Swansea Sound in 1979 

9 December 2017 tbs.pm/13420

Swansea Sound・30 September 1974
95.1MHz・257m・1170kHz

Swansea Sound Ltd, Victoria Road, Gowerton, SWANSEA SA4 3AB
Tel: 0792 893751

Directors Prof J Howard Purnell (Chairman); Charles Braham (Managing Director); Mrs Margaret Aeron-Thomas; John Allison, JP, CBE; William Blyth, JP; Vernon Rees Davies, JP; David Goldstone; Brian Harpur; Leslie Rees; Selwyn Samuel, OBE; R D Kennedy.

Executives Brian Fullerton (Sales/Marketing Controller); Stanley Horobin (Chief Engineer); Colin Mason (Programme Controller); Colin Stroud (Financial Controller/Company Secretary); Wyn Thomas (Head of Welsh Programmes); David Thomas (Head of News).

IBA Local Advisory Committee for Independent Local Radio in Swansea Mrs E Jones (Chairman); E J Daniels; Miss G Graham; D Hull; V Jones; M J Murphy; Cllr D I J Thomas; CUr J Huw Thomas; Dr W Trehame; Mrs E White, JP; Cllr D Phillips.

Presenter Jon Hawkins on location in Canada with the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales.

Swansea Sound, Britain’s first bilingual Independent Local Radio station, has continued its policy of close community involvement, which in turn has reflected itself in remarkable listener response.

No fewer than 35,000 items of non-perishable food were donated to the station’s Christmas appeal for the housebound, and the Social Services department had to organise a daily vehicle shuttle service to cope with the parcels.

A remarkable instance of radio responding to local crisis occurred one February weekend when heavy snow blizzards cut off villages and hundreds of people found themselves stranded in cars and unable to make contact with relatives.

The station opened its Snowline and in a round-the-clock phone-in marathon succeeded in initiating assistance for the elderly and infirm, arranging for an expectant mother to be air-lifted by helicopter to hospital and generally acting as a control centre for an emergency service to those in need and distress.

The Western Mail reported: ‘West Glamorgan’s deputy engineer, Mr Llew John, believes the contribution of Swansea Sound was a vital link in saving life and maintaining public morale’.

In general programming, Midday Report, the daily half-hour look at topical issues in the principality, has been complemented by Window on the World in which Ted Nevin, Professor of Economics at Swansea University and a veteran broadcaster, turns a Welsh eye on global events.

The policy of language integration has continued and research figures confirm the success of mixing English and Welsh naturally as it does in the market place.

News, information and sports too, have high priority and more than 200 bulletins a week go out in English and in Welsh.

Popular music output changes tempo throughout the day, and in keeping with its prime objective of setting up a dialogue between itself and its listeners there are phone-in and regular spots for the arts, children, local musical talent (in which the area is rich), and regular church services.

Basically programme philosophy is popular, bright up-tempo music with talk, opinion and news features aimed at an all-age audience.

The studio has extensive facilities, including sixteen-track recording, and naturally has become something of a mecca for local singers and musicians.

IBA Transmitters
VHF Transmitter
(FM with stereo capability)
Kilvey Hill (NGR: SS 672 940)
95.1 MHz
Max erp 1 kW
Circular polarisation
Aerial ht. 752 ft aod

MF Transmitter
(medium wave, mono only)
Winch-wen (Jersey Road) (NGR: SS 681 966)
257 m (1170 kHz)
Transmitter power 0.8 kW
(MF omnidirectional aerial)

Air Date: 30.9.74

VHF COVERAGE. The map shows the area within which most listeners should obtain satisfactory mono reception on VHF and, with adequate aerials, good stereo reception. Medium wave coverage is designed as far as possible to match VHF.