
consolidation
following the merger of Capital and GWR, is
understood to have
offered £110m for the assets.
Germany
trials Digital Multimedia
Broadcast
===========================================
Digital
Advanced Broadcasting, a pilot project to deliver advanced
mobile
entertainment, has been launched in Germany.
Digital Advanced
Broadcasting uses DMB (Digital Multimedia
Broadcasting) to
broadcast radio and video content, as well as data
services, to
new portable receivers.
With DAB digital radio already taking
hold and growing in penetration
in Europe and parts of Asia,
thoughts have been turning to the most
efficient way to deliver
visual multimedia services on the move.
There are several possible
technologies which could achieve this, but
DAB is emerging as the
front-runner. As DMB is a derivative of DAB,
with a few simple
tweaks, it can use an existing DAB transmitter
network to deliver
video, pictures and data, as well as radio, to a
mass
audience.
The pilot will take place in Regensburg, Bavaria,
and is expected to
last for two years. It will work towards
comprehensive coverage of
FIFA World Cup 2006 via mobile
entertainment devices.
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Play
Family Fortunes
====================
106.5 Riviera Radio
fan want to give away his fortune on air.
A new arrival in
Monaco, Tarquin Coutts has taken out an ad campaign
on 106.5
Riviera Radio asking for people to help him spend his
families
fortune. He is giving out his phone number and asking people
to
call him to tell him what they want and what they would do to get
rid
of all his cash.
Tarquin a self confessed party animal, says
he has a love of fast cars
and Yachts and beautiful women. He is
hoping to meet many new friends
and possibly the next Mrs. Coutts.
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A
new View on DAB
=================
Sonarics has unveiled a
new innovative ClearSignal feature - Photos
albums and slide shows
on DAB digital radio.
Sonarics Labs, an industry leader for
complete DAB solutions on a
single, general-purpose low cost DSP,
has announced a new ClearSignal
version, offering the industry's
first DAB integrated software
capable of displaying a photo album
and DAB MOT slide shows on a
colour TFT (Active-Matrix) LCD.
This
new functionality benefits both radio listeners (and now
viewers),
as well as broadcasters. Consumers can use it to display
jpg
photographs they have already recorded to a memory card,
while
broadcasters can enrich the audio content of
programmes,
advertisements and sponsorship messages with visual
images.
Ben Gagin, Sonarics President and CEO said:
"The
digital entertainment market shows record sales and our
customers
want to be able to deliver new digital radio products
quickly.
Sonarics ClearSignal is designed to allow its customers
fast delivery
of a wide variety of novel features for car,
portable, handheld
radios and handsets. No other solution offers
such a comprehensive
integration of products and customization.
The innovative ClearSignal
solution delivers the best overall
price-performance for Sonarics
customers."
Two
products based on the new technology will be launched in mid-2005
by
Sonarics customers.
BBC Digital Listening on the
Increase
=====================================
The new BBC
Radio Player - re-launched at the end of January -
exceeded all
expectations in February as on-demand radio listening
raced to a
record nine million requests (up by more than 25 per cent
on
January) and total listening hours (live and on-demand) reached
11.2
million for the month.
The growth in internet radio has also
given a huge boost to the BBC's
digital-only radio services -
1Xtra, 6 Music, BBC 7, the Asian
Network and Five Live Sports
Extra have seen their online listening
increase by 83 per cent
over the last year, now totalling 2.3 million
hours a month.
In
addition, the three programmes taking part in the current
mp3
download trial - In Our Time (Radio 4), Fighting Talk (Radio
Five
Live) and TX Unlimited (1Xtra) - have been downloaded a total
of
270,000 times in the four months since the trial began.
30th March 2005
Waffler
In London Chill has launched with lots of laid back chill music including Moby, U2, Jeff Buckley. Back to back music at them moment with a young lady telling us to relax and chill out etc - rather repetitive and so obviously pc driven. The Mix closed in order to permit this change at a pathetic but listeneable 80kbps in mono!
Also the lovely eccentric Abracadabra has changed its name, and maybe owners, and titled itself Childrens. This admits to being on test transmissions and requests comments from Parents and Carers.
News
from other sources
Irish public broadcaster
RTÉ carries the following announcement on its
website:
We
regret to announce that due to a business policy change by
Worldspace,
from 0000 UTC on 15th April 2005 our free to air
service from WRN via the
Worldspace satellite will cease. Our
sincere apologies for this situation.
FROM THAT TIME RECEPTION
OF OUR SERVICE FROM THE WORLDSPACE SATELLITE WILL
REQUIRE PAYMENT
OF A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION.
RTÉ are in no way
responsible for the imposition of this charge or for the
Worldspace
policy change.
We are very upset about the announcement of
this new situation. We at RTÉ
are examining our options and
making some efforts to maintain the free to
air aspect of our
service. We will make an announcement regarding the
outcome, as
soon as possible.
This new policy also affects reception of
Radio Netherlands and other
international broadcasters which are
carried on the WRN transponder. If you
are currently listening to
us on WorldSpace but will be unable to do so
after 15 April,
please E-mail us at media@....
http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/
28th March 2005
Waffler
I am amazed that I have not had any news to add to the diary for a while.
This weekend on Saturday, us lucky people who were within receiving distance of a BBC Essex transmitter, were treated to 4 hours of the sensational "BBC Pirate Essex" Judging by the number of texts and emails read over the air it was also listened to far and wide on the internet. Steve Scruton and Tim Gillett and other excellent BBC Essex presenters were on air and playing music from Easter 1965. I had a text message from me read out and they played a Kinks tune for me later in the broadcast. My favourite song from the broadcast was "Sorry" by PJ Proby. Steve made a sensational announcement at the end of the programme. They will be doing a ten day Pirate BBC Essex broadcast from the LV 18 in August 2007. This special broadcast will concentrate on 1967. They broadcast the show on Saturday from the Ross Revenge at the invitation of Peter Moore the Caroline boss man. It was good also to hear Roger Day speaking on the show.
Chris Evans did his two shows on Radio 2 on Good Friday and Easter Monday. I read about his show on Good Friday in the Times, and having missed it was under the impression it was not that hot. I am not a great Chris Evans fan but was impressed by his performance on the Tsunami charity broadcast recently. I listened on Easter Monday and did think that the show was very clever and enjoyable indeed. I recorded it on to videotape whilst out and am currently listening to the end of it as I type up this entry. I expect he will get a chance to do some other shows soon. It is strange however that all announcers now seem to need another presenter in the studio to talk to and participate. Big Pete is Chris's right hand man. He made mention of his stall in Camden Market during the show and spoke to a colleague Patrick who was running it whilst he was on the show. He is actually selling off furniture and effects from his and Billie Piper's home for charity. Coincidently a week or so back I was in Camden and by pure chance passed his stall and spoke with him. He was very mellow and had very little to say, mind you I saw he had dosed off about half an hour later! Here is a picture of the main man in action in Camden on a very cold afternoon. My original was not very sharp so sorry for putting it on site as a largish picture. The press has reported that Chris is eager to buy back into Virgin Radio, and that was playing in the background on his stall.
19th March 2005
Waffler
Very
sad news to hear that John Ebdon has passed on. The waffler used to
meet John regularly in the 80s- occasionally he was the one who got
some of the archive discs out for him. A real character and a
fantastic voice. Only recently I listened to a programme by Glynn
Worsnip about him which was recorded years ago titled "John
Ebdon's Silver Archive"
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News
from other sources
Radio 4 presenter John Ebdon
dies
John Ebdon presented BBC Radio 4's Archive Feature
from 1961
Presenter John Ebdon, who hosted BBC Radio 4's
Archive Feature programme for 26 years, has died at the age of
81.
He had been ill for some time with cancer, his son James
said on Saturday.
Ebdon hosted Archive Feature from
1961, opening each show with the catchphrase: "How do you do?"
and closing with: "If you have been, thanks for listening."
He
also presented Nonsense at Noon, on the archives of the Home Service,
from 1965 to 1966 and was the director of the London
Planetarium.
The humorous radio host shared whimsical
musings on the world and conversational snippets with his
listeners.
The late presenter Glyn Worsnip once said of
Ebdon: "His facetious patrician tones every third Monday
morning, his sense of the absurd, his ear for a word mistakenly out
of context, his famous cat Perseus, delighted much of middle England
as much as it infuriated a small minority."
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BIG
L Radio London will be starting test transmissions on 21st March
2005. Sky Digital channel 940 will now be the permanent home of BIG
L
BIG L RADIO LONDON
manual tuning
information
Satellite: Eurobird 1
Position:
28.5°E
Transponder: C6
Frequncy: 11.390GHz
Polarization:
Vertical
Symbol Rate: 27500
FEC: 2/3
SID: 53566
While
our studios and infrastructure are being put together, you will be
able to listen to some great Radio Nostalgia from the Wonderful World
of Radio, sponsored by our associated Company RadioFab.com
Check
out hundreds of Radio Memorabilia items including CDs, Videos and
Books plus Big L Videos, Jingle CDs & T-shirts. Download audio
and online ordering.
Return
to Top
This
from http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/
25th Anniversary of the
Mi Amigo Sinking
25 years ago on March 19th/20th 1980, Radio
Caroline's radio ship MV Mi
Amigo sunk in force 9 gales after
grounding on a sandbank. Four DJs and a
canary were saved by a
risky lifeboat rescue. Tom Anderson was one of the
DJs who
broadcast until the very end. This Sunday during Dave
Foster's
prgramme (14.00-17.00) Tom Anderson will be recalling
that fateful day with
recordings of the final hours and media
reports. On Monday morning at 10am,
Martin Fisher who broadcast
from the Mi Amigo in the late 70s will present a
special programme
recalling those magic days. Other Caroline DJs will also
pay their
own tribute to the Mi Amigo throughout this weekend. For
details
visit our schedule page. To view a video clip of the Mi
Amigo underwater
visit www.offshore-radio.de
New
Presenter for the Surgery
=============================
1Xtra
presenter Letitia has been appointed as the new host of Radio
1's
Sunday Surgery, the station's weekly phone-in show dealing
with
emotional, sexual and health issues for its' young
audience.
Emma B, who joined Radio 1 in 1998 and has presented
the Surgery
since 2000 will leave the station at the end of March.
She leaves to
spend more time on TV projects, but will continue to
host the Top Of
The Pops World Service show and regular depping on
6 Music.
Dr Mark Hamilton will continue to co-host the show
and Letitia will
continue to host her show every Saturday and
Sunday (2pm-5pm) on
1Xtra.
Andy Parfitt, Controller Radio 1
said:
"I'm really happy to welcome Letitia to Radio 1 and
she's bound to do
a great job. The Surgery is a hugely important
programme and is the
front for all of our social action campaigns.
Emma has been brilliant
as the host for the last five years and I
wish her all the best in
her future career"
The Sunday
Surgery is on Radio 1 every Sunday 9pm-11pm
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First
Community Licence
Awarded
===============================
Communications
regulator - Ofcom has awarded the first full time
community radio
licence in a new third tier of radio broadcasting -
being
introduced in the UK.
This new sector will complement the mix
of services already provided
by the BBC and commercial radio
sectors. The characteristics of
community radio are distinct from
commercial radio in that the
services will cover a small
geographical area and be provided on a
not-for-profit basis
focusing on the delivery of specific social
benefits to enrich a
particular geographical community or a community
of
interest.
Ofcom has not specified where these radio stations
should be. Instead,
it has invited applicants to apply for a
licence identifying the
community or communities they wish to
serve. Licences are available
on either the FM or AM waveband in
most parts of the UK. However, in
some areas the availability of
suitable radio frequencies may limit
opportunities. Community
radio services will use frequencies which
would not generally
prove viable to support commercial services.
