Yorkshire Radio Network
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Yorkshire Radio
.
The Yorkshire Radio Network was a group of three radio stations which shared programmes in the evening and at weekends. YRN was made-up of Pennine Radio
in Bradford
, Viking Radio
in Hull
and Radio Hallam
in Sheffield
.
The company came about when Radio Hallam merged with Pennine Radio and later took over Viking Radio in 1987 http://www.keithskues.co.uk/biography.htm.
In 1989 all of the three radio stations medium wave frequencies were used to form a new service called Classic Gold
. YRN was bought by the Metro Radio group
and as Pennine was making a loss they decided to re-name it. The Pulse of West Yorkshire
was born http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/The_Pulse, the station was later sold off.
For a while YRN used the overnight sustaining service "The Superstation
" .
networked programming across the stations each evening broadcast from Viking Radio's studio
's at Commercial Road in Hull
. The programmes would mostly start after 8pm weekdays and slightly earlier over weekends.
Ad-breaks were not split so it was not unusual to hear promo
s for Viking whilst you were listening to either Hallam or Pennine. However, both "Benny Brown's American Countdown" and "Rick Dees
Weekly Top-40" programmes where bought in and played-out locally by each station, so the commercials were also played separately by the tech-ops at each individual station.
Tim Finlay would often say "we're on more frequencies than you've had hot dinners!", those frequencies before the AM
/FM
split we are actually: 96.1, 96.9, 97.4, 97.5, 102.5, 102.9, 103.2 and 103.4 MHz and 990, 1161, 1278, 1305, 1530 and 1548 kHz.
For a short-time Howard Pressman presented a Weekend afternoon show on the network
. However, there was no reference to which station it was on other than in the jingles, which were only ever played after the ad-break and fired at each individual station.
was sung with different endings to ensure each station was fairly represented, for example:
This was a remarkably democratic process and was not present with previous packages. The older jingles would either sing "Yorkshire Radio Network" thus, not naming any station at all, or the order of the stations would be "Viking, Pennine and Hallam" this being unfair to Hallam, which was always last.
Each YRN cut was also sung for each individual station with the same melody. This was to ensure one identity throughout each station regardless of the time of day, for example:
The memorable YRN news jingle was re-produced several times, however the tune
remained the same. This jingle was used on the individual stations. It was formed using the melody used at the start of that of 'Viking Radio' (also that of 'Pennine Radio'), and the end of that of 'Radio Hallam'.
Some of the earlier jingles were sung by soul
singer Jimmy Helms
. Helms later went on to form the group Londonbeat
, they were regular guests on Tim Finlay's evening show, and they even sang him a jingle to the tune of their hit "Failing in love again".
All of the packages were created and written by British jingle production company Alfasound
, with the final package being a co-production with United States Company JAM Creative Productions
. The YRN 4 jingle package used resings of "Non-Stop Power" - originally created for New York radio station WPLJ
.
Yorkshire Radio
Yorkshire Radio is a British digital radio station broadcasting to Yorkshire on DAB. The station is owned by Leeds United A.F.C. and broadcasts live coverage of all first-team games, plus pop music from the 1960s to the present day.-History:...
.
The Yorkshire Radio Network was a group of three radio stations which shared programmes in the evening and at weekends. YRN was made-up of Pennine Radio
Pennine Radio
Pennine Radio may refer to:* Pennine Radio Limited an electronics company in Huddersfield.* Pennine Radio - Former radio station in West Yorkshire, based in Bradford ....
in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Viking Radio
96.9 Viking FM
96.9 Viking FM is an English Independent Local Radio station which has broadcast music and local information to the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire since 1984. It is based in Kingston upon Hull...
in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and Radio Hallam
Hallam FM
Hallam FM is an independent local radio station serving South Yorkshire and the North Midlands from studios in Sheffield. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's Place Network of stations.-History:...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
History
YRN was based in Sheffield at Radio Hallam http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/Yorkshire_Radio_Network, although all of the live programmes came from Studio 2 at Viking Radio in Hull http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=567916&page=2.The company came about when Radio Hallam merged with Pennine Radio and later took over Viking Radio in 1987 http://www.keithskues.co.uk/biography.htm.
