Radio – Page 37 – What Was Pebble Mill?

EMI TR90

Photo by Stuart Blacklock of the BBC EMI TR 90, with trolley

Photos by Stuart Blacklock of http://www.vintagerecorders.co.uk/VR_View_Page.asp?IDS=131 no reproduction without permission.

The EMI TR90 was the standard audio tape machine for radio and TV studio and OB use. They usually lived on green trolleys as they were very heavy and were built like battleships. However they were the backbone of all BBC audio recording, editing and replay for many years from the late 1950s up until the 70s when they were beginning to wear out! Most of us learned our trade on these.The wheel like structures at the top of the photo are the tape reel adapters for using on the big 10 inch reels of tape. Without these gizmos the ordinary 7 inch reels would fit onto the machine.

Pete Simpkin

The following comment was posted on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:

Alan Miller: ‘Certainly takes me back to BBC Glasgow in the 70’s when TR90’s were everywhere. Seem to remember that if the tension arm was not in the correct position that they would fail to play. This could be a bit of an issue in radio continuity where they were operated by remote!’

Farming sig tune & Radio Birmingham jingles

Here is the BBC Farming signature tune, from the early 1980s. Farming was the predecessor of the current Countryfile series.

Also included here are some Radio Birmingham jingles, which probably date from the 1970s.

Thanks to Peter Poole for sharing these.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:

Stuart Gandy: ‘Flippin, ek! that recalls memories from a long time ago, from 1980 when I was doing racks in Studio B. The racks job for Farming was usually very simple. Apart from the opening introduction to camera and the goodbyes, almost all of the rest of the programme was on film. It was the telecine operator who had the much more to do, from the ops perspective.’

Lynn Cullimore: ‘Music always evokes memories…the Top Gear sig tune does it for me having worked there…it gives me goose bumps.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Actually Lynn the Radio sig. tune version of the Farming programme always does that for me, I can still hear David Stevens announcing and then the strains of ‘I wish I were plough-boy’ took us into Tony Parkin’s introduction.’

Peter Poole: ‘I used to work on Farming with Peter Mellors. After a few weeks he asked if I would like to mix the programme . In my excitement I almost forgot to mic up the presenter. This was probably my first live TV programme. Great days.’

Tony and Julie – Radio WM

Presenter cards for Radio WM husband and wife duo, Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer, dating from the 1990s.

Tony and Julie presented the Breakfast show, and Drive. Tony was appointed Radio WM Programme Organiser in 1991, and joined the management team. The couple also presented the regional Late Show, which was shared by the nine midlands BBC Local Radio stations.

Thanks to Tony Wadsworth for sharing the cards.

News from The Archers,1984

Pebble Mill News, March 1984

This article from the Pebble Mill News, March 1984, tells how The Archers actor, Chriss Gittins, who played the character, Walter Gabriel, went to London to pick up his MBE from the Queen, waved off by the rest of the cast.

In another Archers story, there’s news of a special Nigel Pargeter inspired cocktail created by the Eddie Grundy fan club!

Thanks to Robin Sunderland for sharing his copy of the newsletter.

You and Pete Simpkin – Radio Birmingham Jingle

Pete Simpkin Studio 3 1979

This is one of the second wave of jingles made in Birmingham, which was the first co-ordinated set, tailor-made for Radio Birmingham since the original ones made by the Midland Radio Orchestra. The later Dallas set which were the best we had in my day, were made by Pam’s in Dallas…heaven knows how they financed it, but the result certainly helped promote the station’s new image in the 80s, with the new name (Radio WM), stereo and local opt-out services on the two Medium Wave transmitters.

Pete Simpkin