Hospital Radio Milton Keynes

Within my book THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR OUR NHS - MY story and YOUR story to be published on 5th July is this chapter:

In the early 1990’s when writing articles for the local press I spent time at Hospital Radio Milton Keynes. The article published later appeared in my book Not The Concrete Cows. Here is that article:

Channel 5 Milton Keynes Hospital Radio:

There's a degree of one upmanship in this business, explained hospital radio chairman Peter Royal. I know one outfit that works out of a converted kitchen and another that broadcasts from an old linen store, but we can beat the all, our studio is situated in what used to be the gents loo !

Staffed entirely by volunteers and surviving on an annual budget of less than one thousand pounds Channel 5 Milton Keynes Hospital Radio is looking forward to celebrating its tenth birthday later in the year.

A stay in hospital isn't very much fun for anyone but staff at Milton Keynes General go out of their way to make it as comfortable as possible. An army of volunteers, including the League of Friends, is co-ordinated by a full time member of staff with the second battalion working through the radio station.

Channel 5 broadcasts every evening of the week with a full schedule of programmes at the weekend. Amateur DJs and presenters rushing from work clutching scripts and records but listening to their professionalism on air it is difficult to realise they may have spent the last eight hours wrestling with a busy office or factory floor.

I spent a Friday evening eavesdropping on Peters show, Royals after Nine, listening to a combination of lively chatter, news,  music and competitions. Peter and his wife Jenny, who has a spot on Tuesday evenings, have been working in hospital radio for twenty-six years and were founder members of the Milton Keynes station.

They have seen the station grow from programmes on just three evenings a week to its present high profile. But it isn't just playing records that keeps the station alive, volunteers visit the wards informing the patients of the day’s  programmes and inviting requests. Upon arrival in hospital everyone receives a highly professional programme guide. The next project the management committee is planning is for an outside broadcast unit which will not only be able to cover local events but also take the microphone to the bedsides so involving the patients themselves in the programmes.

Peter Royal explained with the average stay in hospital being less than a week it is important the station is constantly put before patients if broadcasters are not to sit each evening talking to themselves. With the constant flow of requests coming everyday into the Channel 5 office there is little danger of that happening.

The station has composed its own top ten favourites from listeners request: Nessun Dorma by Pavarotti,  I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder, Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh,  Everything I Do by Bryan Adams, Memory by Elaine Paige, Music Of The Night by Michael Crawford, Power Of Love by Jennifer Rush, One Day At A Time by Lena Martell,  Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and The Old Rugged Cross.

While none of his songs appear in the stations top ten, by far the most requested artist is Cliff Richard .

Peter describes his mixture of easy listening and Radio One and a half, somewhere between the BBC’s two major music networks.

But Channel 5 is facing something of a problem in broadcasting recently published music. With the changes from vinyl to compact disc the station is having difficulties incorporating the modern and more expensive format into its budget. Although approaches have been made to local record shops none has yet been willing to offer a discount on purchase of CD singles.

With a decade of happy and successful broadcasting behind it Milton Keynes Hospital Radio looks forward to an even brighter future. While his broadcasters hope you will never have to be in hospital and, therefore, listen to them they promise should you find yourself in the wards, there will be happy programmes designed to make your stay a little more present.

In order to update this article I contacted the hospital radio a number of times. No contact received a reply. SAD.

Here are some YouTube links to those former TOP TEN.

Nessun Dorma by Pavarotti  Luciano Pavarotti – Nessun dorma [Best Quality on YouTube]

 

I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder – Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You (Music Video)

 

Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh – Chris De Burgh – Lady In Red (Official Video)

 

Everything I Do by Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Official Music Video)

 

Memory by Elaine Paige – Memory’ Elaine Paige | Cats The Musical

Music Of The Night by Michael Crawford – Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Crawford – The Music Of The Night

Power Of Love by Jennifer Rush – Jennifer Rush – The Power Of Love (Official Video) (VOD)

 

One Day At A Time by Lena Martell – One Day at a Time

 

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen – Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)

 

The Old Rugged Cross – Hymn – Old Rugged Cross

 

What a fantastic choice of music ! Patients listening all those years ago to Milton Keynes Hospital Radio had the very, very best taste in music !

Check out my own radio podcasts at www.geriatricdj.com