OSCAR Radio
Encyclopedia
OSCAR Radio is a school radio station established in Oundle School
in Northamptonshire
, England
. It is once one of the longest running school FM radio stations in the UK, and was broadcast on 87.7 MHz & 96.3 Mhz FM
as well as via the internet during its term-time active periods. It is now solely broadcast online. It made use of the UK Restricted Service Licence
to broadcast to the School and to the surrounding area for up to 8 weeks a year. It is notable as being the only station that is run entirely by the students, who are under the age of 18.
OSCAR Radio had 24 short-term FM licences to broadcast (2 every year) and the material broadcast is original with all the shows being generated from within Oundle School
and supporters. The transmitter power, and hence the transmission area, was at the maximum allowed by OFCOM
for the licence and covers around 30 square miles (77.7 km²) from the centre of Oundle
. Since it started broadcasting in 1998, over 2000 young people from within the school and surrounding area have been involved.
assessment of the school's suitability for hosting such an ambitious project. After the presentation it was agreed that monies raised by the Oundle School Foundation could be used to set up the project. In January 1998, £70,000 was transferred to the school and a contract with a radio installation company was arranged to provide a radio control room, a newsroom, and a recording studio ready for a launch in November 1998.
The name OSCAR Radio was chosen by Fleur Swaney, the first female Head of School. The name was originally an acronym for "Oundle School Community and Action Radio", although today OSCAR is accepted as a stand-alone identity.
OSCAR Radio was granted its first Restricted Service Licence (RSL) to broadcast for 28 days on November 14, 1998. Samantha Griffiths was its first Managing Director and Lucy Newman was the first station controller. Since then the station has broadcast for a total of twenty-four RSLs with the latest one in April/May 2010.
In 2003, OSCAR Radio moved to its own purpose-built studios, designed by the then Managing Director, 18-year-old Sandy Rowell. Located on North Street in Oundle, the 18th Century "Old Dryden" building hosts a fully equipped broadcast studio featuring a computer playout system, a separate newsroom, DJ booth, an archive area and 8 production workstations, capable of functioning as a copy of a current small-scale UK radio station. Sir Howard Stringer, an old boy of the school and Chief Executive Officer of the Sony Corporation of America
, opened the newly built studio complex on November 14, that year.
During OSCAR's broadcast period the station transmits live between 7.30 and 8.30am, and between 5pm and 10.30pm every day. At other times it broadcasts music and repeats of shows. Students are responsible for both the day-to-day running of the station and the quality of the broadcasts. This gives them the opportunity to take part in a 'real world' project while at school, under the overall supervision of one specially appointed staff member.
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, 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...
. It is once one of the longest running school FM radio stations in the UK, and was broadcast on 87.7 MHz & 96.3 Mhz FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
as well as via the internet during its term-time active periods. It is now solely broadcast online. It made use of the UK Restricted Service Licence
Restricted Service Licence
A UK Restricted Service Licence , is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event...
to broadcast to the School and to the surrounding area for up to 8 weeks a year. It is notable as being the only station that is run entirely by the students, who are under the age of 18.
OSCAR Radio had 24 short-term FM licences to broadcast (2 every year) and the material broadcast is original with all the shows being generated from within Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
and supporters. The transmitter power, and hence the transmission area, was at the maximum allowed by OFCOM
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
for the licence and covers around 30 square miles (77.7 km²) from the centre of Oundle
Oundle
Oundle is an ancient market town on the River Nene in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 5,345 or 5,674 . It lies some north of London and south-west of Peterborough...
. Since it started broadcasting in 1998, over 2000 young people from within the school and surrounding area have been involved.
History
OSCAR was founded in September 1997, when a group of teachers and pupils presented the case for a school radio station to senior management, following a consultantConsultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
assessment of the school's suitability for hosting such an ambitious project. After the presentation it was agreed that monies raised by the Oundle School Foundation could be used to set up the project. In January 1998, £70,000 was transferred to the school and a contract with a radio installation company was arranged to provide a radio control room, a newsroom, and a recording studio ready for a launch in November 1998.
The name OSCAR Radio was chosen by Fleur Swaney, the first female Head of School. The name was originally an acronym for "Oundle School Community and Action Radio", although today OSCAR is accepted as a stand-alone identity.
OSCAR Radio was granted its first Restricted Service Licence (RSL) to broadcast for 28 days on November 14, 1998. Samantha Griffiths was its first Managing Director and Lucy Newman was the first station controller. Since then the station has broadcast for a total of twenty-four RSLs with the latest one in April/May 2010.
In 2003, OSCAR Radio moved to its own purpose-built studios, designed by the then Managing Director, 18-year-old Sandy Rowell. Located on North Street in Oundle, the 18th Century "Old Dryden" building hosts a fully equipped broadcast studio featuring a computer playout system, a separate newsroom, DJ booth, an archive area and 8 production workstations, capable of functioning as a copy of a current small-scale UK radio station. Sir Howard Stringer, an old boy of the school and Chief Executive Officer of the Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America , based in New York, is the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. It is the umbrella company under which all Sony companies operate in the United States....
, opened the newly built studio complex on November 14, that year.
OSCAR Radio today
About 100 students take part in OSCAR Radio in various roles during any single broadcast period: technician, presenter, newsreader, manager, director, sales and marketing, and many other contributory roles.During OSCAR's broadcast period the station transmits live between 7.30 and 8.30am, and between 5pm and 10.30pm every day. At other times it broadcasts music and repeats of shows. Students are responsible for both the day-to-day running of the station and the quality of the broadcasts. This gives them the opportunity to take part in a 'real world' project while at school, under the overall supervision of one specially appointed staff member.
Pupil Managing Directors
| 1998 | Samantha Griffiths | ||
| 1999 | Holly Davies | Robin Banerjee | |
| 2000 | Alex Jackson | Paul Monk | Stuart Whiting |
| 2001 | Seema Yallamanchilli | Jack Ream | |
| 2002 | Natalie Grogan | Alex Morrell | |
| 2003 | Sandy Rowell | ||
| 2004 | Hannah Glover | Alex Davies | |
| 2005 | Patricia Walsh | Lewis Bretts | |
| 2006 | Sophie Tamlyn | Nicholas Denny | |
| 2007 | Harry Proctor | Adrian Kwok | |
| 2008 | Phyllis Hamilton-Jones | Alastair Loasby | |
| 2009 | Benjamin Alten | Fran Denny | |
| 2010 | Will Pimblett | George Hughes |
Adult Station Controllers
| 1998 | Lucy Newman (OO) | |
| 1999 | Lucy Newman (OO) | Samantha Griffiths (OO) |
| 2000 | Samantha Griffiths (OO) | Annie Griffiths |
| 2001 | Annie Griffiths | |
| 2002 | Annie Griffiths | |
| 2003 | Pupils took control |