History
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Hospital radio in Coventry originated in late 1971 when an American patient, eager to listen to Coventry City football matches, discovered it was not possible from the hospital. Upon his discharge, he established a trust fund to finance landlines connecting the hospital to Highfield Road, the former home of the Sky Blues, before their 2005 move to the Ricoh Arena.
It was quickly recognized that the network for broadcasting the matches could serve a broader purpose as a hospital radio circuit. Thus, in 1972, Coventry’s hospital radio was born.
In its early years, the station was known as Walsgrave Radio.
In 1980, the radio became part of the hospital’s Voluntary Organisation, and the station was renamed Coventry Hospitals Broadcasting Service.
The membership quickly grew, and a variety of programs began reaching patients across numerous hospitals in Coventry.
Throughout the 1980s, as local radio stations emerged, there was a consistent influx of volunteers keen to acquire broadcasting skills in hopes of securing positions within these new stations.
Some of our previous volunteers include:
Jeff Harris, who progressed to Mercia Sound and later became a Programmer/Presenter at Radio FAB FM. Regrettably, Jeff passed away in 2018.
Jim Lee, who departed from our team to join Mercia Sound, then moved to BBC CWR, and is currently 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.