In 1989 all of the three radio stations medium wave frequencies were used to form a new service called Classic Gold
Classic Gold
Classic Gold was a network of three "Gold" music formatted stations which broadcast on AM in Bradford, Hull and Sheffield. They were the Pennine Radio, Viking Radio and Radio Hallam's medium wave franchises...
. YRN was bought by the Metro Radio group
Metro Radio group
Metropolitan Broadcasting or the Metro Radio Group as it was more commonly known, was a group of Independent Local Radio stations in North East of England.-History:The group originally consisted of:* Metro FM...
and as Pennine was making a loss they decided to re-name it. The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse of West Yorkshire
The Pulse is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale areas of West Yorkshire. The station was originally known as Pennine Radio...
was born http://www.mediauk.com/the_knowledge/i.muk/The_Pulse, the station was later sold off.
For a while YRN used the overnight sustaining service "The Superstation
The Superstation
The Superstation was set up as an over-night sustaining service for Independent Local Radio...
" .
Programming
There was liveLive radio
Live radio is radio broadcast without delay. Before the days of television, audiences listened to live dramas, comedies, quiz shows, and concerts on the radio much the same way that they now do on TV. Most talk radio is live radio where people can speak about their opinions/lives....
networked programming across the stations each evening broadcast from Viking Radio's studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
's at Commercial Road in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. The programmes would mostly start after 8pm weekdays and slightly earlier over weekends.
Ad-breaks were not split so it was not unusual to hear promo
Promo
Promo may refer to:*Promotion , one of the four aspects of marketing*Promotional music videos, such as those played on MTV*Promotional recording, a recording distributed free in order to promote a commercial recording...
s for Viking whilst you were listening to either Hallam or Pennine. However, both "Benny Brown's American Countdown" and "Rick Dees
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
Weekly Top-40" programmes where bought in and played-out locally by each station, so the commercials were also played separately by the tech-ops at each individual station.
Tim Finlay would often say "we're on more frequencies than you've had hot dinners!", those frequencies before the AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
/FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
split we are actually: 96.1, 96.9, 97.4, 97.5, 102.5, 102.9, 103.2 and 103.4 MHz and 990, 1161, 1278, 1305, 1530 and 1548 kHz.
For a short-time Howard Pressman presented a Weekend afternoon show on the network
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
. However, there was no reference to which station it was on other than in the jingles, which were only ever played after the ad-break and fired at each individual station.
Jingles
Each jingleJingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
was sung with different endings to ensure each station was fairly represented, for example:
- "Latest hits, Greatest hits, Pennine, Hallam and Viking".
- "Every hour there's more music power, on Viking, Hallam and Pennine".
- "Where with you all the time, Pennine, Hallam and Viking".
- "Upfront, In front, Hallam, Pennine and Viking".
This was a remarkably democratic process and was not present with previous packages. The older jingles would either sing "Yorkshire Radio Network" thus, not naming any station at all, or the order of the stations would be "Viking, Pennine and Hallam" this being unfair to Hallam, which was always last.
Each YRN cut was also sung for each individual station with the same melody. This was to ensure one identity throughout each station regardless of the time of day, for example:
- "Every hour there's more music power, on Viking F.M".
- "Every hour there's more music power, on Pennine F.M".
- "Every hour there's more music power, on Hallam F.M".
The memorable YRN news jingle was re-produced several times, however the tune
Tune
Tune may refer to:* A melody* A tune-family* A tune , a short piece of instrumental music, usually with repeating sections, and often played a number of times* British slang term, often said when referring to a piece of music that is enjoyed...
remained the same. This jingle was used on the individual stations. It was formed using the melody used at the start of that of 'Viking Radio' (also that of 'Pennine Radio'), and the end of that of 'Radio Hallam'.
Some of the earlier jingles were sung by soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Jimmy Helms
Jimmy Helms
James H. Helms is an American soul singer.-Early days:Helms' first release "Ragtime Girl" was put out on Pye Records in 1963...
. Helms later went on to form the group Londonbeat
Londonbeat
Londonbeat was originally a UK and American R&B and Dance band who scored a number of pop and dance hits in the early 1990s.-History:Londonbeat's career started in the Netherlands where "There's a Beat Going On" reached the Top 10, and then "9 A.M " which subsequently became a modest success in the...
, they were regular guests on Tim Finlay's evening show, and they even sang him a jingle to the tune of their hit "Failing in love again".