The first
community radio licence is being awarded to Forest of Dean
Community
Radio who have been part of a pilot Access Radio trial over
the
last 3 years, with its first broadcast in July 2002.
The
Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is a rural area, and Forest of
Dean
Community Radio has built a relationship with communities across
the
varied landscapes and distinct culture of the Forest, through
its
commitment to social inclusion. This has been achieved
throughout the
Access Radio pilot and previous trial weekend RSLs
from 1995 to 2002.
Ofcom received one application for this
area and the licence awarded
to Forest of Dean Community Radio is
for a five-year period.
Amanda Smith project co-ordinator
says:
"Everyone involved is over the moon at the
news."
Station development worker Jason Griffiths
agrees
"This is the result of the hard work, imagination
and individual
spirit of the people of the Forest."
Forest
of Dean Radio was set up in 1995 with a 3-day Restricted
Service
Licence broadcast to Cinderford, coinciding with Cinderford
Carnival.
This was so successful a small group was set up to work
with
communities across the Forest of Dean district to run their
own
short-term broadcasts. Between 1995 and 2002 there were 16
weekend
broadcasts with over 1,000 programmes, involving 5,000
local people.
The station can be heard on 1503 and 1521 medium
wave.
Contact details: Amanda Smith
Tel: 01594
820722
email: contactus@fodradio.org
website:
www.fodradio.org
Address: 1 Berisford Court, Cinderford,
Gloucestershire GL14 2BS.
Applications for the first wave of
community radio licences were
invited in September 2004. Ofcom
received 192 applications and is
currently assessing those
applications and examining frequency
availability options.
There
are currently 14 pilot community radio stations operating around
the
UK. Given the large number of applications received for
community
radio licences, Ofcom decided to assess them in order of
priority by
first considering applications for areas where the 14
pilot community
radio stations are currently broadcasting. This
involves over 70
applications, and includes areas such as London,
Manchester and
Glasgow.
Ofcom is aiming to make decisions
in these areas before the end of
June, before moving on to look at
applications for areas not involved
in the pilot scheme. Ofcom
expects to complete this round of the
community radio awards
process by late summer.
Radio City of
Culture
=====================
Radio City 96.7 is the
Official radio station for European Capital of
Culture
2008.
Liverpool Culture Company has signed a multi-million
pound
sponsorship deal with Radio City 96.7 to become 'The
Official Radio
Station of the Capital of Culture.'
The
official '08 partner agreement follows sponsorship deals with
law
firm Hill Dickinson and United Utilities. As official '08
station,
the deal means Radio City will especially promote Capital
of Culture
events organised by the Liverpool Culture Company up to
31 December
2008.
Radio City will bring extra publicity and
help create a major impact
for all the events planned for
2008.
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The
Hallam FM Live Lounge
=========================
Following
on from the Hallam FM Arena, the Sheffield based station
has
unveiled the Hallam FM Live Lounge.
Hallam FM officially
opened it's new venue with appearances from 3
new artists last
week - James Blunt, Tyler James and Mark Joseph. The
soloists were
among the first to perform in the new setting with
appearances
from Basement Jaxx and Razorlight already planned to take
place
later this month.
Gary Stein, Programme Director at Hallam FM
said:
"We have got lots of space here at Hallam FM so
thought we would
utilise it and create our very own Live Lounge
where we can invite
artists to come and play in a really intimate
setting. Each time
these gigs take place we will record them and
play them out in our
new programme 'The Sunday Session' which will
be broadcast every
Sunday from 7.00pm-10.00pm, where listeners
will get to hear some
real exclusives."
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OFT
give go ahead to Capital / GWR
merger
=========================================
The OFT
has accepted the undertakings offered by Capital Radio plc to
divest
its Century 106 radio station.
It has decided that the
undertakings offered address the competition
concerns which arose
from the anticipated acquisition by Capital
Radio plc of GWR Group
plc. This transaction will not now be referred
to the Competition
Commission.
In lieu of reference to the Competition
Commission, the parties have
offered to divest the Capital Radio
station in the East Midlands,
Century 106 FM.
The OFT
considers that this proposed undertaking will clearly address
the
local advertising concern identified in its decision of 22
December
2004 in relation to the East Midlands
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14th March 2005
Waffler
I was tempted recently to buy a cheap shortwave, fm and am mini radio an Eton Mini 300 World Band receiver. For general use around the house and also for holidays. It has stereo on headphones in FM and I am very pleased with it so far. A review to follow.
Great news from BBC Essex about their Pirate BBC Essex broadcast this Easter - see the details in the news below.
I have discovered that freeview do not transmit all of their multiplexes to the same technical level. This in laymans terms means that ITV and C5 in this area can glitch in some weather conditions whilst other signals are rock solid. I have an antenna tuner, quit cheap years ago in Tandy. This tunes this out and makes the programmes ok. Wake up Ofcom, NTL and others - please ensure each multiplex is of the same high standard. Guess who have the best outputs in London? Sky and the BBC. I am actually reading this from the TV Viewers guide for last year - please let me know if I am waffling up the spout on this one !
News
from other sources
Pirate
BBC Essex returns aboard the Ross Revenge (BBC Essex press
release)
Pirate BBC Essex will broadcast on, Easter Saturday
26th March 2005 2 - 6 pm
(UK time) and can be heard on 95.3 and
103.5 FM, on 765, 729 and 1530 MW and
on the worldwide web at
www.bbc.co.uk/essex/.
..............................
Pirate
BBC Essex is back this Easter for an historic broadcast aboard
the
Ross Revenge.
Pirate BBC Essex has been invited by
Radio Caroline to broadcast on Easter
Saturday afternoon from its
flagship moored at Tilbury, when Steve Scruton
will be presenting
a four-hour special programme from a studio aboard the
Ross
Revenge between 2 and 6pm.
Last Easter, Pirate BBC Essex
marked the 40th Anniversary of offshore radio
with a week-long
broadcast from the LV18, moored off Harwich. It featured
the music
from the glory years of the pirates, 1964 - 1967.
This year's
broadcast will feature the music of Easter Week 1965. As well as
the
hits from the British charts of the time, there will be pirate
radio
plays, some of which may not have been heard for forty
years.
"We're keeping the dream alive," said
presenter Steve Scruton, who had the
original idea to mark last
year's 40th Anniversary. He added, "This year
we're
broadcasting from a radio ship full of pirate heritage."
Radio
Caroline's Peter Moore said, "Ross Revenge is the
last
fully-operational ship in the world. She is equipped with all
the typical
broadcast hardware of the sixties, but has also been
adapted to handle the
digital age. We are very pleased to be
sharing the ship with BBC Essex, the
first such co-operation that
has ever taken place.
Peter added, "We challenge Tim,
Steve and Ian and any listeners who may step
aboard, not to be
gripped by the memories and nostalgia of what was a
significant
and exciting era of UK radio."
As well as Steve Scruton,
Pirate BBC Essex presenters Ian Wyatt and Tim
Gillett will be
aboard the Ross Revenge contributing to the show.
"We're
very privileged to have been invited by the Radio
Caroline
organisation aboard their special vessel," said BBC
Essex Programmes Editor
Tim Gillett. "The Ross Revenge is
regarded by offshore radio fans as a very
important part of the
pirate radio era."
For more information about Radio
Caroline and the Ross Revenge look
at
www.radiocaroline.co.uk
http://www.radiolondon.co.uk
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Spain's
English language station - Spectrum FM, has signed former BBC DJ,
Dave Lee Travis to host a brand new breakfast show every Saturday
morning between 9am and 12pm.
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BBC
'identifies £40m more cuts' (9-3-05)
Mr Thompson
announced thousands of job cuts in December
The BBC may
increase its £320 million cost-cutting plan by £40
million after an internal review identified areas where additional
savings can be made.
Director general Mark Thompson said on
Monday that savings would be reinvested in programme-making and new
services.
"We've done a lot more detailed work
since December, since the savings plan was announced," he said
on Monday.
The cutbacks are expected to be felt most
keenly among administation and professional services staff.
In
December, Mr Thompson said savings of £320 million a year were
needed to "keep up with the pace of change".
About
2,900 jobs are to be cut, while almost 2,000 employees are expected
to move from London to Manchester
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Private funeral for
radio's Vance
The funeral of former Radio 1
DJ Tommy Vance will be a "celebration of his life", his
agent has said.
The private service for friends and family
of 63-year-old Vance will be held at Golders Green crematorium in
north London on Tuesday 15 March.
He died in hospital on
Sunday, three days after suffering a stroke.
The DJ, who
became famous for his gravelly voice, started out on radio in the US
before working at Radio Caroline and Radio 1.
"He
was a great bloke and he was held in very high regard for his
knowledge of rock which was unsurpassed," said his agent Jon
Roseman.
Top of the Pops
Vance, who has two
children, also presented the Friday Night Rock show on digital
channel VH1 and more lately had his own show on digital radio station
Virgin Classic Rock.
Last year he took part in ITV's
Hell's Kitchen reality TV show but pulled out after only a few days,
saying he could not bear the verbal abuse dished out by the show's
celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Born in Oxford, Vance got
his big break on Los Angeles radio station KHJ.
The
Rolling Stones were interviewed by Vance (right)
He then
returned to the UK to work on pirate station Radio Caroline.
He
was then signed to Radio 1 where he worked for 15 years. He was also
a regular presenter of Top of the Pops.
Fellow DJ Dave
Cash worked with Vance at Radio Caroline, Radio 1 and Capital Radio
and was a friend of his for 40 years.
"Once you
became friends with Tommy you were friends for life," Cash told
BBC Radio Kent.
"He was a very private guy, but to
his friends he was great, you could always rely on him.
"He's
a bit like John Peel and Kenny Everett - he's irreplaceable, he was a
total professional.
"Tommy was part of the group
that actually cared about the music he was playing."
'Seminal
rock show'
During his career Vance interviewed more than
10,000 guests including Prince Charles and the Rolling
Stones.
Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt said: "Tommy
Vance was a great broadcaster.
"He presented for
many years on Radio 1 the seminal rock show which a whole generation
of music fans remember very fondly.
"He will be
sadly missed by listeners and fellow DJs alike."
Vance's
distinctive voice also landed him voiceover jobs and he also worked
as a continuity announcer for BBC Two.
Return
to Top
Radio
France goes all Digital
Submitted by: Published: Thursday, 3
March 2005
Radio France are to unveil plans for an
all-digital distribution network, at the Digital Radio Mondiale TM
(DRMTM) consortium’s annual General Assembly meeting in Paris
next week.
Radio France, a DRM member since 2001, will
transmit special preview DRM medium-wave/AM broadcasts of France
Culture audio and multimedia content from March 7-11, to mark the
announcement.
The new Radio France distribution network
will provide listeners with a range of digital broadcasting
technologies including DRM. Radio France will host DRM’s
General Assembly, Steering Board and committee meetings at its
headquarters, Maison de la Radio, from March 7-10.
DRM
members TDF and Thales are assisting with Radio France’s
special preview DRM broadcasts. TDF will transmit the Radio France
broadcasts from its Villebon transmitting station, which is located
approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Paris. TDF and Thales have
modified an existing 300 kW medium wave solid state transmitter, from
Thales’ S7 family, for the DRM broadcasts.
“France’s
upcoming migration to digital radio necessitated our investment in a
new distribution network that will work seamlessly with any digital
broadcasting system, such as DRM, DAB, DVB and wireless Internet,”
says Sylvain Anichini, Deputy General Manager of Radio France. “We
have designed a flexible networking system that allows for a range of
options, without the constraints of long-term technological choices.
