Ramair
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| Ramair | |
| First air date | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1350 kHz (Bradford, West Yorkshire) area = Local (AM) |
| Format | Pop and Rock |
| Owner | University of Bradford |
- For the air-intake system which increases engine power, see Ram-air intake
Ramair is a radio station run by students at the University of Bradford, in Bradford, England. It broadcasts locally on 1350AM and also online through its web site. The name comes from the old students union log of a Ram's head.
It was founded in 1980 and operates from two studios in the university's student union building. The station is run entirely by student volunteers, who as well as presenting shows also handle the technical aspects.
Most shows are presented in the evening or at weekends, when students are free, so during the daytime music is played from a computer. Previously the station syndicated the Student Broadcast Network (SBN) when no shows were being broadcast - this was changed in 2004 when SBN went bust. Ramair shows include a weekly report on the results of the university sports teams and annually broadcasts the 'Questions to Candidates' for the student union elections of sabbatical officers and NUS conference delegates. Out of university term time the station broadcasts non stop music, also used to fill in other free air time from the station's computer playout system - a bank of computers running software written by one of the station's engineers. The station was re-launched just before 2006 'Welcome Week' (new intake of student) with various new shows & returns of others from the previous year.
Its most famous former DJ is Lucio Buffone, who has since won a Sony Award and now presents a show on the XFM station.
It was the first student radio station to broadcast legally on FM.[citation needed] When analogue cable television was commonplace, the station was broadcast on 98FM across the region to listeners with a cable feed (No subscription required). RamAir occasionally broadcasts across the city of Bradford on an FM RSL (Restricted Service Licence), usually on 102FM from a transmitter located on top of the university's JB Priestley library. The station often hires out its FM broadcast kit to other student stations for their own RSLs. Up until the mid 1990s, RamAir broadcast to students via a series of induction loops ran throughout the student halls, however this never proved reliable. In conjunction with SBN, RamAir had a LPAM (Low Power AM) Radica transmitter installed in the car park of Shearbridge Halls, which now broadcasts on 1350AM at a max power of 1 watt. Affectionatly known as "Doris", she is due to be moved / replace in the next two years as the university has plans to knock down Shearbridge Halls to create a new environmentally friendly student village.
On April 26, 2006, Phill Jupitus broadcast his BBC 6 Music breakfast show from the station, and interviewed Billy Bragg who had played a concert at the university the previous evening.
