Hospital radio
Encyclopedia
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
produced specifically for the in-patients of hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s. It is primarily found in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
officially commenced operation in the Walter Reed General Hospital, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in May 1919. It was originally planned for installation in 1918 at the American "Base Hospital near Paris"; no evidence has come to light that it was set up there so it is assumed that the First World War ended before this had been completed and that it was instead installed at Walter Reed.
The first in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was installed at York County Hospital, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1925. Headphones
Headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
were provided beside 200 beds, and 70 loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...
s were installed, with patients being able to listen to sports commentaries and church services. Throughout the 1930s radio stations began operating in a handful of other hospitals, with live music supplementing the speech-based programmes. Unsurprisingly, almost no new stations were started during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the sole exception being on Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
where a service was set up to relay church services, musical recitals, variety shows, and programmes for children to nine hospitals after wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
receivers
Receiver (radio)
A radio receiver converts signals from a radio antenna to a usable form. It uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio frequency signal from all other signals, the electronic amplifier increases the level suitable for further processing, and finally recovers the desired information through...
had been banned and confiscated by the German occupying authorities.
The spread of hospital radio services picked up slowly in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw a rapid growth in their number in the UK, with similar stations opening in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Many stations now played gramophone
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
music to patients and, with the launch of the cassette tape
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
in 1963, it became easy for presenters to record their programmes for playback at a later date.
Hospital radio stations peaked in number in the 1980s, when up to 300 stations are thought to have been broadcasting on a daily basis. However as small hospitals closed or merged to form large regional medical centres, hospital radio stations also consolidated into a smaller number of larger organisations. New studios were built, often to a high specification, and in common with commercial radio, hospital stations began to use CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
to play music.
Transmission
In the past, hospital radio tended to be delivered to patients' bedsides by way of a dedicated cable link from the in-house studio to a unit beside every bed. In some cases, this unit would have supplied only the hospital radio station; in others, a choice of broadcast radio stations may also have been available. Today, many stations are carried at a higher quality on the bedside entertainment systems of third party companies such as Hospedia (formerly Patientline). Others are broadcast from a central radio transmitter, by virtue of a low-powered AM or FM licenceLow-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
. Many hospital radio stations also broadcast over the Internet
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
.
Organisation
Each hospital radio station was founded independently and they are not centrally organised or managed. Almost all are members of the Hospital Broadcasting AssociationHospital Broadcasting Association
The Hospital Broadcasting Association supports the 230 or so independent hospital broadcasting organisations serving hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in the UK...
(HBA), which was set up by stations for their mutual benefit and does not govern or run them. Most in the UK are registered charities, others are part of larger organisations such as hospital Leagues of Friends.
Hospital radio stations are staffed and managed by volunteers (more than 2,500 in the UK alone), and each volunteer is commonly attached to a particular weekly programme. Some broadcast, others work to keep the station's record library or computer systems up-to-date, but most also visit the hospital wards, to discuss the music that patients would like to hear, and to provide an opportunity for the latter to converse with a member of non-medical staff.
Many stations use sophisticated computerised playout systems for music and jingles. Live programming is limited to the times that stations' volunteer members can attend studios - generally evenings and weekends - but many stations offer a 24-hour service by using computerised systems to play music and prerecorded programmes at other times.
There are more than 230 hospital radio stations in the UK, and 170 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Others operate in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Some professional radio presenters volunteer for hospital radio in their early career, as it provides a training ground for budding broadcasters. Such broadcasters include:
- Andrew Edwards, now of BBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
, was previously with Kingstown RadioKingstown RadioKingstown Radio is a hospital radio station based in Kingston upon Hull, England broadcasting on 1350 kHz and the hospedia system.In July 2011, the station celebrated it's 50th anniversary!-The Early Years:...
, the Hospital Radio service in Kingston upon HullKingston upon HullKingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. - Daniel Fox, now of Heart Northants, was previously with Hospital Radio Ipswich.