This will enable Radio France to move forward in line with digital
broadcasting’s evolution, including domains such as source
coding and datacasting.” Over the past few years, Radio France
has digitalized its production and archive sectors, following the
same principle of designing open systems.
DRM Chairman
Peter Senger heralded Radio France’s news, saying, “The
prospect of DRM broadcasts on Radio France is a significant
development in the system’s growth within Europe. I am
delighted that DRM’s members - who are broadcasters, network
operators and manufacturers from around the globe - will have the
opportunity to experience Radio France’s DRM preview in Paris
next week.”
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to Top
6th March 2005
Today I purchased a copy of Michael Heatley's book "John Peel A Life in Music" I then heard later today that Tommy Vance had died of a heart attack. I put the full story in the section below. I also remember Tommy Vance when Capital Radio first started doing a show with Joan Shenton in the mornings. He used to impress me when I listened to him on Radio Caroline and later London when he referred to himself as "TV on the radio". I will be reviewing the John Peel book in due course, at present I am busy on all sorts of projects. Rest assured this site is still important to me.
News from other sources
|
Rock Legend - DJ Vance Dies ages 63 |
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Submitted by: |
Published: Sunday, 6 March 2005 |
|
The radio industry is mourning the death of Rock DJ Tommy Vance who died in the early hours of Sunday morning. The former Radio 1 DJ died in a Kent hospital three days after suffering from a stroke.
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The DJ, best remembered for his gravelly voice, started out on US radio before working at Radio Caroline and Radio 1. "He was a great bloke and he was held in very high regard for his knowledge of rock which was unsurpassed," said his agent Jon Roseman. "I had known Tommy for 35 years. He certainly had one of the most recognisable voices on radio," he added. Vance also presented the Friday Night Rock show on digital channel VH1 and more lately had his own show on digital radio station Virgin Classic Rock. Born in Oxford, Vance got his big break on Los Angeles radio station KHJ. He then returned to the UK to work on pirate station Radio Caroline in the 60s. He was then signed to Radio 1 where he worked for 15 years and was also a regular presenter of Top of the Pops. Controller of Radio 1, Andy Parfitt, said: "Tommy Vance was a great broadcaster. He presented for many years on Radio 1 the seminal rock show which a whole generation of music fans remember very fondly. He will be sadly missed by listeners and fellow DJs alike." Vance's distinctive voice also landed him voiceover jobs and he also worked as a continuity announcer for BBC Two. Virgin Classic Rock is suspending regular programming on Monday as a mark of respect. He leaves an ex-wife Stella, and two children Jessie, 19, and 22-year-old Daniel. ukRadio.com send our deepest sympathy to his family and friends at this time.
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Evans to return to BBC airwaves |
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Chris Evans is making a return to BBC radio, hosting two shows for Radio 2 over the Easter holiday. "My love of radio is no secret so I'm excited about doing this for Radio 2," said Evans. Evans hosted the Radio 1 breakfast show between 1995 and 1997 but left acrimoniously when his demand to work a four-day week was turned down. Radio 2 will also present a tribute to guitar legend Eric Clapton called Slowhand at 60. DJ Johnnie Walker, who was born on the same day as Clapton on 30 March, will host a show dedicated to the musician on 26 March. 'Unique talent' The show will also feature an interview with Clapton in which he talks openly about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction and the highlights of his 40-year career. Evans will host his music-based shows on Friday, 25 March and Monday, 28 March. Lesley Douglas, controller of Radio 2, said: "Chris Evans is a unique talent and Radio 2 listeners are in for a real treat over Easter." He recently made a return to the airwaves for the Radio Aid event which saw big name DJs help raise £3m by taking over more than 250 commercials stations for one day. During his stint, Evans was joined by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Evans has also signed up as a co-host of Comic Relief's marathon broadcast on 11 March. |
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3rd March 2005
I am not at all pleased with Telewest - waited in all day today for them to collect my cable box. Made a proper booking and they did not ring to let me know they had problems - instead I spent about 25 minutes talking to them on the phone. A similar thing happened years ago when I gave up my on digital box.
Listened in to Classic Gold Digital today at midday and heard Paul Burnett. Paul does a superb show on that network - well worth a listen as well if you can sneak time off work at lunch time to hear him.
Also heard Clive Bull for the first time in ages on LBC 97.3 - what superb radio - such a pity that there are not enough hours in a day to listen to every station.
Apologies if you were trying to view the old look and learn article I posted in last month's diary - it was pointing to my own hard drive and not this server - so I have put it on this months diary for you to view - sorry about that
News from other Sources
From BBC news web site:
The BBC's
governors are to be scrapped after 78 years and
replaced
with
two new bodies under government plans.
The governors, whose dual
role as regulators and cheerleaders of the
BBC has been
criticised, would be replaced by a BBC Trust and an
executive
board.
The proposals were announced by Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell with
the publication of a Green Paper into
the corporation's future.
But the licence fee would be kept for at
least another 10 years, she
said.
The main plans in the green
paper are:
a.. BBC governors to be abolished and a new trust
established to
"speak up" for the licence fee payer
b..
Licence fee to remain - but a review will examine other
funding
methods
c.. BBC told not to "play copycat" or
"chase ratings for ratings
sake"
d.. More programmes
to be made by independent companies
The governors' current role
was "unsustainable" and lacked "clarity
and
accountability", Ms Jowell told the House of Commons.
Instead,
the BBC Trust would be the voice of the licence fee payer,
make
sure the corporation fulfilled its obligations and have powers
to
approve or veto budgets and strategies.
The executive board,
headed by director general Mark Thompson, would
carry out the
BBC's day-to-day management and be accountable to the
trust.
Explaining why she favoured keeping the licence fee, Ms
Jowell said it
retained "a high degree of public
support".
"And although not perfect, we believe it
remains the fairest way to
fund the BBC," she said.
But
rapid changes to technology and viewing habits meant the
government
would review the system of funding during the next decade.
It
would also examine whether public money, including licence fee
funds,
should be given to other broadcasters for public service
activities.
HOW LICENCE FEE IS SPENT
Viewers pay just over £10
per month, which is spent in the
following way:
£5 -
terrestrial TV
£1 - digital
£1.20 - radio
£1.50
- local TV and radio
£0.30 - Online
£1 -
transmission and collection of licence fee
The BBC was "one
of the two great institutions of British national
life" along
with the NHS, she said.
Changes as a result of the Green Paper
will be brought in with the
BBC's next royal charter, setting out
the corporation's role, functions and
structure, at the start of
2007.
BBC chairman Michael Grade, who will chair the new trust,
welcomed the
proposals but said it was "regrettable" the
BBC's own reforms of the
governors had "not had time to prove
themselves".
'Cosmetic changes'
"For the first time
in the BBC's history, there is now a clear
distinction and
appropriate separation between governance and management,"
he
said.
Shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale told the House of
Commons
the Green Paper's plans did "not go far enough".
He
said they were "largely cosmetic changes to the structure
and
oversight of the BBC".
A White Paper on the BBC's
future will be published later this year.
The BBC's first royal
charter came into force in 1927 and is renewed
every 10 years. The
current charter expires on 31 December 2006.
Radio London confirms launch details
A
spokesman for Radio London has exclusively confirmed to Sky
Digi
Online that it intends to launch on Sky Digital on 21st March
2005.He
also revealed that Radio London would be taking the "last
slot" of
the radio EPG on Sky which is channel 940.Radio
London hopes to
provide popular, rock and r`n`b music from the
1950`s, 1960`s and
1970`s with News and weather hourly.The radio
station will be free to
air on Sky Digital.
//this is the
same station which hoped to broadcast to the UK via a
MW
transmitter in Holland, and has no connection with either BBC
London
or the former offshore station, although they intend to
run
programming along the same lines as the 60's station which
broadcast
from the MV Galaxy.
talkSPORT cuts new
Sponsorship deal with
Gillette
=================================================
Gillette
has teamed up with talkSPORT to sponsor the station's Final
Whistle
football programmes on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The
six-figure deal, which continues until the end of the football
season
on May 29, was negotiated between talkSPORT sponsorship
executive
Ashwin Saddul and Mark Leggett, Radio Account Director
at
MindShare.
Return to
Top
The New Voice of
DAB
====================
PURE Digital is to launch a new
enhanced DAB Digital radio set which
will talk to its listeners.
The PURE SONUS-1XT DAB digital radio will
feature the enhanced
alarm radio with unique iVOX voice feedback
technology.
The
new set should be welcomed by visually impaired listeners who
have
found traditional DAB radio sets difficult to set up
and
navigate.
Using iVOX technology SONUS-1XT tells
listeners the available DAB
stations as they scroll through them,
the time, alarm settings, and
even talks through all aspects of
setting up the radio. It can even
talk users through setting
alarms or presets. iVOX speaks with a real
human voice, not
robotic synthesized speech, and is highly
configurable with an
option of male or female voice. iVOX users
simply turn off what
speech they don't need using the easy-to-change
iVOX
settings.
RSLs On Air this Week
=====================
Each
month there are about 50 temporary radio services broadcasting
around
the UK on temporary RSL licences. View our list of
stations
broadcasting throughout the
week.
http://ukradio.com/news/articles/C22F868DFA064F2A8B0D0E99AD1DACB3.asp
Copyright
2005 - ukRadio.com
Return to
Top
IRN
Radio Award winners revealed
================================
Now
in its third year - the IRN News Awards celebrate and showcase
the
high quality of journalism in UK commercial radio. Backed by all
the
key UK radio groups, the IRN Awards is now an established
annual
event in the industry calendar.
This year, nominees
battled it out in eight categories;
* News Reader of the
Year
* News Reporter of the Year
* Best News
Coverage
* Best Sports Coverage
* Scoop of the
Year
* Young Journalist of the Year
* Best Funny
Story
* IRN Contribution Award
All the winners
received a trophy and a cash prize from guest
presenter, Channel 4
Newsreader Jon Snow.
Paul Lockitt from Key 103 in Manchester
was named the UK's Best News
Reader from hundreds of entries. The
judges said his bulletins were
expertly targeted and creatively
written to hook in listeners.
Sean Woods from 105.4 Century FM
was named Reporter of the Year. The
judges were impressed with his
down to earth manner with interviewees
and his ability to get to
the heart of a story.
The award for News Coverage was taken by
Real Radio Yorkshire for
their coverage of the David Bieber Murder
Trial. The winning entry
demonstrated the news team's ability to
stick with a story and cover
a huge range of angles. Real Radio
Scotland was Highly Commended in
this category for their coverage
of the Maryhill Disaster.
James Blake of Key 103 was named
Young Journalist of the Year for his
ability to read and report
with authority far beyond his years. The
Award for
Best Funny Story was picked up by Isle of Wight Radio for a
curious
tale of a woman who had been evicted from an Amusement Arcade
for
being too good on the one-armed bandits.
Best Sports Coverage
went to Radio City for their in depth and
informed coverage of
Gerard Houllier's sacking. Capital Radio was
highly commended in
the category for their coverage of the Danny
Williams Title
Fight.
For the second year Real Radio Yorkshire took home the
award for Scoop
of the Year. The station set the national agenda
after interviewing
Robbie Williams who confessed all about his
former drugs use.
Radio Clyde took the IRN Contribution Award
for supplying the largest
amount of news to the rest of the IRN
Network.
