Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service

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The Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service (BHBS) is a hospital radio station based in the Bristol Royal Infirmary. It broadcasts to several other major hosptials in the Bristol area, including Frenchay Hospital, Southmead Hospital and the Bristol General Hospital.

BHBS is a registered charity run solely by volunteers and funded by donations. There is a main committee (Trustees) who run the operation, they are elected by the members of the service. The honorary president is local based broadcaster Chris Serle. The longest serving member is Geoff Rose who first joined the service in 1953, he remains a senior member of the broadcast team.

It was recongnised as the UK's top hospital station in 1993, 1995 and 1996 by the BT Hospital Radio Awards.

[edit] History

BHBS (originally the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Society) under the chairmanship of Lauri Lucena transmitted their first broadcast on 23rd August, 1952.

It launched with the broadcast of a football league match between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town FC from the since demolished Eastville Stadium.

By the end of the fifties BHBS were broadcasting commentaries from all of the City's major sports grounds covering football, rugby and cricket. Other commentaries on such sports as ice hockey, wrestling and boxing were recorded and transmitted later.

In 1967 BHBS moved into its very own purpose built studios situated in an office block on Victoria Street. Previously, programmes had been recorded in members' homes or in a back office at Redifusion. Despite restricted access hours, the new studio allowed BHBS to expand and brought the members' of the service together for the first time.

In 1972 after just 5 years in the Victoria Street studios, the station was forced to move. On 12th January, 1974 their new studios in the Cottage Block complex were opened by the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Alderman W. W. Jenkins. 1975 saw the retirement of Lauri Lucena as chairman due to ill health, his successor was the aforementioned Wally Jenkins who had promised to help BHBS.

The seventies and eighties saw BHBS thrive, however a plan to redevelope the area of Bristol where the station was based meant they were on the move again. Specially designed studios situated on level 5 of the old BRI building were officially opened on 23rd october, 1994 by actor, writer and comedian Roy Hudd. He remains an honorary member of BHBS.

During the Easter weekend of 2002 the station celebrated 50 years of operation by completing 99 hours of continuous broadcasting, playing every UK number one record since the chart began. The event was covered by BBC Radio Bristol who sent their reporter to BHBS's studios.

Iain Elliott has chaired the service since 1985, he was appointed chief engineer in 1970 .

[edit] Outside broadcasts

The station carries live commentaries from the two local football teams, Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Rovers Football Club from Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium (Bristol) respectfully. Home matches for Bristol Rugby also from the Memorial Stadium are covered too.

Concerts from Bristol's famous Colston Hall are relayed to the patients with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra being a popular choice.

Over the years the station has held numerous "one-off" outside broadcasts (OBs) from such venues as the local docks and from Bristol Zoo.