The new NEW Central West and BBC Midlands thread

Central has reverted back again to single headed presentation this week. I presume it’s because Bob might be shielding, although he was still in the studio a few times last week. Des was confirmed to be shielding from last Monday.

However Fred at Meridian still seems to be in the studio. Therefore I’m not entirely sure that’s what has prompted this change.

Temporary radio station starting in Wolverhampton (splitting off from WM)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e5vfbp

I didn’t realise the BBC had a studio in Wolves?

They have a studio at Newhampton Arts Centre.

Newhampton Arts Centre according to wikipedia - a contribution studio for BBC WM, like Coventry had before they brought CWR back.

With this lovely, faded, 1997 vintage sign https://www.google.com/maps/@52.5908301,-2.134912,3a,28y,13.76h,84.33t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stjXdR4JZ9gpC-AyHDTBjwQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

EDIT: from looking at the building, it's probably listed, but it looks very badly maintained. Wonder what the studio looks like inside

If it's anything like the 'studio' BBC CWR had at Leamington Spa's library, it'll be a ISDN terminal unit, and a table and chair.

There is also a Radio Sunderland opting out of Newcastle.
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2021/01/bbc-radio-wolverhampton-and-sunderland-details/


Radio Bradford is using a studio in Leeds, so don't necessarily expect them to be using the studio you mention if it's not fully equipped!

Yes I wouldn't assume that the presenters will be in Wolverhampton. These stations have been set up at fairly short notice and although local radio is 'virtualised' it would still take a bit longer than it has done, especially in the current situation. Radio Bradford took 20 days from announcement to on air, which is fairly impressive

Radio Bradford is using Radio Leeds' second studio so it's presumably the same with the others. Though I wonder what happens if the studio that Leeds are using develops a fault and they need to decamp to the other one - presumably the original station gets priority?

Although there are other radio studios at Birmingham - for Asian Network and also presumably some old former network radio ones, so maybe Wolverhampton are using them

Leeds has three fully-equipped studios, so it wouldn’t be a problem. When Radio York had a major refit about 10 years ago, they broadcast from Leeds’ third studio for eight months without any major issues.

Do Leeds still have three? I wondered if the deployment of Vilor might have seen that rationalised to the standard two.

It may not still be the case that Leeds still has three. The ViLoR template was two studios for each station and I think that was applied fairly rigourously. If they are using the second studio in each parent site for these pop up stations then that does reduce resilience almost completely, though I imagine if there is a failure the first thing to go would be the pop up station to maintain the main.

Ah - to be fair I worked there pre-ViLoR, so yes, that may have changed.

I presume if Radio Bradford becomes a permanent thing though, that they’ll make full provision for it.