Transcripts for BBC Tees BBC Tees 20171105 200000

You know on the river with you with. Me is the. Lover tells of old her the captain and crew I will say this what I would say doesn't happen but just visiting if you want an adventure you know all the way. To the river with my friend mostly is only a but sure I shall never more I'm glad he's I'm so very. Clear Sleep. Hello Hi I'm David Lloyd as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of b.b.c. Local radio across all 40 stations I've been hearing from some of its planned he is listening to some of its programs. In the next hour the story of hell and the b.b.c. Went local in 167 this is b.b.c. Radio nest this is the 1st radio but it's good to see radio Brian how can I help him go to into radio nothing and v.h.f. Like whole point 8 and. Rediffusion channel sees Greg say he knew it would create new jobs for about 300 people in the given area Charlie that shouldn't. Be the problem the brain center. Leaves we thought of the whole Butler It was the answer but it's up to me with the ruthless purpose survival they were playing a whiter shade of pale I've always loved that song ever since there I was gosh this is really the b.b.c. What I hoped for was something conversational and free flowing friendly very friendly radio that's how the founding father had b.b.c. Local radio Frank describe his vision it was for her network of stations which would bring the expertise of the world's greatest broadcaster to serve the diverse communities of Britain in the 1960 s. Dr Matthew Lynn forte of the University of Westminster has made a study of b.b.c. Local Radio's early years the time of people in politics music and media. One it was the way that society and culture generally became more interested in looking at the diversity of life this was the era of kitchen sink dramas I never know when they're past years I mean. So it was more to do with people's stories that weren't so dominated by the drawing room drummers or you know the upper classes it was more to do with ordinary people left to be this weekend than coming with you this time there was also a perception that people weren't that involved with the democratic process that local democracy wasn't really being engaged with Eric already. 20 times. The 1st senior manager had the b.b.c. To make the argument for local radio was the head of the West Region Frank he'd been a household name as a real reporter in the 1940. 3 recording I believe or do they really want to keep hearing about. The way born it. Was a school teacher and. Actually from the West Country and he was taken on by the West region as talks assistant 1941 and he rose through the B.B.C.'s ranks through the 1950 s. Back in the early 1950 s. On a visit to the United States I judged that while the b.b.c. Had little to learn from network radio systems over there the little local stations which existed in every town and city were providing a much appreciated public service which up to then was lacking in Britain this is Frank talking him $992.00 now the b.b.c. Had shown its value as a national instrument and this was surely the time to prove that it could provide a corresponding service at the local level and make a substantial contribution to the enrichment of local life the b.b.c. Also had a very metropolitan focus you could hear whispers in the press and elsewhere but it was too dominated by Metropolitan outlook what I hoped for something warmer and more accessible broadcasters would become almost personal friends one of the problems that Frank Kellogg encountered in trying to sell the idea of local radio was it didn't exist so nobody really knew what it sounded like and from the late fifty's on words he was continually pestering and putting forward this idea can we have some experiments can we try this out and the post office who were in charge of licensing radio for everybody time kept saying no friend killers opportunity came in 961 when the government established a committee under Sahara Pilkington to look into the future of British broadcasting they'd need to be persuaded that local broadcasting was a good idea so to see or rather hear what b.b.c. Local radio might sound like 16 closed circuit stations were established around the country to make programmes that no one except the Pilkington committee was meant to listen to here's Michael Barrett later the presenter. Of b.b.c. T.V.'s nationwide on the experimental station in Stoke Well it looks like being a busy weekend for clergy and laity alike with quite a variety of bazaars and investor is opening ceremonies and the like in churches all over the 6 towns and his Sheila Bailey home the secret station radio nor Each Monday do you think people from other parts especially thickly populated industrial areas tend to look on knowledge people as rule dolts Oh I do and they're always complaining because we're flat and interesting and I don't like the years that one demands are just one family friendly there's that word again Paul Hayes from present day b.b.c. Radio Norfolk has been researching its friendly previous as a notch was the 1st one they'd been to before that in Bristol and in Portsmouth It was on the 20th of June 1961 and a group of staff came over from Birmingham from the middle and home service to come to the b.b.c. Outpost that did exist already Norrish at the time