TWO SUPERB PROGRAMMES TO TAKE YOU BACK TO 1979!

It's 1979 and politically Britain ends the decade as it started with economic, political and industrial turmoil and a change of government. Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives are elected to power, while in Iran, their is an Islamic Revolution and the Shah is exiled. In the north east of England, listeners were kept fully informed by Metro's newsoom.

ByANDY FLEMING

WEBMASTER

As the seventies gave way to the eighties, the north east, Britain and indeed the world were changing dramatically. It was one of history's turning points.

In the United Kingdom, the Winter of Discontent marked by industrial unrest gave way to a new government in the spring led by Margaret Thatcher with new economics based on the free market and deregulation. There was a religious revolution in Iran where the Shah was deposed and uncertainties in the Middle East led to a second major global oil price shock. In southern Africa the winds of change and a bush war led to the crumbling of illegal white minority rule in one of Britain's few remaining colonies, Rhodesia. The country would become Zimbabwe in 1980, the Prime Minister Ian Smith being replaced with a new president, Robert Mugabe in democratic elections. Pressure was intensified on the Apartheid regime in South Africa and the civil war flared again in the Lebanon, with its capital, Beirut crumbling.

1977 AND ALL OF THAT, INCLUDING ELVIS, JIMMY CARTER, GILES AND MARC!

ByANDY FLEMING

WEBMASTER

What are your over-riding memories of 1977? For myself as a teenager, it was listening to the fantastic music of the era on Metro Radio. And there were other 'little' things as well that I remember... college and GCE 'A' levels! And I remember undertaking long cycle rides with my friends on a jazzy 10-speed Peugeot racing bike, complete with handlebar radio tuned to 261! I also remember Peter Powell kites... stunt kites that you could operate in formation!

But of course there was also the really big local, national and international news that was brought to the north east on Metro 261. There were two really big stories in 1977 here in the north east. And they were the visit of US President Jimmy Carter to north east England in search of his roots and the defining news that shocked the world: the death of Elvis, the King of music in every respect.

We could console ourselves by listening to Elvis Presley on Metro and sharing the sentiments of its presenters. And despite the sad news about Elvis, there was some fantastic music in the charts in 1977, and if you didn't like the charts, Metro had a daily oldies segment, The Mid-Day Music Explosion at 12 noon!

Anyway, enough of the news, let's get into the music and the radio of the time. And what a treat we've got lined up for you with the following programme downloads, all lovingly recorded and preserved by Neil Siddaway of Middlesbrough.

Firstly, we have an hour of the Giles Squire Evening Show which featured the best in chart music, rock and soul broadcast on a weekday between 7pm and 10pm in the autumn of 1977. An ideal programme to enjoy while you should have been doing your homework or revising! Giles always played some superb music which often included the best new releases, thus allowing listeners to discover new artists and music. Canadian singer Burton Cummings (formerly with Guess Who) was one such artist for me. His song I'm Scared still remains one of my favourite tracks to this day (and yes, I bought the seven inch single on the Portrait record label!).

Secondly, we have an hour of Steve King's Mid-Day Music Explosion, except that this programme was presented by the late Marc Paul while Steve was on holiday. Marc was a popular sound on Metro Radio in the late seventies and he eventually left the UK to broadcast on National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT). Although the chart music on Metro came from a weekly playlist formulated at a management and presenter's meeting, oldies were on the shole, chosen by presenters themselves. And judging by what you'll hear in Marc's programme, he had a phenomenal taste in the music of the sixties.

As always, I hope that you thoroughly enjoy these vintage recordings and once again, thanks to Neil for recording them, keeping them for four decades and sharing them!

Giles Squire Evening Show, Air date: October 3, 1977. Duration: 60 minutes.

The Mid Day Music Explosion, presented by Marc Paul. Air date: October, 1977. Duration: 31 minutes.

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ANOTHER NOSTALGIA-FEST OF PROGRAMMES WITH GILES SQUIRE, DAVE BURROWS & MARC PAUL!

ByANDY FLEMING

WEBMASTER

Well, what a refreshing smorgasbord of nostalgia we have for you in the latest tranche of programme downloads, all lovingly recorded and preserved by Neil Siddaway of Middlesbrough.

Climb aboard our radio frequency time machine on 261 and enjoy not one, but three samples of seventies radio at its very best... and all from the North East Sound!