This year an IRN Special Award was given. This
is to recognise a
significant contribution to commercial radio by
an individual or
station. Capital Radio won this award for
providing the entire
commercial radio network with UK Radio Aid
Day News for the Tsunami
Appeal.
IRN Editor Jon Godel
said:
"The award winners demonstrate that strong,
creative journalism is
alive and well in commercial radio. The
standard of entries proves
that commercial radio news plays an
important role locally,
regionally and nationally."
The
Full List of winners is;
* Young Journalist of the Year
- Jonathan Blake - Key 103
* Best Sports Coverage - Radio
City - Gerard Houllier Sacked (Winner)
* Capital
Radio - Danny Williams Title Fight (Highly Commended)
* Best
Funny Story - Isle of Wight Radio - Amusement Arcade Eviction
*
Scoop of the Year - Real Radio Yorkshire - Robbie Williams on
Drugs
* News Reporter of the Year - Sean Woods - 105.4
Century FM
* Best News Coverage - Real Radio Yorkshire -
David Bieber Murder Trial
(Winner)
* Real Radio Scotland
- Maryhill Disaster (Highly Commended)
* Newsreader of the
Year - Paul Lockitt - Key 103
* IRN Contribution Award -
Radio Clyde
* IRN Special Award - Capital FM News Team for
UK Radio Aid News
Return
to Top
|
A new International radio Station from Europe |
|
|
Submitted by: |
Published: Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
|
A new radio station is set to launch this April broadcasting from the heart of Slovakia to central Europe via a network of AM/FM transmitters. It will also be able to be heard further a field via Sky Digital and the Internet. |
|
|
At the start of the year we heard rumours of a new European based station, and I guess we thought it was a hoax. There is often talk on the various radio forums about new International stations broadcasting from the high seas or beamed from the Netherlands – which never happen, and we could have easily dismissed this one too However this new station is real and will be broadcasting from Poprad in Slovakia. Strange place you may well ask? – OK so it wouldn’t be an obvious choice. However the team behind RTI have spent several months planning such a service – headed by Media Guru - Eric Wiltsher. RTI – Radio Tatras International will offer international programming all originating and uplinked from the UK. The station is licensed by Ofcom with output servers based in the UK, as well. RTI will also have local affiliate stations around Europe who will focus on providing the best news, travel, weather services at the times when it's most important to do that. |
|
Media Network Weblog
(from Radio Netherlands Website - we do not always carry this but
this a good indication of what is on offer on their site
regularly
These are the stories we've published in the last 7
days:
Friday, February 25, 2005
New pan-European
radio station RTI to launch on 9 April
New EC investigation into
financing of public broadcasting
NOVEC takes over responsibility
for radio masts from Nozema
Saturday, February 26,
2005
India helps to set up shortwave transmitter in
Afghanistan
Mobile TV trial to take place in the UK this
summer
KBS overseas service begins Vietnamese broadcast
RFE/RL
broadcasts in Kyrgyzstan closed by regulator
Michael Buerk to
deliver lecture on " trivialization of the media"
Radio
Televisyen Malaysia to rebrand its radio stations
Sunday,
February 27, 2005
Radio Baltika to expand RFE/RL Russian
broadcasts
RSGB proposes new 500 kHz amateur frequency
allocation
Monday, February 28, 2005
XM Satellite
Radio to raise monthly fee by 30 percent
Tim Davie appointed
Director of BBC Marketing, Communications and Audiences
All For
Peace starts FM broadcasts from Ramallah
Deutsche Welle launches
Arabic TV service today
US planning Arab-language TV broadcasts to
Europe
More details published of new pan-European radio
station
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
US plans to
expand TV broadcasts to Iran
BBC unions to have day of action
tomorrow against planned cuts
Asian broadcasters meet to review
tsunami coverage
Botswana: New FM/TV transmitters for
Selebi-Phikwe due soon
XM-3 satellite finally launched after
several attempts
US radio operators mull digital national
network
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
11 all-news and
news-talk stations in US to stream on Web
Government Green Paper
on future of BBC published
BBC response to Government Green
Paper
Green Paper is "blueprint for a strong, independent
BBC" - Jowell
SBS Broadcasting acquires radio and TV stations
in Romania
Danish public radio has highest audience share since
1998
New IFJ call over "witch-hunt" of journalists in
Iraq
ProSieben Blockbusters in High Definition on Astra
Thursday,
March 03, 2005
Classic US radio shows available for
download for first time
These, and all the latest stories, can
be found at http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/.
Atom
formatted XML site feed: http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/atom.xml
24th February 2005
I recently decided to cancel my cable subscription and try out freeview. I known this is television but this has given me access to two great new radio stations. One is Mojo, which plays Classic Rock and Soul and is my favourite of the two. I head Gary King on the mid morning show. He used to be on Radio Luxembourg and also on Atlantic 252, and even did some Radio 1 work. They do play a considerable amount of back to back music which so many stations do now. I reckon that if they play good stuff it is better than listening to one of the normal local or national stations with a narrow playlist and monotonous presenters and formats. Q plays rock music and is also very good, but I have not had as much time to listen to it yet so I reserve my judgement. If you are considering freeview there are only two at present which can accept a smartcard and receive top up tv (which is a subcription service) I have the Thomson receiver, mainly because is has an rf modulator and can play into my ancient portable tv. I had to plug it into a set with a scart plug though in order to activate the rf modulator function - I should imagine it would frustrate somebody with an elderly set without scart! The Eurostar receiver is larger but does not boast and rf modulator. In fairness it does not put out as good a picture using the rf modulator as it does on a scart plug. Enough about that and more radio.
I have just received Hans Knots "Wet and Wild History of Radio Caroline" from the excellent Pirate Radio Sales organisation. I will be doing a review when I eventually get round to reading it. Sorry Hans but there are a few typographical errors or errors under a few pictures I have glanced at "Roger Day on Swining Radio England" also he shows a picture of the MV Mi amigo with the Ross Revenge its sister ship in the foreground (it looks like a coastguard vessel?) It looks like an excellent "oral history" or offshore radio - well it contains contributions from a variety of people involved with Caroline over the years. Howard Rose and Tony Allan's are the standout pieces from a quick glance. There is a very dense amount of text to plough through and it is well illustrated with black and white photos in an A4 format. If you would like to buy a copy visit the Pirate Radio Sales site and if you place an order say the Wireless Waffler recommended them as a supplier http://www.pirateradiosales.co.uk. The book is A4 and soft back so I advise you to request they pack it so it does not get damaged en route - they arranged this for me for an extra £3 or so and it is well worth it. I got the beat fleet book creased through the post some time ago,
I was looking through some old books I had at home recently and came across a very neat set of Look and Learns which has been specially bound for me by my father in the sixties. I found one of their forums on commercial radio and reproduce it in the diary for you all to enjoy. It was published in 1965 and really goes put the for and against for the BBC and commercial radio of the time. Please click on the thumbnail below to enlarge the page to read it.
I have also managed to purchase some excellent recordings of Laser recorded from January to November 1985 in mp3 format from ebay. I bought a double cd of mp3s some time back of Radio Caroline and it included all of the top 500 singles as broadcast on the air with the announcers jingles etc. There seem to be several traders putting out the material which is all credited to Duncan Thomas of the Free Radio Association. I am beginning to suspect that some people are cloning other peoples recordings and passing them off as their own. There is an issue of rights in radio recordings if there is commercial music in it - but it really does save having to hoard a lot of very old cassettes oneself.
One of my contacts sent me this newsy comment on radio recently and it is a good read
I see the
excellent Monday night show is still going featuring watery wireless,
There was a BBC Essex guy standing in for Keith, and they had a
competition to win the BBC Pirate Essex dvd, filmed on the LV18.
If
it hadnt been a Monday I might have stayed awake long enough to
enter.
Mention was made that BBC Essex are in the process of
making plans to Broadcast from the Ross on Easter Saturday this year
this will depend whether they can get a feed.
Talking of Keith
Skues, he was on our local BBC tv, last Monday at 7.30pm talking
about his huge record collection, a lot of the singles of which are
signed by the artist, his concern is what will happen to his
collection if he is no longer on the planet, and looking for someone
or a body to take care of it all.
Return
to Top
News
from Other Sources
Ofcom today announced proposals to reform licensing rules to reduce the regulatory burden for maritime radio users. Ofcom plans to make ships’ radio licences valid for the entire life of the vessel, and to make these licences available on a self-service basis and free of charge, when issued online via a new dedicated web-based service.
News release: Deregulatory
reform in ships' radio
licensing
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media_office/latest_news/nr_20050222
Consultation on a proposal to
reform ship radio
licensing
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/src/
Ofcom has published a statement concerning Ofcom’s policy on Wireless Telegraphy Act Licence Charges. It has also published proposals to make statutory regulations implementing Ofcom’s policy in this regard. The two documents can be found at
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/spec_pricing/statement/
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/wireless/
A useful resource for radio presenters and programme makers can be found at the newly relaunched - www.thisdayinmusic.com website.
PURE Digital is to launch a new enhanced DAB Digital radio set which will talk to its listeners. The PURE SONUS-1XT DAB digital radio will feature the enhanced alarm radio with unique iVOX voice feedback technology.
|
US disc jockey Howard Stern and the radio company who dropped him from the airwaves have stopped legal action and their respective claims for damages. US media giant Clear Channel pulled the "shock jock" last year after it was fined for indecency on his show. |
|
|
Finland's YLE closes down DAB radio
services |
GWR has launched a new Digital
radio Station - the UK's first
dedicated 'chill' radio
format.
Chill is a brand new DAB digital radio service being
rolled out
across nine NOWdigital multiplexes serving Bristol &
Bath, Essex,
Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Coventry, Berkshire,
Cornwall and
Cambridgeshire.
The format, part of commercial
radio's dedication to broadening
listener choice in the digital
radio arena, is a 'relaxing and
ambient' 100% music service aimed
at those that want to 'chill'.
Chill will include artists such as
Moby, Zero 7, Royksopp, Air,
Groove Armada, and Norah Jones.
(the Wireless Waffler would love to hear some recordings of this on minidisc cassette or mp3! - I remember when Thames FM used to put out a 6 hour programme in the evenings dedicated to Chill, I wonder if somebody there is on the station staff? Thames FM is now of course the splendid Radio Jackie which I listen in to regularly when I am near a radio with a good aerial and reception - we are not that close to the Jackie transmission area so that is good)
18th February 2005
Waffler:
Great
treat to hear Johnnie Walker on Radio 2 breakfast all this week.
Wide variety of good drama and comedy on BBC7 as ever - due to my new kitchen based dab receiver I have been sampling a lot more recently. In the mornings around 10am some great drama and last night 17th a Dads Army in sound - a silly but amusing programme.
Gideon Coe is good on BBC 6 Music. I remember his shows on GLR. He admitted one morning that he had spent the previous day looking up sheds on the internet. I have been doing that myself recently because I may be needing to buy a new one soon. He also plays a variety of music both good and bad (well in my estimation)
I have been
listening most days to China Radio International on shortwave - they
have some great world news coverage and features - really good
informative listening.
Return
to Top
News from other sources
A
proposal to allow rival broadcasters to bid for BBC licence fee money
has been branded "foolish" by a senior MP. Labour's Sir
Gerald Kaufman was reacting to newspaper reports that the former
director general of the BBC, Lord Birt, was backing the plan.
Radio
station Jazz FM is changing its name to Smooth FM in a bid to
re-invent itself after failing to make a profit since its launch 15
years ago. Britain's first radio station dedicated entirely to Jazz
found the original title put off mainstream audiences whilst failing
to fulfil purists.