to prepare and produce this day of broadcasting what price are strawberries Well right in the best will be sold at one in 6 to one in 8 by anybody with the right German they can buy German always a right one for you to want to call I talked to the marriage counsellor Williamson who as you know is also a reporter and this week he recommends all English Me radio how your local b.b.c. Station but I'm 6 o'clock on a good morning if I go back in here in the guild hall on a rather uncertain morning Michael Ray Barton who'd like to become the controller of local radio was working for the b.b.c. In Manchester I was asked to go to hell which is my old. Today experiment there others are taking place in Durham who'll this is your local b.b.c. Station serving Bournemouth Christ Church and pull some results from the East Dorset program and you're going to pass them what Frank was doing very cleverly was building up his little archive which was going to be used in the future to persuade the die. It is the politicians those with influence that this is the way forward the chief instructor from the staff training department was present to the north pilots Elwyn Evans and he says all the presentation interviewing and commentary work at Norwich was done by 3 studio managers and the enthusiasm with which they seize their opportunities was most exciting Meredith major will burn Art retired when the Pilkington committee reported in 1962 it was clear that Frank had scored a big When the b.b.c. Was encouraged to move into local broadcasting and the very thought of commercial radio in the u.k. Was dismissed out of hand newly promoted to director of all b.b.c. Radio in 164 Frank must have thought his dream was about to be realised but now you will pick up the story bloom. You're listening to friendly radio a look back at the early days of b.b.c. Local radio by 964 has the new beat groups like the Rolling Stones and The Beatles were dominating the pop charts the great advocate of local stations frankly a lot had become the rector of all b.b.c. Radio but in the corridors of power the b.b.c. There was a major distraction. This is a job you only have from all of us on radio Karen I'm here for an hour miles away from Phoenix to the pirate radio ships and sailed on to the medium way of home approving a huge demand for round the clock pop radio which the b.b.c. Couldn't satisfy with a few shows here and there on the Light Programme but they were petrified by the potential challenge of radio with adverts. Richard strike it rich richest flavor he had in it to cigarette. Richmond strike it rich street kid with 6000000 cast for a 3 year contract after years of wrangling with Harold Wilson's Labor government friend Gil ard finally got his way just before Christmas in 1966 a white paper on broadcasting announced the b.b.c. Would launch a new national pop service to replace the pirates and what was called an experiment in local radio when you look at the correspondence the memos and the archive reports you'll see that the b.b.c. Were very aware that there was the potential for commercial radio Matthew Linford it was clear that commercial radio could fill a gap by providing local news local information and that was something that Frank Dillard was very clear that he wanted the b.b.c. To do 1st and so he in general 967 before the locations of the new services had been decided. Job adverts began to appear station managers salary 3300 pounds he note the implication that in the 1960 s. This was considered to be a job for a woman will be required to well start into a vigorous team capable of providing a local service in a lively form at the same time the b.b.c. Needed some people who could use a soldiering iron station engineer the holder will maintain a v.h.f. Transmitter to studio recording equipment and mobile outside broadcast unit the b.b.c. It had its plans for local radio in their back pocket right through these years Frank Dillard constantly been honing and redefining what local radio would sound like and how it would work so by $906.00 he was able to produce his plans and say Ok if we're going to go through with reorganizing the networks and having a pop music station let's do local radio at the same time but where would these new stations be based and who would pay for them the government had said they would be no increase in the license fee so get large in the b.b.c. Came up with the idea that local authorities would contribute to the running of the local stations so the b.b.c. Entered into a sort of bidding process it began in 1967 in January with a meeting at Broadcasting House where they entertained representatives from about 200 local authorities and barrack ounce ols and they try to sell to them the idea of local radio and they encourage them to put forward offers I was lucky enough to be there to see Frank a single figure on stage talking to these people about the power of local radio Now that's a bigger ask to say yeah if you want a radio station we will give you the gear but of course it will cost you. So. By the time he finished playing his clips which he made from these experiments around the country they were queuing up to eat out of his hand of the $83.00 expressions of interest the majority came from the north of the country very few came from the south one of the early front runners was Manchester