The Sound of Sunday on HRB

As Paddy O’Connell said during the semi final show on Tuesday, it’s just like Marmite – you either love it or hate it.  120 million people around the world love it including 13 million who watch in the UK, although many people would have you believe they don’t watch it – I bet they do really.

I’m talking about the annual extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest. 

I bet that when it began 55 years ago this week, no one would ever have imagined that over half a century on, it would still be providing the opportunity for Europe to come together.  As Paddy O’Connell also said, Eurovision is the light that shines above a troubled continent (or something like that).

40 countries will be taking part this year, 25 will make it to the final, 20 of them having gone through one of the semi finals.  All the acts have to sing live.  Whatever you think of Eurovision, you have to admire the performers for being able to do that – especially with some of the energetic routines in recent years.  Ruslana for example broke the stage with her “Wild Dance” when she won in 2004.

So on The Sound of Sunday this week, we’ll reflect on a night of what the rest of Europe takes extremely seriously, the UK slightly less so, but which always provides lots of entertainment for the millions who do like it.  And you never know… the UK might even win.

The Sound of Sunday, Sunday 1.30 – 4pm, HRB

What I didn’t mention last week when talking about my trip to London was that in over 4 years of going to the Civil Service Club for hospital radio meetings, it’s only ever rained on me once.  In fact on one occasion it was raining in Basingstoke when I left but I was so sure it would be dry in London I didn’tbother to take my umbrella.  And I was right!

Last weekend in London, the weather was hot and sunny.  A contrast to Epsom on Sunday which wasn’t oo bad going but coming home ended in very heavy rain.  Epsom by the way must have some of the most expensive hospital car parking charges around – £9 for just over 4 hours!

By the time this weekend comes around I’ll have been to London again – this time to the ExCel centre in the east end to the Business Startup exhibition.  I’ve been to this annual event every year for about the last five years ro so and once again it’s always warm and sunny.  Last year the Docklands Light Railway wasn’t working and I had to walk from Canning Town tube station to the ExCel – a walk the loudpseaker system SAID was 9 minutes.  They must have had a fast walker timing that!

One year at the Business Startup exhibition, one styand decided to have a full Scalextrix set up and invite people to try and set the fastest lap time.  Lots of people were spending probably too much time on that stand – it was very popular, but I can’t actually remember what the company was, so maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

A brand new story for Superman amongst other things this Sunday for the penultimate show of the series – live at 1.30pm.

No show this Sunday as it’s a busy weekend for hospital radio meetings.  On Saturday, I’m off to London for a Hospital Broadcasting Association Trustee Board meeting. 

These happen at the Civil Service Club, which sounds a lot grander than it actually is.  It’s a very old building in Old Scotland Yard with a very small lift.  The notice inside the lift says it can’t take more than 8 people, although the people they used to test this theory out must have been very small as it feels full up with 2 people in! 

The Civil Service Club is about 10 minutes walk from Waterloo station, over the Jubilee Bridge.  I’ve been doing this every other month since uly 2006 and on only 1 occasion has it ever rained on the day I’m there.  In fact on the other occasions I’ve been to London during that time, it has never rained!  I can therefore almost guarantee a nice day in London on Saturday!

On Sunday, which is the reason for no show, I have another hospital radio meeting, this time a regional gathering at Epsom Hospital Radio.  A different station hosts the region every few months as members from stations in the south get together and talk about the issues that affect us all.  It’s always very interesting to go and see other stations, and as Epson Hospital Radio is a little like us at HRB in size, and we haven’t had a meeting there for a while, it should be particularly interesting. 

The Sound of Sunday is back on May 23rd with all the usual features and then for the last show before another break on May 30th. 

No show this week as it’s the final day of the Premier League football season.  I’ll be on air live from 2.30 with reporters at all 10 games around the country sending in their reports and goal flashes during the afternoon.

In the last few years, it’s been a nail biting afternoon for those clubs threatened with relegation, but this year, with the relegation issues sorted, all eyes will be on the top as the title is decided and possibly 3rd and 4th place along with the rest of the European qualifying positions.

Spurs are in the driving seat for that 4th Champions League spot, although they could finish as high as third if they win both their last trwo matches and Arsenal lose on Sunday. 

The title is in Chelsea‘s hands – they just need to beat Wigan and they’ve done it whatever Manchester United do against Stoke.  But this season has had so many twists and turns already, who’s going to bet against one final twist on Sunday? 

It should be an exciting afternoon!

So that time has come again – the domestic football season is heading for its exciting climax although of course this year we have the excitement of the World Cup to come as well.

