Walsall Hospital Radio
Encyclopedia
Upon joining Walsall Hospital Radio, new volunteers interested in presenting are initially placed with the station's Training Officer who teaches them the basics of operating the mixing desk. Items on the syllabus include how to properly cue tracks, how to use the computer playout system and how to configure the studio patch board. Once the new volunteers are confident in the studio they are then assigned to a presenter and sit in on his/her show for 3–4 weeks as an observer. The final stage of the training process involves making a demo tape of an off-air show which if reviewed by either the Training Officer or the Programme Manager. Providing that the demo tape is acceptable, the new volunteer is then able to take up a show of their own.
Shows are presented either solo of with up to two co-presenters. Both studios are connected to internal phone lines allowing patients to phone in direct to interact with live shows, for example to make requests or dedications. The phone lines are integrated with the mixing console meaning that callers can be put on air. DJs are able to bring in their own records or can make use of the station's record library and computer system, the library being especially useful for locating older albums and songs. Audio can be played from many different sources including CD, MiniDisc cassette, Vinyl and from portable digital devices via a radio transmitter adapter tuned into the mixing desk's receiver.
Administration can include tasks such as responding to correspondence, updating the record library, recruitment, walking the wards to collect requests, maintenance and training. The task of station administration is generally spread out across the volunteer staff, although some members take special responsibility for jobs requiring specific knowledge such as studio maintenance, the website etc.
As the station is normally unmanned during daytime in the working week, checking for, and responding to, answer phone messages is an important job and will be done at least twice a week. Post is also read and acted upon as required with special items such as bills being forwarded on to the appropriate person at the station. In addition to post and telephone correspondence, volunteers will also check for new emails. This is done as regularly as possible because new volunteers often first approach the station via email.
Studio maintenance tasks include updating the station’s digital record library and taking care of any problems with the broadcasting facilities. Volunteers can use specialist programmes installed on the station’s computers to import music from CDs or to download it from the internet and then add it to the existing record library. Routine maintenance usually involves replacing blown bulbs, debugging
networking
, configuring wiring etc.
A volunteer committee is responsible for WHR's day to day activities and meets on a casual basis. A station AGM
for all volunteer staff is held once a year, usually in January. The following table details the role of each WHR Committee position -
is an especially important role. Volunteers both arrange and take part in regular fundraising events for the station. Frequently employed fundraising methods include –
Walsall Hospital Radio receives no funding from either Manor Hospital or Walsall PCT. Instead, money is raised by volunteers through a number of different activities and occasional charitable grants.
Regular fundraisers held to support the station include table top sales in the hospital’s entrance lobby, broadcast marathons, beer & skittle evenings, and tin shakes out in Walsall town centre. In addition to these campaigns, the station also generates some revenue in the form of donations through its official website.
In recent years the station has benefited from charitable grants from institutions including the National Lottery
’s ‘Awards for All’ scheme, Walsall CVS and from funding from local businesses.
Money is required to cover costs including routine studio maintenance, utility bills and broadcasting licences. WHR’s operating costs for the year 2007 were approximately £3140.
Walsall Hospital Radio currently has two studios, a record library and a computer room.
The main studio, Studio 1, is equipped with twin Citronic CD
players, twin Denon
cassette deck
s, two Technics record
turntables
, three Sony
MiniDisc
players, a computer playout system, a Sherwood radio tuner and a Broadcast Series EELA SBM mixing desk. There are three microphones connected to the mixing desk and seating for three. The studio also has a television mounted on the ceiling, used primarily for accessing weather reports through Teletext
.
Studio 2 is a backup studio, normally used only if there is a technical problem with Studio 1. It has a smaller Partridge Electronics mixing desk suitable for one person and is equipped with twin Denon
CD players, JVC
cassette decks, Sony
Minidisc players and a Technisc turntable. Studio 2 also houses two computer servers on which the bulk of the station’s digital music library is held.
There are three computers in the studio’s computer room, one being a modern flat screen model and the other two being significantly older. They have access to a printer and share a single 56K dial up internet connection.
Walsall Hospital Radio’s physical record library holds both vinyl LPs and CDs with the collection being fully indexed. Some of the equipment required for broadcast inside the hospital is also located in the record library, which is next door to Studio 1.
. Part of the plans for redevelopment include knocking down St. John’s Wing, currently home to the WHR studios. Space for new studios has been reserved in the Maternity Wing and a move is expected in late 2010. Studio plans
for the new studio suggest that the station’s new premises will be more spacious than at present and possibly better equipped.
Shows are presented either solo of with up to two co-presenters. Both studios are connected to internal phone lines allowing patients to phone in direct to interact with live shows, for example to make requests or dedications. The phone lines are integrated with the mixing console meaning that callers can be put on air. DJs are able to bring in their own records or can make use of the station's record library and computer system, the library being especially useful for locating older albums and songs. Audio can be played from many different sources including CD, MiniDisc cassette, Vinyl and from portable digital devices via a radio transmitter adapter tuned into the mixing desk's receiver.
Station Administration
As the station is normally unmanned during daytime in the working week, checking for, and responding to, answer phone messages is an important job and will be done at least twice a week. Post is also read and acted upon as required with special items such as bills being forwarded on to the appropriate person at the station. In addition to post and telephone correspondence, volunteers will also check for new emails. This is done as regularly as possible because new volunteers often first approach the station via email.
