History of Radio Scilly

Radio Scilly is the world’s smallest professional radio station. We started life in 1998 when Keri Jones started organising a month-long trial broadcast from a room in the Star Castle Hotel. The plan was to ‘test the water’ to see whether there was demand for a radio station for Scilly.

It was an interesting time – pioneering days. We had no landline, just a mobile. No internet access as the world wasn’t SO reliant on the web then. John and Mary Nicholls kindly let us use a chalet as a studio, complete with bedrooms and another bedroom was hired for staff accommodation.

After a particularly boozy night, some volunteers, who will rename nameless as some of them ‘are now in responsible positions in our community, decided to crash out in the double bed in the ” studio’ bedroom. Keri broadcast the morning show from that bedroom the next day complete with snoring in the background. Mike Collier, who was the Coastguard then, came in to read the weather at 7am and commented on the number of feet protruding from beneath the duvet but seemed to take the whole surreal experience in his stride.

In those days we broadcast on 106 FM and transmitted from an aerial tacked to the site of the Star Castle. We’re sure English Heritage would have been delighted to learn of the creative use of their 15th Century listed building. Can’t remember if we ever told them!

Since that first broadcast, we made a further three short trial broadcasts , one was from a Castle turret and then two from a shed on Porthloo beach! The late Pete ‘the Hat’ Hobson, who designed our lighthouse logo, rigged up his storage shed as a makeshift studio. And broadcasts began again, with the added attraction of crabs, spiders and, on one occasion, a tour party opening the up-and-over garage door for a peek inside whilst Keri was reading the news. Some experimental broadcasts including a live radio drama. Never again! The Reverend Julian Ould, who should have known better, gave everyone the giggles. Everyone, apart from Maggie Perkovic who carried on like a professional. Half way through the recording the door opened, a familiar occurrence by now, and the post was delivered with the postie shouting ‘mail’. Maggie improvised and tied it into the plot!

Radio Scilly was destined to operate as a restricted service licence, a temporary service for 28 days at a time at this time. Although the Radio Authority did say we could on for 3 months at a time, once a year because they allowed the short -term stations in rural Scotland the same flexibility. In those days the extortionate copyright costs made that longer run prohibitive. Licencing Radio Scilly’s trials created some extra work for the former regular. We understand that the Radio Authority had to send someone out of their Holborn, London offices to buy a map when we first applied for a short-term run in 1998 as they weren’t sure whether Scilly was in the UK and in their jurisdiction!

The 2001 broadcast brought drama and some unforgettable moments for all the wrong reasons. On the last but one day of transmissions, the World Trade Centre was destroyed. In those days we didn’t have anything faster than a 56k dial-up internet . We had to unplug the studio phone and plug in the modem to go online. We were alerted to the tragedy by a birder who had the news of a significant plane crash on his birding pager. At that time it was just a story about a plane crashing into an iconic building. Then, while trying to follow American news channels on our slow internet it became clear that it was an attack on the USA. Radio Scilly patched together coverage using contacts in the states. We spoke like to the team that produce the weekly Women in Music show,  Laney Goodman’s weeky broadcast  still airs on Radio Scilly today. Their team gave us an American perspective from their Boston studio. Then the C.A.A closed down UK airspace and there was a great deal of confusion. We were given a walkie-talkie to talk to the airport so we could get instant updates on air as our line was busy with the internet.

Philip Hygate called to ask whether he could ask the regulator to extend our broadcasts beyond the closedown day to update information. Luckily, that wasn’t necessary because more instruction was issued to air travellers the next day. But that horrific day and the event that changed the world highlighted the need for an all-year round Radio Scilly.

More broadcasts followed but there was little chance of the station getting the only sort of licence on offer then, a commercial radio licence. Until Ofcom took over as regulator and some acts of Parliament changed the broadcasting landscape, you could only apply for a local radio licence if you could prove that your service would make a profit.

Even though Radio Scilly does break even, the regulator would probably not have believed our plans to have been achievable and financially viable. Then, with the new radio regulator there was a chance for a permanent station. From 2005, Ofcom started awarding not-for-profit community licences. At the time Keri was the Group Managing Director of Radio Pembrokeshire Group and he was heading-up 3 radio stations and a magazine in West Wales. He took the call from a consultant working from Ofcom who appeared impressed with the Radio Scilly plans while returning from a break in Barcelona at the city’s airport. And a few days later we heard we’d won the licence. It took 2 years to launch the station. Keri had personal stuff to sort out-like selling up his part of the Welsh radio businesses and selling his homes in Wales.

And then it took a good 6 months of full-time voluntary work in securing advertising deals and property and negotiating with transmitter site owners and other bodies.

In May 2007, Radio Scilly moved into the upstairs of Island Properties and started to build a studio.  Keri was ably assisted by Zoe Parry. Zoe had been his ‘number 2′ in Radio Pembrokeshire Group and had left radio, travelled the world and wanted to get back into the business in a new place.  It wasn’t for Zoe the second-time around, but Radio Scilly’s loss was the Star Castle’s gain where she has now found a new management career. Zoe still knows and appreciates the inside-outs of radio though and often comments on Keri’s technical faux-pas that he tries to cover up but which an experienced broadcaster will spot!

During the trials all sorts of talent had been uncovered.

Anyone remember Ozzy’s rock show or the surreal humour and Spanish music collection of the late Pete Hobson? The Comedy show, recorded on location, usually at Juliet’s Garden by Phil Colver, Giles Lethbridge, Andy Thomas and Robin Baker was described as ‘genius’ and ‘of Radio 4 standard’ by a visiting BBC Executive who went on to become the third most important man in the beeb. There was Fred Elms’ Jazz Show, where he refused to play any songs released AFTER 1948 and a legendary broadcast from the Star Castle on Christmas Eve where Button and Gaz played Carpenters Christmas Classics for an hour. And Helen and Julian Pearce came on-air and argued about each other’s taste in music. And there was an hour of discussion hosted by Julia Metcalfe, then landlady of the Sevenstones Inn on collecting buttons. Happy Days.

When we went live, 365 days a year, some of our early pioneers followed on. Steve Watt, Maggie Perkovic and John Bird were with us from day one.

Steve’s son James joined us permanently before deciding to leave for life in Bristol and then his dad took over his job at Radio Scilly for a year.

Some of our original team are still contributors. Some have left the islands. Some are sadly no longer with us.

It’s a hard job keeping up the commitment to hosting shows and features week-in, week-out anyway. Even more so on some small islands where there are many different demands on an islanders’ time.

But for those 40 or so residents who host their own parts of our airtime each month, thank you.

You are the reason that we have achieved so much. And why we won Station of the year, South West in 2009 and were a Sony award nominee finalists for Uk Sttaion of the year.

Now, as we move into the next five years, we’ll continue to build on what we have achieved so far with more attention and effort given to local news coverage and better use of emerging technologies. When we launched the web wasn’t as important as it is now. Radio Scilly now has more Facebook  and Twitter followers than people living on the islands. Who knows what the next move will be for Radio Scilly. But whatever it is, it will showcase the rich amount of talent and creativity here in Scilly and bring that news and information about life in our special place to a larger audience, here and abroad.