now Manchester City Council that had a plan actually to create their own local station before the local radio experiment so good luck put them quite high on the list because he felt that there done quite a lot of the ground work and they were really keen on the idea. Other places who came through very early on were nor age style hol Bristol these were all the early favorites but they would only get a station if they actually came up with some cash the 1st stations announced were Leicester Merseyside and Sheffield 6 more were promised as negotiations continued Meanwhile during that summer of love in $167.00 the newly appointed station managers were recruiting their teams will meet some of the surviving pine is after this from that summer of love for local radio. In the late summer of 967 well Scott McKenzie was going to San Francisco the 1st recruits to b.b.c. Local radio were assembling in London just across the road from the B.B.C.'s grand imperial Broadcasting House it's an impressive 19th century building called the Langham Nowadays it's a very swanky hotel but for a few years after the 2nd World War he was used by the b.b.c. As an annex to Broadcasting House and that's where Frank Dillard established his new local radio headquarters a handful of senior managers all shown in photographs from the time wearing suits and ties become the job of recruiting the production and engineering staff who'd run the news stations in Bentley had been working for the b.b.c. In Africa I saw the ad it must have been areal the b.b.c. Staff magazine programme assistant The Post told is responsible for manning the control panel and studio and making the necessary bridging announcements I was working at b.b.c. Not originated Anglia and I was officially a secretary there and the engineers said you want to go over that Ga you're always talking I was advised to apply for 2 jobs one was assistant engineer and the other was general station assistant and that's the job I got Gina matted hair and Dave Wilkinson both part of Radio Nottingham as launch team recruitment continued as more locations were confirmed and staff were invited to a. For specific stations Oh and Bentley to be perfectly and absolutely honest with you I applied for Stoke because I thought it would be the easiest one to get into the fork there wouldn't be a mammoth amount of people going from London for this particular job I was interviewed by a number of people or was I've been treated in Sheffield I want to go to Stoke did I want to go to Nottingham all these options were available I chose Brighton because I'd been a television reporter working out of Southampton and I thought despite my age which was 23 but I added a couple of years off for the purpose of getting the job I never expected to get it I was basically working in advertising on the Liverpool Echo which was the local paper and I saw this ad for a secretary for the news station I'd always wanted to get into journalism and I thought this is a really good way of getting in I applied for the job I said that. Messy slightly disorganized I can type I can do shorthand and I'm enthusiastic when the Lloyd Now Bennett David Wain of Bob McLeish and in Bentley Hall found a members of the local radio family and all going strong today as well Mel the hard work began the training at the Langham which course is that the Hilton it was a wonderful old place full of stories about ghosts over night and you get all these decrypted engineers who would say this is an apple and biscuit microphone and think Yes what do I do with that the radio Brighton training scheme that we went on was if my memory serves me correctly 5 weeks long and we all met there some people not knowing anything at all about radio I mean they come from completely different walks of life and they were a motley crew on the face of it even thought so many technical things most of which as other members of staff of mice. Patient at the time will recognize I never quite caught on to it there was a senior lecturer who was of more the old school the Radio 3 kind of approach to speech radio and he used to get people to read things and then perform them and he stopped them at the end of a sentence is a no no don't give it dear boy give it. One day a guy came along who was training us to read the news although I personally was not going to read the news at that stage but we all had to go into the cubicle on our own everybody else was outside but rows of chairs and they could hear what was going on and you had to pick up your piece of paper and read this news I've never done anything like that before I came out and just chap who should be nameless mainly because I've forgotten his name. He said to me Well you never make a broadcast Oh Johnny Collins now Jenny both went on to work for Radio Merseyside for 28 years the big challenge for the new recruits was that everyone would have to learn how to put the station on air and run a studio on their own we were being told that we're going to go there the equipment is purpose built and if we've got long enough arms one arm on one end of the desk we operated one on the over we're going to go to do the whole lot ourselves and sitting next to me was a radio recruit nudged me and said Wonder what we're going to do in our spare time and it was a real grounding in the technicalities of radio