Victoria Radio Network

Victoria Radio Network
Broadcast area Victoria Hospital
Slogan Hospital Radio in Kirkcaldy
Frequency 1287KHz
First air date 3 March 1971
Format Music and Talk
Callsign meaning VRN1287
Website www.vrnkirkcaldy.com

The Victoria Radio Network (VRN) is a hospital radio station based in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.[1] It currently broadcasts 24 hours a day to the premises of the Victoria Hospital and surrounding facilities on 1287AM/MW, and to patients' bedside radios.

History

VRN was formed in February 1971 by a group of young people in Kirkcaldy. Its first broadcast took place on 3 March, and the studio was originally housed in a cupboard of the main tower block of the hospital.

The station moved to premises on nearby St Clair Street, approximately 1 mile from the hospital. However, when this area was later redeveloped, the station moved back to the hospital site. This time, a custom-built studio was created out of Portakabins. The final move was to an old boiler house on Willow Drive.

In 2002, VRN was awarded a medium wave broadcasting licence. The first AM (medium wave) broadcast took place on 2 February 2002, and the station continues to broadcast on AM to the present day.

Status

The station is a registered charity (SC000302) and is run by a management committee. VRN holds a Restricted Service Licence to broadcast on AM (medium wave) and its output is regulated by OFCOM.

Membership

VRN is run entirely by volunteers, with no full-time members of staff. There are currently around 50 members of the team. The majority of members are presenters, but there are also ward visitors, fundraisers and committee positions.

Broadcasting Output

As a hospital station, output is directed towards patients, staff and visitors. Main programming features include:

When presenters are not in the studio, a series of pre-recorded programmes are played along with music.

Former Members

An important function of hospital radio is that it has allows a first step for those looking to work in broadcasting.

Notable former members of VRN include:

Awards

VRN has received awards, many of which have come from the Hospital Broadcasting Association (HBA).[2] Recent awards include:

2006

2007

2008

2010

Website

As a hospital station, VRN does not stream its output online. However, a selection of archived material can be listened to via the VRNplayer.

References

VRN are currently (05/2012) doing tests for internet steaming, with the view of providing this service for their listeners

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.