Happy Birthday 4 Legs Radio

Contributing to the community was one of the objectives Chris set himself when he took early retirement in June 2016. Little did he know that less than 3 years later he would be the driving force behind a thriving local radio station celebrating its first birthday.

“I have always been fascinated by radio” said Chris, “In the true sense of the word it gives the local community a voice which is something not always possible with the other forms of media vying  for our attention today. The spoken word has so much more depth, meaning and feeling than a tweet or a post.”

Having no experience in broadcasting did not dampen Chris’ ambitions however he soon realised that running a live radio station would need more than just enthusiasm. Chris recalls, “When you have a live audience listening to your station not only does the content of the shows have to be appealing but the technology also has to work – all the time! This is where we had a few hiccoughs in our first year of operation. Once we lost power to the studio and I felt truly helpless knowing that 4Legs Radio was off the air and there was nothing I could do. We learnt our lesson and now have backup power and more reliable systems however it is still nerve racking knowing that the majority of our output is live.

Before launching the station, Chris discussed the concept of a community radio  station with Julian Swift-Hook the station manager at Kennet Radio, which also started small and is now broadcasting on 106.7 FM to Newbury and Thatcham. “I volunteered at Kennet Radio and started to learn fast how to put a show together and some of the do’s and don’ts of radio. There so much more to it than just a microphone” said Chris, “and I am eternally thankful to Jeremy Sharpe and Tony Hiller for showing me the ropes.”

A highlight of the last year has been the tremendously positive feedback and support 4 Legs Radio has received from listeners, presenters and the community at large. “We are all volunteers and it has been wonderful to realise that the output we produce is really appreciated.” said Chris. 4 Legs Radio has interviewed many personalities throughout the year, some of whom would otherwise not be heard. “Everyone has a story to tell, you just need to give them a time and a place to tell it and we are that place.” 4 Legs Radio has hundreds of live listeners as well as many hundreds more who use the station’s website to listen to the shows in replay mode. “We aim to serve the whole community from young to old. Some of our most memorable moments have been when we broadcast from the local primary school as well as interviewing the older residents reminiscing about life in the Lambourn valley in times gone by.”

The station is far from a one-man band, in fact there are 9 other presenters who have joined the team in a voluntary capacity to offer their skills, experience and financial support. Recently Pete Brady joined 4 Legs Radio bringing with him a long and distinguished career with BBC Radio 1 and TV. “It is a real team effort and everyone is contributing. Of course, that includes the many guests who have appeared on the shows since we launched. Without them we would be playing discs which is not our intention. We are about local content for the local community.”

The plans for the next year are ambitious. “We would like to extend the number of hours we are broadcasting not only on Fridays but we are also considering Saturday morning slots. We also need to move to a new studio; what worked well when we started is now bursting at the seams as we create more shows and broadcast more output. All this means that we need to place the station on a more formal footing and we will be applying for CIO status (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) soon with the intention to attract more sponsorship to help us cover the running costs of the station.”

“Retired with my feet up? definitely not,  I am as busy as I ever was with plans and dreams about how local radio can become the communication medium for the community by the community.” remarked Chris as he dashed off to the studio.