PIlots of the airwaves

A SPECIAL radio station transmits the perfect tonic through the airwaves to a special audience.

And, according to Andy Stevenson, station engineer and programme presenter, Hospital Radio Metro Leigh, hits the right tone by being "big enough to be professional, but small enough to be personal".

Hospital Radio Metro Leigh is Leigh Infirmary's own radio station. A registered voluntary charity, it is run by more than 50 volunteers, guided by an eight-member committee.

Andy continued. "All 50 of us work as a team but the committee take more flak of course. The station manager is Ray Grundy. He's very big in the country music world and does the country and western programme. He also has his own web site at www.metrocountry.co.uk

"Our chairman is Ian Gibson, vice chairman John Prince, ward liaison officer Wayne Goulding, secretary Keith Roberts, engineers are Steve Christie and Andy Stevenson. Steve is a technician who works on the media course at Leigh College who also does bits and bobs for Greater Manchester Radio, so he's well able to handle almost any fault that crops up. Because a couple of people have left the area I'm also acting as programme controller and training development officer at the moment.

"The station started in 1958, when it was Radio Hilton Park, specifically to broadcast Leigh rugby match commentaries to Leigh Infirmary, Atherleigh and Astley hospitals.

"We have our own landline into Hilton Park, which is still there, and we still do it for the Leigh Centurions and Leigh RMI football games. We have a full commentary team and a full sports team. The radio station was then expanded for music and requests from the hospitals.

"Later a group was formed to start what became known as Radio Leigh. In 1981 a studio was built at Leigh Infirmary which opened in December the same year and was renamed Radio Metro in 1982.

"In 1994 we were broken into and cleared out - the only thing that was left was the mixing desk! So we had to start all over, and now security is fairly tight. We got back on air basically through very generous donations - a lot of people read about it in the papers and donated records and pieces of equipment.

"Our present equipment consists of a professional mixing desk, a couple of 'grams', two on-air CD players and around six or seven other CD players. There are also line amplifiers, which are used to distribute programme material around the hospital.

"Our programmes are also fed to the other hospitals in the area - Billinge and Whelley, by tied telephone lines and then routed into their own distribution systems. When we aren't there Radio Metro-produced pre-recorded programmes are broadcast automatically - the playback recordings being switched on by an automatic timing system devised by Steve Christie. In fact we use a video recorder to play back all the pre-recorded audio material because it will allow us an unbroken four to five hour run.

"We also have several computers; a main machine, which plays out all the station identification, a second machine dedicated to administration work, Internet access and digital editing, and a third machine will be installed shortly to replace the video machine. "We have an outside broadcast caravan with a disco mixer, couple of CD players and mini disk recorders - which is used regularly at outside events. We have a regular commitment for the Police open days at Leigh and Wigan, and Advanced Motorists at Haigh Hall.

"As a charity we can not charge of course, but we do ask for a donation on these occasions, which is happily given. A couple of years ago we were out almost every weekend throughout the summer as well as keeping up with our regular commitment of output to the patients.

"We have approximately 2,500 vinyl records, about 300 double CD albums and about 1,500 CD singles, and of course we are kept well supplied with the chart updates - sponsored by Music Zone in Leigh to who we are most grateful.

"Other sponsors are Leigh Infirmary Friends, J H Waring & Co of Bolton, Pensioner's Link and Carer's Helpline. I should make it quite clear that we run solely on donations and help from our sponsors.

"We are now looking to purchase and install a low power AM transmitter which will broadcast on the medium wave and increase our coverage. Already with the AM licence application coming up we are desperate for new sponsors to help with the cost of the equipment and its installation.

"Overall we are looking for around £5,000 for transmission gear and installation alone, and on top of that we have annual licence fees and studio expenses. Costing has now been done and the Radio Authority will be approached very soon. The only thing holding us back is funding.

"Hopefully we'll be on air with the AM transmitter next summer. This is out major project at the moment, as well as keeping in touch with the patients, the outside groups that we do, the request programmes and all our current commitments. We will of course be simulcasting -- that is broadcasting on our present system and the new AM transmitter simultaneously.

