Circa Late 1974

Airtime cut during studio move

HULL's voluntary hospital broadcasting service is cutting down its airtime while a move to a new studio is made.

Normally programmes lasting four hours are transmitted to five hospitals from 7-11 pm but these will be reduced to 8-10:30 pm while a new studio at Red Cross House, Beverley Road, Hull is fitted out.

The programmes, made up of record requests, chats, and a 'Phone-in' are played to Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingstown General, Castle Hill, Beverley Westwood and Sutton Infirmary.

A spokesman for the service, Mr Ashley Howard, said the moving work would have to be carried out by the volunteers themselves. They hoped to have the service back to normal in two months

He said: 'We are not letting patients down. This is only a short-term thing that will be to their benefit in the long run'.

The service is moving from its present studio in Wellington Street where a next-door fire a year ago left them with a ceiling covering their heads, but no roof.

Mr Howard added that the new studio would be fitted out with a lot of sophisticated equipment that had been bought through fund-raising efforts.

Mr Howard said the move also meant the Hull service would not be able to stage any special show next week as part of the National Hospital Broadcasting Week.

However, a five-minute taped message from the Duke of Edinburgh would be played from Hull every day of the week.