Television favourites Bob the Builder,
Barney and Angelina Ballerina are moving to radio as part of a new
children's station. HIT Entertainment and radio group GWR are
launching a digital radio service for children under the age of
10.
DAB has a boost in France this week as the President of
the French Regulatory Authority (CSA) told delegates at a conference
that Digital Radio was inevitable.
Kismat Radio reportedly to
launch on 14 February (may have done by the time this is posted)
A
radio presenter has been suspended from Kerrang! radio after staging
a mock burglary at the home of the station's programme director. The
management allege Tim Shaw and his producer broke into the house
causing substantial damage and painted obscenities on the
wall.
1Xtra announced today that it has teamed up with BBC
Interactive Drama and Entertainment to launch Taggerz, an interactive
animated drama based on the lives of a crew of graffiti artists.
A
new transmitter on 94.7 means listeners in the Aylesbury area will be
able to tune in to BBC Three Counties Radio on FM for the first time
from 14 February.
Previously, the region's listeners were
only able to pick up the station on medium wave (AM).
The
switch-on of the new transmitter brings an improved service to all
listeners in places including Haddenham, Winslow, Weston Turville and
Cuddington. The new transmitter complements the service provided to
Milton Keynes and North Bucks on 104.5 FM and High Wycombe on 98
FM.
According to http://www.offshore-radio.de/
The
Hans Knott report
BBC Essex will be broadcasting from the Ross
just for one day Good
Friday 25th March, Some people wanted
to broadcast for longer aka Pirate
BBC Essex last year but
the BBC said no,
Return
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GfK are
disputing the results of RAJAR's Electronic metering tests, which
compared three Audiometers in its first step towards elctronic
metering.
In response to the announcement by RAJAR in the UK
that the radio industry body has concluded from tests conducted in
November 2004 that the GfK Telecontrol MediaWatch has failed to meet
RAJAR’s requirements as a suitable audience research
technology, Matthias Steinmann, the CEO of the Telecontrol Group has
made the following statement:
“We are highly astonished
by the results. We cannot agree with the results of tests which have
been presented in such a way that a casual observer will conclude
that the watch registers less than one-third of all listening. Such
claims are not credible, and in stark contrast to tests conducted by
one of Germany’s most prestigious engineering institutes, and
in contrast to our own experience over the past four years.
In
the RAJAR tests, the performance of the three technologies was judged
by their recognition of radio signals during ‘listening’
sessions with varying levels of interference. Telecontrol’s own
audio engineer, present at the tests, judged that in the majority of
cases, no listening should be registered. The MediaWatch is carefully
designed to register listening under a wide range of normal
circumstances; in our estimation, the RAJAR tests placed undue
emphasis on exposure to radio signals on the borders of inaudibility
and beyond, which we would consider to be correctly described as
‘non-listening’. Yet RAJAR is drawn to the conclusion
that devices that register a greater number of these ‘non-listening’
events are superior technologies. This we cannot accept.
We
are also very concerned that the scenarios in which RAJAR tested the
MediaWatch were in many cases situations which are in direct
contravention of instructions typically given to respondents. The
MediaWatch is designed to register listening while being worn on the
wrist. It is not designed to measure listening while being carried in
a bag, and its performance should not be judged in such
circumstances. In a survey, we would consider such behaviour to be
non-compliance and we would eliminate such records from the database
of listening on these grounds.
We also note that even in
the ‘normal’ listening scenarios during the tests when
the watch was worn normally, the other two devices were carried in a
much more exposed fashion (round the neck in the case of PPM) that is
hard to imagine would be the norm for respondents in a live
survey.
As the RAJAR tests lack the scientific criterion of
repeatability – that is to say, each environment was not
sufficiently controlled to ensure that identical conditions could be
re-created to yield the same results – we are unable to conduct
the same tests again. Telecontrol AG in Switzerland will issue a more
detailed report on this topic within the next 24 hours.
However,
Telecontrol shall be conducting a new series of repeatable, valid
scientific tests of the new technology in the UK, with an
independent, scientific engineering institute. These tests will test
more frequent data capture processes in order to demonstrate that the
system is sufficiently robust for consideration, and in order to
establish an objective measure of the quality of the MediaWatch
technology. Telecontrol will also be publishing a full report in due
course, in relation to the latest tests conducted by
RAJAR."
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From Mike Brand in Israel:
Hi
All
This is from the Radio Caroline News " Blog
"
Many a true word said in jest.
Is
this the " Surprise " CE was referring to on Anorak Nation
, or just another wind up ??
Mike
Thursday,
February 10, 2005
Which ship for new
Caroline?
Caroline security has reported disturbing
findings in a monitored conversation in Caroline's studio this week.
It seems a few presenters are planning to defect to the new Radio
Caroline set to commence broadcasting from Easter. More sinister is
their plan to take a ship back out to sea in order to retransmit the
bogus Radio Caroline impostor station that won't be as good as the
Radio Caroline coming from Maidstone in a place called Kent.
After
a month of phone tapping and listening to bugs recording
conversations, the large dossier presented to Caroline bosses made
for frightening reading. Attracted by the prospect of being paid to
present their programmes, presenters who have gone bad have been
trying to recruit others. Unacceptable phone and internet
communications have been made in the studio, directly to a man
calling himself Ronan O'Rahilly. At one stage a 23 minute
conversation was monitored which appeared to be about taking a ship
out to sea. Although confused as to which ship the conversation was
about, Caroline security have heard that a ship will be used in
conjunction with Radio Caroline based in Latvia.
It is
possible that programs will be beamed from Latvia and "repeated"
by a transmitter based on a ship in the international waters of the
Southern North Sea. Whether this ship is the Ross Revenge, the
Communicator, or the St Paul is at this stage unclear. However, all
true blue Caroline devotees have been told they mustn't listen to it
or they will be in big trouble.
filed by Radio
Caroline News at 02:59 Any Commen
<http://radiocarolinenews.blogspot.com/2005/02/which-ship-for-new-caroline.html#comments>
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11th February 2005
Not radio news but do you want to pick up a recordable dvd player with a tv tuner on board? Superdrug have one on sale at present for £129 - a saving on the real price of £199. I did get one but could not find a place under the television without scrapping the cable box to put it so decided not to keep it. It has a scart in and out plug and numerous inputs and outputs on the back - check the details for yourself before buying! A good way of copying your old radio videos to dvd no doubt good luck.
9th February 2005
Further use of the LG Cassette dab cd radio BM340A and keeping the aerial on a slanting position has greatly improved reception in my kitchen. Unlike the Evoke radio which has a set up which you can run once and then it saves it, the dab side goes silent for around 30 seconds or more whilst it initialises (tunes to find which multiplexes it can receive) Sorry if you are not interested in digital reception or do understand these ramblings. Overall dab still has a long way to go for the general public to be able to use it. The set up procedure on sets is great if you understand what is happening but existing radios are just turned on and receive signals. I can get the BBC mulitplex now in most parts of the house - further comments when the review proper appears on site. The poorer reception may have been due to a tropospheric low - but I will not make any further comments until an adequate soak testing of the product has been completed. Overall it is a delight to listen in to DAB radio which has a better variety of stations without adverts on it in the Kitchen.
News
from other sources
BBC
re-launches internet radio
==============================
The
BBC has relaunched its internet Radio Player to make almost every
BBC
Radio programme available live and on-demand for seven days
after
broadcast, creating a massive, ever-changing library of
music, talk
shows, dramas and documentaries.
The re-launch
puts audiences in control of their listening, allowing
them to
listen at convenient times, control their schedules and
fast-forward
through programmes while exposing them to new shows -
and perhaps
whole networks - they otherwise wouldn't come across.
The new
Player provides all the programmes and benefits of the old
model -
which makes many of the BBC's radio programmes available
online -
but includes over 80 more programmes, making virtually all
of the
BBC's national radio output available on-demand via
the
internet.
The new Radio Player also features live
streaming of every one of the
BBC's English local radio and
national stations: Radio Scotland and
Radio Nan Gaidheal; Radio
Wales and Radio Cymru; Radio Ulster and
Radio Foyle; all 40 of the
BBC's local radio stations.
For the first time it will also be
possible for listeners to stop a
programme at any point, switch
off the computer and then resume
listening from that point at any
time during the seven days the
programme is available. It will
also be possible to explore the other
content on offer without
interrupting the listening experience.
Bug - Free DAB
EPG
==================
PURE Digital - a division of
Imagination Technologies - has released
Electronic Programme Guide
(EPG) support for the Bug DAB digital
radio. The Bug is the first
DAB radio to be enabled with an EPG.
The free trial software
upgrade can be installed on all current Bug
radios and enables
users to browse programmes for a single station or
all programmes
at a particular time, see a short description of each
programme,
and select them for scheduled listening or recording to SD
memory
card.
The advanced Bug DAB digital radio was the first to
feature pause,
rewind and record features and is already widely
commercially
available. The USB-enabled Bug radio can be upgraded
with new
functionality by the user using software downloaded from
PURE's
website.
Trial EPG broadcasts are currently ongoing
in the UK, enabled by
Unique Interactive and the BBC, and further
services are expected to
be launched later in the year. A full Bug
EPG software release is
expected in Q1/2005, after completion of
the EPG trials.
The EPG software was developed by Ensigma,
another division of
Imagination Technologies, which has
unparalleled know-how in the
development and deployment of DAB
technologies.
Said Martin Woodhead, general manager,
Ensigma:
"EPG trials are now ongoing in the UK from both
commercial
broadcasters and the BBC. The programmability of our
DAB platform
solution combined with the Bug's simple upgrade
feature means we're
in a unique position of being able to provide
PURE with test software
releases for Bug users while the trial
service is on air and the
standards are still being ratified. This
is another in Ensigma's long
history of DAB firsts."
Deutsche Welle gives support to
Radio in
Aceh
=============================================
Germany's
- Deutsche Welle will support the reconstruction of radio
stations
in the tsunami-stricken province of Aceh on the Indonesian
island
of Sumatra.
The announced was made in Bonn by Erik Bettermann,
the
Director-General of Germany's international broadcaster.
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Theakston takes over Heart
Breakfast
====================================
Jamie
Theakston has joined London's Heart 106.2 to present the
station's
Monday-Friday breakfast show with Harriet Scott, from
Easter
2005.
The announcement is a major step forward in Heart
106.2's long-term
strategy to win London's battle for listeners,
and is part of an
image make over that started last autumn with
the launch of the new
logo and marketing campaign.
Pilot
shows and research have confirmed Jamie's affinity with the
listeners
- particularly amongst Heart 106.2's core 25-44 year old
target
audience.
Taking over from current breakfast show host Jono
Coleman, Jamie
brings with him his own natural, engaging and
easy-going style; one
of this generation's most versatile
talents.
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Two members of a New York radio show
crew have been sacked after causing outrage with a song and comments
that ridiculed victims of the Asian tsunami. The Hot 97 WQHT-FM
hip-hop station's morning show producer Rick Del Gado, who wrote the
Tsunami Song, and co-presenter Todd Lynn have been fired.
Thursday,
February 03, 2005
DRM live at Le Radio! Conference in Paris,
February 6-9
From February 6th through 9th, Le Radio!
participants will have the
opportunity to hear Digital Radio
Mondiale (DRM) broadcasts on mediumwave
and shortwave on existing
consumer and software receivers at the DRM stand
in the Paris
Expo. DRM`s European commercial launch will take place later
this
year.
"France is a key market for DRM, and DRM is a key
digital solution for AM in
France," says Michel Penneroux of
TDF, DRM`s Commercial Committee
Chairman...