when actually what we needed was how do you speak how do you put telephones on air and how do you put records on there it was extremely exciting because most of the people that they picked for these jobs had not previously had focusing experience I think that was a good move because they bought people in particularly at Radio Merseyside some of whom had worked in the b.b.c. Before. They took over the management but everybody else was completely new and that had a good fresh feel to it because it was the middle of the sixties and something was coming along that was really fresh and not the same old b.b.c. Sitting there reading the news in a dinner jacket the b.b.c. Managers and the local councils were competing to become the 1st station on air and the July 19th 67 somewhat lost in the media hub around the launch of radios 123 and $4.00 it was announced that the 1st b.b.c. Local station would be in the East Midlands radio historian Matthew Lim 40 Leicester came up with not only the annual running costs they were also willing to pay the capital set up costs also the mare of Leicester it was a mark Hennig the chair of the Association of you know simple councils so there was a little bit of body ism going on there and it was obvious that they were really keen to get a station so they probably had the advantage there should be on the air about 17 or 18 hours a day and about 4 hours of the 17 will be local output radio Lester's station manager Morris Anil's in July 67 the whole idea of local radio or certainly here in Leicester is that they were trying to give most of the people most of the time most of the national programs that they want we should work out in the day the archer's world is one family choice swing alone we will be carrying these but then there will be the dividend 95.05 get in there local output 4 hours a day it wasn't really that different from the B.B.C.'s pre-war stations with names like 2 Zed wired 5 i.t.v. Which had carried programmes from London interspersed with local output at a rather skeptical b.b.c. Home service reporter raised the other elephant in the room and you gave me a number figure just now I don't know what it means is this where we find you on the dial 95.05 v.h.f. . And wherever you are dependent in time to check yes we are it's estimated by the b.b.c. That about one home in every 3 has a v.h.f. Set Now this is applied to last this means that there is a potential audience of about $90000.00 plus 20 or $30000.00 which will get over the wired services wired services Morison it was meant as the cable system operated by Rediffusion which brought what was usually called Point t.v. And radio into offices in homes of all from that's the new stations will be wholly dependent on v.h.f. For what we now call f.m. Feverish activity continued throughout all we'll hear how the 1st b.b.c. Local stations out of this one hit in the same week with the kinks. Like. This. Way. You're listening to friendly radio the story of the 1st b.b.c. Local stations and they were on Wednesday November the 8th 1967 the studio clock ticked round to 1245 at a tape machine Clinton to action to herald the start of what was still known as the B.B.C.'s local radio experiment this is b.b.c. Radio nest. Good afternoon from radio Nascar broadcasting on 95.5 v.h.s. . The postmaster general the Right Honorable Edward short. This is the 1st hometown radio station in Britain it opens a new and I think exciting chapter in the story of British radio I believe that local radio is catching on very fast in Leicester I believe that it's a wonderful project and already we can see the women in Leicester beginning to look in the shop windows and wonder if they can have v.h.f. And whether they can get up in the morning and listen to what's going on in Leicester and begin to feel proud of the city and its achievements I'm looking forward to a great deal more what I've heard already on radio Leicester today and I'm certain it's going to be an exciting project that certain is going to catch on very very quickly indeed. Its music through to 10 o'clock on the radio last Friday. Right here last night. That's right yes and it's possible I would get radio. Play there so I have heard a very generous and I will be listening to this in a post to see if I like it and if so. Will the new stations were off of the services of the B.B.C.'s ready to fully shop which of the times was best known for this. Busy preparing his team for the launch of the 2nd station Radio Sheffield came up with what we might now called a creative concept I saw well Sheffield city of steel cut their way I wonder if. It was that running the raid if only which shop in London would be able to do something with a knife. I mean it was not the most memorable. This is b.b.c. Radio Sheffield and. The 8.6 v a Jeff good morning. My name's Jack Thompson the day Wednesday November the 15th 1967 the time one minute to 6 Well it is according to my studio clock here at number 60 westbound road early transmissions from Radio Sheffield weren't without their mishaps the new m.r.i. Will create new jobs for about 300 people in a given parking area Sorry that should have read the new m one but like Lester Sheffield soon established itself at the center of its community as a place to call in an emergency like for instance when you're stuck in a wardrobe