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Radio City 1386AM - The
Swansea Bay University Health Board Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) ( cy, Bwrdd lechyd Prifysgol Bae Abertawe) is the local health board of NHS Wales for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, in the south-west of Wales. Established as Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health ...
's Radio Service is the Hospital Radio service based in
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
,
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
.


About the service

Radio City 1386AM, is one of the longest running Hospital Radio station in Wales. It produces chat and news programmes, as well as playing music to patients at
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
in
Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. It broadcasts on 1386AM (LPAM) and on channel no.4 (wards 1–12) and on channel no.12 (wards 14–20).


History

The Swansea Hospitals Radio service was founded on 1 August 1966 by Robert Rees, David Vaughan and Clive Thomas - three school friends who had been watching a television programme on radio in hospitals run by voluntary groups. The early programmes were recorded on tapes in people's houses including two of the initial DJs, Tim Richards and Tony Bowden. On New Year's Eve 1966, the station was launched at
Morriston Hospital Morriston Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Treforys) is a 750-bed hospital located in Cwmrhydyceirw near Morriston in Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. Alongside its role as a district general hospital, Morriston is a t ...
on a three-month trial basis. Due to accommodation difficulties initially the station broadcast from the basement and temporary accommodation in the car park, broadcasts were restricted to only four hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Soon broadcasts were extended to include a Welsh language programme and all day broadcasting at weekends. In 1968 a new studio at
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
was opened which later became Radio City's base. The station at Morriston became a separate organisation, known as Radio LF. Expansion followed with Mount Pleasant, Hill House, Cefn Coed Hospital,
Gorseinon Gorseinon is a town within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swa ...
and Garngoch Hospitals all receiving programmes. The hospitals were linked using a network of telephone landlines, all of which became very expensive to maintain. Due to the restructure of the Health Authority and the closure of some of the hospitals Radio City's broadcasts were concentrated on
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
, without the need for expensive landline links. In 1991 the old prefabricated studios, by now extremely dilapidated, were closed and broadcasts moved to smart new purpose-build facilities within the new wing of
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
. £10,000 was raised to fit out a first studio to broadcast standard. With the introduction of infection control and a squeeze on funding throughout the NHS, the provision of headphones became financially impossible, so that Radio City could continue broadcasting to patients £20,000 was raised through funding and donations to register a LPAM (Low Power AM) frequency, to coincide with the change of broadcasting Radio City 1386AM was launched. Today, Radio City is broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from its base in the maternity wing of
Singleton Hospital Singleton Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Singleton) is a general hospital in Sketty Lane, Swansea, Wales. It is managed by Swansea Bay University Health Board. History The first stage of the hospital, which included outpatients' facilities, was complete ...
via 1386AM, smart phone app and the internet. And now has a fully operational production studio, a broadcast studio and plan to build a multi purpose recording suite in the next few years.


Record of achievements

World Record holders (21 August 1978) for pushing a standard hospital bed 3000 miles along the promenade in Swansea, though this was lost in 1979 to Bruntsfield Bedding Centre who achieved 3233 miles.Bruntsfield Bedding Centre Website
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Notable members

Roy Noble - Current Patron of the service. Broadcaster and Journalist for
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales br ...
.
Amanda Sergeant - Newsreader. Part of
GMTV GMTV (an acronym for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited, was the name of the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 ...
until 2008.
Jason Mohammad Jason Mohammad (born 17 September 1973) is a Welsh radio and television presenter currently working for the BBC. He is the current host of ''Final Score'' on BBC One on Saturday afternoons. Personal life Mohammad was born and brought up in Car ...
- Newsreader and Presenter.
BBC Wales Today ''BBC Wales Today'' is the BBC's national television news programme for Wales, broadcast on BBC One Wales from the headquarters of BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff. According to the BBC, it is the world's longest-running television new ...
and Wales on Saturday.
Mathew Johnson - Programme Director. Dubai Eye 103.8
Mark Buckley - Presenter.
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales br ...

Chris Harper - Presenter.
Swansea Sound Greatest Hits Radio South Wales (formerly Swansea Sound) is Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Radio as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. The station broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, East Carmarthenshire a ...
and
Beacon Radio Free Radio Black Country & Shropshire is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Shropshire, Wolverhampton and the Black Country. As of Sep ...

Clive Thomas - The Late President and founder of the service. Presenter for
Radio Caroline Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. ...


References


External links


Radio City's websiteHospital Broadcasting Association (HBA) WebsiteSwansea Bay University Health Board website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radio City 1386am Radio stations in Wales Hospital radio stations Radio stations established in 1966