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.

FEEL IT? LOVE IT?... THEN SHARE IT!

EGGS AND BACON, TOAST AND CORNFLAKES... AND BILL STEEL!

North east personality, chief Tyne Tees Television in-vision continuity announcer and Metro Radio presenter,  Bill Steel.

ByANDY FLEMING

WEBMASTER

It's time for another excerpt from one of Bill Steel’s legendary north east Breakfast Shows, this time from September 1977 from 8.30am. In addition to great music, Bill's show featured news every half an hour, the all-important traffic and travel news, horoscopes, what’s on information, weather and sport. The Bill Steel Breakfast Show also included Sports Editor Charles Harrison’s Metro Mount Up, which although sounding risqué, was only the day’s horse racing tips!

Thanks go out once again to Neil Siddaway of Middlesbrough who lovingly recorded the following excerpt of Bill Steel’s programme via radio-cassette, and most importantly has lovingly kept this compact cassette recording for nearly forty years. I am sure it will bring back some great memories of Bill’s programme that was for many years an institution on Metro Radio, and indeed in the wider north east.

In late 1974 and 1975 while Metro Radio's output included the superb PAMS Productions Inc. of Dallas The North East Sound/Solid Rock 2 jingle package, Bill had some of his own PAMS cuts specifically for use on the Breakfast Show, and these are also included below.

Bill Steel's Breakfast Show. Air date: September 26, 1977. Duration: 22 minutes.

Bill Steel's Breakfast Show Jingles, PAMS Productions Inc. of Dallas The North East Sound/Solid Rock 2 jingle package. Air date: September 26, 1977. Duration: 22 minutes.

FEEL IT? LOVE IT?... THEN SHARE IT!

AFTER THE 6.00am NEWS IT'S DAVE, STANDING IN FOR BILL, WITH THE BREAKFAST SHOW!

It's June 1978, Dave Burrows stands in for Bill Steel on Metro Radio's Breakfast Show... and of course "Grease" is the defining word, that we continually heard!

ByANDY FLEMING
WEBMASTER

Dave Burrows.

Time for another blast from Metro Radio's past! This time we're going to listen to a rare appearance on the Breakfast Show of Dave Burrows.

Dave was standing in for the regular host who was Bill Steel of course and who was away on holiday. Once again we are indebted to Neil Siddaway of Middlesbrough for these absolutely fantastic recordings. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who can reminisce with these superb recordings via our musical time machine.

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!

So here we go. Metro's opening sequence and first news of the day have been broadcast and it's a couple of minutes past six on the morning of Friday June 16, 1978.

You've risen early and now it's time to fully wake up with a strong cup of coffee, put the toast on and enjoy Metro's Breakfast Show with Dave Burrows and the North East Sound.

Dave Burrows' Breakfast Show, (Dave Burrows covering for Bill Steel, excerpt). Air date: June 16, 1978. Duration: 30 minutes.

FEEL IT? LOVE IT?... THEN SHARE IT!

GOOD MORNING, COMING UP AFTER THE 6.00AM NEWS IT’S BILL STEEL’S BREAKFAST SHOW!

ByANDY FLEMING,

Webmaster

Imagine the scene, it’s Tuesday September 5, 1978, you’ve just arisen from bed ready for work and it’s time to make a cuppa and switch on the radio tuned to Metro 261!

In the seventies, Metro Radio wasn’t twenty four hours a day and closed down after James Whale’s Night Owls Phone-In and IRN News at 2.00am on a weekday. At about 5.50am each day blasting out of the ether would be a short start-up sequence complete with the Metro Radio Song, which gave a fantastic choral account by the PAMS Singers of Dallas, of the station’s primary service area and raison d’etre.

Metro Radio Start-up Sequence including Good Morning and Metro Radio Song, (taken from the 1974 PAMS of Dallas jingles package, available here or on the Jingle Pack Download Page). Air date: September 5, 1978. Duration: 2 mins 11 secs.