you're. Not. Going to get him a cover. Up. I think you're wearing your story around 3 is that there is no me your next stop as the b.b.c. Rolled out its local services was. Ready and. It's a measure of the B.B.C.'s achievement in $167.00 that it was launching local radio into the teeth of an economic hurrican money was too tight to mention and getting tighter now on the pound abroad is worth 14 percent less in terms of other currency . That doesn't mean of course that the pound here in Britain in your pocket or purse or in your bank has been devalued whilst mostly some of m.p. Harold Wilson was running the country Michael Hancock was running the new station well it's not my running radio message side it's Merseyside speaking to itself and so when I go there I go there with a team of people and it's Merseyside we will look to to contribute to talk about its community as a community so we all think. This is b.b.c. Radio most aside. # The idea of this program was land sea and air station assistants Jenny Collins now Jenny burns and we had Producer Jerry Harrison he was up at the top of the St John's beacon which is a very top top are here in the book. I'm sorry we can't go to the Beacon where Gerry housen should be so on we go now to the 2nd mercy tunnel I was with victim army and it was dark it was muddy it was cold I mean this is November remember my hands were shaking so much I was so cold and I was holding on to the fader and it wouldn't open there I mean my head wouldn't open it my mum wouldn't open it and just the 1st few seconds of what Victor said was never hurt that moment standing at the excavations for the 2nd murder tunnel in Wallasey were about a quarter mile inland here from seeking ferry but we wonder where journey House News has corn up again coming very. I know Gerry said to me is that I think that set the tone for the future aim for the top prepare for disaster if it goes wrong keep smiling but at least you could be reasonably sure that very few people would have noticed no big problem was that nobody had f.m. Radio as. Wendy Bennett then Wendy Lloyd was a secretary at the fledgling Radio Merseyside there was at the time very well known skeptical of Arthur Dooley and Arthur's line was always that more people were interviewed on that Yemen is than actually listen to us and actually he did have a point the pioneers of local radio were hoping that stockings would be piled high with v.h.f. Sets at Christmas $6073.00 stations were up and running they should have been a 4th but as our own Bentley remembers the preparations for Radio Stoke were suddenly halted there came this terrible epidemic of foot and mouth now I mean there were carcasses burning there with a horrible thing to remember smoke everywhere in the country and we were Jude to put up our transmitter in one of those fields but there would be one more b.b.c. Station before Christmas David Wain was with his new colleagues in the volunteer pub on the south coast it was December the 8th and somebody came bursting through the door and he said Bob want you all back immediately we're going on the air in 3 hours time this is b.b.c. Radio Brighton on the air for the very 1st time over 2 months ahead of officials going go to every affording And in fact this is your station manager Bob Dan'l ball a local man had been standing in the only office that was happy it will and watching the snowflakes growing ever bigger and he knew that if this went on It wouldn't be very long before the coast road was totally cut off to more areas and completely cut off. We've just heard from East Sussex Police that both Rottingdean And so Dean are completely isolated they join New Haven and sea forward which is also cut off and he thought this was a major opportunity p.r. Opportunity and to do something really worthwhile for the community please also tell us that literally hundreds of cars have been abandoned along the coast road and once again issue this warning that if you're going to abandon your car lot valuables in the boat I was listening to the television and I heard that radio bracket Stockett so I switched on the radio and I head fortunately that there'd been delays on the line from London to Brighton and as my husband wasn't having his usually head at 6 o'clock in the evening I didn't have to worry I think that radio Brighton can and a good job of work and the knowledge and science ready you brought in was the 1st station to show that local really use finest would often be the result of snow floods and other natural disasters its role in the future British broadcasting was looking more assured that was the People's Temple the magical mystery tour the stimulus. This is a friendly radio the story of the plan is who put b.b.c. Local radio on the map and generally 968 the spotlight turned back to the East Midlands. This is b.b.c. Radio noting I'm on v.h.f. 94.8 and Rediffusion channel c m the chimes of little John Nottingham City clock signal the fact that Radio Nottingham is officially on the air. Yes another winner from the radio funny workshop Robin Hood's sonic arrow Radio Nottingham had learned a thing or 2 from its previous Esus but it had some it have a divide is of its own Here's an extract from what's claimed to be the very 1st time listeners were allowed to put their questions directly to local officials and council I have offered