Radio Tees
Encyclopedia
Radio Tees was the original name of TFM Radio
, the Independent Local Radio
station broadcasting in North East England
, serving Teesside
and parts of County Durham
and North Yorkshire
.
Broadcasting on 257 metres medium wave from the converted Water Board buildings at 74 Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees
, Radio Tees was launched at 6am on 24 June 1975 by Les Ross
. By the autumn of that year Radio Tees was also broadcasting on 95 VHF, the first radio station in the area to offer the clarity of FM
transmissions.
Marketing itself as 'A Friend Who's Always Near' and 'The Sound of Home', Radio Tees offered unique and distinctive local output with a wide variety of programming and an emphasis on community involvement. Many of its presenters, such as Alastair Pirrie, Mark Page, John Simons
, Mark Matthews and Graham Robb, derive from the local area.
Alongside specialist Soul, Blues
and Country music shows, Radio Tees programmes included the hi-fi show 'Sounds Superb', the motoring
show 'Sidelight' and the holiday
show 'Trains and Boats and Planes' where Radio Tees presenters would travel to destinations around the world and record reports interviewing local people and giving tourist advice and information. Radio Tees was also a presence at many local events, regularly broadcasting from the Cleveland and Darlington Shows, the Teesside Air Show and the Teesside Steel Family Gala. The station often organized its own outside broadcast events as well, many of which took place in John Walker
Square, just off Stockton-on-Tees
High Street. For a few months during 1985 Radio Tees even had its own traffic
'flying eye', a light aircraft
kept at Teesside Airport (now re-named Durham Tees Valley Airport
), from which Graham Robb reported on traffic conditions and which featured daily on John Simons' breakfast show.
One of the best remembered programmes from Radio Tees' 13 year history was Late On, presented by Graham Robb, which ran from 10pm to 1am every weekday evening in 1984. The show featured characters such as Rita the cleaner, Mad Tom the handyman, Ginger Johnson (ex-RAF
) and Superstar Cecil the proprietor of 'The Balloon and Feather' pub.
By the mid-1980s Radio Tees found itself in financial difficulties and in 1986 its parent company, Sound Broadcasting (Teesside) Ltd, was bought by Metropolitan Broadcasting or the Metro Radio group
as it was known as it owned Metro Radio
in Newcastle upon Tyne
. In November 1986 Radio Tees moved its FM frequency to 96.6 in a direct swap with BBC Radio Cleveland
. In 1988 the station was re-branded as TFM in an attempt to provide it with a more modern image. In April 1989 its 257 metres, 1170 kHz medium wave frequency was split and this became Great North Radio
(GNR). In 1992 TFM vacated its old Dovecot Street studios and moved to new, purpose-built studio
s in Thornaby-on-Tees
. In 1998 Metropolitan Broadcasting was taken over by EMAP
; 'TFM' was re-named '96.6 TFM' and brought into EMAP's north of England Independent Local Radio Big City Network
. In 2007, Emap renamed the station from 96.6 TFM, to TFM Radio.
national media
including Mark Page, who briefly worked as a presenter for BBC Radio 1
in the 1980s, Roger Lewis, who was Head of Music at BBC Radio 1
and is now Managing Director of ITV Wales
, and Alex Lester
, who has presented the 3am-6am show on BBC Radio 2
since 1990. Brian Anderson moved to Scotland to oversee programmes at the launch of Moray Firth Radio, and now presents a weekend programme on Aberdeen's Original 106.
John Simons
was instrumental in launching the Century brand of stations and is now award-winning Group Programme Director for GMG Radio
.
It is in the area of news
and sport though, that Radio Tees has appeared on the CV
's of some of the best known and also some of the most powerful figures in the UK broadcasting industry: Peter Bowes (BBC Los Angeles Correspondent), Kim Barnes (BBC Television News reporter), Jeff Stelling
(Sky Sports presenter), Helen Boaden (Director of BBC News) and Mark Mardell
(BBC Europe Editor).
TFM Radio
TFM Radio is a Thornaby-on-Tees based Independent Local Radio station. Launched in June 1975 as Radio Tees, with the callsign "You've got a friend on 257" it was the first independent local radio station serving the area of the Tees Valley with parts of North Yorkshire and County Durham...
, the Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station broadcasting in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
, serving Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
and parts of County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
Broadcasting on 257 metres medium wave from the converted Water Board buildings at 74 Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
, Radio Tees was launched at 6am on 24 June 1975 by Les Ross
Les Ross
Les Ross MBE is a British disc jockey and long established personality in the West Midlands.-Early life and career:...
. By the autumn of that year Radio Tees was also broadcasting on 95 VHF, the first radio station in the area to offer the clarity of 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"...
transmissions.
Marketing itself as 'A Friend Who's Always Near' and 'The Sound of Home', Radio Tees offered unique and distinctive local output with a wide variety of programming and an emphasis on community involvement. Many of its presenters, such as Alastair Pirrie, Mark Page, John Simons
John Simons
John Simons is a British radio executive, the current group programming director for GMG Radio.Simons began his career in 1979, before fronting the Breakfast Show on Radio Tees from 1983 to 1985 , and moving to BBC Radio Nottingham.In 1994 he was invited to be part of the team who launched Century...
