University Radio Bath

Broadcast area University of Bath - Local AM & Online (URB Online)
Format Contemporary Student
Owner University of Bath Students' Union
Webcast Listen Live
Website URB Online

University Radio Bath (commonly referred to as 1449AM URB) is the award-winning student-run radio station from the University of Bath, England. It is the only radio station broadcasting from the City of Bath.

About

Inside Studio 1 at the University Radio Bath studios.

University Radio Bath is run entirely by volunteers, all students studying at the University of Bath.[1] The station broadcasts 24 hours a day throughout the year, although live broadcasts tend to only be during semester time. The schedule is made up of a variety of shows including entertainment, news, speech, drama and specialist music. With a new intake of students each academic year, the station's output can change significantly.

History

URB 963, launched on 16 May 1973.[2]

Neil Fox - better known as Dr Fox - and Richard Evans of Radio 1 Newsbeat both started their careers at URB.[3]

In 1987, three URB presenters (Graham Hutkins, Ben Ramsden & Andrew Wiseman) broadcast a special 24-hour show, raising money for local charities.[3]

In September 2014 the radio station was renamed University Radio Bath.

Recent history

In March 2008, presenters broadcast 60 hours of continuous live shows to raise money for the charity Hearing Aid and the station hosted the National Student Radio Conference[4] on behalf of the Student Radio Association the conference between 17 and 19 March featured talks from a variety of speakers from the world of radio including BBC Radio 1's Greg James.[5]

In 2013, URB celebrated its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the current committee, in association with the University of Bath Alumni Office and the Students' Union organised a reunion event for 2 February 2013 with many alumni reviving their old shows.[6]

In March 2014, BBC Radio 1's Scott Mills presented the Student Radio Chart Show live from URB with Jamie Lee and Bev Lung as a prize provided by Radio 1 for the station winning Best Student Radio Chart Show at the Student Radio Chart Show 2013.[7]

In May 2014, URB won their first Radio Academy Awards for Best Technical Innovation at the 2014 Awards.[8] The station won bronze for Head of Online, Jonty Usborne's Responsive Radio and Unified Station Management Application.

In April 2018, URB hosted the URB Big Weekend to celebrate their 45th year of being on air, while raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust [9]. The studios broadcast live for a full 45 hours from 4pm on the 13th of April 2018, hosting chat shows, music, interviews, games, and a prize draw. The full show was also broadcast live on Twitch.tv, with video cameras capturing the stream. A total of £2,415 was raised [10] for charity.

Studios

The URB Studio - Norwood House, University of Bath

URB has a set of 3 studios in the heart of the newly built Student Centre and an office; Studio 1 - the main broadcast studio, Studio 2 - a DJ studio/radio-with-pictures suite, and finally Studio 3 - a production studio and news room.

The station broadcasts live shows from throughout the day and into the night, with shows ranging from daytime entertainment shows to specialist music. When there's not a live presenter in the studio, an interactive "non-stop" system fills in the gaps. URB previously informed the campus with hourly news bulletins from the Sky News Centre.

Notable Shows

A number of shows broadcast on a regular schedule, including:

  • Morning Glory
  • Afternoon Delight
  • Elliott & Co
  • In The Mix
  • Groovy AF
  • The Requester
  • URB Spotlight
  • Music Fox

Neighbours

URB has sister stations at other universities in the area:

References

  1. ↑ "1449 AM URB Bath". Internet Radio. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "University Radio Bath". Student Radio Association. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 "University Radio Bath History". Bath Students Union. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Annual General Meeting" (PDF). Student radio association. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  5. ↑ "About University Radio Bath". University Radio Bath. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
  6. ↑ "URB 40th Anniversary Reunion". University of Bath. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "University of Bath's 1449AM URB's chart show romps to victory in Stude". Official Charts. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "2014 Radio Academy Awards: Full Winners". Radio Today. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  9. ↑ https://www.thesubath.com/media/1449amurb/urbigweekend/
  10. ↑ https://mydonate.bt.com/events/urbigweekend/459957

Coordinates: 51°22.6′N 2°19.55′W / 51.3767°N 2.32583°W / 51.3767; -2.32583

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