to Mr Goslin and to Mrs Smith and to the Ratepayers Association that any time I can be of any service to them I will be there and I haven't had any communication from them at all about these rats so this is a lot of populist if I could be just around you a moment because we have a listener on the phone to us all here and Mr Preston of would read what's your point Mr Preston. Or do you know to what are they up to now it has to be said though that some of Nottingham's earliest experiments with phone calls are a bit clunky to modern news. And within seconds in fact we had a telephone call it's quite fantastic just how quickly some people managed to ring in and I'm going to talk to the person who rang in right now and what is your name on a house and what do you reckon it is called in. For I call in you're not right in fact it so I went to the what it is what I Because that we have some more telephone calls what about the ringing from. Tony Koch Radio Nottingham in 1968 from the same year here's Tony church with squid the squirrel who was invented to cover up occasional technical difficulties your tune to Radio Nottingham v.h.f. 94.8 and. Rediffusion channel sees Greg say it's about the only thing he can save these days because he disgraced himself so much last week when he got all the things wrong and got his tail on the record the big like that that really is great I'm surprised you're speaking at all why not think it was 1st approached. I'm organizer but McLeish remembers how this all was perceived by the rest of the b.b.c. There was a good deal of disrespect sometime towards local radio they look down on us in a number of ways as Toytown. Many did give if you could just get the guy who wanted to go to the end of a big think of a white man wouldn't get everything I think people don't actually think coming any of it. Some of the other news favors the national newspapers did regard this as toy town radio I have to confess that if I listened to some of the programs that went out then I might color a little with embarrassment but even if they didn't work 1st time round or even if people say any damage or a show I knew that time would change all of that and it did Michael Barton later the controller of b.b.c. Local radio Meanwhile home of South Coast Radio Brighton made its debut in February 968 manager Bob Gunnell had no doubts about his significance one of the things that all of us are certain is that local radio is here to stay it is in fact baps the beginning of something very big indeed for this country we're on the verge of what must be a revolution in communication but gunnels number 2 at Radio Brighton was David Wain later head of radio and t.v. Paul b.b.c. Midlands Bob was in the Mentally it of it if person and he was also difficult to stop when he was in full flood and he was absolutely certain that the 24 hour clock would take over and it would just be common parlance in the end just wanted somebody to start the ball rolling I used to present a 50 minute local news programme called it when we brought you this immense. Radio . Limits say it's 13 hours now but one with Brighton there are some clips from the early days of what we now call b.b.c. Sussex says something to our listeners yaar. But 1st guess what the struction boys and they did back then. Right there. I'm. Looking to you off your job in today's program we talk about employment in industry what's all this social snobbery about factory workers that want to feel that you know she looks at you as if you're a piece it does I think so anyway so now here is your program right over to my fans and for our very 1st record request but he knew everyone in our 1st record request is one is being requested by lots of people and it's requested Firstly bipap lake of home banks Kingston name Southlake whose birthday is next week and it's from John Fred and he's played by band and he's called Judy in disguise. To leave you I want to talk to Kelly to our senior citizens and all the people living alone and to warn you against some Despicable Me and posing as writing offices drawing inspectors mixed up with the foot in mouth outbreak cleared out its transmitter now safely installed was ready to Stoke on their opening day the legendary broadcaster John snag remembered 6 s t the pre-war station where his own career had started after the inevitable radio phonic teacups to celebrate the partridge. B.b.c. Radio Stoke on Trent we must apologize the last moves were the break in transmission which occurred at 12 o'clock midnight on October 30th 928. This was due to circumstances beyond our control what I liked about the early days of local radio was that we were the skeleton o. In Bentley later head of b.b.c. Radio in Birmingham and we were there to actually facilitate local people actually getting on air and so there was endless little training courses we organize for teachers or people who just wanted to actually come in and make programs they tell me there's been a big rush for v.h.f. Wireless sats which proves to mayors some people are more interested in Radio Stoke the main market night they start next year people want to want listen to anything else but Radio Stoke it will be a lark or draw with them they want to be able to keep our feet to the story of Esperanto is the classic one isn't it Stoke is a hotbed of Esperanto of the language