18 Mar 2011

30 years of Rock DJ Tom Russell


Tom Russell and me, Rock Radio studios


Tom Russell celebrates his 30th year broadcasting his legendary rock shows this month. Originally Tom began at Clyde Radio. Having previously owned a series of record stores, he constantly complained to Clyde that they didn't play rock music until finally they relented and offered him a weekly slot. This ran for an incredible 25 years until Tom moved to Rock Radio 96.3 roughly 5 years ago.


Tom Russell, Clyde Radio Studios (1984)

You can hear Tom's show weekdays between 2pm and 6pm on Rock Radio 96.3

10 Mar 2011

40 years of Hospital Broadcasting Services

HBS recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and I wanted to talk to a number of those currently volunteering at the station, which serves several hospitals in the Greater Glasgow area.  So, on a rather dull and wet March evening I arrived at the studios to discover Jonathan Craig (Supervisor), Peggy Mack (Presenter), Isabel Vincent (Fund-raiser and presenter) and Scott Rutherford (Presenter) already waiting for me. 

As Jonathan manned the requests telephone and filled out slips of paper detailing the night’s dedications, I was keen to establish why they had all volunteered for hospital radio in the first place?

Isabel Vincent: “I lived in Yorkshire and was moving to Glasgow. I wanted to get to know people and settle in to a new place, so looked up Volunteer Scotland and found HBS. I began as a request collector talking to the patients and obtaining their song requests then I became a supervisor and fund-raiser. Today I have my own show”.

Scott Rutherford: “I actually applied through an advert. It took a long time to hear back as there were literally hundreds of applicants. Mainly, I was looking to get to know a new group of people, make friends and learn a new skill. I had no previous experience in radio or DJ work, just an interest in music.”

Peggy: “…that is important! You learn so much here! The training is rigorous. It’s a 10 week session to become a presenter for example.”

Peggy: “Hospital radio is a huge spawning ground for presenters across the UK, in fact Ross King, Ken Bruce, Paul Coia and George Bowie all started here at HBS. These days however there aren’t the same openings into local and commercial radio as there used to be.”

Scott Rutherford in Studio 2, HBS

Whilst talking, it quickly became clear that all new volunteers must begin, as request collectors in order to better understand how HBS operates.

Where hospital radio greatly differs from other community radio stations is that the output is predominantly driven by the patients and staff in the hospitals covered by the service. There are specialist shows, such as Country and Western, yet the vast majority of output comes from the listener requests.

Peggy provided an anecdote that perfectly illustrated this… “One presenter turned up for his first requests show prepared with the current top 20 already ready to go, but realised all too quickly that he was instead being asked for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and Bette Midler.”

“You have to remember that the significant majority of our listeners are older and don’t want the current top 20. Although we cover a wide range of ages, younger patients tend to turn up with an iPod or watch TV instead.”

“We also don’t cover big news events”, suggests Isabel “religious output is obviously generalised too, so that we don’t offend anyone”. There is no Sky News feed or hourly news bulletin. Snippets of general information are just added to various shows by the presenters should they wish too, such as Scott offering the latest football results for instance.

Put like that it makes perfect sense, as does the fact that the schedule generally doesn’t change a great deal to ensure continuity and an output that tends to suit an older audience.

One major issue immediately struck me. HBS transmits at very low frequencies and is therefore not available on standard radio sets. HBS has no online transmission or DAB presence and therefore you will either have to purchase a scanner to locate the station’s output or arrange some kind of minor accident that will land you in a ward for a few days. I seriously don’t suggest the latter!

How is it possible to build a rapport with a listenership that continually changes? These days, patients tend to be in and out of hospital relatively quickly.

Other stations have a core group of listeners who will tune in on a regular basis and can be relied upon to keep their radios on throughout the day. So how can HBS make its presence known?

“In some wards having posters up to advertise the radio station would be deemed a contamination risk, in yet others the cleaning staff remove any flyers or posters almost immediately”, points out Isabel.

Therefore the request collectors, not only act as means of obtaining dedications, but also alert patients to the radio stations existence. This is a personal touch that makes the station more immediately accessible and offers a direct point of contact with individual patients.