- Paul Moseley, now of BBC Radio NorfolkBBC Radio NorfolkBBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Norfolk, broadcasting since 11 September 1980. It broadcasts from the studios of BBC East in The Forum, Norwich on 95.1 FM , 104.4 FM , 95.6 FM , 855 kHz AM/MW , 873 kHz AM/MW BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local...
was previously with Hinchingbrooke HospitalHinchingbrooke HospitalHinchingbrooke Hospital is an NHS hospital in Hinchingbrooke near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Opened in 1983, it is a main hospital for the Huntingdonshire area, and has a range of specialities as well as an Accident and Emergency. It has 266 beds, including 24 specifically for day cases...
Radio in Huntingdon. - James Dundon, now of Pirate FMPirate FMPirate FM is one of the Independent Local Radio stations for Cornwall, playing a range of music from the 1960's to the present day.-Background:...
was previously with Cornwall Hospital Broadcasting Network.
Hospital radio awards
Each year, the UK-based Hospital Broadcasting AssociationHospital Broadcasting Association
The Hospital Broadcasting Association supports the 230 or so independent hospital broadcasting organisations serving hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in the UK...
, invites its member stations to submit entries in ten categories. Entries are assessed by a panel of judges drawn from professional broadcasting. The gold award winners of the 2007 National Hospital Radio Awards were:
- Station of the Year: Hospital Radio Perth
- Male Presenter of the Year: John Murray, Victoria Radio NetworkVictoria Radio NetworkThe Victoria Radio Network is a hospital radio station based in Kirkcaldy, Scotland . It currently broadcasts 24 hours a day to the premises of the Victoria Hospital and surrounding facilities on 1287AM/MW, and to patients' bedside radios.-History:...
- Female Presenter of the Year: Sandy Iliff, Hospital Radio Fox
- Special Event: Perth Christmas Lights, Hospital Radio Perth
- Speech Package: Bethnal Green Tube, Whitechapel AM
- Best Newcomer: Victoria Sill, Ward Radio
- Specialised Music: Elvis Uncharted, Rugby Hospital Radio
- Sports Output: Radio Cherwell
- Station Promo or Trailer: Valley Park Radio
- The John Whitney Award: Jeff Brown, Hillingdon Hospital Radio
Notable people who started in Hospital radio
- Chris MoylesChris MoylesChristopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
- Presenter, BBC Radio 1. Worked at Wakefield's Broadcast to Hospitals Service. - Scott MillsScott MillsScott Robert Mills is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1...
- Presenter, BBC Radio 1. - Huw StephensHuw StephensHuw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
- Presenter, BBC Radio 1. - Simon RixSimon RixJames Simon Rix is the bass player for popular British band Kaiser Chiefs and is famous for his large curly hair which has led to the nickname 'Jesus' by fans and 'curlywand' amongst friends.. He went to school at St...
- Kaiser Chiefs (Bass). - Nick HodgsonNick HodgsonNicholas James David Hodgson is the drummer, backing vocalist and principal song-writer of English indie band Kaiser Chiefs....
- Kaiser Chiefs (Drums). - Philip GlenisterPhilip GlenisterPhilip Haywood Glenister is an English actor, known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes.-Television and films:...
- Actor (Life On MarsLife on MarsScientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. Fictional Martians have been a recurring feature of popular entertainment of the 20th and 21st centuries, but it remains an open question whether life currently exists on...
, Ashes To AshesAshes to Ashes (TV series)Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
) - Karl PilkingtonKarl PilkingtonKarl Pilkington is a British podcaster, author, television personality and former radio producer. He is best known for the Sky travel series, An Idiot Abroad, which was also presented in the United States on the Science Channel, in Canada on Discovery Channel and in Australia on One HD, and The...
- Author/personality. - Ken BruceKen BruceKenneth Robertson Bruce is a British broadcaster known for his programme on BBC Radio 2, which is broadcast on weekdays from 9:30am until 12 noon.-Early life and career:...