I mean there's Salman halfway there's a stellar Verdi pub still there I think now they were really enthusiastic and this hit monster who ran the group said I want us to do a soap opera in Esperanto and so the Esperanto Family Robinson Calamy don't want to be nice to a lot on their luck order a meal bottle in here and on the record whether it was his parent who programs or the 24 hour clock or squeaky toy is presenting shows it was clear that local radio was the place to try something different as we've heard station managers were encouraged to innovate Here's how ready you leads the 7th station launched in June 1968 the time is 530. This is b.b.c. Radio leaves for radio it was a really good launching with someone describing the station as a waste of time can only have been the decision of b.b.c. Local radio most idiosyncratic members of Phil Sidey here is in 1968 we looked at the problem of bringing its own radio to Leeds we thought of the whole buckler it was the answer. It's about the never the roofless for us survival for instance we have a ludicrous a small but so when you want to know we had advertised for one under the heading of you something capable of giving pleasure to millions we had quite a large number of authors the planners I mean when the winning piano came to the studios apology in bypassing pianist who offered his services so we got him as well and then our record live isn't as big as the b.b.c. One so we thought up and bring a disc where you can ask any record in the whole world as long as you bring it along the studio just self so that we can play General Jackson who's still in there today at radio language it was a teenage helper a Radio Leeds because regulates had an extraordinary manager in Phil siding who was larger than life he'd been a b.b.c. Television producer but he had so much charisma it was all based I think about him . Hello this is Ralph Robinson your mentor monkey with the only b.b.c. Program money can buy you can buy time on opium c.b. Simply by sending a donation to charity so send in your requests in your office of cash for number it's your money we're after Let's hope we get part of the Yorkshire Post for some reason didn't want to ever print the words radio leads so he knew that they published the Greyhound results and he came this we have to admit even today's really clever if you name a dog Radio Leeds or b.b.c. Regulate they would have to print it in the results so we've got in the Yorkshire Post b.b.c. Radio. Well yes talk about the weekly roundup of entertainment in the round leagues Rule Britannia and all that lives again with the opening of Film Festival 968 having seen the show we know more about Victoria but what we really would like to know was how the fight started at the v.i.p. Reception afterwards. Finally in July 968 the B.B.C.'s 8 station came on air it will be the last of the experimental operations Hello and welcome to b.b.c. Radio dial in your county radio station on 96.8. Gillet had been hoping to launch a station in Manchester but the local authority there hadn't come up with the necessary funding so the cool team was moved to the northeast then they were mentored by some local recruits. A Jodie from the northeast or really a West Side to be precise I never thought the Sunderland ecu would lead to a job but there was an ad for a new experimental station Radio Daryl So I applied from local radio to distinguished war correspondent Kate eighties career would move in the opposite direction to Frank but he didn't get off to the most specious start it was chaos very few of us knew exactly what we were doing the station manager came from Manchester which is what the station was meant to be he had a clue about the North East and we were in not the center city which is small anyway but in a field 2 miles of sunlight in an old country house. On the 1st day we went to Port there the stock up and finding Bryant is the essence of bird's eye view from food to fashion from housekeeping to keep fit there'll be something for everybody and helping it along there will be a little music. We haven't talked much about music in this program because there wasn't much on those early stations General Jackson again we didn't have a massive record library it was in the option which is a control room for Studio one and from what I remember you just basically took the ones off the shelves you found it but there was a limit on how much we could play anyway maybe see like a radio when it started was limited to an hour a day of what was called Needle time commercial discs so I did a program for a while in the afternoon called say with music but I wasn't allowed to play music I had to play with the core library music Reggio in these big 8. The same rules apply to lots of stuff off the shelf when was the can I get out library which was set up to promote Canadian offices. To Google thought was on the Canadian talent library and many others and we could play as much of that as we wanted so for some odd reason thus b.b.c. Local radio seem to love me you could say. There was no music policy as such there's one moving gradients him those early shuttles we have mentioned will come into that and also find out what happened to the 1st 8 local stations of this hit in the summer of 60 antis see several great. There we are strong familiar tune on b.b.c. Local