The Radio Solent story so far...

TENSELY awaited "secret" BBC plans for the reorganisation of broadcasting were announced this morning after months of speculation..."

It was July 1969, and the commanding first paragraph of a Daily Echo front page was the first indication of a baby radio station about to be born.

Today radio stations are born every ten minutes (well, it seems like it) but back in the late 60s this was something awe inspiring.

True, BBC London had its satellite studios around the country, but few people could imagine a real BBC broadcast come from just up the road!

"I was ten when Radio Solent started," remembers Solent Today presenter Julian Clegg.

"Up until then radio had all been in London and it was really amazing. I thought, wow, radio can come from around here!"

In fact plans and negotiations had been going for some time and in a matter of weeks a crack team of broadcasting experts were in Southampton, planning the arrival of BBC Radio Solent.

Paul Gouldstone was one of them. An experienced BBC outside broadcast engineer who'd worked on Churchill's funeral and Princess Margaret's wedding, it was his job to make the station happen on a technical level.

He remembers the cutting edge of technology at the time, housed in a studio in Southampton's Guildhall.

"It had the first ever unattended studio built behind the organ pipes, with lead cables and brass terminals. And of course people had no idea how to use them. Nobody knew how to put on headphones or listen to cue or take questions.

"We had to train everyone from scratch."

A dozen studios were built by Paul and his team from the Isle of Wight to Winchester to Southsea, but more problematic was the station itself, based at South Western House close to Southampton docks.

Passing boat trains would vibrate the windows and businesses on other floors caused noise during broadcasts.

Maurice Ennals was Solent's first station manager, and his job was to keep the staff happy. Well before his chief engineer could install a mast, he knew what machine took priority in the new studios.

"A tea and coffee machine. And a good one at that," Maurice told the Echo.

"I opened up the first local radio station at Leicester and I've learned from the mistakes we made there!"

BBC Radio Solent was making waves even before it was officially on air. With the populace plunged into strikes and powercuts, test broadcasts gave way to impromptu power cut bulletins from its first presenters.

"We gave out details of what had been switched off," remembers the station's first ever presenter, Robin Worman.

"We ran a sort of power cut desk."

The baby radio station was dearly wanted. Before the launch presenters Ken Warburton and Jeff Link appealed on test transmissions for listeners to send in postcards if they could hear. There were hundreds and hundreds within days.

Finally, on New Year's Eve 1970, at 6pm the station identity music was played officially for the first time. "This is BBC Radio Solent" announced a proud voice, and the hairs rose up on the backs of many necks as a fanfare led into an opening speech by Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Poignantly, nine years later to the month, Lord Louis would be remembered at a live BBC Radio Solent broadcast of a memorial concert at Southampton Guildhall, to mark his untimely death.

In the 30 years that have passed since New Years Ever 1970, BBC Radio Solent has had as varied, dramatic and intriguing a story as any bestselling saga. Here's a trot through some events that made the news...

1973: A ROCK protest took place outside South Western House as local group Agnes Strange pulled in a 100-strong crowd while protesting at the lack of airplay for local bands.

Waving banners and planning a petition, the group were joined by a Bournemouth band which didn't get to perfom before British Rail police arrived to pull the plug.

Radio Solent programme organiser Dave Challis said a lot of local music was featured.

"We carry out auditions all the time and expect groups to reach a decent musical level," he said.

1976: SOMEONE To Talk To was a new programme idea piloted by then producer Richard Cartridge and education producer Gordon Cooper.

In the shape of things to come, it introduced one of the station's earliest counselling style phone-ins, with the local co-ordinator of Scope and a Marriage Guidance Counsellor.

"They chatted to a dozen listeners who had been moved to pick up the telephone - or go down to the public kiosk - and just find someone to talk to about a problem in their life." read an Echo report."

1978: THERE'S a stripper in my studio! Who else but presenter Richard Cartridge, going through his Benny Hill phase at Solent? But his bluff was called when, after a series of 'pretending to have strippers in' gags, Rich got the real thing.

