Late 1974
Hospital radio team in desperate need of new Hull studio
HULL AND EAST RIDING Hospital
Broadcasting Service urgently needs a new home if it is to continue its service
to local hospital patients. The group's present studio, at the corner of Queen
Street and Wellington Street, in the old town, was damaged by fire a year ago.
Because of a dispute over the
insurance, permanent repair work has not been carried out to the badly damaged
roof. Bad weather has caused a serious deterioration and recently, two sections
of the ceiling in one of the studio's three rooms collapsed
This means that part of the
premises is open to the sky and more weather damage is likely.
So far, none of the equipment has
been damaged, and the group has not had to cut down its programmes. Inn fact,
despite working under adverse conditions, the group has increased its
transmission schedule.
Hospital broadcasting is believed
to have begun with commentaries on local football matches in the immediate
post-war period.
The Hull service had its
beginnings in 1952. Many commentary services developed other types of
programme, particularly record requests.
In Hull, this development came as
one of the activities of the local Tape Recording Club. It was in 1969 that
these services were divorced from the Tape Recording Club and the present
organisation set up.
CLOSED CIRCUIT
Transmissions are made by
telephone lines on a closed circuit and can be heard only in local hospitals.
These are Hull Royal Infirmary, Sutton Infirmary, Kingston General Hospital,
Castle Hill, Cottingham and Westwood Hospital, Beverley.
Volunteers operate the services,
and since 1961 the Hull and East Riding group has devised, produced and
transmitted almost 900 programmes, handled 100,000 requests, and never missed a
scheduled programme, in spite of moving the studio three times.
Mr K Fulstow, the secretary,
stressed the need to find a new studio, preferably within a mile radius of the
telephone exchange in Carr Lane, Hull.
Although the equipment has not
been affected by the fire damage, or its results, the studio is now showing signs
of severe damage by damp.
Some electrical points have had
to be disconnected to avoid possible danger, and the group is now working under
difficult and cramped conditions.
'In spite of this, our
transmission schedules have been increased since February from two and a half
hours a week, to twenty five hours' he said.
The minimum requirement for a
studio was about 120 to 150 square feet.
WASHING UP
Space was also needed for a
combined committee meeting. Programme planning and administration room, and
facilities for making refreshments, washing up and toilets.
Since transmissions are made by
means of a private telephone line, it was essential for the group to obtain
this form of connection in any premises they occupied. It was also necessary to
have a normal telephone line to contact hospitals, said Mr Fulstow.
Security was of considerable
importance. The groups present equipment is worth about £2,000 and plans for a
second studio would add up to £1,000 on this figure