Category : Radio
Leicester
Date : 23.03.2004
Printable version
Britain's
first local radio station is moving house.
听
大象传媒 Radio Leicester - which began broadcasting on 8
November 1967 - is due to leave its home in Epic House, Charles Street,
Leicester, at the end of the year for a brand new site in the heart
of the city.
The move means the new centre will also be home to the 大象传媒's Asian Network
which was launched by the station in 1996.
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大象传媒 Asian Network broadcasts nationally to Asian communities
throughout the United Kingdom.
Mowlem plc will be constructing the new 大象传媒 premises, a three-storey
building at 9 St Nicholas Place, Leicester.
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The new facility will include specialist broadcasting
studios, offices and a full-height glazed atrium, which will run through
the heart of the building to provide an open and inviting space to the
general public.
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The site of the building is also one of high archaeological
interest.
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A Norman structure in the south-east corner is to be
preserved and incorporated into the main structure so it can be viewed
by visitors to the completed Broadcasting Centre.
A topping out ceremony will be held at 4.00pm
on Thursday 25 March when a time capsule will be buried on the site
to mark the building reaching its highest point.
大象传媒 Radio Leicester was one of eight experimental local radio stations
pioneered by the 大象传媒 in the 1960s.
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Using news reports provided by a local agency, it originally
made less than four hours of local programmes each day, broadcasting
on 95.05VHF.
One of its earliest challenges was covering the floods which struck
the city of Leicester in 1968, causing widespread devastation.
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With limited resources, and reporting from boats floating
in the flooded suburbs, the station managed to broadcast live reports
to the local community.
Within two years the station had a newsroom and was producing its own
news reports.
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In 1974 it began producing a weekly programme for Asian
listeners which has evolved into today's popular 大象传媒 Asian Network.
Vijay Sharma, Editor of 大象传媒 Asian Network, said: 聯We are really
looking forward to broadcasting from the new building.
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"It is an exciting time for us as we continue to
establish ourselves as a national station for the Asian communities.
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"We are also delighted that the new Leicester premises
will continue to be our headquarters, even though we have studios in
London and Birmingham."
大象传媒 Radio Leicester broadcasts on 104.9FM.