Another issue unique to hospital radio is that the broadcasts are generally only accessible through headphones, which from time to time are thrown out rather than properly cleaned, as they are deemed a health risk. This leads to having to somehow find the funds to replace them.

Peggy Mack in HBS Library

After 40 years of transmission, what does the future hold for HBS? Scott ponders this for a second and suggests, “There have been rumours for several years that we may be moving to purpose built premises, yet that has not been confirmed.”  We are also going “24 hours”.  Both of which will clearly provide new opportunities and challenges to the service and volunteers.

As I packed up my recording equipment to leave, I couldn’t help but think that hospital radio in general offers something incredibly personal to a listenership predominately seeking a friend in their darkest hour. For those patients who are in an unfamiliar environment, in a bed that isn’t their own, depressed, lonely, concerned about pending news or the outcome of an operation it is very easy to see why hospital radio provides such great comfort. Replacing hospital radio with pay-as-you-go TV sets or replacing the feed with a commercial station simply wouldn’t begin to generate the same level of empathy, comfort or one-to-one contact.

This is a particularly dedicated bunch of radio volunteers who really do deserve a great deal of recognition for establishing that essential connection between presenter and listener that good radio achieves so wonderfully.

Peggy: “We are all very proud to be part of HBS. I would say that what really frustrates me more than anything else is that it’s not so well known “out there”.



I’d like to thank Niall Anderson (Chairman) and the volunteers for having taken the time to talk with me.

And good luck to Jonathan who presents his first show on the 29th March.

Link to site: http://www.hbs.org.uk/

9 Mar 2011

Top 10 requested tracks - HBS - 2011

  1. Frank Sinatra - My Way
  2. Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the night
  3. Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline
  4. Kenneth McKellar - My love is like a red, red rose
  5. Dolly Parton - Nine to five
  6. Dean Martin - That's amore
  7. Lena Martell - One day at a time
  8. Bette Midler - Wind beneath my wings
  9. Tina Turner - Simply the best
  10. Johnny Cash - I walk the line 
Frank Sinatra's 'My way' has been requested a staggering 83 times this year alone and it's only March!

Details from HBS (Hospital Broadcasting Service), Glasgow.  

19 Feb 2011

Interview: Celtic Music Radio presenter Ross Macfadyen




On a bitterly cold evening I pulled on my coat, grabbed a camera and a hand held recorder and left the house to meet Ross Macfadyen presenter of ‘Thank Folk It’s Friday!' on community radio station ‘Celtic Music Radio’. It’s a 15 minute walk from where I live to the studios, but by the time I arrived my feet were already turning to blocks of ice. 

I took the lift up to the offices and stepped into a hive of activity. Ross is busily editing a programme for future broadcast while Alex Jenkins, a Director & Trustee of the station, is repositioning microphones in preparation for a live set from 'Muckle Flugga', a band who have travelled from Edinburgh to be on Ross’ show.
With a few minutes to spare, Ross kindly offered cakes, chat and a restorative cup of hot tea and it swiftly became apparent that we had a lot in common. 

Ross Macfadyen: 

“In August 1983 I remember reading an article about Radio Caroline starting up again, and then promptly forgot about it, but for Christmas that year I asked my parents for a boogie box (that’s a radio with cassette tape recorder built-in kids!), and for two weeks I scanned up and down the frequencies trying to find something I enjoyed. Finally, I stumbled across this static noise with rock music wafting in and out of it, which turned out to be Status Quo. I had discovered Radio Caroline! What appealed to me was the lack of chat. It was 20 minutes of back to back music, no jingles, no nothing, just music!” 

In 1964, Ronan O’Rahilly founded Radio Caroline as a means of shaking the music and radio industry to its very foundations. Based on-board the MV Mi Amigo and moored in international waters it was deemed a pirate radio station and the Government of the day introduced the Marine Broadcasting Offenses Act 1967 in an attempt to close pirate radio stations for good. In the same year the BBC introduced Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4 employing many of the ex Radio Caroline DJs in the process. 

*A history of Radio Caroline can be found here  

“Once I had found Radio Caroline - that was me! It was so different. They avoided the run of the mill music being played elsewhere. 

I also loved listening to Annie Nightingale, but sadly never had the opportunity to listen to John Peel nearly as much as I should have. When he passed away I do remember asking myself “what will happen to music & radio now?” and I still feel there is a vacuum when it comes to new music getting the exposure it deserves.