Studio maintenance tasks include updating the station’s digital record library and taking care of any problems with the broadcasting facilities. Volunteers can use specialist programmes installed on the station’s computers to import music from CDs or to download it from the internet and then add it to the existing record library. Routine maintenance usually involves replacing blown bulbs, debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
networking
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
, configuring wiring etc.
A volunteer committee is responsible for WHR's day to day activities and meets on a casual basis. A station AGM
Annual general meeting
An annual general meeting is a meeting that official bodies, and associations involving the public , are often required by law to hold...
for all volunteer staff is held once a year, usually in January. The following table details the role of each WHR Committee position -
| Photo | Role & Details |
|---|---|
 |
Chairman - The Chairman is in overall charge of the Committee. The Chairman leads committee meetings and AGMs. |
| |
Programme Manager - The Programme Manager has overall responsibility for the station's broadcast content. He/she organises scheduling and arranges fundraising events. |
| |
Secretary - The Secretary is responsible for the administration of the station. |
| |
Treasurer - The Treasurer looks after the station's finances and makes sure that station money is spent appropriately. |
| |
Human Resources Officer - The HR Officer is responsible for staffing issues including volunteer welfare and legal compliance. |
| |
Training Officer - The Training Officer ensures that new volunteers to the station are trained to the standard sufficient to carry out their duties e.g. presenting, fund raising. He/she will also undertake the arrangement of refresher courses, new equipment tutorials etc. |
Fundraising
As Walsall Hospital Radio is not funded by Manor Hospital, fundraisingFundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
is an especially important role. Volunteers both arrange and take part in regular fundraising events for the station. Frequently employed fundraising methods include –
- Table Top Sales – These are held in the hospital’s entrance foyer and involve station volunteers selling items donated to the station. Bric-a-bracBric-a-bracBric-à-brac , first used in the Victorian era, refers to collections of curios such as elaborately decorated teacups and small vases, feathers, wax flowers under glass domes, eggshells, statuettes, painted miniatures or photographs, and so on...
style items such as videos, books and ornaments are commonly found on the table and are priced according to their condition. Sales last for the duration of an afternoon, usually during visiting hours and raise between £30-60. - Tin Shakes – Station volunteers take donation tins out into the centre of Walsall and encourage members of the public to make contributions. Tin Shakes are seen as useful because they help raise awareness of the station’s cause, although they can be tricky to arrange requiring permission from the town council several weeks in advance.
- Broadcast Marathons – The station holds ‘broadcast marathons’ either once or twice annually. They work by volunteers collecting sponsorship to take part in an extended broadcast spanning 48 hours with the aim to span the denoted period unbroken. The most recent broadcast marathon, held in late 2007, raised approximately £450.
Station Funding
Regular fundraisers held to support the station include table top sales in the hospital’s entrance lobby, broadcast marathons, beer & skittle evenings, and tin shakes out in Walsall town centre. In addition to these campaigns, the station also generates some revenue in the form of donations through its official website.
In recent years the station has benefited from charitable grants from institutions including the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
’s ‘Awards for All’ scheme, Walsall CVS and from funding from local businesses.
Money is required to cover costs including routine studio maintenance, utility bills and broadcasting licences. WHR’s operating costs for the year 2007 were approximately £3140.
Equipment
The main studio, Studio 1, is equipped with twin Citronic CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
players, twin Denon
Denon
is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...
cassette deck
Cassette deck
A cassette deck is a type of tape recorder for playing or recording audio compact cassettes. A deck was formerly distinguished from a recorder as being part of a stereo component system, while a recorder had a self-contained power amplifier...
s, two Technics record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
turntables
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, three Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
MiniDisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
players, a computer playout system, a Sherwood radio tuner and a Broadcast Series EELA SBM mixing desk. There are three microphones connected to the mixing desk and seating for three. The studio also has a television mounted on the ceiling, used primarily for accessing weather reports through Teletext
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
.
Studio 2 is a backup studio, normally used only if there is a technical problem with Studio 1. It has a smaller Partridge Electronics mixing desk suitable for one person and is equipped with twin Denon
Denon
is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon...
CD players, JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
cassette decks, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Minidisc players and a Technisc turntable. Studio 2 also houses two computer servers on which the bulk of the station’s digital music library is held.
There are three computers in the studio’s computer room, one being a modern flat screen model and the other two being significantly older. They have access to a printer and share a single 56K dial up internet connection.
Walsall Hospital Radio’s physical record library holds both vinyl LPs and CDs with the collection being fully indexed. Some of the equipment required for broadcast inside the hospital is also located in the record library, which is next door to Studio 1.
Future plans
Walsall Manor Hospital is currently in the midst of an extensive redevelopment programme being carried out by construction company SkanskaSkanska
Skanska AB, is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna, north of Stockholm.-History:...
. Part of the plans for redevelopment include knocking down St. John’s Wing, currently home to the WHR studios. Space for new studios has been reserved in the Maternity Wing and a move is expected in late 2010. Studio plans
Blueprint
A blueprint is a type of paper-based reproduction usually of a technical drawing, documenting an architecture or an engineering design. More generally, the term "blueprint" has come to be used to refer to any detailed plan....
for the new studio suggest that the station’s new premises will be more spacious than at present and possibly better equipped.