ContactBBC Radio Nottingham
"Radio Nottingham..."
BBC Radio Nottingham
BBC Radio Nottingham
Many believe that Radio Trent was the first radio service for the county, you are wrong!
You can go right back to 16th September 1924 for the early roots of local BBC radio in the county - 5NG was a relay of Manchester's 2ZY service. BBC local radio as we know it still started in the county before the commercial radio service - on the evening of 31st January 1968 to be precise (see below for the station launch).
The Little John Town Hall chimes in 'Slab Square' aired first, with the station's arrival being announced in clear precise English, with no sign of local dialect, by Robert McLeish, on '...vhf 94.8 and Rediffusion Channel C.' He very quickly handed over to the then Station Manager Gerald Nethercott, who in turn asked the then the right worshipful Mayor of Nottingham Cllr A.F Roberts why he thought the station was a good idea. The Mayor referred to the old service of 5NG and how things had gone full circle.
The Post Master General, the Rt Hon Edward Short MP started his announcement by saying that the station was 'Britain's first local home town radio station...' He went on to say that '...one of the station's call signs will be the sound of a flight of Sherwood arrows. This means that Radio Nottingham intends to be right on the mark.' He also announced the appointment of a local Broadcasting Council made up of members from across the community. Their job was to co-operate with the BBC to produce 'bright and attractive radio'. Mr. Short said that the only instruction to the station was that the programmes must '...always be lively, never dull, but above all, tailor made for Nottingham. He then wished the 'Nottingham Home Town Station every success', referring that the station was influential on the whole development of local radio in the country. But his announcement came with stark advice for the listeners; '...if you feel that your station is not on the mark, for goodness sake, contact your local Broadcasting Council, or the Station Manager and let them know.'
The first Breakfast Show wasn't quite what was planned: it was 30 minutes late to air. Gerald Nethercott referred to technical problems and rebuffed suggestions that staff were hung over from the night before and had forgotten to switch the station on. The launch, quite a prominent one, made national news as a result. Before the advent of commercial radio locally, the host of TV show 'Opportunity Knocks' wanted to take the station over and turn it into a commercial broadcaster - he must have 'meant that most sincerely' but, of course, it never happened. Early programming was only aired for just a few short hours per day - and within those few hours, 'Town Crier' used to give the weather forecast, daily what's on and travel news. Children were entertained with 'Bran Tub' and housewives had 'Elevenses'. News came from a news agency, based some distance from the station itself - bulletins were biked across the city to be aired from the newsdesk.
Perhaps the most notable member of the station's line up was the incomparable and hugely popular Dennis McCarthy, later awarded an MBE for his services to broadcasting. For 25 years, he provided both local and regional programming, interviewing many stars of stage, screen and society. His programme was removed from the airwaves of neighbouring BBC Radio Derby by the then station manager Alex Trelinski to widespread shock and amazement - Dennis was believed to be equally as dismayed about this. Totally unrelated, and very sadly later, Dennis died - his funeral, on 17th January 1996 attended by over 20 thousand people lining the Nottingham streets, bringing the City to a standstill - this showing quite clearly, the populaarity that the great man had built over the years.
Radio Nottingham broadcasts on 95.5 (Fishponds Hill, Mansfield), 103.8 FM (Mapperley Hill) and the lesser publicised 1584 AM transmitter at Clipstone, with programming coming from from the new London Road BBC Nottingham Centre, also home of the local BBC TV news service, called the 'Island Site', which it moved to it 1998.
Information amended from the excellent Aircheck UK webpage
BBC Radio Nottingham Jingles
- BBC Radio Nottingham - station launch - 31 January 1968