Gavin Knight: 

“So when did you switch from being a listener to getting involved in broadcasting?”

RM: 

“I was a student at Strathclyde University (in 1985) and discovered their radio station, called “StrathRadio”, which was in the student union and simply wired around the building with speakers playing out to anyone in the various bars and social areas. I spent my first, and as it turns out, my last year concentrating completely on the radio station”. 

This, I must admit came as a bit of a revelation to me as between 1995-1998 I had co-founded Strathclyde’s current station (Fusion) alongside Simon Kemp, Tess Grieg, Jacob McKnight, Peter Mann and Sandra Harvie. We had heard whispers of the original, long dead station and their antics, but after all these years I was surprised to finally meet one of the original presenters. 

“Tapes still exist of my StrathRadio shows, but they are going to stay strictly in the archives!” 





GK: 


“Clearly you decided to leave university, but did you continue to pursue a career in radio?” 

RM: 


“No! Although, in hindsight I could have approached Clyde and offered a demo, I worked in regular jobs and forgot about it until a chance meeting with Alex (Jenkins) three years ago. Initially I pre-recorded my programmes until I worked up the confidence to present live – there’s certainly a buzz around a live show that’s infectious!

GK: 


“Why did you decide to get involved in community radio as opposed to perhaps a paying job elsewhere within the industry?”

RM: 


“We once had a volunteer who was also involved in a commercial station. We fell into discussion about their play listing and from 4 decades they’d selected 700 tracks that they felt sufficiently covered all genre and 40 years! That was the sum total of their regular output. So, listeners were being subjected to the same tracks over and over on a ridiculous rotation.
Here at Celtic Music Radio we have a growing database with approximately 15,000 tracks. Each artist is given the same amount of airplay as the next. For me it is about the music. It has always been about the music. I wouldn’t get the opportunity to play such wide and varied music elsewhere.” That’s not to say if someone wishes to pay me........."


Ross trails off here.

Volunteers in any of the community, student or hospital stations have to be admired when they give up their own free time and spend hours, painstakingly piecing together new and interesting shows knowing that they could easily be paid elsewhere for doing less work. However, the really impressive thing here is that unlike in commercial or national radio there’s not a large team busily preparing for the transmission, there’s nobody manning the ‘phone, answering emails, producing the show or showing guests in or out of the ‘Green Room’.

On Celtic Music Radio, the presenters are their own producers, choose what music will be played on their programmes and arrange any guests they wish to interview or play for them. For example, tonight there is simply two staffers, Ross and Alex, yet the standard of the output is really high. 

As I am preparing to leave and let Ross get on with his show, he concludes: 

RM: 


“I really think if you listen to our output, we could go national tomorrow. We have created a community radio station, which is not based purely on a geographical location, but is run by a team of volunteers who are enthusiastic about Folk Music for an entire community of folk musicians and fans who simply wouldn’t have a focal point if we didn’t exist. The one thing we hear all the time from listeners is simply 'Thank you for being there'. 

Where else would they go to hear folk music? It is rarely given the attention it deserves on other stations. 

A prime example of how we feel about our community status is our support to ensure that the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music up in Plockton isn’t closed down. It’s outside our geographical location, but the people and the music are part of our musical community. 

We are more than just a community radio station, we are a musical community.” 

Ross Macfadyen’s show “Thank Folk It’s Friday!” can be heard live each Friday evening between 8-10pm on Celtic Music Radio 1530AM in the Greater Glasgow area or online (see link below). 

 CelticMusicRadio.net

National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music


Broadcast Minister Ed Vaizey: "FM switch off will not take place"

In a move, which is likely to affect local commercial stations throughout the United Kingdom, Broadcast Minister Ed Vaizey has informed MPs that there is now no intention of switching off FM frequencies. He also stated that there was going to be a comprehensive review of Ofcom's recent decision to cut licences from from 12 to 7 years.

An article in 'Radio Today' quotes William Rogers, Chief Executive of UKRD as welcoming the move, saying "We need a dynamic and vibrant local radio sector" and that the focus on DAB radio had been "poorly planned and inappropriate" getting "in the way of what consumer choice is all about".

