Two community groups come together over “Verona”

I had the great pleasure today to be involved in two community groups coming together, with the help of one of Teesdale’s most popular institutions, to great effect. Radio Teesdale set up a temporary recording studio in a room inside the Bowes Museum to record extracts from the Castle Players’ forthcoming production of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Several photographs of the event are on our photo gallery starting at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/RadioTeesdale/ClickHereToViewRadioTeesdaleSPhotoGallery/photo#5079667188911425810

The Players cast and back stage crew juggled with their rehearsal schedule to make sure cast members were able to fit into a busy recording timetable. Fourteen sections of the Shakespeare play were recorded by Eddy Slack in the studio set up in one of the ground floor education rooms. Richie, Richard Rainbow and I provided support and carried out several background interviews. All the recordings will be edited into programme to be broadcast in the next few weeks.

The key focus over the next few weeks to prepare for live broadcasting. We will be starting with weekday breakfast and drive time shows. This will be steadily expanded to full time live broadcasting and the station launch when we also have start broadcasting from our main transmitter in the upper dale.

Exciting times ahead!!

It’s an Open Forum at Radio Teesdale

The Radio Teesdale Forum is open for all to view and enter news, views, comments and suggestions. To add messages you will need to register, but we have made that a very simple process. All you need to do is click onto the “Register” button and provide a few simple details on the register screen. You’ll need to provide an email address to which you be sent a link. You should then, within a few minutes, receive an email to which you need to open and click the necessary link confirming acceptance that this is your valid email. You are then in business and can enter messages. We have already started topics on………..

• Program Ideas - Do you have an idea for a program or feature for Radio Teesdale?
• Listeners Comments - Heard something on Radio Teesdale that you would like to write about?
• Community Thoughts - Are you a member of the Teesdale community interested in talking to the people of Teesdale? Post your thoughts
• Local Performers - Local performers of all kinds (musicians, bands, choirs, poets and other performers). Post information about yourself and Radio Teesdale
• Volunteer Thoughts - If you are a member of Radio Teesdale, have you got something to say to the rest of the team?
• Suggestions - Radio Teesdale is always trying to continually improve and are open to suggestions. If you have a good idea then post away!

Bruno is a big hit!

This afternoon I paid a visit with my two children to the Castle Players’ rehearsals for their production of “Two Gentlemen from Verona.” The show will be performed to a sell out crowd in the grounds of the Bowes Museum between the 4th and 7th July in a few weeks time. I went down to talk to director Simon Pell about recording an extract of the show for broadcast on Radio Teesdale – what this space for more details of that!

Anyone who has been around Teesdale in the last month can not have failed to notice the posters of “Two Gentlemen from Verona” in shops and noticeboards. The main feature of the poster is a dog called Bruno – who will be making a feature appearance in the production! While we were there Bruno turned up. He was a massive hit with my two girls. Out came the minidisk recorder and I managed to record an interview with Bruno’s owner. You’ll be able to hear it in the next day or two…..Bruno even got in on the act. That dog can bark! I've placed a few photos of the rehearsals and Bruno in the photo gallery.

It’s always great to welcome members of other radio stations to our studios. On Friday we had the great pleasure of having a visit from Capital Radio’s Tom Rudolph. Rantin’ Richie brought the London DJ in to record an interview for future broadcast. Good to see you Tom.

Another busy day in the studio

It’s been another busy day in the studio. Richard has been joined by Eddy who is going to join our technical team and will hopefully support presenters and programme makers. Welcome on board Eddy. Richie and Mick Brennan have also been busy making recordings.

I’m currently processing our application for music licenses which should enable us to play licensed music from the 1st July. We are planning on starting live programming in the near future. This will start with an hour at breakfast time and an hour each evening. If you are interested in taking one of these slots then let me know. This should provide a brilliant opportunity to develop programming techniques during the run up to full time live broadcasting.

Planning permission has been granted for the transmitter in the upper dale. When equipment is installed, tested and available for transmission, this will be a big step forward in the life of Radio Teesdale.

Radio Teesdale goes Green

The Green Festival in conjunction with BBC’s Springwatch campaign at Leazes park in Newcastle last Sunday turned out to be a great day out. I was able to spend some time with the team from NE1 FM one of the other three Community Stations in the North East with a broadcast license. They had launched the station just a few days earlier and were doing a fabulous job presenting an outside broadcast featuring the whole event. I also help out on the BTCV stand where we were making paper pots from old newspapers. It was a great chance to meet Alan Fransman of the Community Media Association. There are various photographs on the photo gallery page. Alan interviewed me about the “Spring into Action” Campaign, volunteering and how things are going at Radio Teesdale. The interview is available for anyone to download and listen to and for other community radio stations to broadcast. You can find it at:
http://www.commedia.org.uk/about-cma/cmas-projects/spring-into-action/broadcast-partners/north-east/

Radio Teesdale broadcasts as part of the “Spring into Action” campaign have included a very professional set of interviews with the Teesdale community group, the Rotters, carried out by 11 year olds Katy Robinson and Caitlin Brennan. All their work is being edited into a full conservation special. At the moment we are broadcasting the first of their interviews. It’s fantastic to see two young people so actively involved in radio and clearly enjoying themselves in the process. Their work should also appear on the CMA web site over the next few weeks. Very well done girls.