"We also take in news from International Radio News (IRN) under licence via the satellite dish on the hospital and we've just got a grant to buy the full system, so that will be going in shortly. However we've also got our own news team, headed by Peter Mabb, which is broadcast on the hour, every hour, read during the day by Independent Radio News from London, and during the evening by our own news team.

"As presenters we are on a seven-day week. We are on air seven days a week, between10am and 10pm, although some of that time will be made up from pre-recorded programmes. On Sundays, however, we are live from 10am to 10pm. Other nights we are live from 6pm until 10pm. There are also some scheduled live broadcasts during weekdays -- usually in the afternoons from around 2pm.

"The pre-recorded material is far more than just music and announcements. I am on air at 10am for 'The Breakfast Show' until 10.50am, then we have a short story or similar material. It is all pre-produced, mixed and recorded on to the audio track of a video cassette.

"For example, I'll sit in a studio and record six breakfast shows , give them to the person who edits the tapes, he puts them together and labels them 'Monday', 'Tuesday' and so on. They are then loaded into the video recorder the previous night.

"Our engineer, Steve has wired the system so that the video automatically switches itself on at 10am and continues until such time as it is stopped -- which is usually around 2pm. For example on Monday, our live programme begins at 2pm and continues until 10pm. Prior to this the video recorder has been handling the programming -- although to the listeners it appears as though the show is live all day!

"Although 50 volunteers may sound a lot we need all these people because many of the volunteers want to be DJ's! A lot of people come in, help the patients and play music.

"There are around 30 presenters - there has to be two to a programme for health and safety reasons. The co-presenter also assists the person at the microphone. We also have people who do not want to get involved with the technical side. There are those who like to go round the wards collecting requests and chatting to people.

"Some of the old people on the wards might not have a visitor for days. For many of them we will be the only people they see apart from medical staff while they are in hospital, and we make sure that they do at least see someone they can chat to three or four times a week. It might only be a ten-minute chat, but it really is appreciated. I should mention here Hilda Whittington and Eric Robinson who spend hours just walking round the wards taking requests and chatting to people. We also have people that raise funds, and we maintain close ties with Wigan and Leigh Pensioners Link.

"Each person has thier own programme which they present. At the moment in Leigh we have two request programmes - Monday afternoons and Thursday evenings. On a Thursday night we've got the big request programme - 'Not Quite the Weekend Show'. I'll be on air at 6pm on Thursday night. The six or so people who collect requests will set off round the wards as soon as the news finishes at 6pm. If the request is for Leigh they'll bring them to the studio. We also get requests in from Billinge and Whelley. A team goes from Leigh and chats to patients, and as a member of Radio Metro, collects requests and rings them through to us, we get the records out and play them. We are looking for members who live closer to these hospitals, which would relieve the Leigh team and allow them to concentrate more locally.

"Once we have the request it goes on air within two hours of it being collected. The presenter is totally self-operating as regards playing the records, discs or cassettes and making announcements. He or she has to be trained of course - the mixing desk is a full professional desk and can be rather intimidating to the uninitiated!

"The training involves the use of computers and the control and mixing desks. It takes place mainly on a Saturday morning, but we're flexible on this. If somebody can't get there on a Saturday we'll fix it for some other time. Length of training depends very much on how quickly the individual picks it up. There are three main stages. You must have the health and safety training under your belt initially, then if you want to, wards training -- collecting requests and chatting to people, and finally handling presentation and the technical side of things.

"Marjorie Grundy, one of the past chairmen, laid down a rule which is still adhered to: 'The policy here is that if you want something, then you raise the money for it yourself.' This seems to work quite well. That having been said we really do need many more sponsors, particularly for programmes.

"The station committee meets between once a fortnight and once a month, depending on the amount of business. The other members have one meeting a week or a fortnight later. The purpose of the members' meeting is to keep everyone aware of what is going on and to keep in touch with each other - with 50 people it is really a case of letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing!

"Socially, we have a Christmas party and there is the legendary annual Blackpool trip!

Anyone who feels they might like to join Radio Metro is asked to ring, preferably in the evening on 01942 601100. At other times there is an answerphone on that number.

The hospital also has an E-Mail address: radio.metro@btinternet.com