Annie Gumbley – Page 2 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Pebble Mill Reunion – Pimms in the Park 6th Sept 2011

Thanks to Annie Gumbley-Williams and Keith Ackrill for these photos of the Pebble Mill Reunion at the Midlands Arts Centre in Cannon Hill Park, on 6th September 2011.

The photos include: Steve Weddle, Annie Jenkins, Jane McClean, Jane Hyde, Bob Jacobs, John Couzens, James French, Howie Dartnall, Annie Gumbley-Williams, Julie Knee, Lis Walker. David Weir with Toni & Jenny Fortey & Sarah Costigan. Steve Weddle with Carol Sparrow and (back of) Nicky Barfoot/Savage. Also Sara-Jayne vision mixer, Robin Sunderland, Keith Froggatt, Kath Woolston, Laura McNeill, Neil Murray, Steve Saunderson, Dave Baumber, Dave Ballantyne, Sue Welch (Radio 2), Pete Johnson (Radio 2), Maureen Carter (ex Midlands Today presenter) Keith Ackrill, Cathy Houghton (Midlands Today journalist), Angela Jameson who was secretary to Dick Knigh before being Secretary to Radio Birmingham News, Ken Hodges and Simon Evens from engineering.

Radio Birmingham Carnival Float – photo by Annie Gumbley

Photo by Annie Gumbley, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is of the Radio Birmingham float, from the Birmingham Carnival, dating from the 1970s.

Producer and presenter Pete Simpkin is on the right handside, in the white shirt. In the red jacket at the back is Early Show and Traffic presenter Peter York,next to him Alex Lester (now the Radio 2 Thro’ the night presenter), just behing Annie G is David Lowe who was a tech op, now writes TV theme tunes. Next to Annie, is Kathy Nelson (Kathy Scott then), behind to the left is Crol McLeod and to the left Clair ? ex copy taker in the Newsroom.

Please add a comment if you can identify the others. Thanks to Pete Simpkin and Annie Gumbley-Williams for identifying many in the photo.

Radio Birmingham Football Team

Thanks to Annie Gumbley-Williams for making this Radio Birmingham football team photo available.

Mick Murphy, Pete Simpkin and Jane Green have identified the following team members:

2nd from left, back row,Jim Rosenthal (ITV Sport), fourth from left is Denis Mcshane went on to become an MP, top right, Rick Thompson, Head of Regional Programmes, Midlands and Head of 9 O Clock News.

Bottom row, 1st left, Stuart Woodcock(?), 2nd left, Duncan Gibbons, third from left Roger Moody (early sports producer Radio B’ham went onto a satellite company afterwards), far right, Nick Owen.

Duncan Gibbons became a screenwriter in Hollywood. He died in the first high profile forest fires in California, a good few years ago, attempting to rescue his cat.

I think the photo dates from the mid 1970’s. If you can add information, or identify more of the players, please add a comment.

Frances Coverdale – Radio Birmingham

Thanks to Annie Gumbley-Williams for making the photo available.

Frances Coverdale was a BBC East Midlands reporter 1977-80, before joining the BBC national news, first as a reporter and then as a presenter. She also presented Radio 4’s PM programme. She is currently involved in media training, of people whose jobs require them to be interviewed on camera etc.

I understand that Frances Coverdale was a news presenter at BBC Pebble Mill on Radio Birmingham in the 1970s.

The following comments and information have been added by former colleagues:

Hedli Nik: She was a news reader and the then editor of The Archers. William Smethurst, called a PC in The Archers James Coverdale in her honour! I know this because reader, I married him!

Michael Fisher: Frances was a news producer (i.e. reporter/newsreader/producer) with BBC Radio Birmingham when I joined as a News Trainee in 1975. She was the only female reporter and Pete Simpkin might recall that management had to get special arrangements made for her by the RN when she went to do a programme about HMS Birmingham. She drove a flashy convertible sports car. She also took me out on my first murder story: a man’s body found in a coal bunker. She was given the role of presenting the breakfast programme ‘Heart of the Nation’ (possibly along with David Lloyd if memory serves me correctly). Her skills were recognised and she was taken on by Midlands Today, I think, before moving up the ladder to London. She should be credited with being one of the first female reporters to make the breakthrough on national tv in what was still in the late 1970s a very male-dominated newsroom environment. Thanks for all youe help, Frances. in taking a new lad under your wing and showing him how to report.

Pete Simpkin: We were indeed very proud to see her reading the BBC National News on TV for a short time………..she was the second person from BBC Pebble Mill to achieve this, the other being the late Barry Lankester.

Jo Dewar: When I was an News Transmission Assistant on ‘Midlands Today’ I used to sit inbetween Frances Coverdale and Tom Coyne. It was the first time the programme had 2 presenters and autocue … interesting!

Radio Birmingham trip on the river – photo by Annie Gumbley

Photograph by Annie Gumbley, no reproduction without permission.

The photo shows a Radio Birmingham trip on the river Severn at Worcester, featuring Geoff Meade and Andrew Thorman. Geoff Meade now works for Sky News, and Andrew Thorman is executive producer of ‘Countryfile’ and the farming output on Radio 4.