There’s lots going on in the office this week. On Thursday at 6.30pm we are moving in the rest of the furniture kindly donated by Radio Cleveland. If you’d like to give a helping hand then let us know. Various people have booked into the studio as members begin to prepare programmes in readiness for live broadcasting. We’ll be having discussions with everyone who has submitted a programme proposal over the next few weeks. If you want to talk about your particularly ideas don’t hesitate to fix up a meeting so that we can get down to sorting out the details. We’re also planning on launching a forum as part of the web site – watch this space!

Social Inclusion, Media Literacy & The Environment

The focus this week in our programming has very much been on Social Inclusion, Media Literacy and the Environment. All very important issues for the people of Teesdale. Mick Brennan has produced a superb programme as part of our work with the Community Media Association (CMA) Comliteracy programme. It features an interview with ex Deerbolt worker, Les Blair, talking about how media can support young offenders. The piece includes poetry from a former inmate of Deerbolt recorded as part of one of our Restricted Service License (RSL) broadcasts. The programme has been skilfully edited by Richard Rainbow. Well done to everyone involved.

Our ‘Spring into Action’ work continues later today. Radio Teesdale and The Community Media Association have forces with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) at the Springwatch Festivals in Newcastle on the 10th June. The partnership draws attention to the BTCV’s annual ‘Spring into Action’ campaign, a UK wide effort to encourage more people to get involved in volunteering for the environment. This year's BBC Springwatch Festival in Newcastle is at Leazes Park. The CMA’s press release is at http://www.commedia.org.uk/news-amp-press/news-items/do-one-thing-at-the-bbc-springwatch-festivals-this-weekend/

Radio Teesdale has always had a focus on the environment but our involvement in the Spring into Action campaign has taken this to a new level. We look forward to sharing our enthusiasm with people from all over the North East at the Springwatch festival in Newcastle later today. We are currently broadcasting interviews from the “Teesdale and Cleveland Conservation Fair” held at the BBC’s Broadcasting House in Middlesborough earlier this week as well as a profile of the “Rotters” in Barnard Castle.

Radio Teesdale & Radio Cleveland Conservation Volunteering Fair

It’s been another very interesting 24 hours in the life of this Radio Station Manager.

This morning I had the pleasure of attending the “Radio Teesdale & Radio Cleveland Conservation Volunteering Fair” held at the new Open Centre at the BBC’s Broadcasting House in Middleborough. We organised the event as part of the “Spring into Action” campaign in conjunction with the Community Media Association (CMA). The exhibition featured groups such as Trees for Cotherstone, The Durham Wildlife Trust’s Great Crested Newt Project, Groundworks, Scrap Bank and Renew North East (where Radio Teesdale’s Ian Kirkbride is a Director). These interviews and various other conservation oriented features are being edited into three programmes that will be broadcast as part of our Limited Service Broadcast. Photographs from the event are posted on a photo gallery (scroll to the bottom).

Last night I was delighted to be invited as the after dinner speaker at the Barnard Castle Rotary Clubs’ meeting. At the end of the evening I was booked as a guest speaker for another “community group gig” by one of the members so I guess I did OK!! Everyone was extremely friendly (and interested in the future of Radio Teesdale) so it was a most enjoyable evening. I had my photo taken alongside their President Elect (Margaret Brown) and David Yeadon so hopefully these should appear in the local press in the next few weeks.

Radio Teesdale Springs into Action

As part of the “Spring into Action” campaign we have organised, in conjunction with the Media Trust, the CMA and Radio Cleveland a “Teesdale & Cleveland Conservation Volunteering Fair.” Various voluntary conservation groups will be exhibiting in the Open Centre at Radio Cleveland’s Broadcasting House in Middleborough tomorrow (Wed 6/6/7) from 10am to 2pm including Trees for Cotherstone, The Durham Wildlife Trust and Renew North East (where member Ian Kirkbride is a Director). Both Radio Cleveland and Radio Teesdale will be carrying out interviews throughout the mornings so please come along and help out if you can make it.

Activity levels continue to rise as we move closer towards live broadcasting. Transmitter equipment for the upper dale site is on order. The equipment for the new studio has also been purchased and should be with us very soon. It will not be long before we have 2 studios!

Rob Jones has produced, along with several members who provided the voices, three top quality Public Service Announcements as part of the CMA’s Media Literacy Project. Great work Rob. Mick Brennan has being doing some interviewing which is currently being edited to create the programme element of the project.

Charlotte Stow and I have been talking to a number of people in Teesdale organizations about thinking how their “day job” can involve working as part of Radio Teesdale. This applies to a wide range of individuals involved in such activities as communicating with businesses, volunteers, tourists and members of the public. If you know of anyone that this applies to then talk to them about Radio Teesdale and let us know.

We continue to welcome volunteers in a whole variety of capacities. An advert will shortly be placed in the local media. If you, or someone you know, are interested in getting involved in the management of Radio Teesdale then please let me know.

I was delighted to be amongst a party of Teesdale residents who was introduced to the Countess of Wessex when she visited the Bowes Museum on the 30th May. Lunch with Royalty! The protocol of the day was such that Sofie Wessex, the Queen's daughter-in-law, was not able to be interviewed by the media, but she was able to tell me what a lovely place she thought Teesdale was and that she thought, as her car drove into the entrance, that the Bowes Museum had a real wow factor.