Radio Bronglais is a hospital radio station, transmitting from the grounds of

Bronglais Hospital Bronglais Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Bronglais) is an Acute District General Hospital in Aberystwyth, Wales. It is managed by Hywel Dda University Health Board. It is the only acute hospital within mid-Wales and is the main hospital for the students o ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It began broadcasting in 1970 and is one of the oldest hospital radio stations in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Radio Bronglais has been a registered charity since 1983. Radio Bronglais transmits music and live radio shows twenty four hours a day, to the Bronglais Hospital site on a LPFM frequency of 87.8 FM. Online streaming, in December 2021, is deployed and is streaming.

History

Radio Bronglais began transmitting in early 1970 when members of Bow Street Youth Club presented a request programme on a Sunday evening between 7 pm and 9pm which was distributed to all patients in Bronglais Hospital. Equipment of the time was basic, with disco decks and a small

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost the v ...

. An executive committee was set up to raise money to purchase the

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

and to provide equipment. In 1991 and 1999, Radio Bronglais won a British Telecom Award for 'The Best in Wales' and was also runner-up in the same competition in 1996. In September 1998 land became available on Bronglais Hospital's grounds. Radio Bronglais applied to the National Lottery Charity Board of Wales, and in the spring of 1999 were awarded £117,455. During September 2000 building work began on the new studio, which was completed in early February 2001. 2012 saw the station increase its power output after a successful application to

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

, and now broadcasts to a wider audience. In 2013 Radio Bronglais went digital with online streaming on its website. In 2013 Radio Bronglais changed its name to RB FM and launched

webcams A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in videotelephony, livestreaming and social media, and security. Webcams can be built-in computer hardware or peripheral de ...

from the studio during live shows. Radio Bronglais currently plays music and live shows to the Bronglais,

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

Community 24 hours a day. The station is run by a dedicated committee, volunteer presenters, librarians, administrators, fundraisers and technical staff. Radio Bronglais relies entirely on donations. In 2014 'The Breakfast Show' was nominated for a National Award for a Programme with multiple presenters, at the HBA Awards. Features include daily give-away competitions, news and weather on the hour, sports, both national and regional throughout the early morning hours. Radio Bronglais also has daily programming, mostly filling the 4PM-8PM "

Drivetime DriveTime Automotive Group Inc. is an American used car retailer and finance company. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, and sells and finances cars to customers around the nation. The company was formerly known as Ugly Duckling and was renamed Driv ...

" slot. In November 2013, Radio Bronglais re-branded itself as Radio Bronglais. The introduction of the re-branding also saw the introduction of RDS under the name RB-87.8. On 11 April 2014, Radio Bronglais's volunteers completed a 24-hour broadcast, with guests including Walter Coenig and Wincey Willis.

Notes

Official Radio Bronglais website

References

{{Reflist Hospital radio stations Radio stations in Wales Radio stations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Wales