radio throughout its half century. News is now local radio is central purpose the stations are run by b.b.c. News not by b.b.c. Radio but if you visit a local station in the 21st century you won't find a production office cluttered with records and take machines you'll find a modern multimedia newsroom often shared with regional television and b.b.c. Online but in the late sixty's there were no b.b.c. Local radio journalists the news was bought in from local agencies whose main business was supplying newspapers it wasn't a very good idea because the news was written by people who wrote for newspapers and it wasn't well written for radio Tony Koch production assistant and later news editor or Radio Nottingham and I suggested why can't we do this on our own and like we recruit the 2 main writers from the news agency so I was given the do it head to set up the 1st self called taint newsroom in local radio I had to tell a slight lie wasn't just leads was because they couldn't get an agency to provide than news and they did have their own. Journalists but I was the 1st official news editor in local radio and in fact I went to a local foods years and got one of their vegetable racks and that was used as the raw copy trainee the finished copy tray and so on as the experimental period came to an end all eyes were on the post office to manage the u.k. Airwaves and it would decide local road use future there was a lot of nervousness as they canvassed opinions from listeners there were thousands of respondents talk to Matthew Linford over 95 percent of these were favorable to local radio and the post office produced its report which suggested that it should be allowed to continue however how is it going to be paid for now the Labor Government Harold Wilson and the b.b.c. While locked in a period of negotiation frantic to ing and fro ing over on the one hand the b.b.c. Is going to have to cut its costs it might be given a license fee increase but was that enough to carry on with local radio staff of the experimental stations held their breath suddenly local radio might be axed to pay for the corporation's regional orchestras the deal that Harold Wilson eventually struck with the b.b.c. Was to increase the license fee provided they save the orchestras and at the same time they were allowed to continue with local radio so the b.b.c. Had permission to go ahead with a further 20 stations all of which would have their own newsrooms and the local authority funding would be phased out there were still some hurdles to jump especially when the new Conservative government arrived in $170.00 and put the whole issue on hold whilst it considered its plans for a series of commercial local stations but the healthy infant was well on its way to maturity and to the network of stations across England of the Channel Islands which we know today when you look at the archives and read up about the 1st 8 stations there was definitely an air of pioneering they were inventing this whole idea of what local radio act. Really meant it wasn't the b.b.c. Saying this is what we're going to do for you it was the b.b.c. Saying what can you do for yourselves it's what Phil Sidey at Leeds called walk in and talk radio I think local radio b.b.c. Local radio was a sort of quiet revolution in broadcasting actually drank a lot left the b.b.c. By 97071 and he was writing in the listener reflecting on the state of local radio as it was growing and lamenting the fact that it still hadn't quite captured that sense of participation with the local community in the beginning I hope who would have 60 years stations the b.b.c. Found it impossible to put a local radio station in every time the cost was too high so it had to compromise by making one station serves several adjoining communities this has diluted the original principle and maybe she local radio was not as community based desired originally hoped there was an absolutely clear view we will be staffed by the community for the community and what they put into it they will get out of it if you like in more modern parlance we will be in there you pull is one thing all our pioneers share his a pride in their achievements 50 years ago well the b.b.c. Stations hinted in this won't be around for another 50 years well if they can harness the energy and creativity of the 1st 8 the answer will be resoundingly Yes So here's to b.b.c. Local radios 50th birthday and many more often a word from General Jackson it was the fact that we came out to the regions and into the towns and cities that gave people like me a chance to get into radio and if you want to find where people are coming into broadcasting it in local radio was to be sitting in the studio chatting a lot of younger people have walked past and they're people who came here on work experience and now got shifts here and the beginning to work in programs so that's still support in the community and having. Postmen 1000000 people listening to a local radio station is a sizable number. Friendly right here it was a t.v. See production for b.b.c. English regions our thanks to everyone who shared their stories and found the all coming clips I'm David Lloyd for so it was quite am accustomed and the producer was travelling. Guffey on b.b.c. 2 Saturdays and Sundays between 12 to live with a local bringing back. Live. Classic live for us.