(more at
http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/ )
London's new Asian radio
station, Kismat, is to launch on 14 February
according to Biz
Asia. The station is currently carrying test programmes on
mediumwave
1035 kHz and Sky Digital (923 on the Electronic Programme
Guide).
Kismat replaces adult contemporary station Easy Radio on
these frequencies.
Both stations are owned by Sunrise
Radio.
(More on this at
http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/
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The Stevenage Radio and Electronics Show
will take place at the Stevenage
Arts and Leisure Centre on 20
February. In addition to the usual trade
stands and a bring and
buy stall, there is a lecture programme provided by
the RSGB. At
11.30am there will be a presentation by RadCom editor
Steve
Telenius-Lowe, G4JVG, on how the magazine is produced,
followed at 12.30pm
by General Manager Peter Kirby, G0TWW,
introducing the new film RSGB Today.
At 1.30pm, RadCom columnist
Steve White, G3ZVW, will present 'Whatever Next:
Live', with ideas
for the design of the next generation of transceiver.
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7th February 2005
Very pleased with the LG cassette dab cd radio which I got today off ebay brand new. The cassette quality seems very good so far. I base this on when you take the ferric tapes it can only use and put it in the hi fi cassette and listened on speakers. I also like the way it will play mp3s from cd or cdrw (not that I use that much now) You cannot scroll through an mp3 to find a place but can do an an audio cd. The dab reception is spoilt by the aerial but when it works it is superb but glitches if not in a hot spot in a room. It is not as bad as the Psion wavefinder was for reception. My area is fine for dab on a Pure Evoke 1. The funny thing is it breaks Pures rule of dab - namely you can move the aerial off the vertical to better reception. It switched on to the BBC national network when I switched it on then I couldn't get it on again. It seems to tune into dab each time you select it, mind you I have moved it from room to room. I can get the BBC with it but have to pick a spot in the room - this never happens with Pure digital radios which get it anywhere. It is around at Comet for £79.99 and other places for £129. My advice is to treat yourself to a Pure model and only get a radio cassette as a second set. My Pure receives all multiplexes with no problem at all. The mono dab sets have output to stereo . Drg is the weakest and the LG picks that up best! The LG radio output makes FM and dab and am sound alike. A full review will follow on site when I have put it through its paces. The FM and AM reception side is sensitive and picks up all the stations I use as a point of reference at a distance. The remote control is also very useful
Also got a copy of the Radio Caroline RSL Video CD today and that looks very interesting - it plays on my dvd player on the television - but I will view it soon on the PC to see the extra content then pop a review on site
4th February 2005
It is amazing how many more digital radios are available for sale. I took a picture in a large local store with my basic digital camera on my organiser with has a very soft focus and reproduce it here to illustrate the point. Interestingly enough I think the Evoke 1 or one of its successors is on the extreme right of the picture. The Evoke 1 was the pioneer in the market, and did not have a facility to use batteries. There was also a Philips and an LG dab digital cassette in another part of the shop, both had cd players and one played mp3s. Please click on the picture to view full size
2nd February 2005
My sony cd radio cassette has gone wrong after 3 years devoted service. With no force at all the erase head dropped off and the record button does not pop up any more. It will fast spool etc. Sony's standards have slipped or so it seems. I have a new dab radio cassette on order via ebay and as soon as it arrives I will put it through its paces and put it on site.
I am selling at least ten items on ebay at present the only one site visitors may like to consider are some copies of Monitor Magazine and a few of the Caroline Movement Bulletins http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=132&item=6509567573&rd=1
News
from other sources
Outrage over radio tsunami
spoof
Radio host Miss Jones has apologised for the
"insulting" song
A New York radio show's staff
have been suspended for playing a song which ridiculed victims of the
Asian tsunami.
The Miss Jones in the Morning Show on the Hot
97 WQHT-FM hip-hop station, hosted by Tarsha Nicole Jones, aired the
Tsunami Song earlier this month.
It includes lines about
"Africans drowning, little Chinamen swept away".
The
station's owners called it "morally and socially indefensible".
Miss Jones and her six-person team apologised and offered a week's
pay to aid efforts.
Rick Cummings, president of radio at
parent company Emmis Communications, said: "All involved, myself
included, are ashamed and deeply sorry.
'Inexcusable'
"I
know the members of the morning show are truly contrite. They know
their actions here are inexcusable."
But managers
decided the morning crew's apology and donation offer was
insufficient.
Miss Jones earlier said on air: "I
apologise to all who have been offended by my poor decision to go
along with playing that insulting (to say the least) Tsunami
Song."
She added she wanted to "move forward
from this being a better hostess".
The song, to the
tune of charity hit We Are the World, includes lines such as: "I
just saw her float by, a tree right through her head, and now your
children will be sold to child slavery."
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DAB Surprise
Submitted by:
Published: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Sales of DAB digital
radios in December exceeded expectations and pushed the cumulative
total of products in UK homes past the one million mark, says the
DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau).
Preliminary figures
from electronics industry auditor GfK indicate cumulative sales
through 2004 easily met the one million target set by the DRDB at the
beginning of the year, and are expected to surpass the 1.2 million
forecast in its Five Year Forecast published in October. An official
sell-through figure for December will be announced by the DRDB in
February.
DRDB Chief Executive, Ian Dickens said:
“The
sales figures for 2004 are totally in line with expectations and, as
such, add weight and confidence to the DRDB’s Five Year
Forecast for set sales. The forecast calls for a further 1.2 million
DAB radios to be sold in 2005. Based on the volume of products we
know is coming through this year, and an ever increasing consumer
interest in DAB, we are confident this target can be met.”
The
gap between sales of analogue radios and DAB digital models is
closing. One retailer reported Christmas sales of 30% DAB versus 70%
analogue; up from 15% DAB versus 85% analogue over Christmas
2003.
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Over £3M Raised through UK
Radio Aid
====================================
The current
total raised through UK Radio Aid is put at £3,286,700
with
a new target of £4 million wanted for victims of the
Asian
Tsunami.
On Monday 17th January 2005 commercial Radio
stations across the UK
banded together to broadcast a unique 12
hour programme, to raise
much needed funds.
UK Radio Aid
played out across the network from 6am to 6pm, with over
280
Commercial stations, plus hospital radio, many overseas stations
and
BFBS participating.
Technically this very complex project
worked brilliantly, with links
to local stations twice an hour to
play in local UK Radio Aid
material for their areas. The main
station was switching live to the
disaster area and all round the
country for local stories to be part
of the main content. On top
of that we had live telephone interviews
with many stars who were
abroad - for example Sting in Japan and Bono
in LA.
Support
for UK Radio Aid by commercial sponsors was magnificent.
Donations
by sponsors totalled over £500,000 and the income from
the
competition prizes they donated was over £800,000. The
500,000
competition entry texts underline how listeners interact
with their
live radio station. The main sponsors of the day
were:
Lloyds TSB, Toyota, Carphone Warehouse, Abbey, Robinsons
and Renault
Mark Story, Chairman of UK Radio Aid said:
"This
important fund-raising effort wouldn't have been nearly so
successful
without the generous support from the key sponsors of UK
Radio
Aid." The Commercial Radio companies themselves have
donated
over £300,000.
But this update on UK Radio
Aid is not to give ourselves a pat on the
back - we want to get to
£4 million. You can help by going to the UK
Radio Aid
website and donating online right now, simply click on the
link
below. Every penny is to be routed to the DEC to be invested
in
second stage projects to focus mainly on children and orphans
of the
disaster.
Weblink: www.ukradioaid.com
Nestor
Paper examines model for governance of
BBC
==================================================
CRCA
has published an independent paper from international
corporate
governance expert, Stilpon Nestor, which examines the
future
governance and regulation of the BBC.
The paper
concludes that at present the BBC has no 'owner', no body
whose
sole purpose is to represent the interests of licence fee
payers.
To address this, Nestor proposes a three-pronged approach to
BBC
governance and regulation: -
* The creation of 'Ourbeeb' - the
BBC's equivalent to a plc
shareholders' meeting. 'Ourbeeb' would
take over key ownership
functions currently performed by the DCMS
and Governors, including
reviewing the public service remit of the
BBC, setting conditions for
new services, and either approving, or
playing an important role in
the approval of new services.
*
Reflecting the creation of 'Ourbeeb', the BBC's Board of
Governors
and its executives should morph into a unitary board,
with an
appropriate balance of non-executive and executive
directors. The
board would be dedicated to the effective
management and enthusiastic
championing of the BBC.
*
Ofcom's current regulatory remit should be expanded to address
ex
ante competition issues, and to bring regulation of the BBC's
output
into line with other broadcasters.
CRCA Chief
Executive, Paul Brown, said:
"We are excited by the ideas
presented in this paper. They seem to us
to represent an excellent
way to bring the governance and regulation
of the BBC into line
with modern international best practice.
Importantly, they present
a framework by which each of the three
discrete roles currently
performed by the BBC Governors, those of
ownership, management and
regulation, could be best handled by the
most appropriate
agency."
CRCA commissioned the paper to bring fresh,
external thinking to the
debate about the BBC's current governance
and regulatory framework,
which the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon
Tessa Jowell MP, has called
"unsustainable".
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January 25, 2005 23:00
POP
pirates could soon be broadcasting sounds of the swinging sixties
again from off the Suffolk coast - but this time they would be
entirely legal.
There would be no need for the authorities to
hunt them down and run them out of British waters, or cut off their
food supplies or warn people not to listen, as they did in the 1960s
when Radio Caroline ruled the waves.
For this time the ship
would be sending out its radio signal under an official licence - as
the new radio station for Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge.
Ofcom,
the Office of Communications and radio licensing body, has announced
it will advertise a licence for a new commercial station in June with
the deadline for bidders for the licence in the autumn.
Radio
enthusiast Shaun Brown is hoping his proposals for an offshore
station will secure the new licence.
Mr Brown of Bredfield
said: "The era of the pop pirates was just fantastic and
everybody loved the music and the jingles and the romance of them
being at sea and broadcasting in that way.
"I would love
to recreate that era and atmosphere, though this time it would be
completely legal. There is something very magical about the thought
of radio being broadcast from a ship.
"The station - if
it got the go-ahead - would play all sixties music, which I feel
would be very popular. We would have jingles like those of the
sixties and give people a real flavour of what it was like.
"It
would be very different to the two local radio stations we currently
have - and that is very important.
"But I think people
would be very interested and really enjoy it. We would be the first
legal offshore radio station.
"I would also like to
arrange boat trips so people could come out to visit the radio ship
and have tours of the boat, meet the DJs and see them at work - I
feel that would attract lots of interest."
Mr Brown, who
has been involved in radio stations, including community radio, in
the area, is bringing together a partnership of five to form a
company to run the station and drawing up a business plan to submit
with his licence application.
The idea would be to have the
ship anchored four miles off Felixstowe.
The MV
Communicator - once used to broadcast cult radio station Laser 558 to
around 10 million listeners across the south east of England and
Europe - is up for sale and talks are to take place with its
owners.
Mr Brown said: "The licence is for an audience of
around 500,000, but we would be keen to see if we could also get on
to satellite."
The new station is expected to go on air
in 2006.
Ipswich Local Radio, a consortium run by businessmen
and radio experts, has also announced a bid for the new licence for a
station with a music policy close to Radio Two but also giving local
news and information.
n What do you want to see in a new radio
station? Write to Your Letters, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich,
Suffolk, IP4 1AN, or e-mail
EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk
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23rd January 2005
Waffler:
I enjoyed listening
into the UK Radio Aid broadcast on the 17th. Chris Evans did a
good show as did Simon Bates. I have put sound clips of this on our
radio clips page here. I am not a big fan of Chris Evans
but felt he was calmer and more organised and focused on this
broadcast. By pure coincidence I got his unofficial biography "Ginger
Nuts" from a local library book sale on Saturday for a mere
10p! I will put a review of this book on site in due course but
I am quite busy at present. I have also put some more updates on this
weekend so you will not miss out on new input on this site.
