JINGLE PACK DOWNLOADS

Presenter Len Groat, who sourced
and managed the introduction of
the PAMS 'North East Sound' jingle
package at the Metropolitan
Broadcasting Company (MBC) 1974-75.

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, EMISON, Original Station Opening Jingles Package, July 1974


Metro Radio Jingle Montage, More Original Station Opening Jingles, EMISON, including Metro Radio's first News Jingle, July 1974

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, PAMS, The North East Sound, October,1974

This superb package features the rich sound, acapellas and harmonies of the original Dallas singers. Produced by the US PAMS jingle house The North East Sound pack includes the thoroughly unique and amazing Metro Radio Theme, while the acappellas in the main part of this magnificent work of audio art simply 'blow your mind'.

Presenter Len Groat with a well-stocked
rack of NAB cartridges including jingle
and commercials.

The (at the time) quite controversial decision to introduce an American-sung jingle package with its associated station sound on an Independent Local Radio (ILR) station in the north east of England was part of an urgent requirement in late 1974 to re-brand the station and its sound and output

Quite simply, and unbeknown to listeners at the time, the Metropolitan Broadcasting Company (MBC) was on the verge of folding. The original heavy public service output format broadcast since the station's air date was simply not attracting enough listeners, especially young people, a key demographic component of the audience as far as advertisers are concerned. 

By commercial necessity the output of the station had to become much more slick was revised and although still within Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) regulations, it contained more 'needle time' of pop music, especially chart hits. The station name was changed to simply Metro Radio and was re-branded simply as The North East Sound, complete with this beautiful US PAMS of Dallas jingles pack.

The producer of the Timbertops children's programme, George Adams had been asked to quickly source new jingles. He had wanted to commission EMIson but they required two months lead time for production. Len Groat contacted PAMS of Dallas who required only half that time to turn the order around and were thus awarded the contract.


Len's management role was in creating/lyricing the two PAMS jingle packages, transferring them to cartridge for all of the studios (a long job in those days) and training new presenters for the re-launch, such as Steve King and Mark Williams.

The changes worked, and Metro Radio far from entering bankruptcy developed over the next forty years from a financial embarrassment for the IBA to one of the most successful ILR stations, and then commercial radio groups in Britain.

13KOL Jingle Montage - PAMS Productions Inc. Solid Rock 2 Package for demo station, 13KOL (Seattle), 1973

This is the original demo pack made by PAMS Productions Inc. of Dallas to assist in the marketing of their Solid Rock 2 package worldwide. This included the purchase by Len Groat on behalf of Metro Radio. Compare the content of the original Solid Rock in Seattle pack for 13KOL with the North East Sound. pack for Metro Radio. The jingles are almost identical apart from the Metro Radio derivative contains different lyrics of course.

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, Len Groat in-house liners with PAMS bed / Groat Market Jingle


Metro Radio 'Dusty Springfield' New Sound Jingle

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, EMISON-YAMCO, The North East Sound, 1976 to 1979

The seventies were a time of great political and industrial upheaval and strife and the radio and music industries, so closely intertwined were no exception. The at the time powerful Musicians Union objected to the use of American rather than UK produced jingle packages on UK radio stations and hence Metro Radio's next package, also entitled The North East Sound was produced in Britain by EMISON. They were the jingle production arm of the EMI music group and they created many other packages for the fledgling ILR stations.

Although excellent by today's standards these EMISON jingles were only a poor substitute for the PAMS packages. Many of these ILR EMISON packages were based on Top 20 hits, many of them published by EMI. Perhaps this explains why the best track contained in this package was the Metro Radio news jingle that appears near the end of the reel. It is based on the instrumental ending of Isaac Hayes' December 1971 hit, Shaft (from the motion picture of the same name).

This jingle pack was a re-sung version of Beacon Radio 303's (ILR Wolverhampton and the West Midlands) The Sunshine Sound reel, available on here.

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, EMISON-YAMCO, Gentle on Your Mind/The Music in the North East, 1977, 1978, 1979.

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, 1980

Publisher unknown, can you help please?

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, 1983

Publisher unknown, can you help please?

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, 1984

Publisher unknown, can you help please?

Metro Radio Jingle Montage, 1986, Alfasound

Metro FM Jingle Montage, 1988

Syndicated JAM Creative Productions of Dallas package, produced for Metro Radio via Alfasound.

Metro Radio and Radio Tees Together Jingle Montage, 1988
These were used after the Metro Radio Group's merger with Sound Broadcasting (Teesside) Limited, the ILR station serving the Teesside area in 1986 Radio Tees 257). Some of the output of Metro Radio was syndicated on Radio Tees' frequencies, by which time Tees 257 itself had been re-named TFM 96.60 particularly the Night Owls phone-in programme (weekdays 10pm to 2am).

Metro FM Jingle Montage, 1990, JAM Creative Productions

Metro FM Jingles Montage, JAM Creative Productions, 1991

Great North Radio (GNR) Jingle Package Montages and Television commercials are available on the Metro's History:The 1990s, GNR, Metro FM and Beyond page.

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