So, FM is getting a reprieve and many local radio stations relying on FM frequencies can expect support from the Government.

Radio Today article in full

16 Feb 2011

Royal 1 Radio

The Glasgow Royal Infirmary has it's own independent radio station called Royal 1 Radio, which apparently broadcasts seven days a week. Sadly when I attempted to visit the website and gain further information and a bit of a background history, I discovered that their site was under construction. Therefore, I shall contact them and report back later.

Tel: 0141 221 4835

Radio Lollipop

Radio Lollipop began in 1978 at what was the largest children's hospital in Europe at the time, Queen Mary's, Carshalton, Surrey. Today the service is available in Australia, New Zealand, America and throughout the UK.

Based in London, the charity's main aim is to focus on play and entertainment for sick children.

A swift browse online for images associated with Radio Lollipop demonstrates their commitment to that cause. Unlike most radio stations there are few images of the presenters, the studio or equipment and instead there are lots of images of parties, fun activities and events organised for the children themselves.


Royal Hospital for Sick Children
Yorkhill Division
Dalnair Street
Glasgow
G3 8SJ

Tel: 0141 201 0781
Email: glasgow@radiolollipop.org

http://www.radiolollipop.org/

VIR

Victoria Infirmary Radio (VIR) is based in the original hospital administration block across from Queen's Park and has two broadcasting channels, which provide talk & music or sport, religion & specialist radio output. This offers a very diverse service not generally found on hospital radio. In 1990 the station fell silent due to insufficient funding, however radio enthusiast Alan Hall relaunched the station in 1995 after visiting his mother in hospital and discovering there was no radio service.

When not broadcasting, VIR switches to BBC Radio Scotland.




Victoria Infirmary Radio
Victoria Infirmary
NHS Trust
Langside Road
Glasgow

G42 9TY

Tel: 0141 201 5173 


Southern Sound

The Southern General hospital is not served by HBS (see below) and is one of the few remaining local independent hospital radio stations in the Glasgow area. Broadcasting upwards of 47 hours a week 'Southern Sound' like most hospital radio stations is staffed by volunteers.



Alan Taylor (Secretary)
Southern Sound Hospital Radio
Southern General Hospital
1345 Govan Road
Glasgow G51 4TF

Telephone:  
07973 516 007 


http://www.southernsound.org.uk/

Hospital Broadcasting Service

Hospital radio in Glasgow began in 1969 with a pilot service called 'Radio Phoenix' at the Foresthall Hospital. The year long experiment proved to be very popular and on December 25th 1970 the Hospital Broadcasting Service (HBS) was launched with a view to making radio available to all of the NHS hospitals in the local area.

Six NHS hospitals are served by HBS today* and one last hospital (Clydebank) retaining the option to connect if required.

Based in Baltic Chambers, Wellington Street HBS broadcasts from two studios with the help of approximately 80 volunteer staff.




Contact:
Suite 444
Baltic Chambers
50 Wellington Street
Glasgow
G2 6HJ

Tel: 0141 221 4043
Email: studio@hbs.org.uk

* The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Clinic, Blawarthill Hospital, Drumchapel Hospital, Gartnaval General Hospital, Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital & Western Infirmary.

http://www.hbs.org.uk/index.html

Introduction

My name is Gavin and I am a mature student at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, UK. I'm currently studying 'Media & Communications' and as part of my coursework I have decided to produce a blog on a specific area of interest. As I am also the co-manager of GCU's student radio station (Radio Caley) it should come as of no surprise to learn that I have decided to focus on the Glasgow Radio Scene.

However, there is a twist in the tail as although I shall take a look at independent, commercial and national radio my main focus will be on the unsung heroes, the mostly unpaid and volunteer groups who produce some of the more obscure output on our airwaves and online.

Heard of Sandaig Radio? Know who'd be presenting on your local hospital radio station? Any idea what the output is of the local universities in the Glasgow area?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'no', then please follow this blog and find out. You might be pleasantly surprised, whilst finding an alternative to your current radio listening habits.

One question I have been asked was why I chose the name Obsidian Notes for the blog? Well, it stems from high quality record turntable plinths, which were manufactured from obsidian in the 1970s such as those produced by Technics. The quality of output was remarkable.