THE LAUNCH
OF COUNTY SOUND IN GUILDFORD
|
In 1979 the Conservative Government, led by
Margaret Thatcher, came to power after a period in opposition during
which the Labour government of 1974 to 1979 (under Harold Wilson - 1974
to 1976 and James Callaghan - 1976 to 1979) had effectively halted any
further expansion of local radio in the UK past that which the
Conservative government of Edward Heath (1970 to 1974) had already
agreed to implement - this formed the IBA out of the ITA and
established the first ILR stations between 1973 and 1976. The new
government of 1979 was keen to re-kindle the expansion of local radio,
particularly Independent Local Radio, although the BBC also commenced
expansion with new stations in areas including Norfolk, Devon, and
Northamptonshire for example.
In 1981 the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) advertised an
Independent local Radio (ILR) franchise for Guildford and the
surrounding area. By December 1981 the IBA announce that
"subject to agreement on some points of detail, it is proposed to offer
the contract for the provision of the ILR service for the Guildford
area to County Sound PLC. Members of the group include:
Norman J Cunningham (Chairman); David Lucas (Managing Director);
Kenneth F.M. Loughnan (Company Secretary); Frank Muir, CBE; Doreen
Bellerby; Joun Downhan; Margaret Gammon; Col. Peter Drake-Wilkes, OBE;
Roger Haynes; Ronald Hill, MBE; Les Reed; Robert Symes-Schultzman;
Peter Wannell; Jane Wyatt; The Lord Nugent of Guildford, PC
(President); Jack Penycate & Prof. Robert G Williams, OBE (Vice
Presidents).
The image on the
right shows the IBA map of the ILR Areas. Solid black arrows
represent stations on air by 1982, and the outline arrows represent
stations due to be on the air from 1983 to 1984.
|
|
|
LUMINARIES
Notable luminaries associated with County
Sound PLC were the famous
writer, comedian and entertainer Frank Muir, CBE; David Lucas, who
after making such a success of County Sound Radio went on to
successfully launch Ocean Sound, another ILR station in South
Hampshire, in 1986 and later Wave105 a regional station in the Solent
area; Robert Symes who produced
programmes such as Hasler's Hour with Mary Jean Hasler for County Sound
and Fox FM in Oxford.
|
County Sound PLC was
located at PO Box 7, 8 The Flower Walk, Guildford
GU2 5HH.
The studios were to be located at a shopping centre : The Friary,
Guildford, GU1 4YX.
|
|
COUNTY SOUND RADIO went on
air for the first time on 4th April 1983 from two transmitters:
203 meters (1476 kHz) Medium Wave from a 500 Watt transmitter at a new
mast
installed by the IBA at Peasmarsh near Godalming, and 96.6 MHz
VHF / FM from a 950
Watt mixed polarised system at the established Guildford radio and
television tower on the eastern edge of the Hogs Back, just west of
Guildford.
|
More
About The Technicalities
The
VHF frequency was adjusted in 1986 from 96.6 to 96.4 MHz due to the
national re-alignment of radio frequencies. The power was also
increased from 950 Watts to 3000 Watts. In 1990 a new transmitter
at Haslemere was established to bring FM stereo to the south of the
County Sound transmission area. The transmitter was located at
the Haslemere TV relay ststion, and uses 97.1 MHz with 250 Watts. The
Medium Wave frequency was
changed from 1476 kHz to 1566 kHz in 1999 to avoid interference from
powerful continental radio stations (Austria) and the power was
increased from 500 Watts to 800 Watts to take into account the higher
signal losses ('attenuation') that are present at this higher radio
frequency.
|
County
Sound was an
eminently listenable station and proved to be a successful one
too. David Lucas was the original MD, while the original
Programme Manager was Michael Bartlett. Mike Powell was
originally County Sound's News Editor, but he went on to become
Programme Director and later Managing Director when David Lucas
departed the company in 1986.
|
|
In 1988 County Sound Radio was the very
first station in the UK to
split its AM and FM transmitters, launching an entirely new
station on
1476 AM called COUNTY SOUND GOLD - this was later renamed FIRST GOLD
RADIO. The FM transmitter carried a re-named service called
COUNTY
SOUND PREMIER.
|
|
In 1990
a new FM transmitter was opened in Haslemere on 97.1 MHz.
The new transmitter was not to simply relay the output of 96.4 however,
and County Sound embarked on an ambitious scheme to provide a
'community radio station' for Haslemere which was named DELTA RADIO.
|
After
eight years of highly successful broadcasting in 1991 the station
(unfortunately) merged with Radio Mercury - a neighbouring ILR station
in Reigate and Crawley. This merger formed a new company called
'Allied Radio PLC' which appeared to be mainly controlled by the Radio
Mercury management. Mike Powell the MD of County Sound left the
company.
