BIRMINGHAM hospital radio station BHBN is also celebrating its 70th Platinum anniversary this year and wants to show the legacy it has given over the last seven decades.
Bosses want members of the station past and present to get in touch with their memories, along with patients and staff to speak about the influence BHBN has had on them.
The station was first started in Moseley in 1952 to keep patients of Yardley Green Sanatorium (now part of Heartlands Hospital) live football and cricket commentaries – something still broadcast on BHBN today.
Over the years, hundreds of presenters, producers, technical operators and fund-raising volunteers have been part of BHBN and thousands more will have benefited from its broadcasting output.
For years it was based at City Hospital on Dudley Road and now broadcasts from the old building on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital site.
BHBN President Robert Bartlett said, “BHBN is built on community and providing comfort and a friend for everyone from patients, to the everyday person sitting at home and looking for something more personal and familiar than commercial radio.
“So, we’re inviting the community to get involved and share their stories, because what we do is all about them, and it’s a community celebration as much as a celebration for BHBN Radio.”
People’s input will help BHBN create an oral history of the six hospitals BHBN Radio reaches.
All contributors need to do is record a voice note on WhatsApp and send it to 07981 026836 (add this number to your contacts before sending it via WhatsApp).
Or alternatively, you can write your memories in an email to [email protected] and presenters at BHBN Radio will voice it for them.
Submissions – no longer than five minutes in length for audio – need to be in by September 30.
On-air celebrations are starting now, building up into a month’s worth of commemorations in November which will include a 36-hour live broadcast.
It will feature programmes from famous former broadcasters and community events, including a live event at Herbert’s Yard in Longbridge town centre.
To stay informed with the latest plans, check out the BHBN Facebook page and BHBN Twitter page.
BHBN Radio is Birmingham’s hospital radio station, providing 24/7 music, sport and entertainment to the six hospitals it serves, right at patients’ fingertips.
It can also be heard anywhere, through its very own BHBN Radio App (download for free from App Stores) or listen on the BHBN webpage, www.bhbn.net.
