UKC Radio
Encyclopedia
University of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
at Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(UKC) between 1966 and 2006. It was operated as a student service by the University of Kent Students' Union
University of Kent Students' Union
The University of Kent Students' Union, officially known as Kent Union, is the student representative body for students at the University of Kent, England. Based around five elected full time officers , a Board of trustees, part-time student officers as well as 'lay' members of the local community...
.
It was replaced by CSR 97.4FM
CSR 97.4FM
CSR 97.4FM is a community radio station based in Canterbury, England. It is funded by the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University, as well as their associated Student Unions. The radio station broadcasts from studios at both universities 24 hours a day, with live broadcasting...
on 15 January 2007, an FM radio station broadcasting to the city which is a joint venture between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University is a university in Canterbury, Kent, England. Founded as a Church of England college for teaching training it has grown to full university status and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. The focus of its work is in the education of people going into...
.
History
UKC Radio always claimed to be Britain's oldest student radio station, having started in 1966 illegally. This caused controversy as University Radio YorkUniversity Radio York
University Radio York is a campus radio covering the campus of the University of York. It was the first legal independent radio station in the United Kingdom.-About:...
claimed to be Britain's oldest - it was the first to be officially licensed in 1967. The station from 1966 was known as Radio Rutherford, and broadcast from the Student Newspaper offices on the lowest floor of Rutherford College
Rutherford College, Kent
Rutherford College is the second oldest college of the University of Kent. It is located on the university's Canterbury campus and was established in 1966.-Namesake:...
. The AM transmission system came from an old submarine transmitter and was linked up to the radiator system which acted as a leaky feeder aerial system. Due to all the colleges having a central boiler room, the system worked quite well.
When UKC Radio was granted a licence the chance was taken to build a full studios complex on the lowest floor of Eliot College
Eliot College, Kent
Eliot College is the oldest college of the University of Kent. It was established in 1965, the same year the university opened.-Namesake:The college is named after T. S. Eliot, the poet who died on January 4, 1965, the same day the university was formally established...
. These studios were designed around a typical BBC layout, with the emphasis on Drama and Live Music, so this was given the biggest space (studio B), and the best sound proofing. However there was also a small self op studio for news bulletins - and the occasional music programme (studio A). Linking between, with a view of both studios was a Master Control Room (called "Continuity" until late in 1996), where a continuity announcer linked between programmes - the desk here had just 3 faders - one for each studio, and one for the microphone. There was considerable debate as to this studio layout, because the small self op studio (Studio A) was in use pretty much all the time, so it was slowly upgraded, and eventually boasted a big home-made 10 channel mixing desk, with NAB cartridge jingle machines.
UKC Radio carried an overnight sustaining service from 1984, using LBC (which was taken off air via a huge aerial on the roof of Eliot). This was also used for IRN news on the hour.
Studio A was rebuilt in 1989, with the arrival of the first Alice Series A desk. By 1991 the first satellite tuner had arrived, which gave a much cleaner IRN feed and occasional news stories from MTV. In 1993 this also provided a sustaining service, in the form of first QEFM, then MTV's soundtrack overnight. Virgin Radio was taken as a sustainer in 1992, and then Capital Radio from 1993 to 1997. Ironically when QEFM (Quality Europe FM Radio, based in Camberley) closed in 1994 the cartridge jingle machines were purchased and used for nearly a decade at UKC Radio - nearly five times as long as QEFM lasted.
The studios were swapped over in a summer long operation in 1995, and a considerably revamped thanks in part to a donation of some redundant equipment from Winchester Hospital Radio. The station started using the brand name UKCR at the time of the first FM broadcast. The studios continued to be revamped with new equipment and a window was knocked through to the reception area in 1999.
In 2000 the first song played on LPAM (1350 AM) was Re-Rewind
Re-Rewind
"Re-Rewind " is a song by The Artful Dodger featuring Craig David on vocals. Released in the UK in 1999 and reaching No.2, it was David's first chart success and is also considered by many to be the point when the Garage genre had crossed into the mainstream.-Background:The melody in the verses was...
by The Artful Dodger featuring Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
.
In 2002 digital output was introduced for the first time, with an output system using Myriad software, and new Alice Series A desk in Studio A.
Transmission
For most of its history, UKC Radio was available on 300m Medium Wave (officially 998 kHz AM, though it apparently used a 1 MHz crystal as these were far cheaper) via induction loops which were on the top of the college buildings - meaning you could only hear the station in limited parts of the campus. The inductive loops used a figure-of-eight configuration to prevent off-campus radiation in accordance with the licence conditions. These loops actually operated as a kind of leaky feeder, with a single strand of cable draped around the roof of the buildings, connected to a coax cable that linked via the central boiler room to the original transmitter (called Amanda by the engineers) in Eliot. This was replaced with a Wireless Workshop transmitter in 1995 (called Fred).Various short term broadcasts on 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"...
were carried out, using Restricted Service Licences. The first of these was in 1992, with a further one month in 1994, two in the academic year of 1994/5, one month in May 1996, and the last in 1998. Initially the transmitters were sited on the roof of Eliot, however by 1996 the transmission site was moved to the roof of the library. With 20 watts output power at 20 meters transmission height (on a location that is one of the highest in Kent) fringe reception was possible in London.
However, UKC Radio was heard unofficially throughout the city at least once during Rag Week in the early 1970s when a T-aerial appeared overnight slung between two corners of the cross-shaped Eliot college.
The studios were used for one of Invicta FM's breakfast shows in 1997, when a dedicated ISDN line was installed.
During the late 90s Low Powered AM (LPAM) was introduced, allowing the station to broadcast to the whole campus. The station moved frequency to 1350AM in 2000, with a transmission mast sited to the west of the new student union building, between The Venue and behind the old bus stops. The mast was painted brown as this was one of the conditions from the City council in order for planning consent to be given. The mast still stands today, however is not in use.
Former UKC Radio people
- OfcomOfcomOfcom 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...
: Neil Gardner. - ITN's Shiulie GhoshShiulie GhoshShiulie Ghosh is a television journalist for Al Jazeera English, a leading international news network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. She attended The Avenue Primary School, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, and then Teesside High....
. - BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Joe Harland, Executive Producer. - BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
(Business Unit): Adam Kirtley. - BBC RadioBBC RadioBBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
(General News Service): Julian Lorkin. - Invicta FM's Stuart Thomas.
- Viking FM's Ian Skye (was Ian Wickens).