Allied
Radio PLC proceded to close Delta Radio and changed the name of the FM
service from County Sound Premier to 'Radio Mercury' which was then
carried on both 96.4 and 97.1 FM. The AM service of First Gold
Radio
had a name change back to 'County Sound' which was then transmitted
over both the Reigate and Guildford transmitters - although the new
County
Sound sounded very different to the original County Sound, in fact a
shadow of its former self. After a huge drop in audience Allied
dropped output of County Sound and re-launched the AM output as MERCURY
EXTRA which also shared programmes across 1476 in Guildford and 1521 in
Reigate and Crawley.
|
 |
 |
 |
|
ALLIED
RADIO
Allied
Radio PLC was based at the original Radio Mercury premises at
Broadfield house, Brighton Road, Crawley, West Sussex. The main
staff
were:
Chairman:
Ken
Pritchard-Jones (later in 1995 - Brian W Rowbotham). Managing
Director: Peter S Perry. Group Programme Director: John
Wellington Station Programme Controller: Martin
Campbell Sales Controller: Andrew Dean (later in 1995 Neil
Macadam), and John Aumonier.
The
Guildford
studios were retained at The Friary.
By
1996 Allied Radio
had disappeared and the Reigate and Crawley licences of Radio Mercury
(FM) and the medium wave station now called FAME 1521 (AM) were bought
by
the Independent Radio Group plc.
which also held licences for Scot FM, Wish FM, Wire FM, Lite AM and
QFM. In 1998 Mercury and Fame became part of the DMG Radio (Daily
Mail and General Trust) Group. IRG itself has since been sold and
split up, the individual
radio licences are now held by different groups. DMG Radio sold
out to the GWR group in 2000 and GWR merged with Capital Radio in 2005.
Radio
Mercury also
moved to premises at The Stanley Centre, Kelvin Way, Crawley RH10
2SE. In 2005 Radio Mercury is part of the merged GWR plc and
Capital Radio plc grouping named GCAP. The FAME 1521 service is
no longer in existence and has been replaced by the quasi-national
networked service called CLASSIC GOLD 1521.
|
There
was wide disappointment with the Allied Radio offerings in the
Guildford area. Mike Powell, who had left the original County
Sound in
1991, had moved on to work with UK Radio Developments which had been
established in 1990 and whose first licence was the highly successful
PIRATE FM in Cornwall. UK Radio Developments expanded to merge
with UK
Radio holdings ato form UKRD and by 1995 owned stations such as Star FM
in Slough, Wey Valley radio in Alton, and some interests Kiss 102 in
Manchester. Mr Powell the led a consortium that was to win the
radio
licences for the Guildford area for 'Surrey And North East Hampshire
Radio' a subsidiary of UKRD - therefore putting him back in control of
the Guildford ILR licence.
The
Guildford licence, currently held by Allied Radio, was due to expire in
April 1996, but UKRD negotiated with Allied Radio to take over
the
remaining period of the licence so that the new station could take to
the air early. From September 1st 1995 the Surrey
& North East
Hampshire Radio station, County Sound, went on air with the same
programmes being carried on both 1476 AM and 96.4 / 97.1 FM as an
interim measure. On 29th December 1995 the station was moved to
new
premises at Dolphin House, North Street, Guildford GU1 4AA and were
officially opened in February 1996 by Virginia Bottomley the Heritage
Secretary.
|
|
On
4th January 1996 the separate FM service was launched as 96.4 THE EAGLE
while the original COUNTY SOUND continued on 1476 AM.
The company
also reinstated DELTA RADIO in Haslemere on 97.1 MHz on 9th May 1996
with presenters Tony Brandon and Stuart Clark. In
1999 the County Sound AM station moved to a new clearer frequency of
1566 kHz medium wave.
In 2005 COUNTY SOUND 1566 and 96.4 THE EAGLE are still on air providing
good quality independent local programmes to Surrey and North East
Hampshire, though DELTA RADIO in Haslemere has been separated off.
|
|
|
DELTA
RADIO /
DELTA FM
DELTA RADIO
is still under the UKRD
wing but the 97.1 Haslemere transmitter has now become part of a bigger
DELTA RADIO. As previously mentioned UKRD eventually owned WEY
VALLEY RADIO in Alton which was originally set up on 22nd November 1992
by P.Mann and David Way. The station initially covered only Alton
on 102.0 MHz FM, but
now covers a much larger as additional transmitters have gradually been
added. The station changed its name to DELTA FM in 1999 and now
covers parts of North East Hampshire, North West Sussex and South
West Surrey from transmitters in Haslemere (97.1 - 270 watts),
Alton (102.0 - 100 watts), Hindhead (101.6 - 60 watts - added July
2001), Four Marks (101.6 - 100 watts), and Petersfield (101.8 -
100 watts added in
2003).
|
|
SIMON
CUMMINGS - Broadcasts From His Hospital Bed in 1987
|
|
Simon Cummings was a very popular
broadcaster on County Sound from its initial inception in 1983 - very
sadly Simon died in December 1996 after a very long illness that he
bavely fought and that his listeners were unaware of.
In 1987 Simon was in
hospital and special arrangements were made for
him to broadcast his daily programme from his hospital bed. The
following article was run as an IBA feature in 'Television And Radio
1988':
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
'The show must come
first', runs the old saying. And that was certainly true in the case of
a very brave presenter with County Sound Radio at Guildford.
