Radio Tyneside, the hospital radio station for Newcastle and Gateshead has begun braodcasting on 93.6FM in the area.
The station has been granted a five-year community radio licence by Ofcom to expand the service from the local hospital to the wider area.
The station began broadcasting in 1951, by providing football commentary. Today, 35 volunteers help keep the station broadcasting 24hrs a day and was recently granted The Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
Dave Nicholson, Radio Tyneside’s Chairman commented: “Over recent years a patients stay in hospital has reduced considerably and sometime when one of the volunteers have collected requests the patient has gone home by the time their request is played. We decided to approach Ofcom and applied for a Community radio licence to extend our service and at the same time promote health and wellbeing.”
The station will be targeting the 50+ audience in Newcastle and Gateshead and broadcasting from their studios in Claremont Road.