Radio Brockley Turns 51

Radio Brockley – London’s longest-running hospital radio station, celebrates its 51st Birthday today (2nd October).

The station was started back on 2nd October 1966 by six volunteers – Barry Cobden, Mike Solomons, Mike Alinek, Ian Downs, Dave Wilkins and Malcolm Mallett. It was officially opened by Harrow East MP, Roy Roebuck.

The first ‘studio’ was just off the “slope”, near “Intensive Care”. The disused air-raid shelter’s leaky roof affected the sound-quality, as the crystal cartridges dissolved in the damp.  A second shelter half way along the slope became RB’s next home for a few years.

The first programme was a request show. Most of RB’s broadcasts took place on Sunday evenings and, although Bedside Bingo became popular, the request shows proved to be the station’s main strength, as they are today.  When RB was not on air, the BBC ‘Light Programme’ (later ‘Radio 2’) was re-broadcast via the hospital’s internal hard-wire system as the sustaining service for patients.

You can listen back to our special five-part documentary on The Story Of Radio Brockley by clicking on the links below:

THE STORY OF RADIO BROCKLEY – PART ONE: HOW RADIO BROCKLEY STARTED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD4QQ36_BCs

THE STORY OF RADIO BROCKLEY – PART TWO: THE EARLY YEARS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5EUamsDDY

THE STORY OF RADIO BROCKLEY – PART THREE: THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCPx6Ugp_4I

THE STORY OF RADIO BROCKLEY – PART FOUR: THE NINETIES AND NOUGHTIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ3eHe5mIh8

THE STORY OF RADIO BROCKLEY – PART FIVE: NOW AND BEYOND
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ECLOfVJRVE