- Presenter, BBC Radio 2 - Andrew PeachAndrew PeachAndrew Peach is a radio presenter in the UK. He presents regular news and phone-in shows on BBC WM and BBC Radio Berkshire...
- Presenter, BBC Radio 2 - Christian O'ConnellChristian O'ConnellChristian O'Connell is an English radio DJ who presents the Absolute Radio weekday breakfast show.He has formerly hosted BBC Radio Five Live's weekend sports game show Fighting Talk alongside the weekday breakfast show on indie music station Xfm London...
- Presenter, Absolute Radio - Jill DandoJill DandoJill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
- Presenter, BBC. Worked at Sunshine Hospital Radio - Simon MayoSimon MayoSimon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...
- Presenter, BBC Radio 2 - Aled Haydn JonesAled Haydn JonesAled Haydn Jones is a Welsh radio producer and radio presenter. Since 2004 he has worked on The Chris Moyles Show.-Personal history:...
- Producer on the Chris Moyles Show, BBC Radio 1. Worked at Bronglais Hospital Radio - Phillip SchofieldPhillip SchofieldPhillip Bryan Schofield is an English broadcaster and television personality best known for presenting shows such as This Morning, Dancing on Ice, and various game shows including The Cube.-Early life and career:...
- Presenter. Worked at Hospital Radio PlymouthHospital Radio PlymouthHospital Radio Plymouth is a hospital radio station based in Plymouth, England. It provides entertainment to the patients of Derriford Hospital and The Royal Eye Infirmary, broadcasting via Patientline and on 87.7fm.... - Tim Key - series producer of The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
. Worked at Kidderminster Hospital Radio - Amanda SergeantAmanda SergeantAmanda Sergeant is a British newsreader.Before breaking into the world of journalism, Amanda was a part of Radio City 1386AM a Swansea based Hospital Radio Station....
- Presenter GMTVGMTVGMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
. Worked at Radio City 1386AMRadio City 1386AMRadio City 1386AM - The ABM University Health Board's Radio Service is the Hospital Radio service based in Singleton Hospital, Swansea.-About the service:...
- The ABM University Health Boards Radio Service in Singleton Hospital, Swansea. - Jason MohammadJason MohammadJason Mohammad , is a British radio and television presenter.-Biography:Mohammad was born and raised in Cardiff, going to school at Glyn Derw High School...
- Presenter and Newsreader - BBC Radio Wales, BBC Wales Today, Wales on Saturday. Worked at Radio City 1386AMRadio City 1386AMRadio City 1386AM - The ABM University Health Board's Radio Service is the Hospital Radio service based in Singleton Hospital, Swansea.-About the service:...
- The ABM University Health Boards Radio Service in Singleton Hospital, Swansea. - Simon ClarkSimon Clark (broadcaster)Simon Clark is a television sports presenter and correspondent primarily on the television programme, Look North....
- Sports presenter, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Look North. Worked at Kingstown RadioKingstown RadioKingstown Radio is a hospital radio station based in Kingston upon Hull, England broadcasting on 1350 kHz and the hospedia system.In July 2011, the station celebrated it's 50th anniversary!-The Early Years:...
.
See also
- List of hospital radio stations in the UK
External links
- Hospital Broadcasting Association
- Hospital Radio UK
- Radio Northwick Park (London)
- Pulse Hospital Radio at the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch
- Hospital Radio Bedside, Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch And Wimbourne
- Kidderminster Hospital Radio
- Hereford Hospital Radio
- Radio Glamorgan (University Hospital, Wales - Cardiff
- Radio Sunderland
- VHN Dutch organisation for hospital radio
- Radio BGM, Prince Phillip Hospital, Llanelli
- Hospital RadioWey, Chertsey Surrey since 1965
- Radio City 1386AM, The ABM University Health Board's Radio Service - Singleton Hospital, Swansea
- Sunshine Hospital Radio (Weston-super-Mare)
- Coventry Hospital Radio