I
have been listening into Radio Jackie and found it most entertaining,
more stations need to play a mix of old and new tracks. The reception
has not been as good, it is a distant station from my location. Look
at the News from other sources and that explains why signals have
dropped recently.
Worldspace seemed to have gone stark raving
bonkers this week and had even encrypted Radio Voyager which they
promised once upon a time would be free to air. Still a few good
stations free to air. Why do RFI and Europe 1 speak so much - nice to
have them in FM quality but I would like more music. Radio Esperance
is very good though when not putting out speech programs. I did get
good value out of my worldspace receiver when I first got it, and
indeed every time they put out a station as a teaser. Sorry to moan
but by the time you pay cable, telephone and other bills there is
little left for extra satellite charges.
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News
from other sources
Sunspot cluster ejects huge
radiation storm
17:43 21 January 2005
NewScientist.com news
service - Kelly Young
The Sun spewed forth a massive amount of
radiation this week, causing
brilliant auroras and a radio
blackout.
Since 14 January alone, it has unleashed at least 17
medium and five large
solar flares from a single sunspot cluster.
Forecasters at the US National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) expect medium to high solar
activity to
continue until 23 January.
"Having so many big flares
from one particular region of the Sun is quite
something,"
says Bernhard Fleck, project scientist for the Solar and
Heliospheric
Observatory satellite.
The X-rays produced by the flares did
not rise to the level of the notorious
solar storms of October and
November 2003, but in terms of high-energy
protons, this is the
largest radiation storm since October 1989.
Magnetic
fields
Solar flares occur when energy stored in magnetic fields
above sunspots is
suddenly released. In this case, the offending
sunspot grew into a cluster
eight times the diameter of Jupiter in
about five days.
Solar activity typically follows an 11-year
cycle. Scientists estimate that
the Sun experienced its last peak
in 2000. "Often the biggest events are in
the falling part of
the solar cycle," Fleck told New Scientist. "So this
is
actually not that surprising."
Effects of the solar
storms were seen on Earth. Auroras produced by the
increased solar
activity were spotted over northern parts of Europe and
North
America and above New Zealand on 18 and 19 January. NOAA also
received
reports of communication blackouts.
Evasive
action
Two major US airlines rerouted planes away from the polar
areas to avoid
additional radiation, said Bill Murtagh, a space
weather forecaster for
NOAA. Instruments on two of NOAA's
satellites, SOHO and the Advanced
Composition Explorer, were
blinded by radiation contamination for several
hours, and there
are unconfirmed reports of problems on other satellites.
The
eruptions also required evasive action aboard the International
Space
Station. The two-man crew, Leroy Chiao and Salizhan
Sharipov, ducked for
cover inside the bulkier Russian side of the
station when their orbit took
them through the worst of the storm.
High doses of radiation can cause
health problems: astronauts are
more prone to cataracts later in life, for
example.
The
astronauts plan to conduct a 5.5-hour spacewalk outside the
station's
protective walls on 26 January. They will install a new
work platform, a
small robotic experiment and other science
equipment.
NOAA officials say that the sunspot region that
caused the solar storms
should rotate to the far side of the Sun
by 22 January, so the astronauts
should not be in danger of
increased radiation exposure during
their
excursion.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6913
16th January 2005
News from other sources (yes for once no words from the waffler!)
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From the BBC website |
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Chris Evans, Davina McCall and Johnny Vaughan are among the presenters set to host an all-day fundraising marathon on almost 300 UK radio stations on Monday. UK Radio Aid, which is raising money for survivors of the Asian tsunami, is the first time the county's commercial radio broadcasters have come together. Evans is returning to the airwaves after three years to host the 0800-1000 GMT slot alongside Kate Thornton. Jamelia, David Gray and Ronan Keating will perform on the 12-hour broadcast. The stations have an estimated combined audience of 20 million and the day will kick off at 0600 with a two-hour stint hosted by Davina McCall and Dermot O'Leary. Evans will interview Prime Minister Tony Blair during his slot. "It's a very exciting thing to do," Evans said. "I haven't donated in a major way yet, just put a few tenners in pub buckets. I'm just looking forward to it. I'm excited." Classic FM's Simon Bates takes over at 1000, followed by Zoe Ball and EastEnders actor Shane Ritchie. Former Big Breakfast pair Johnny Vaughan and Liza Tarbuck will be reunited for the final section at 1600, with more presenters and guests to be announced. Music stars Bryan Adams, Texas, Il Divo, Jamie Cullum, Russell Watson and Mel C have also been lined up to appear. Each station will donate one day's profits and organisers are urging listeners to stage fundraising events of their own or donate one hour's pay from their salary. All money will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee.
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UK Radio Aid is a unique UK radio event
that will raise money for children affected by the Asian Tsunami.
From 6am to 6pm (UTC) on Monday 17th January 2005, the UK's
commercial radio stations will join together in a single,
star-studded programme to raise money for the children affected by
the Asian Tsunami and support them as they to start to rebuild their
lives and look to the future. An estimated audience of up to 30
million listeners across 250 UK stations are expected to tune in,
making it the biggest ever UK radio event. It is also being beamed
around the world via satellite by WRN.
With the support
of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, some of the biggest names in UK
radio history alongside musicians, sports and TV stars will take part
in the 12 hour live broadcast. Each hour of programming will be
hosted by two guest DJs who will introduce live acoustic sets, guest
interviews, competitions, auctions, pledges, messages and news
breaks.
The event will be relayed by WRN as
follows:
Across North America including the USA, Canada, the
Caribbean and Central America via Intelsat Americas 5 at 97º
West (Transponder 5, 11836 GHz, Vertical polarisation);
Across
Europe, Middle East and North Africa via the Hot Bird 6 satellite
(“WRN Special”, Transponder 94, 12597GHz, Vertical
polarisation);
Across Africa and the Asia Pacific region via
Thaicom 3 (“WRN Special”, Transponder 6G, 3.640 GHz,
Horizontal polarisation).
For more information about the
event, visit: www.ukradioaid.com
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RSL Group join the Tsunami
appeal
==================================
Uckfield FM, the
local community RSL for Uckfield in East Sussex
during the summer,
has joined others in the community to raise money
for the tsunami
appeal, even though not broadcasting.
UFM, the town Mayor,
local councillors, businessmen and others have
formed a committee
to hold an 'auction' at the end of January. As
well as helping to
collect 'lots' to be auctioned, they will be
providing the PA
system for the evening, as well as offering the use
of the station
website for information. Chairman Paddy Rea told
ukRadio.com:
"Our
station is regarded as very much a part of the community as we
get
ourselves involved in the town even when we are not broadcasting.
We
are delighted to be helping with the auction that will donate
money
for a particular rebuilding project in Sri Lanka."
Weblink:
www.uckfieldfm.co.uk/tsunamiauction
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One Music to succeed The
John Peel Show
=======================================
BBC
Radio 1 has confirmed that the late John Peel's week night show
will
be succeeded by ONE MUSIC, three shows hosted by three DJs,
dedicated
to championing a diverse, unpredictable and non-commercial
mix of
new music.
It is widely accepted that John Peel can never be
replaced. The
challenge for the new show therefore is to keep his
legacy alive. ONE
MUSIC will do this through its support for new
artists both signed
and unsigned with an emphasis on UK talent. It
will seek out those
making music for music's sake rather than for
commercial success.
Above all it will provide support to emerging
genres of music and
styles that have not yet and may never reach
the mainstream.
ONE MUSIC already exists within Radio 1 as a
website. It gives people
advice and inspiration on all aspects of
the music industry from how
to record a demo to what to look out
for when signing a record
contract. The ONE MUSIC radio shows will
focus on seeking out and
playing the most innovative and unusual
music that is being made
today.
The new shows
(2300-0100hrs) will be hosted by the following DJs:
* Tuesdays
Huw Stephens
* Wednesdays Ras Kwame
* Thursday Rob Da Bank
Huw
Stephens
Huw is currently one half of the Radio 1
Thursday
night show 'Bethan and Huw in Wales'. Their show looks at
the most
exiting new music around with particular emphasis on up
and coming
acts breaking through in Wales. Huw has a proven track
record of
finding some of the hottest talent to emerge in recent
years. His
discoveries include Goldie Lookin Chain and Funeral For
A Friend.
Ras Kwame
Ras is the host of '100% Homegrown'
on Radio 1's digital
sister station 1Xtra. His show is dedicated
to showcasing the best of
UK black music. As well as playing the
tracks, the show also
broadcasts live sessions giving many artists
their first chance to
perform live for a national audience.
Artists championed in recent
months include Lethal B, Kano and
Lady Sovereign.
Rob Da Bank
Rob has been hosting The
John Peel Show since John
passed away. In addition he is one of
the hosts of The Blue Room, an
early morning weekend show that
plays an eclectic mix of electronic
and dance, old and new. Rob
has received great support from the John
Peel audience in recent
times and has a great understanding of the
essence of the show and
what its audience expects from it.
All of the above have been
chosen for their in depth musical
knowledge across a variety of
musical genres. Along with the
production team, they will pool
their expertise to ensure the most
interesting music will be
getting exposure three nights a week. They
will continue to host
their current shows on Radio 1.
Andy Parfitt, Controller Radio
1, said of the plans
"As a DJ John Peel was unique.
Supporting new music and seeking out
the unusual was at the heart
of what John was about. We have spent a
long time debating how
best to continue John's work and believe that
by having a series
of DJs hosting a selection of shows under the ONE
MUSIC title, we
will ensure that his legacy lives on."
One Music will
begin February 1st 2005.
11th January 2005
Waffler:
I
have been listening in to Radio Jackie this week and enjoyed the
programmes so far. It disappeared off my radio in the kitchen because
the dial cord broke in the Sony Radio Cassette and it no longer tunes
down that far. It comes in really well most of the time even though I
am in North West London. The news also is very interesting and never
skimped, local and national news.
I am also enjoying the
shortwaves and hope to put up some logs that I have made recently as
soon as time permit. I have enjoyed listening to several editions of
Radio China's Real Time Beijing and as they say much much more
besides.
News
from other sources:
Eight of the UK's radio
giants have collaborated to suspend their schedules
for 12 hours
on 17 January in aid of the Asian tsunami appeal.
Emap,
Chrysalis, Guardian Media Group, GWR, Scottish Radio Holdings,
Capital
and Virgin have created UK Radio Aid - a move which will
see a special
one-off programme broadcast from 6am from Capital's
London headquarters.
The special 12-hour show will be guest
presented by two DJs every hour from
across the networks.
Content
will include contributions from musicians, sports and TV stars,
and
politicians.
The networks that have agreed to the deal
have pledged to donate a single
day's profits to relief programmes
associated with the tsunami.
Mark Story, chairman of UK Radio
Aid, said: "I am immensely proud of and
grateful to our
colleagues across commercial radio who when asked for
an
extraordinary response to this disaster were all in immediate
agreement to
unite for this very special day."
Real
Madrid and England striker Michael Owen added: "This is a
tragedy that
has touched everyone and it's important that the
giving continues. It will
take years to restore the communities in
these countries and we should all
do our bit to help.
"This
is a great idea which reflects the value of working together to
help."
