Radio Tees - Day One phone-in

Many stations have tried one of those ‘call us with your questions’ programmes. Long before social media, here was radio navel-gazing and inviting listeners to come on and listen to the wisdom of station management. Regardless of the station and format, the topics raised appear often to be the same. I have a theory, it’s the same callers ringing each station.

Witness here some clipped extracts from a Radio Tees programme from its first day on-air, where the management explain the TFM chosen approach; and the journey to getting on-air.

The show, called ‘Airline', featured station MD, John Bradford, and Programme Organiser, Bob Hopton, both familiar early ILR names, and not just from this station.

This lovely phone in hits a polite, confident yet measured pace. Some callers complain about the music not being as good as the test transmissions (test transmission music blamed on IBA); others ask where on earth the money comes from. There’s an observation that the station will do well because ‘bright, happy people’ are on air; and a few references to 'lady callers' as if they are from another planet. Hear too a lovely description of the company name from John, including all its brackets, and a delightful pronunciation of the word ‘steer – ee- yoh’, which some adopted back then in stereophony’s early days.

This audio suggests Tees may have not quite managed to tune its Telephone Balancing Unit to optimum settings by Day One...

Thanks to John Foster for sending this through.