Aircheck Radio Museum
Trent Page 1
LAST UPDATED: 01/12/2002
Tuesday 3rd March 1987 - Derbyshire & East Staffordshire UK - 6:00am: Already established in the neighbouring county of Nottinghamshire since the mid 1970s, and after test transmissions were switched off, Radio Trent 945 was launched by His Grace, The Duke Of Devonshire and the Breakfast Show was presented by Andy Marriott. The archives have been trawled, and here, over four glorious pages, are some absolute gems from the glorious days of Trent 945 / 102.8. Enjoy - we certainly did!
THE RADIO TRENT GROUP - click the logo or here for station logos
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(EDITED IMAGE) Radio Trent 945 compliment slip: The only reason I can think I've got this is because, one day back in around 1987/1988, I actually telephoned the station's 'newshound' line to report something I thought was newsworthy. I got a Radio Trent 945 pen for my trouble, and they sent the slip with it! See below. Note the referral to the old telephone dialing code, the referral to the frequency in Metres Medium Wave (317) and 'vhf FM Stereo', never done nowadays, and the referral to the Nottingham HQ for, of all things, TELEX!
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You can tell this is an original press cutting because of it's faded newsprint tan colour, but, back in my naive days and when the paper was white, because the press cutting featured the logo with hollowed out, white 'rt's across the top, I thought I'd colour them in with a blue felt tip!!!! But when I realised what a bloody mess I'd made of it, I decided to bodge it and scarper, i.e. stick one of a stash of 945 stickers over it. This image has been enhanced using modern technology, (bitmap) to also get rid off red felt tip where the black lines are surrounding the 'ON THE AIR FROM DERBY MARCH 3' text and under the sticker. I still have the original press cutting in all it's mess, but this enhanced image almost makes me feel I didn't make such a mess of it back in 1987! In respect of this item, no one ever mentioned the PEAK long after the launch, but back then, Trent 945 really was designed to cover the entire county because there wasn't any other commercial stations until you got to Sheffield. Still, this was how Radio Trent 945 was promoted in the local press pre-launch.
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Ah..more nostalgia, turfed out of the loft in late November 2002. Here's a selection of badges scanned for presentation on line. I certainly was in Rob Wagstaff's Nightlife gang so I guess I must have entered a competition back in the late 80s - I can imagine where the 945 badge came from but the third one? Haven't a clue I'm afraid. It's kind of out of place on this Trent Derbyshire page, but who cares? It's a right old rarity we're proud to bring you on AIRCHECK!
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Getting seriously sad now I'm afraid...desperately! I can't remember what I must've rung up about,I think I'd seen a road accident somewhere, but anyway, they were always harping on on-air about ringing in on Derby 291919 with news stories to be a Trent 945 Newshound. So I rang and left a message on the Newshound line - and got a Radio Trent 945 Newshound Pen! It never did work but I was hardly going to use it now was I? This is about the best I could rather anorakingly scan it! Still, if it brings back a memory for you, then it was worthwhile!
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The IBA/RA legislative requirement to split frequencies or lose them led to re-branding of the FM station from December 1988 with the 'Radio' being dropped & the adding of 'FM', today's traditional norm. Here's another sticker from around that time.
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Press cutting from January/February 1990. The text reads "- our best figures ever and a great third birthday present." says jubilant Managing Director Chris Hughes. Independent audience research just published proves that Radio Trent has shown a remarkable 38% growth in listeners since it's last survey in Spring 1989 with 47% of the population now listening every week. Managing Director Chris Hughes says "The decision to broadcast two twentyfour hour a day services - TRENT FM and GEM-AM - from the end of 1988 is now paying dividends with both services increasing their audiences to give Radio Trent it's best ever listening figures. We celebrate our third birthday on 3rd of March and this is an early but very welcome present. In just three years we've become the county's premier local service and we are proud of it! An extra 89,000 listeners a week can't be wrong - we're providing the radio and the choice people clearly want." The survey was carried out during October, November and December 1989 by Research Surveys of Great Britain to *JICRAR specifications. (*JICRAR: Joint Independent Committee for Radio Audience Research.) Did anyone in 'Joe Public' actually understand this advertisement in local press? No wonder you don't see this kind of thing nowadays. Still, I appreciated it!
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Here's a recent addition to the site following a 'find' during a tidy up! I don't know how I got hold of this, and certainly didn't photocopy it myself. One thing I can tell you about it's origins is that whoever supplied it to me all those years ago wrote on it 'Not from DET' meaning that it wasn't taken from the Derby Evening Telegraph. This would only then suggest it was taken from the Nottingham Evening post. The article can be dated from 1995 and is the earliest reference that GWR had any intention of doing anything with GEM post acquisition. In the face of a fierce retaliation from opposing parties, (and obviously from the local press from this item) it was not for some time after this article was published that severe changes were made and even then, any such changes were made overtime so as to minimise any possible adverse reaction maybe? Note the final paragraph about RAM-FM showing poor results post relaunch.
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