Firstly, we have an hour of the Giles Squire Show (broadcast on a weekday between 3pm and 7pm) recorded by Neil Siddaway on August 8, 1977.

It's sobering to think that as you listen to this programme, Elvis Presley would be dead within a few days, and Kerry Packer would transform the world of cricket with his World Series.

Oh... and Freddie Laker of Laker Airlines had 'gone to the top' and obtained permission from US President Jimmy Carter to launch his Skytrain service. And President Carter himself had just visited Washington and Newcastle-upon-Tyne in order to return to his roots.

All of this news whether local, national or international covered by Metro Radio!

Giles' programme featured four hours of good music, sport and pop news, including a chance to Voice Your Choice on the latest releases. Listeners could keep up to date with road, traffic and weather reports, and a full round-up of all of the local, national and international news was broadcast between 5.30pm and 6.00pm.

Secondly we have another hour of the Dave Burrows Morning Show, complete with music, chat and information that was designed to relax you through the mid-morning.

This particular programme was recorded on Wednesday October 5, 1977. Dave's programme also included advice for those looking for a job, what's on. recipes and vegetable and meat market prices. The programme was broadcast Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 12 noon.

To put the show in a musical chronological contest for our radio nostalgia time machine, ABBA had just reached number one in the singles charts with The Name of the Game.

Finally, we have a very rare recording from Neil of the late Marc Paul, another excellent broadcaster who eventually left Metro Radio to broadcast with Iranian Radio in Tehran (joining the late John Coulson).

The excerpt below is of Marc standing in for Steve King on the Mid-Day Music Explosion while Steve was on holiday. This segment of Marc's shoe featured the best in oldies from the sixties and early seventies and was broadcast between 12 noon and 1.00pm.

So, as I've said before, if the twenty first century all seems a bit too complicated and hectic, then it's time to bookmark our Programme Downloads page, and use it as a little piece of seventies magic, if not tranquillity and peace for even more programmes!

In the meantime enjoy two whole hours of seventies Independent Local Radio (ILR) at its best courtesy of Metro Radio 261MW 97VHF, the North East Sound.

The Morning Show, presented by Dave Burrows. Air date: October 5, 1977. Duration: 48 minutes.

Giles Squire Show, Air date: August 8, 1977. Duration: 47 minutes.

The Mid Day Music Explosion, (excerpt) presented by Marc Paul. Air date: 1978. Duration: 4 minutes.

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'METRO RADIO: THE FIRST 10 YEARS', PRESENTED BY GILES SQUIRE

This fascinating documentary programme, once again very kindly supplied by Neil Siddaway of Middlesbrough details the interesting developments and defining moments that took place at Metro Radio between 1974 and 1984.

Presented by Giles Squire this wonderful programme includes the official opening of Metro Radio on July 15, 1974, along with jingles, promotions, quizzes, trailers and programme excerpts from the seventies and eighties.

It also includes major news reports including the start of the Falklands War, the broadcasting of the House of Commons proceedings by Independent Radio News (IRN), the visit of US President Jimmy Carter to the north east in the summer of 1978, in addition to Royal visits and sporting events.

A BIG THANK YOU!

from webmaster ANDY FLEMING

Like many credible and comprehensive websites and blogs, this brand new Metro Radio 261MW 97FM tribute site is the culmination of much hard work and time over the last ten years 

Myself and wife, Gill
presenting a programme
together on hospital
radio in the summer
of 1992.

not just by me, but the many very kind individuals who have gone to sometimes quite extreme lengths to locate and share nostalgic multimedia material and memories. In either producing the website or providing stories and media we all have had one thing in common: a desire to preserve an integral part of the broadcasting history of north east England before it slips from memory completely with no preservation whatsoever of the vintage media recordings associated with Metro Radio. In a broad sense it assists in negating Winston Churchill's observation that "A national that forgets its past has no future".

Our meagre attempt at the preservation of history includes vintage audio stretching back over forty years in the form of Metro Radio's jingle packs, trailers, commercials, Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Regulatory Announcements, Public Service Announcements, and full programmes. Their are photographs, publicity material, and even IBA and Metro Radio Trade Test Transmissions from May,1974!

Much of this material is quite simply irreplaceable and has been ported from analogue audio cassette or reel-to-reel magnetic tapes into digital format ready for you to download or listen online.

Bill Steel was a familiar voice
on Metro Radio with a highly
popular Breakfast Show in
the 1970s. He was also the
chief continuity announcer at
ITV Tyne Tees Television for
nearly 20 years.