, Mark Matthews and Graham Robb, derive from the local area.
Alongside specialist Soul, Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and Country music shows, Radio Tees programmes included the hi-fi show 'Sounds Superb', the motoring
Motoring
Motoring may refer to:* 310 Motoring, an automotive customization garage based in Los Angeles, California* AA Motoring Trust* Best Motoring International, Japanese automobile magazine* Driving* Motoring...
show 'Sidelight' and the holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
show 'Trains and Boats and Planes' where Radio Tees presenters would travel to destinations around the world and record reports interviewing local people and giving tourist advice and information. Radio Tees was also a presence at many local events, regularly broadcasting from the Cleveland and Darlington Shows, the Teesside Air Show and the Teesside Steel Family Gala. The station often organized its own outside broadcast events as well, many of which took place in John Walker
John Walker (inventor)
John Walker was an English chemist who invented the friction match.-Life and work:Walker was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1781. He went to the local grammar school and was afterwards apprenticed to Watson Alcock, the principal surgeon of the town serving him as an assistant-surgeon...
Square, just off Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
High Street. For a few months during 1985 Radio Tees even had its own traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
'flying eye', a light aircraft
Light aircraft
A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a maximum gross take-off weight of or less.Many aircraft used commercially for freight, sightseeing, photography and scheduled flights are light aircraft.Examples of light aircraft include:...
kept at Teesside Airport (now re-named Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
), from which Graham Robb reported on traffic conditions and which featured daily on John Simons' breakfast show.
One of the best remembered programmes from Radio Tees' 13 year history was Late On, presented by Graham Robb, which ran from 10pm to 1am every weekday evening in 1984. The show featured characters such as Rita the cleaner, Mad Tom the handyman, Ginger Johnson (ex-RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
) and Superstar Cecil the proprietor of 'The Balloon and Feather' pub.
By the mid-1980s Radio Tees found itself in financial difficulties and in 1986 its parent company, Sound Broadcasting (Teesside) Ltd, was bought by Metropolitan Broadcasting or 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...
as it was known as it owned Metro Radio
Metro Radio
Metro Radio is an independent local radio station based in Newcastle upon Tyne and broadcasting to Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland. The station's output is principally contemporary pop and dance music...
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. In November 1986 Radio Tees moved its FM frequency to 96.6 in a direct swap with BBC Radio Cleveland
BBC Radio Cleveland
BBC Tees is the BBC Local Radio service for the English areas of Teesside, County Durham and some of North Yorkshire. It broadcasts from its studios in Middlesbrough on 95.0 and 95.8 FM.-BBC Radio Teeside :...
. In 1988 the station was re-branded as TFM in an attempt to provide it with a more modern image. In April 1989 its 257 metres, 1170 kHz medium wave frequency was split and this became Great North Radio
Great North Radio
Great 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:...
(GNR). In 1992 TFM vacated its old Dovecot Street studios and moved to new, purpose-built 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 in Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees, three miles southeast of Stockton-on-Tees, and four miles southwest of Middlesbrough town centre and has a...
. In 1998 Metropolitan Broadcasting was taken over by EMAP
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
; 'TFM' was re-named '96.6 TFM' and brought into EMAP's north of England Independent Local Radio Big City Network
Big City Network
Bauer Place & Bauer Passion are the names given to two radio networks owned and operated by Bauer Radio. Place incorporates 36 local radio stations in Northern & southern England and Scotland while Passion incorporates six national or semi-national music genre stations.The main rival networks are...
. In 2007, Emap renamed the station from 96.6 TFM, to TFM Radio.
Presenters subsequent successes
Some former Radio Tees presenters have gone on to work in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
including Mark Page, who briefly worked as a presenter for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in the 1980s, Roger Lewis, who was Head of Music at BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and is now Managing Director of ITV Wales
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
, and Alex Lester
Alex Lester
Alex Lester is a British broadcaster. He presents the weekday overnight/early-morning programme on BBC Radio 2...
, who has presented the 3am-6am show on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
since 1990. Brian Anderson moved to Scotland to oversee programmes at the launch of Moray Firth Radio, and now presents a weekend programme on Aberdeen's Original 106.
John Simons
John Simons
John Simons is a British radio executive, the current group programming director for GMG Radio.Simons began his career in 1979, before fronting the Breakfast Show on Radio Tees from 1983 to 1985 , and moving to BBC Radio Nottingham.In 1994 he was invited to be part of the team who launched Century...
was instrumental in launching the Century brand of stations and is now award-winning Group Programme Director for GMG Radio
GMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
.
It is in the area of news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
and sport though, that Radio Tees has appeared on the CV
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
's of some of the best known and also some of the most powerful figures in the UK broadcasting industry: Peter Bowes (BBC Los Angeles Correspondent), Kim Barnes (BBC Television News reporter), Jeff Stelling
Jeff Stelling
Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Stelling is an English sports journalist and sport television presenter, of Gillette Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports and other programming for the satellite broadcaster. In January 2009 he took over as host of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown...
(Sky Sports presenter), Helen Boaden (Director of BBC News) and Mark Mardell
Mark Mardell
Mark Mardell is the North American Editor for BBC News. He has provided coverage for each United Kingdom general election since 1992.-Education:...
(BBC Europe Editor).