All of the packages were created and written by British jingle production company Alfasound
Alfasound
Alfasound was a radio jingle production company based in Manchester from late 1970s to mid 1990s founded by Alan Fawkes and ex-Piccadilly Radio DJ Steve England....
, with the final package being a co-production with United States Company JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions
JAM Creative Productions, Inc., is an American company that produces radio jingles, promo music for television, and commercial jingles for advertisers. It has made more radio jingles than any other jingle company and has become part of American pop culture....
. The YRN 4 jingle package used resings of "Non-Stop Power" - originally created for New York radio station WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
.
Former presenters: Where are they now?
- Tim Finlay (performing in a functions band called "Midlife Crisis" http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=486503&highlight=Tim+Finlay
- Diana LukeDiana LukeDiana Luke is a Canadian-born radio presenter and hynotherapist who grew up in Toronto, Ontario and works in the UK.-Radio:Luke has worked for many radio stations across the country. Her radio career started on Viking Radio in Kingston-upon-Hull in 1987, where she was their first female presenter....
(now at BBC Radio SheffieldBBC Radio SheffieldBBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
). - Steve Tong (after a name change to 'Steve Phillips' he moved to Great North RadioGreat North RadioGreat North Radio or G.N.R as it was sometimes called was formed in March 1989 using the AM frequencies of Metro Radio and Radio Tees . This happened after the Metro Radio group decided to split the FM and AM frequencies up.-Programming:...
, then Alpha 103.2Alpha 103.2103.2 Alpha Radio was an Independent Local Radio station based in Darlington, County Durham, England.-History:...
). - James Watt (BBC Tees, KCFMKCFMKCFM is an independent local radio station based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. This new licence was advertised by Ofcom in 2006. It is owned by the Lincs FM Group-Background:...
, now at Minster FMMinster FMMinster FM is an independent commercial local radio station based in Dunnington near York, Yorkshire, England and covering the city of York and surrounding areas...
). - Allis Moss (last heard at BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
). - James Hilton.
- Howard PressmanHoward PressmanHoward Pressman is a Radio presenter based in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England.Pressman presented Drivetime on Hallam FM for many years before moving to AM sister station Magic AM. He now presents on three BBC stations in Yorkshire, BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Radio Humberside & BBC Radio...
(now at BBC Radio SheffieldBBC Radio SheffieldBBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC Local Radio service for English metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. This includes the city of Sheffield, plus Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Chesterfield and surrounding areas. It was the BBC local radio station, beginning on 15 November 1967...
and BBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio LeedsBBC Radio Leeds is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of West Yorkshire.- Frequencies :It broadcasts from its studios at St...
). - Freddie Allen http://www.freddieallen.com/about.html.
- Les Smith (now at Compass FMCompass FMCompass FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from Lincs FM in Lincoln. The station serves Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes and is part of the Lincs FM Group. It's strap line is 'The Music You Love'.-Format:...
in GrimsbyGrimsbyGrimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
). - Paul Massey (last heard on KCFM in Hull).
- Keith SkuesKeith SkuesKeith Skues MBE is a British radio personality. He is nicknamed "Cardboard Shoes".Skues was born in Timperley, Cheshire. His broadcasting career began on the British Forces Network in Cologne, Germany in 1958. This was followed by overseas tours to Kuwait, Kenya and Aden...
(now at BBC Radio NorfolkBBC Radio NorfolkBBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Norfolk, broadcasting since 11 September 1980. It broadcasts from the studios of BBC East in The Forum, Norwich on 95.1 FM , 104.4 FM , 95.6 FM , 855 kHz AM/MW , 873 kHz AM/MW BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local...
http://www.keithskues.co.uk/biography.htm). - Tim Jibson (former Programme Manager for KCFM).
- Bruce Edwards (last heard on BBC Tees http://www.bbc.co.uk/tees/content/articles/2006/01/16/presenter_profile_bruce_edwards_feature.shtml).
- Martin Lee (last heard on 97.4 Gold RadioVale FMVale FM was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcasted to the Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase, from Shaftesbury, Dorset, in southern England.-Background:...
).
External links
- Jingle package 2 for YRN
- Promo, jingle feat. Jimmy Helms and Paul Massey!
- Tim Finlay links
- YRN News jingle from package 1