Hospital Radio! We still love you!

April 9, 2008 7:17 AM

What's one of the best ways to break into UK radio? Hospital Radio of course! There are over 408 radio stations in the UK that originate from hospitals. Fully staffed and loaded with volunteers, they are a lifeline to patients and produce modern, original programming. Who got their start on hospital radio? Hundreds of legends in the UK radio industry! Including Chris Moyles, Scott Mills, Jacqui Oatley, and Heena Tailor.
posted by parmanparman (16 comments total)

When I saw Talk to Me (Don Cheedle as 60's/70's DJ Petey Greene) I was interested in how he got his start as a prison DJ, which I thought was the weirdest way to get into radio. And now hospital radio? This is something I had never even heard of. We don't have it here in the states - at least not that I'm aware of.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 7:22 AM on April 9, 2008

Pity Moyles didn't catch something while he was there.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 7:37 AM on April 9, 2008

What's one of the best ways to break into UK radio?

Well, it would be if there were still local stations to break into, what with Globotech turning the GCap group even further into one big national station staffed by reality show rejects.
posted by tapeguy at 7:44 AM on April 9, 2008

Takin' Over the Asylum.
posted by ericb at 8:18 AM on April 9, 2008

What's one of the best ways to break into UK radio?

I was going to suggest a set of lock pick, a Halligan bar, and a pair of bolt-cutters.

But yeah, hospital radio is probably a safer way to go.
posted by quin at 8:21 AM on April 9, 2008

Takin' over the Asylum - awesome series (just rewatched) and starring a very young David Tennant...
posted by mattr at 8:23 AM on April 9, 2008

I always found that the oddest thing in Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital, that there was a radio station inside the hospital.
posted by cazoo at 8:49 AM on April 9, 2008

Hospital radio is not only a great way to break into the indutry but its loads of fun!!!
posted by angel29 at 9:15 AM on April 9, 2008

I've read about similar stations in the US, at Bellvue Hospital in New York City, for instance if I remember correctly.

High school and college radio presumably play a similar roll in the US as well. Do such exist in the UK?
posted by Jahaza at 9:38 AM on April 9, 2008

Some universities have student radios, Ive never heard of it in high schools.
posted by angel29 at 10:04 AM on April 9, 2008

Do such exist in the UK?

There are a few like OSCAR but I don't think they are commonplace - posho pubic schools and specialist media studies places I think.

Do many 'official radio' DJs come out of pirate radio nowadays?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:24 AM on April 9, 2008

Lest we forget Mike King.... Go Johnny Go Go Go Go!
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 5:25 PM on April 9, 2008

High school and college radio presumably play a similar roll in the US as well. Do such exist in the UK?

In many universities, yes. Nothing like the history or relevance of those in the US though. From my understanding, there are people in the US who have listened to their college radio station.
posted by vbfg at 11:49 PM on April 9, 2008

In many universities, yes. Nothing like the history or relevance of those in the US though.

What are you talking about? My university radio station started the careers of Timmy Mallett AND Simon Mayo!
posted by biffa at 3:43 AM on April 10, 2008

I think we may have gone to the same one. Brighton Poly as was? When I was there they had a big wooden plaque for distinguished former students and Timmy Mallet was the only name on it.
posted by vbfg at 6:32 AM on April 10, 2008

Nah, Warwick, Mallett dropped out after a year, so maybe he went south after that?
posted by biffa at 6:42 AM on April 10, 2008