About Mid-
In the Summer of 1976, a handful of intrepid 'disc jockeys'
took a table, a chair and an old homemade disc console, wired it all up amongst the
mailbags of the Cuckfield Hospital post room and bingo -
The
12 foot by 10 foot room, affectionately known as the broom cupboard, was turned into
a 'studio' with letters by day and music by night. The old saying 'two's company
and three's a crowd' was never more appropriate!
All was well until five years later
when a management disagreement saw Colwell Radio formed at St Francis Hospital and
Hospital Radio Cuckfield, as it was now known. Now two hospitals in Mid Sussex had
their very own Hospital Radio station.
As equipment was updated and the presenters
became more 'professional', HRC branched out to relay programmes from the South of
England Showground back to the hospital using the outside broadcast unit of the new
full time radio station Southern Sound (now known as Southern FM).
With the new Mid
Sussex Hospital being opened at Haywards Heath and the closure of Cuckfield Hospital,
HRC became Mid-
When HRH Princess Anne officially opened the Princess
Royal Hospital, MDR’s technical team worked its usual miracles and the proceedings
were broadcast throughout the hospital.
Spurred on by the need to expand their broadcasting
ideas, the MDR committee took possession of an old caravan and over a two week period
it was transformed into an 'OB' unit with the old decks from HRC coming out of storage.
Tin
shakes, fetes and other engagements that required a PA system ensured that Mid-
Eventually the old caravan needed replacing so a trailer
unit was purchased and kitted out by Phil Porter and Jeff Chester, ensuring that
to this day it can be seen around Mid Sussex carrying on the good work of its predecessor.
Never
ones to sit back on their laurels, the committee organised a one month Restricted
Service Licence and throughout December 1997 the radio station broadcast on 107 FM
to listeners throughout Mid Sussex. This was repeated 10 years later to celebrate
the 30th anniversary of the station broadcasting on 87.9 FM for a shorter period
of 10 days in November 2007. Both were ambitious but extremely worthwhile project
enhanced the reputation of the radio station amongst the local community.
Nearly thirteen
years ago we reached the point where the one table and one chair were replaced by
CD players, tape machine, mini disc players and a computerized music library, broadcasting
on our own frequency -
Ten years ago we purchased state of the art disco equipment
and now put a lot of professional DJs’ to shame with all the kit needed. This includes
lighting and smoke machines. We can be hired at very reasonable rates.
Check it out!
At
the end of 2003 Patientline was introduced to the Princess Royal and Hurstwood Park.
This will mean that every patient now have the radio system in glorious stereo and
also be able to ring the studio direct for requests.
So, from those humble beginnings
we are now able to broadcast 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year on 1350AM to both
patients and staff across the whole Brighton and Sussex University Hospital NHS Trust
at Haywards Heath.
It has taken over 30 years of hard work and imaginative ideas by
successive committees and members to provide entertainment, information and pleasure
to MDR's listeners. Who knows what the next 30 years have in store.
Members of our
charity would like to thank our sponsors, friends, the hospital staff and you, the
listeners, for supporting our station. You are now part of our history and for that
-
Mike Skinner
Revised
September 2008
Steve Wallis
Princess Royal
Hospital Radio