One particular contributor and listener, Philip Dack living in Whitley Bay in 1974, recorded some of Metro Radio's earliest programmes via an old Philips reel to reel tape machine whose microphone picked up programmes via a Ferguson radiogram and its speakers! Unfortunately it also picked up electrical interference from the blower motor present in his  ducted air central heating system, very popular in the early seventies!

The fact that the radiogram was tuned to Metro Radio's high quality VHF (FM) stereo signal was rather lost due to the use of a single mono microphone and the RF interference. Many visitors and listeners of a certain age will empathise with this, when as youngsters we recorded from the radio with a microphone, before the advent of compact audio cassettes and especially radio/cassette combinations. What happy memories, and how we were spoilt!

Another special contributor was the late and sadly missed David Barras of South Shields. He also frequented the internet's highly popular Jingle Mad forums and I had the pleasure and privilege of talking to him several times about the fantastic guided tours of the radio station both of us enjoyed in 1977/78. He was kind enough to send much publicity material about Metro that he had lovingly collected as a child and most importantly kept as an adult! Although David and myself had several guided tours we never spoke in person until 2005. Such is the power of the internet in bringing people together! The radio station's guided tours were organised via Metro Radio's friendly promotions manager at the time, Kath Hamill. 

Myself making the switch
from the hospital radio band
to FM, presenting Solid Gold
Sunday on Radio Hartlepool.

I also must include special thanks to Brian Lister, who commenced working for the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company as a technical supervisor in 1974. He graduated through the ranks which culminated in him guiding, overseeing and directing the merger with Radio Tees 257 in 1986, and managing the AM/FM split that saw three separate radio arise in the region at the end of 'simulcasting'.

These of course were all owned by the Metro Radio Group and included Metro FM 97.1, TFM96.60 and Great North Radio (GNR) on 1152AM (north) and 1170 (south). In combination these three radio stations occupied the two AM and two FM IBA ILR franchises in north east England namely, those of Tyne/Wear and Teesside.

Thanks are also due to Len Groat, mid-morning presenter in Metropolitan Broadcasting's original line-up from 1974 to 1975, for providing more publicity material. Len was also responsible for commissioning those fantastic PAMS Dallas singers jingle packs complete with amazing acapellas. Incidentally, Metro's "North East Sound" package was derived directly from those of station 13KOL in Seattle in North America. Len will be staying in contact with the site and will be producing something special to celebrate Metro Radio's fortieth birthday on July 15, 2014. I for one am certainly looking forward to that.

Afternoon presenter and later 1980s Programme Director Giles Squire has also been instrumental in supplying the website with much needed verified background information regarding the organisational history behind Metro Radio, This has replaced much speculation by myself as a listener.

I wish to thanks Brian Clough for supplying some much needed publicity material for both Metro Radio in the 1970s and particularly Great North Radio in the 1990s. Brian was the presenter on both radio stations of the Friday Night Country Crowd for nearly two decades.

Thanks also to Dave Porter, presenter at Metro Radio in the 1970s and 1980s including hosting the Night Owls programme during a controversial period in the north east's history, supplied a superb article about the programme and its forty years history from the presenting of James Whale, Alan Beswick right the way through to the present presenter, the great Alan Robson.

Most recently, more thanks go out to Neil Siddaway, a listener, like myself of Metro Radio on Teesside going back decades who lives in Middlesbrough. Neil recorded much Metro Radio output in the seventies via tape, and is in the process of transferring much of the material to digital format. At present, most of Neil's uploaded material is located on our Time for a Commercial Break page. Many thanks Neil, and to the visitor enjoy! And to Neil, yes... I too had one of those "261MW METRO RADIO 97VHF" sun visors on my 1975 Mini Clubman, and used to sport one of those lovely Metro Radio/Gentle on Your Mind (with butterfly) T-Shirts!

Finally, thanks go out to all the listeners and station staff from technical personnel to presenters and former managers who have shared their memories of Metro with us and have filled in some of the gaps about he whereabouts of former presenters and staff.

Don't forget if you have any audio or video on whatever format, or publicity material or photographs of Metro Radio or Great North Radio from 1974 right up to the present day, and you would like to share it with visitors of this site, please do get in touch with myself Andy Fleming, webmaster of this site here.

I look forward to hearing from you.

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