Metro Radio 261MW and 97FM Tribute Site: June 2014

Sunday, 8 June 2014

BILL STEEL'S RADIO AND TV DAYS

ByANDY FLEMING

WEBMASTER

Thursday morning proved much more interesting than usual for a couple of reasons for both myself and visitors to this website.

One of the Metro Radio 261MW 97VHF Tribute Website visitors, Matthew Gulliver of Rotherham asked whether I would be willing to take a listen to Radio Tyneside, a hospital radio service for Newcastle-upon-Tyne and surrounding areas. This radio station has been broadcasting to the hospital communities in the Tyneside area via closed circuit headphone and now via the internet and 1575kHz AM/medium wave since 1951.

North East broadcasting legend Bill Steel was being interviewed by Radio Tyneside presenter Dave Nicholson about his broadcasting career and Matthew was wondering if I could record the output of the station for both himself and Bill. Of course I didn't have to be asked twice, and thought it would make good feature for sharing with you on this website too.

So here he is then, Bill Steel talking about his fascinating career acting, and presenting both on radio and television. Bill of course worked for Tyne Tees Television (ITV) serving the north east of England since the early sixties as a continuity announcer, eventually graduating to the position of chief announcer and presenter of Today at Six and Northern Life. Also working in television in for ATV Manchester and the Midlands, he presented Metro Radio's very popular Breakfast Show during the seventies.

Bill Steel playing the role of Bernard McKenna on Granada ITV's ever-popular soap Coronation Street (Episode 4169; Air Date: March 31, 1997). Image courtesy of Corriepedia.

Bill also presented on Century Radio North East in the nineties, and is known nationwide for playing the role of Bernard McKenna in ITV's Coronation Street for eight months.

Bill Steel interviewed by Dave Nicholson, Hospital Radio Tyneside, June 6, 2014. Apologies for the audio quality of the recording due to problems with my mixer software, and not the source.

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Tuesday, 3 June 2014

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.

70s INDEPENDENT LOCAL RADIO DIAL

So you've enjoyed the sights and sounds of Metro Radio 261MW 97VHF in the seventies and eighties, the Independent Local Radio (ILR) service for the Tyne/Wear area, thanks to the North East Sound Tribute website.

But Metro Radio was just one of the original tranche of nineteen ILR stations originally licenced by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. What about the rest of the network? Are there any similar 'independent' tribute websites for those other stations providing multimedia, artwork, jingles and programme downloads just like the Metro Radio 261MW 97VHF Tribute website.

Well, the good news is "yes". That means we can take a virtual tour of UK radio-land in the seventies and see what's available on the internet, starting in Northern Ireland. You may even be able to compare and contrast the output of these original stations with that of Metro Radio.

Simply click the ILR station logo to visit its tribute website, or, if an alternative site exists, click the ILR station name below. Enjoy!