Good luck to Tynedale Community Radio and Spice FM

I had a wonderful morning yesterday visiting the steering group of a new community group based in Hexham. The very enthusiastic team, lead by Hilary Carter, has formed Tynedale Community Radio and has plans to complete an RSL prior to applying for a full time license. A photo taken at the meeting can be found on our photo gallery. The direct link is at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/RadioTeesdale/RadioTeesdale2008/photo#5227597975177913762

We have also been in touch with another community station and wish Spice FM all the very best of luck with there launch – at the unforgettable time of 8.08pm on the 8th day of the 8th Month of the 8th year. As they say, “The Spice is Back.” They are providing the service for the Asian community in Newcastle.

Training is a big part of any community radio station and at Radio Teesdale is this no exception. We are planning a 5 week training course on sound recording and broadcast skills (using the studio desk and editing). We are pleased to be running this course during the day for those people who have difficulty regularly attending evening classes. We will be starting on Wednesday 10th September from 9.30am to 12 noon. If we have sufficient numbers registering an interest we will also run a course on an evening. Let us know if you would like to attend.

I have also had a meeting with staff at the Bowes Museum to discus an exciting new initiative organized by the museums in the north east. The plan is to create a digital story based around or inspired by a museum exhibit. The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle will be involved in the creation of eight stories over the next two years. A 4 day training course in September is available for anyone interested in leading a group to create at least one of these stories. If you are interested in this or in just getting involved then I’d be delighted to hear from you.

The Summer Season on Radio Teesdale

The new Summer Season on Radio Teesdale commenced on the 14th July and runs through until the 19th October. Highlights of the new season include even more live show. We are also providing the opportunity to listen again at scheduled times for several of your favourite shows including Folkal Pont, Moondance and Bandstand.

There is also the welcome return of the “Potting Shed” with Malcolm Hockham (at the new time of 7pm to 9pm on a Saturday evening). Malcolm promises lots of interesting discussion on gardening and rural issues with a good bit of humour thrown in.

Our What’s On coverage has continually extended over the year so we are delighted to announce an additional What’s On Hour, from 4pm to 5pm on a Monday. There’s also a new programme on a Thursday afternoon, Catfish Karaoke, on Thursday afternoon form 3pm to 5pm with Malcolm Briggs and Richie. The show includes a new radio mini series – Bridgegate!

Several young people have joined Radio Teesdale over the next year and at least four groups of 12 to 16 year olds have been working on different programme ideas. These youth led programmes can be heard each week on the new regular spots of 4pm Saturday with a repeat on 9pm on Sunday.

There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved in Radio Teesdale with space on the schedule allocated to special one off programmes. If you feel you have not got the technical knowledge to make this happen then don’t worry. There are people at Radio Teesdale who can support you with all aspects of broadcasting. We will also be running a studio operation and sound editing course starting during w/c 9th September. If you are interested then let us know as spaces are filling up fast.

The next members meeting will be at Enterprise House at 6.00pm on Tuesday the 22nd July.

Radio Teesdale Team take to the stage

The home page this week features seven of our members who are also members of the Castle Players. They can be seen this next week in their production of “Measure for Measure.” Both the Castle Players and Radio Teesdale are constantly looking for new members to join the team to carry out the many roles we have to offer so it’s not surprising that a few folks find interest in both our areas of activity. From a Radio Teesdale point of view we are broadcasting 24x7 every day of the year so there is always space for new ideas whether it be in front of the microphone or behind the scenes. Of course, as we do with any community groups who wish to communicate with the listeners in Teesdale, we have worked closely with the Castle Players on a number of features. All the items relevant to this year’s summer production have been brought together as part of an hour long special. This was first broadcast yesterday afternoon. You can listen to it again on the opening night of the show, at 9pm on Wednesday 9th July.

I was personally involved in a few interviews last week….much more than I usually have time to fit in. One of the organisers dropped off a leaflet for the Dalton Scouts Fundraiser so we popped into the studio for a quick “shout out.” It was a delight to talk to Ann Pilling, a poet, and Toby Hadoke star of “Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf.” Both are appearing at the Theatre Royal in Richmond. Barnard Castle’s very own Gordon Duffy-McGhie came in to talk to us about his new one man show, “Red Peter,” that he is performing at the Witham Hall, Newcastle Theatre Royal and the Edinburgh Festival. On Friday I spoke to Craig Chalmer who is playing Joseph in Joseph and is Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat on a national tour of the UK. And that’s not counting the quick chat I had with David Dickinson before the local TV presenter David Harper interviewed him about filming “Real Deal” in Barnard Castle. What a week!

The Radio Teesdale Summer Season starts on the 14th July. Over the next week we will be putting the final touches to the schedule. It’s still not too late to be included if there is a programme you would like to create or get involved in. The door is always open!