| City of license | Liverpool |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Broadgreen Hospital |
| Frequency | Closed Circuit System |
| First air date | 19 October 1983 |
| Format | Hospital Radio |
| Owner | - |
| Website | www.radiobroadgreen.co.uk |
Radio Broadgreen is the only hospital radio station currently broadcasting in Liverpool, England. It is based within Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool, England.
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Radio Broadgreen actually began at Radio Newsham in the early 1980s.
At that time, Radio Newsham was one of many hospital radio stations broadcasting in Liverpool.
Liverpool had Radio Royal (based within the Royal Liverpool University Hospital) and Sunshine Radio (based within Fazakerley Hospital).
Radio Newsham broadcast from within Newsham General Hospital which was located on Belmont Road in the city. Broadcasts started in March 1975 with the first song played being Make Me Smile by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. The patients seemed to really take to it so an idea was made to try to create a new hospital radio station at one of the other hospitals within the city. Radio Newsham was approached by the management of Broadgreen Hospital to set up and operate a service for the patients at the Broadgreen site.
The new hospital radio station at Broadgreen Hospital was given the go-ahead and broadcasts began in October 1983.
The official Radio Broadgreen opening took place on 19 October 1983 with the Lord Lieutenant A.E. Stoddart.
When the opportunity arose to broadcast from both sites, Radio Newsham was renamed to Liverpool Hospital Broadcasting Service to reflect the fact that Liverpool Hospital Broadcasting Service had 2 stations broadcasting under its wing.
Initially, programmes were produced at both stations with some presenters doing one show a week at each hospital.
Both of these hospital radio stations broadcast in harmony until 1988 when a dwindling patient population and the need to cut costs left the Liverpool Area Health Authority with no option but to close down Newsham General Hospital and with it Radio Newsham.
That left Radio Broadgreen as the new base of the Liverpool Hospital Broadcasting Service.
In 1997, after 13 years of broadcasting within the hospital building itself, the old caretakers lodge house within Broadgreen Hospital was given to Radio Broadgreen for the station to use as its permanent base. Although it took some time to set up, the first show was broadcast from their brand new studio in November 1997.
After some major fund raising, Radio Broadgreen was able to install another studio (Studio 2) and it was officially opened and used for the first time in October 2006.
To this day, Radio Broadgreen is still broadcasting live from the old caretakers lodge house.
Radio Broadgreen has a range of volunteer DJ's that specialise in many different areas of music.
Each week, Radio Broadgreen broadcasts shows dedicated to every type of music. These include specialist country music shows; 50's, 60's and 70's shows; folk music, rock music, pop music shows and every day they broadcast any requests received.
Their dedicated sports team also broadcast full 90 minute commentary of every Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. home game, whether it be a Premier League game, Domestic Cup game or European games.
With Radio Broadgreen being a registered charity, they rely on donations to keep themselves afloat.
The station has also held winter roadshows around the city. They have been at New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, Liverpool and at Belle Vale Shopping Centre in Belle Vale, Liverpool. All of the volunteers attended, trying to raise as much money for the station as possible by selling raffle tickets and asking for a small donation to the Radio Broadgreen fund.
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Whenever there is a football match played by Everton FC or Liverpool FC at their home grounds, live commentary of these games takes preference over the normal show schedule and is provided by the Radio Broadgreen Sports Team.