By Kevin
May
http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/articles/folder2005/01/commercialradio-tsunamiappeal-
The
first silly story of the new year?
According to a website
titled as Radio 756 AM & Sonnet Radio, a new mediumwave station
will be set up in the Åland Islands in southwestern Finland.
Radio 756 would be operating on 756 kHz with a power of 10 kilowatts.
According to the website, the station will be based at the radio ship
MV St.Paul, which is already moored in the harbor of Mariehamn in the
Åland Islands. The same ship was home to Radio
Scandinavia/Pirate Radio 603, which earlier in 2004 broadcast for a
while with low power on 603 kHz (see DXing.info news in August 2004),
before collapsing due to disputes between the operators of the
station. Authorities cancelled the license of the station, and
according to the website, all license applications have now been
frozen until May 2005, which is said to be delaying the new
project.
Founders of Radio 756 plan to upgrade the ship from
next spring and include two studios and a UHF link to the main studio
and a transmitter site 8 kilometers away. In addition to 756 kHz,
shortwave transmissions are planned to cover the whole of Europe.
Digital DRM broadcasts are planned for late 2005. Radio 756 can be
reached by email.
Radio 756 website doesn't identify the
persons or organizations behind the project. Sonnet Radio may refer
to a pirate shortwave station, which in 2002 was using a Swedish post
office box shared by many pirate stations. In August 2004 Sonnet
Radio announced plans to begin test broadcasts on shortwave from
either Bulgaria or Latvia.
Swedish radio enthusiast and
businessman Roy Sandgren, who set up Radio Scandinavia on 603 kHz, is
not involved in the new project. "I don't have anything to do
with Sonnet Radio. I have my license and if I want, I'm able to go on
air whenever I want," Sandgren says to DXing.info, adding that
he hopes to be back on the air in April 2005. Radio 756 website makes
no mention of the future of 603 kHz, which could indicate that the
same people, who fought over the 603 kHz station and license, could
be taking their rivalry to the airwaves by setting up competing radio
stations, both operating from the tiny Åland Islands in the
Baltic Sea.
(DXing.info, December 22, 2004)
In
depth:
Capital / GWR Merger Given Go
Ahead
===================================
Ofcom and the
Office of Fair Trading have given the official go ahead
for the
biggest Radio Merger in UK radio history. Capital radio and
GWR
will proceed with their merger plans although they will have
to
comply with some required safeguards.
The assessment of
key competition aspects of the proposed merger were
undertaken by
the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Ofcom has been given
a number of
specific duties under the Communications Act 2003 and
other
legislation in relation to media mergers. It's outcomes in
connection
with the proposed merger of Capital Radio plc and GWR
Group plc
are:
Change of control
Section 355 of the
Communications Act 2003 requires Ofcom to carry out
a review of
any local radio licence that undergoes a change of
control, in
order to ensure that the character of the service, the
quality and
range of programming and the amount of local programming
would not
be prejudiced as a result of the change of control.
* Ofcom
has determined that 30 GWR local analogue radio licences
would
undergo a change of control as a result of the merger.
*
Following statutory change of control reviews of the 30 GWR
licences,
if the proposed merger proceeds Ofcom intends to vary two
GWR
licences in order to safeguard local programming:
* GWR
Bristol and Bath FM: separate weekday breakfast services
are
currently provided for each of the Bristol and Bath areas.
This
provision will be written into the licence to ensure
continued
provision of these separate services.
* MFM/Buzz
Wrexham and Chester FM licence: a separate weekday
breakfast
service for the Wirral is currently provided, and this
provision
will be written in to the licence to ensure continued
provision of
this separate service.
Ownership rules
Ofcom has a duty
to apply specific ownership rules that either
prohibit certain
categories of persons from holding broadcasting
licences, or are
designed to protect plurality of ownership of the
media. These
rules are set out in Part 2 of Schedule 2 of the
Broadcasting Act
1990, Schedule 14 of the Communications Act 2003 and
the Media
Ownership (Local Radio and Appointed News Provider) Order
2003.
*
Ofcom has concluded that none of these statutory ownership
rules
would be breached by the proposed merger.
*
Specifically, Ofcom has concluded that the specific ownership
rules
designed to protect plurality in relation to local analogue
radio
licences, local digital multiplex licences, and local
digital sound
programme service licences would not be breached if
the merger were
to go ahead as currently envisaged.
Public
interest test
If the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
issues an
Intervention Notice, Ofcom is required under Section 61A
of the
Enterprise Act 2002 to carry out an investigation into the
public
interest considerations specified in the notice.
*
The Secretary of State has not issued an Intervention Notice
with
regard to the proposed Capital and GWR merger. She has the
power to
issue an Intervention Notice only until the OFT makes a
decision on
whether or not to refer the merger to the Competition
Commission.
There will, therefore, be no assessment of any public
interest
considerations as part of the regulatory scrutiny of this
merger.
The OFT is not referring the anticipated merger
between Capital Radio
and GWR to the Competition Commission on the
information currently
available to it because it is considering
whether, instead of making
a reference, to accept appropriate
undertakings from the parties to
address the competition concerns
arising from the merger.
Vincent Smith, the OFT's Director of
Competition Enforcement, said:
"Except in the East
Midlands, the radio stations of Capital and GWR do
not strongly
overlap at a local level. So for national advertisers
putting
together a radio advertising package they are largely
complementary
rather than competing alternatives. However, the merger
would
result in a substantial lessening of competition in the
East
Midlands. The parties have offered to divest Century 106 FM
to
address the identified adverse competition effects."
The
Boards of Capital Radio plc and GWR Group plc have welcomed
this
decision to clear the merger subject to the merged group
agreeing to
address its local radio advertising competition
concerns in the East
Midlands. Capital Radio and GWR are fully
committed to proceeding
with the merger and have offered to divest
106 Century FM in
Nottingham to address these concerns. Subject to
finalisation of the
details of the undertakings, Capital Radio and
GWR will issue a
further announcement in due course.
Ralph
Bernard, Executive Chairman of GWR, said:
'When we announced
our merger we set out the benefits for listeners,
advertisers and
shareholders. This is a merger of two complementary
businesses
that will strengthen the UK radio industry and we are very
pleased
that OFT and Ofcom are satisfied that it can proceed.'
David
Mansfield, Chief Executive of Capital Radio, said:
'We are
delighted with this decision, which follows a constructive
dialogue
with the OFT and Ofcom. This is good for listeners and for
the
radio industry. We look forward to working with our new
colleagues
at GWR to effectively integrate our businesses and create
a
commercial radio champion for the digital age.'
4th January 2005
Waffler
It was a special surprise to hear Johnnie Walker on BBC Radio 2 today; he is in fact doing the entire week of Breakfast Shows. He did stop doing this when returning from his treatment; hopefully he has won many years of active radio back now. A jolly good show, and interesting to hear him talking to the newsreader Fenella Fudge about her surname by marriage on the 4th.
I am sorry to have missed the programmes of Brill Oldies FM on 87.9. It was an RSL on 87.9 in the Aylesbury and Brill surrounding areas with oldies music. I am out of the reception area but was impressed by their feed which was constant but of a lower bandwidth. I managed to listen to their close down from 11:45 to Midnight last night; unfortunately my mini disc was near the end and did not capture the entire event.
I apologise for misleading you all reporting from Primetime Radio's Xmas schedule that there was a programme called "When Pirates Waived the Rules" from 6pm to 9pm tonight. It was in fact a repeat of the excellent Dave Cash programme with interviews with people like Tom Edwards. It also sadly was only the hour long programme. I thought they were going to play music from the offshore stations for the full three hours.
A few site visitors have enquired why I have not placed a review of 2004 on site like I have done for other years. That is because I now archive up to two years worth of diary news and entries unexpurgated and there is a link to that part of the site above this diary entry
News from other sources
On Thursday 6 January
Radio 10 Gold, Noordzee FM, Radio Veronica, Yorin FM,
RTL FM,
Radio 538 and Radio 3FM all will transmit the same program under
the
name Radio 355 in aid of the Tsunami relief fund. This is a
unique event in
Dutch radio history.
Veteran comedian and
broadcaster Cyril Fletcher has died at his home in
Guernsey after
a short illness. He was 91.
Fletcher's 70-year career covered
theatre, radio and television, and most
famously the BBC's That's
Life, where he won millions of new fans in the
show's early years
telling his "odd odes"...
1st January 2005
Waffler:
Happy New Year to all site visitors.
My wife and I had a nice break after Xmas only marred by staying at a hotel in Torquay which was every bit as bad as Fawlty Towers. It had bad food, service and hygiene was not too hot nor was the room and fittings. I had better not mention the hotel by name but will go as far as to mention it began with a C! If you are thinking of going there, and we only did as part of a package break, send me an email and I will warn you in advance.
The Radio in Torquay was excellent. I enjoyed the evening programmes from BBC Radio Devon, these were broadcast in conjunction with Radio Cornwall and the Channel Island BBC stations. Radio Gemini the commercial station had an excellent female presenter and a programme in the evening called "Music On Demand". It was good to hear a local station with presenters who had something interesting to say. Slightly weaker reception came from South Hams Radio which was really rather good, with plenty of oldies, it is part of the GWR chain but has a good local feel to it and is commercial. More about these stations and some clips on site as the New Year unfolds.
We drove down to Torquay by coach and the driver had Radio 2 on in the background. You had to pinch yourself at times because so many of the tunes played were Rock classics heard on Caroline in the 70s. Richard Allinson must have been responsible because he sat in on a few shows.
Unfortunately my good lady has had a nasty fall since our return and I am praying that a break in her arm will soon mend. I never realised how much you need two hands for most tasks. Never undervalue your health - indeed the recent world tragedy in Asia has brought all this home hopefully to us all. Do have a happy and peaceful New Year.
News from Other sources:
VT Communications, part of VT Group plc has signed a significant broadcast contract with China Radio International (CRI) to deliver nine hours of daily programming into Southern Africa, Mexico and Brazil, providing CRI with the network coverage they require for new services.
Kerrang! Radio and Kasabian joined forces to bring more musical choice to the City of Manchester as part of the new radio license bid to be announced in February.
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Classic FM, has secured the biggest number of responses of any on-air commercial digital radio competition ever, with almost 100,000 entries being received. |
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Since December 6th, Classic FM offered listeners the chance to win one of 160 exclusive Classic FM Roberts DAB digital radios. The radio station had a massive response, with almost 100,000 entries received and a digital radio was given away almost every hour for the entire week. |
From Mike Terry: There
is an excellent "year in review" article by Andy
at
http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/features/media/features/media041222.html
Its
divided them into three sections:
- International
broadcasting
- Dutch broadcasting
- Other highlights
CREDITS FOR NEWS AND COMMENT FROM OTHERS
Credits for items for news and comment from elsewhere go to the worldwide press, The British DX Club, UK Radio News, Offshore Radio Web Site and other web and print based sources. I am also grateful to Mike Terry and Dr Martin Van der Ven, Paul Rusling, Hans Knot, Mike Brand amongst others for information from time to time. Items marked DXLD are from DX LISTENING DIGEST edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com. In the Year 2003 we have also started to refer to the Caroline Community News Desk. Added in March 2003 selected news from http://www.digitalspy.co.uk This is not intended to be a comprehensive radio news service - merely items which interest the webmaster of this site. Your contributions welcome always. If I have broken any copyright or other interests and email to wirewaffle@hotmail.com will, if proven, result in a full apology and the item being removed. Please send any comments of news for this page also to wirewaffle@hotmail.com. News and views expressed on this site in news items are not necessarily those of the waffler and he welcomes comments good and bad about any points raised on site.
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