ContactBBC Radio Cleveland (formerly Teeside)
Radio Teeside... (RIP)
BBC Tees, BBC Radio Cleveland (Radio Teeside)
BBC Radio Cleveland, now BBC Tees
It was in 1971 that the station was first known as Radio Teeside, when it was launched with award-winning presenter George Lambell, broadcasting from it's studios in Middlesbrough's Linthorpe Road, with a large department store, Tower House, as a neighbour.
But there was no prominent glass frontage with glitzy reception at ground level for all to see. Access to upstairs premises was via a large black door with a simple name badge to denote what lay behind it. However, those who got through the door were led to two upper floors of facilities. These facilities included a production area, two studios, the obligatory offices and an engineering workshop. At launch, the service was only carried on a VHF (FM) frequency, but eventually, a AM (MW) frequency was allocated to begin wider covering across Teeside, Durham and North Yorkshire. Programming was provided by both paid and volunteer broadcasters, the latter behind specialist programmes they fronted for the purely for the love of radio.
Radio Teeside became Radio Cleveland in 1974 and moved to new premises near Middlesbrough's Bus Station, on the banks of the River Tees. The station is part of the regional broadcasting house serving Whitby in North Yorkshire to Seaham in County Durham and inland around the dales of Wear, Swale and Wensley. It also serves the old railway town of Darlington, South Durham and Richmond in North Yorkshire, the home of the garrison.
As you would expect with a BBC local station, there's a lot of speech - BBC Radio Cleveland is 70% speech. The station name has some considerable history - the actual county of Cleveland was created in 1974 but 14 years on, it was split into four authorities, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Redcar and Stockton - a region renowned for heavy industriees that have been the heart of the region for generations. Radio Cleveland broadcasts on 95.0FM from Bilsdale Moor, and 95.8FM from the Whitby transmitter.
BBC Radio Durham was the first service up in the North East. But it is no more! It's the only BBC Local Radio station to have gone completely. The station launched on July 31st 1968 - but just as it had got settled, Edward Heath's Government had other plans, and restricted Auntie to being able to operate just a paltry twenty local stations. The BBC were not going to take this lying down, and showed their utter discontent by moving BBC Radio Durham in its entirety to Carlisle in 1973.
Radio Cleveland rebranded to BBC Tees (as opposed to Radio Tess to avoid confusion with the old ILR station Radio Tees).
County Durham's local BBC services come from BBC Radio Newcastle and BBC Tess.
Information amended from the excellent Aircheck UK webpage
BBC Radio Cleveland Jingles
- BBC Radio Cleveland - jingles coming soon