Friday 7th July 1995

STIRRED INTO CAREER WITH HOSPITAL RADIO!

Carrying a cup of tea through to a broadcaster set Dave Hutchins on a career in hospital radio which is still going strong after more than 22 years.

'I started in November 1972,' said Dave, of Cherry Garth, Beverley, who works for Hull-based Kingstown Radio.

'I was always interested in listening to radio and used to listen to Radio Luxembourg when I was young, as you did not get much pop on the light programme.

'I remember Radio 270 and Radio Caroline - the pirate stations changed the way of broadcasting completely. If we had not had them I don't think we would have had radio One and Viking.

'At the time Radio Humberside had just started and had a diary slot and announced on it that if anyone wanted to look round a radio station, they should get in touch with hospital radio in Hull. Those were the days when it was based at Corporation Pier in Hull, opposite the Oberon.

'At That time they just had a programme on Thursdays each fortnight, and a request programme each Sunday teatime.

Dave was invited to see a Sunday request programme going out - there were two people there then, the controller who played the records and saw to the volume, and the presenter who was in a small booth.

'I was asked to take a cup of tea through to the presenter and when I got there was handed a piece of paper. And she said 'Dave Hutchins will read the next request'. I think it was the Jonathan King song Loop Di Love. Everything went on from there.

'At first I used to help sweep up, sort records. A lot of people think you walk into the studio, sit down and do a programme, but you have to show that you are interested in the organisation itself by doing the backroom jobs. I have been on the wards to collect requests.'

Dave presents his own two-hour programme every Monday evening but the first one he put together involved interviewing Val Doonican at Hull's City Hall.

A Friend operated a tape recorder for him and Dave later made a half hour programme using the interview interspersed with appropriate songs.

Said Dave: ‘I usually got to the studio about 30 to 60 minutes before the programme begins. I like to play what I think is right at that minute and I think you get a better programme that way. I take a box of CD's of all types of music in with me and put on what I feel is right at the time.

'We have a computer which tells us if we have a particular record in stock and it can be produced within two minutes of someone ringing up with a request.

'With older people, the most popularly-requested singers are Tom Jones, Jim Reeves, Englebert. There is not so much call now for the religious type of thing - there are not the hymns which we were asked for when I first started.'

One of Dave’s proudest moments was arranging for David Whitfield to come to the Hull Royal Infirmary for a surprise visit to a long stay patient who frequently requested one of his records.

What made it even better was that David brought along a friend with him - comedian Norman Collier. They stayed on the ward for about an hour.

The Hospital Radio studio is now at the Kingston General Hospital, Beverley Road, Hull, and one of the hospitals which receives its broadcast is Beverley Westwood and another is Castle Hill. Dave is the station's longest-serving broadcaster.

He has run discos for hospital radio amongst other groups. He has worked at the Grange Park Hotel, Willerby, doing discos for dinner dances since 1989.

Dave is doing a course at Beverley College in TV and Video competence. He has always been interested in photography and also enjoys driving.

He has two ambitions connected with music. He would like to start an FM radio station in Beverley; he would also like to hear the organ part from his all-time favourite record, Procul Harem's 'Whiter Shade Of Pale', played on the organ of Beverley Minster.

Dave has three grown-up children, Paul, Julie and Caroline. 'And I named Caroline after Radio Caroline as it had given me so much pleasure,' he said.