This weekend it’s the turn of the Football League to come to its end with the last matches of the Chapionship all kicking off at 1pm on Sunday afternoon.  We’ll have all the news throughout the afternoon.

The following week, 9 May, it’s the Premier League’s turn, so to make way for our coverage of those last matches, this will be the last Sound of Sunday for a fortnight. 

 Our competition is a rollover from last week and there’ll also be the return of the Brain Teaser.  Superman 1940s Style is the last episode of the current story.  A new story will start in June. 

All the other regular features will be there as well.  Live from 1.30 this Sunday.

I am on air this week – this time a week ago, I was due to be going to Epsom Hospital Radio for the afternoon, but plans change ad that’s now been put off for a few weeks until May.

So this week, as well as all the usual, 5 Premier League football matches and a copetition rolled over from last week, we’ll reveal who is the most requested artist on HRB of the first three months of the year.  ill it still be Take That who topped the2009 charts, or maybe Queen who were 2008’s favourites, or maybe Robbie will reclaim the number one spot he held throughout the naughties.

We’re on the air on Sunday from 1.30 until 4 and Harry Robinson will play the next episode of the current Superman 1940s style story between 4 and 5.

We’re back on air on Sunday at 1.30 with the 80s Triple Play competition rolled over from last week.  There’ll be news of the Premier League football as the season comes to potentially the most exciting point and of course requests and dedications in Music on Demand. 

Quiet Quarter of an Hour, Show Biz and Entertainment and Memory Makers – The World Cup Years also feature in what is probably the last show for a fortnight. 

You can email the studio as well – studioone@hrbasingstoke.co.uk

We’re live at 1.30.

Good luck to everyone doing the Swimathon this weekend as well.

The Sound of Sunday is back live this weekend with the return of all the
regular features,  It’s a big footballing Sunday with both FA Cup and
Premier League action, so we’ll have news of all of that.

Two chances to win, Superman 1940s Style and Eurovision‘s Greatest Hits in there as well and the first of our new series – Memory Makers The World Cup Years remembering the songs that were hits during previous world cups.

We’ll also repeat our Duncan Goodhew interview 7 days ahead of thousands of people raising loads of money in the 2010 Swimathon.

Finally, after the death of Malcolm McLaren, a reminder of one of his biggest hits.  It sounds like a great song for a sunny weekend!

It’s been quite a year for HRB which exactly 12 months ago started with the official opening of our brand new studios by Simon Parkin along with Sophie and Rebecca Hyde and of course Stan the Town Crier of Alton.  It was very fitting that the clip from our Station of the Year entry that was played as Alan “voice of the balls” Dedicoat read out the nominations at the National Hospital Radio Awards last weekend, was Stan doing his thing at the official opening.

When Radio Academy Chief Executive Trevor Dann read out the name of Hospital Radio Basingstoke as the Bronze award winner at the National Hospital Radio Awards, it rounded off a very satisfying year for the station.  We have a strong team of volunteers, more live request shows than we had a year ago and more new members about to get their chance to join the programme rota. 

So this week on The Sound of Sunday, which will be the final day of National Hospital Broadcasting Week, we’ll play our Bronze award wunning entry in full and look ahead to some of what we have in store over the coming months. 

All of that plus the regular features for Sunday afternoon.

Sunday from 1.30 on HRB.

When The Sound of Sunday started, John Major was Prime Minister, interest rates were in double figures,and we were in the midst of Gulf War 1
Phillip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher wwre dominating TV screens every Saturday morning and EastEnders was only 6 years old.  Simon Mayo was on the radio reading out listeners’ confessions every day and Chris Evens was on TV every morning.

19 yeas on and the state of the economy dominates the news once again as
well as the aftermath of the second Gulf War.  Interest rates are at their
lowest ever figures.  EastEnders has just celebrated its 25th anniversary
whilst on Saturday mornings, both BBC and ITV may have virtually given up on the traditional Saturday morning TV format, but Phillip Schofield will soon be back on TV on a Saturday once again as “This Morning” gets a
weekend slot – in the afternoons!  Simon Mayo is still on the radio reading
confesions (but at the other end of the day) and Chris Evans is still doing
Breakfast (but on the radio).

So 19 years on, this Sunday on the show, Carol Vorderman talks about maths, Duncan Goodhew talks about the national swimathon and Hospital Broadcasting Association President June Snowden looks ahead to National Hospital Broadcasting Week, which starts with the National Hospital Radio Awards on 27 March.

Talking of which, for the first time, I’m off to the National Hospital Radio Awards next week, so this weekend will be the last SOS for a fortnight.