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History
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Coventry’s hospital radio began in late 1971 when an American patient, keen to listen to Coventry City football games, found it wasn’t possible from the hospital. After leaving, he set up a trust fund to pay for landlines linking the hospital to Highfield Road, the Sky Blues’ former ground before their 2005 move to the Ricoh Arena.
People soon realized the match broadcast network could be used more widely as a hospital radio service, and by 1972, Coventry’s hospital radio was up and running.
In its early days, it went by the name Walsgrave Radio.
In 1980, the radio joined the hospital’s Voluntary Organisation and was renamed the Coventry Hospitals Broadcasting Service. Membership grew quickly, and a variety of programs began reaching patients in hospitals across Coventry.
Throughout the 1980s, as local radio stations appeared, a steady stream of volunteers arrived, eager to learn broadcasting skills in hopes of landing jobs at these new stations.
Some of our former volunteers include Jeff Harris, who went on to work at Mercia Sound before becoming a Programmer/Presenter at Radio FAB FM. Sadly, Jeff passed away in 2018.
Jim Lee left our team for Mercia Sound, later joined BBC CWR, and now works as a freelance journalist, occasionally serving as a continuity announcer on BBC4 and BBC7.
Sara Blizzard began her career at Mercia Sound as a salesperson before transitioning to presenting her own show, thanks to an opportunity from station controller Stuart Linnell. She is now frequently seen as a weather presenter on BBC Midlands Today.
Jenny Costello, after training with us, advanced to presenting a show on Radio 1 and subsequently became a presenter at the internet radio station Solid Gold Gem.
Kevin Reide progressed in his career to become a newsreader and reporter for BBC Midlands Today.
Barnie Choudhury volunteered with us in the early ’80s, after which he joined the BBC as a trainee and later became a Social Affairs Correspondent.
In 2003, we introduced a 24-hour broadcasting system and new software packages, allowing us to broadcast directly from a computer to the patients. This system also expedited the process of locating patient requests, as most of our CD music was stored in the database.
In July 2006, with the opening of a new hospital, we upgraded from a broom cupboard in the basement to a state-of-the-art radio studio, serving approximately 1200 bedside units.
In 2014, Coventry Hospital Radio, now known by this name, began its online broadcast through its dedicated website, ‘coventryhospitalradio.org’, and within the University Hospital Coventry.
At present, CHR boasts 30 volunteers, 24 of whom present live shows featuring a wide variety of music, predominantly received through listener requests.