Local dancer Vicky Powell, 24, whipped off her t-shirt live on air, leaving Richard speechless for the first time. The 'radio romp' soon featured in The Echo and then, perhaps inevitably, in The Sun...

* Solent's popular presenter Peter White and producer Bob Ledwidge, hearing that only ten per cent of blind people have leaned to read Braille, launched a scheme to get Braille readers to teach others.

Peter, who's been blind since birth, is well known for his achievements in broadcasting with the speedy use of Braille. He said: "Even if we only help one or two people to learn Braille, the project will be worthwhile."

* THE FIRST BBC Radio Solent magazine was launched after enterprising Alison Watson approached deputy manager Lawre Bloomfield with the idea for a twice yearly publication. Two years later there was a further merger when Lawrie married Alison.

1981: A TRIBUTE to Lord Louis Mountabatten was put on record, literally, by BBC Radio Solent. Its 105 minute recording of the memorial tribute broadcast at Southampton Guildhall, in the presence of the Prince of Wales, was narrated by Solent's deputy manager Lawrie Bloomfield and pressed onto two double-sided LPs. It sold for £6.

1982: A TECHNOLOGICAL first took place at South Western House when Southampton University chaplain Rev David Lawrence operated a computer on air. This new-fangled machine 'hosted'a quiz slot.

Quiz questions were set by the computer using the vicar's own programme - it was the first time a computer had ever been used to host a radio show in Britain.

1983: YOUNG Sandi Jones and Mary Lewisohn took over the Third Floor Show from Heather Lyn - who'd gone on to become BBC Television's first continuity announcer.

1987: RICH & Sylv, Solent's cult on air couple, won Local Radio Personality plaudits in the Sony Radio Awards for their hilarious banter on Happening Now.

1988: BBC RADIO Solent's local news coverage went completely off air on July 13 as BBC journalists took strike action. At least 40 staff walked out in a 24 hour stoppage in protest over plans to cut local radio budgets by 10 per cent.

A skeleton staff of just three battled to keep a service running.

ALBERT'S Gang had its final outing as popular presenter Nick Girdler was given the new ten to midnight slot. The show was home to hundreds of local children who used to squeeze into studio one every Saturday morning in the company of guests, games and Girdler...

NICK goes on the buses. Nick Girdler was charicatured on the side of a Solent Blue Line bus, by Echo cartoonist Oz.

1990: NEW BBC studios for Radio Solent and South Today had the first pile driven in on January 26, with an opening date of Autumn 1990.

MOVING day came in October. BBC Radio Solent staff started packing up and the final wrench from the beautiful but impractical South Western Place came on 13 November.

"Moving into a purpose-built broadcasting centre will set us up for the 21st century," said station manager Steve Panton.

"Manual typewriters will be replaced by electronic equipment, linking journalists directly with BBC offices worldwide."

1991: DENNIS Skillicorn attempted to transmit a live broadcast from the top of a Portsmouth Blue Admiral bus during the morning rush hour - but no one back at base could hear him.

All became clear later when BBC engineers discovers that a reciever, mounted on the roof of a local block of flats, had been stolen...

1993: NICK GIRDLER and Sandi Jones went domestic after giving away their services on Nick's Sunday morning show. Round at prizewinning Chris and Mary Mitchell's place in Hedge End, Nick had to cook lunch and Sandi had to clean the bathroom.

1994: NO NEWS was bad news again for Solent and BBC South as another 24 hour journalists strike took place, affecting news bulletins. This time it was over a change in employment conditions.

1999: RICH & SYLV - THE SEQUEL. Richard Cartridge and Sylv Willoughby were reunited on air in September 1999 after a break of several years. Their legendary on air lunacy had never been forgotten by regular listeners, many of whom phoned the station in tears when they read the news in the Echo. Of joy, we think. Tears of joy...

2000: THE MAG IS BACK. Nearly a decade after the previous incarnation ended, the new BBC Radio Solent Magazine was relaunched in February 2000 to a rapturous welcome.

Magazine signings in Poole, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight saw fans queueing through shops and out onto the street. All sales estimates were blown away and a second print run was ordered on the first day of sale.