Simon
Cummings persuaded station executives to let him front his afternoon
programme from his sickbed, despite being in great pain and undergoing
treatment which meant he could barely move. Simon, 28, had a childhood
illness which left both legs crooked. This had effectively barred him
from playing many sports but he instead developed a deep interest in
music. He was one of County Sound Radio's original presenters when it
went on air in April 1983 and his weekday programme between 3 p.m. and
6 p.m. is the most popular in the station's Surrey and north-east
Hampshire transmission area.
|
|
Simon
Cummings meets Frank Allen of 'The Searchers'
Many other local
celebrities also dropped in to be interviewed
at Simon's bedside at the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital, Alton. They
included Major Ronald Ferguson, the Duchess of York's father. |
|
|
|
But
most of his army
of fans never realised that he often presented his show in great pain
and only colleagues appreciated what a strain it could be. Then doctors
at the Lord Mayor Treloar Hospital at Alton decided to Make renewed
efforts to straighten Simon's legs. Long periods in special traction
were prescribed. This meant, though, that Simon would be off-air for
several weeks. But he had other ideas...
'He persuaded us to
let him present the programme from the hospital,' says the station's
Deputy Programme Controller, Malcolm Deacon.'Some of us, to be honest,
were very sceptical. We
weren't at all sure how hospital staff and patients would react and, of
course, we wondered whether Simon really was up to it. We were very
worried it could actually worsen his condition. In the end, though,
both he and the hospital authorities were so keen on the idea we
decided to give it a try'.
|
The
result was a perfect example of Independent Radio taking its programmes
to the community - no matter how unusual the circumstances.
Simon
was installed in a private room next to Ward 1 at the Lord Mayor
Treloar and was attached to a web of traction wires with heavy weights
on the end. He could move only his head, arms and the upper part of his
body; for some time he remained strapped up like this for up to 23
hours each day.
While doctors and nurses did their
bit, British Telecom and County Sound engineers were also at work. A
music-quality landline was set up between the hospital and the
station's main studios 20 miles away in Guildford and a receiver, mixer
and microphones rigged in Simon's room. For three weeks that room
became 'Studio 6' as station staff soon dubbed it.
Each
morning, while Simon was undergoing his treatment and therapy, County
Sound Radio Programming Assistant Mark Chivers would begin to get
together all the administration essential to the makeup of any radio
programme. He would compile the list of music to be played, sort mail,
messages and dedications sent to Simon at the studios, and put together
a pack containing these plus the log of commercials to be played,
'What's On' announcements for the day and even blank forms for
financial and livestock market reports. Then a senior member of the
station staff would drive to the hospital to cheek over the broadcast
equipment, go through the afternoon's programme with Simon and meet
that day's special guest.
|
Deputy
Programme Controller Malcolm Deacon checks the day's programme with
radio presenter Simon Cummings, who spent up to 23 hours a day in
traction, but would not give up on the job.
|
|
While radio
presenter Simon Cummings fronted his programme from his hospital bed,
Programming Assistant Mark Chivers controlled the broadcast from 20
miles away at County Sound's Guildford studios.
|
During
the three weeks of broadcasts many celebrities called in to be
interviewed. They included the Duchess of York's
father, Major Ronald Ferguson, who lives in the nearby Hampshire
village of Dummer, author and playwright William DouglasHome, snooker
player John Virgo and stars from the music world, such as Rick Wakeman,
Frank Allen of The Searchers and Justin Hayward. A member of the
hospital staff was also interviewed each day - from senior doctors to
catering staff.
While Simon
actually fronted the
programme, Mark Chivers was in the County Sound Radio studios, 20 miles
away in Guildford effectively
'driving' the show. He played-in the music and commercials and set up
telephone callers, and was in constant touch
with Simon on what's known as 'talkback.' Mark's job was difficult
enough - Simon's much more so. It is not unusual for presenters to
front their programmes on outside broadcasts while an engineer or
technical assistant works the studio many miles away. In fact in County
Sound Radio's case it is very common. But there were several times in
the first few days when we wondered whether Simon really could carry
on,'says Malcolm Deacon. 'He was in a great deal of pain at times and
it was as much as he could do to talk for a few seconds, introduce a
record, read a dedication or whatever and then lie back
during the music'. |
|
|
Nurses
marvelled at his strength of will - one told a television interviewer
they all thought he was very brave. After a few days, though, things
did get easier. While Simon was still decidedly uncomfortable, the
treatment became more bearable. And he was also buoyed up by the number
of getwell cards, presents and messages from listeners which were
festooned around his bed, much to the delight of the nurses who took
him to their hearts.
'Everyone
at the hospital was fantastic,' says Simon. 'They were all so kind and
helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Because most of the time I
could hardly move, they had to do everything for me. And they had to
put up with all the extra problems of the broadcast equipment in the
room and guests and station staff coming in and out.'
Simon
was released after three weeks, his legs much straighter and stronger,
although he still has to undergo regular physiotherapy. And he still
chuckles over a get-well card sent by the newsroom. One message on it
read: 'You can come back - no strings attached!'
|
|
|
|
^Top Of Page
|
