Sound FM (Leicester) 1988 Music Jam ad break featuring Danish Home Store, Alton Towers (The Beast), Thomson Holidays Sale and 103.2 in Melton jingle.

Sound FM Leicester 1988 Music Jam ad break 1

The roadshow was half-an-hour late from the Lake District  in 1988 and then the wrong jingle was played at the start. Oh well, we all have off days!

Radio 1 Roadshow July 19th 1988 Steve Wright in Bowness on Windermere

Back in the 1980s, BBC Radio 1 FM went off-air overnight. This is what the shutdown sounded like.

1980s BBC Radio 1FM nightly closedown

A couple of very emotional links from David Lloyd in the latter half of 1991 on Leicester Sound FM(the date is an estimate, going by the news report). This is when Sound FM's name reverted back to Leicester Sound just before Leicester Sound changed its sustaining service from Nottingham's Trent FM to Coventry's Mercia Sound at the start of 1992.

David Lloyd on Leicester Sound FM 1991

In the 1980's, BBC Radio 1 went off-air overnight. Every morning it would start with a montage of jingles, this recording is from Monday 31st July 1989.

BBC Radio 1 FM startup Mon 31st July 1989 with Adrian John

Side A - From the now defunct Alfasound, I purchased this tape at the end of 1989. On side A was Trent 10 (including Sound FM Leicester and GEM AM) by Alfasound and Century 21. Side B included Trent 11 from Alfasound and JAM which aired a couple of months later in January 1990.

Alfasound and Century21 - Trent 10, Sound FM and GEM AM aired 1989

Side B - From the now defunct Alfasound, I purchased this tape at the end of 1989. On side A was Trent 10 (including Sound FM Leicester and GEM AM) by Alfasound and Century 21. Side B included Trent 11 from Alfasound and JAM which aired a couple of months later in January 1990.

Alfasound and JAM - Trent 11, Sound FM and GEM AM aired 1990

This is how Northants 96 used to lead into the top of the hour.

Northants 96 Weather And News Intro

BBC Radio Leicester morning start-up on Tuesday 12th January 1988 with Kate Squire-Taylor.

BBC Radio Leicester Startup Tuesday 12th January 1988

Friday 29th December on Sound FM Leicester. The last few minutes of the final 80's Drivetime with Mark Hayman and the start of the Rock Magazine with Shaw and Spivy. Includes; Chart of the Decade promo, Danny Cox Top 30 of 89 promo and the full East Midlands news bulletin.

Friday 29th December 1989 Sound FM Drivetime inc Full News and Shaw and Spivy Rock Magazine

Hear the full final IRN (Independent Radio News) bulletin of 1989, followed by the start of the Mark Burrows (Trent FM) and Mark Hayman (Sound FM) New Years Eve show. This is the final time the iconic 80's news jingle was played as a new jingle package launched at midnight.

31st December 1989 at 11pm Full final IRN bulletin of the eighties on Sound FM Leicester

On 12th April 1990, during a Radio 1 Roadshow in Newcastle, the Pontop Pike transmitter was switched-on. The coverage area is Durham, most of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

Newcastle 12th April 1990 Radio 1 FM Pontop Pike transmitter switch on

This clip is from 6am on Sunday 15th March 1992 at the point where Granville House opts-out of the network to start the days local programmes. Includes the full IRN (Independent Radio News) bulletin.

Sunday 15th March 1992 Leicester Sound FM Sunday Sound start up

Here is a clip from Leicester Sound FM (date unknown) in which Kenny Hague successfully manages to handle being on-air with only one working CD player. Mike Salisbury (who was on-air before Kenny between 8am-10am Sundays) lends a helping hand.

Leicester Sound FM Kenny Hague and Mike Salisbury CD Player Failure

The clip has an ad-break featuring Ashfield special event radio for a trade fair, Palace Discounts, Wimpey and a Sabras promo.

GEM AM Leicester adverts on 1260KHz inc Sabras

This clip features the final moments of 'Music with a Country Flavour' presented by Matthew Carr, the midlands radio network news intro, travel with Max Thomas at AA Roadwatch and a John Taynton jingle.

BBC Midlands Radio News intro travel and John Taynton jingle

This compilation of clips is taken from the Sound FM (Leicester) Music Jam. Featuring promos for Diana Luke, Kid Jensen, Sounds Country, Talkback, a very long advert from Teledisc and an interesting use of the audio silence in the song 'Calling all the Heroes' by It Bites.

Sound FM (Leicester) Music Jam clips

Craig Strong advises Trent FM and Sound FM listeners how to watch a Cliff Richard concert on Central TV with stereo audio (for viewers who didn't have a NICAM television).

Craig Strong announces a Central TV simulcast

Some of these Mercia jingles will be familiar to listeners of Leicester Sound in the early 90s.

A selection of Mercia FM jingles from the early 1990s (Muff Murfin)

In the summer of 1990, DLT hands over to Steve Wright's Radio 1 Roadshow.

August 14th 1990 BBC Radio 1 FM Roadshow in Bournemouth with Steve Wright

Various clips from Leicester Sound's Music Jam in 1988, presented by Mark Hayman. Adverts include Card Shop, Teledisc, Kleenex, Way Ahead, Three Piece Suite Warehouse, Jobspot, Ariston and Halifax.

1988 Leicester Sound Music Jam compilation 2

Airshow Radio broadcast on 1494KHz on Sunday 26th August 1990 from Leicester Aerodrome, Stoughton for the Leicester International Air Display. Apologies for the poor quality, the station had a very low power and the receiver was approximately 2 miles away as the crow flies.

Sun 26th Aug 1990 Sound FM (Leicester) Airshow Radio Test TX And Launch

On Sunday 20th March 1994, Leicester Sound FM was about to embrace GWR's formatted radio. For a whole day the station broadcast test transmissions from studio 4 at Granville House, controlled by the Technical Operators. Studio 4 was a production studio, not usually used for broadcasting. In the meantime the main presenters were given a lesson on how to do format radio in studio 1. This stream is a whole side of a cassette tape uninterrupted.

Adverts are at 8' 23" featuring Renault Leicester and Regional Railways. Then at 25' 20" featuring CIS Windows (Kenny Hague live), BT, Leicestershire County Council, Pepsi Network Chart and Daily Telegraph. The final ad break is at 41' 30" featuring CIS Windows (Kenny Hague live again), Daily Telegraph, Leicestershire County Council, Citadel Insurance, Cool Runnings movie, Daily Telegraph (again).

Sun 20th March 1994 - The New Leicester Sound Greatest Hits 103FM Test TX

Mark Hayman takes listeners across the East Midlands on Trent FM and Sound FM from 1990 into 1991.

Sound FM (Leicester) Transition from 1990 into 1991

In 1991 Sound FM (Leicester) and GEM shared output overnight.

Sound FM and GEM AM shared output overnight Jan 1st 1991

From the early days of satellite radio, here is a Radio Nova news intro into ITN radio news.

Radio Nova news intro

From the early days of satellite radio, here is how Radio Luxembourg ended their daily English programmes.

Radio Luxembourg daily closedown

Radio Luxembourg promote a new jingles package created by TM Jingles.

Radio Luxembourg TM Jingles Promo

Here are some clips from the short-lived Sunrise Radio East Midlands. It broadcast from Leicester Sound's Granville House studio 2 in Leicester between 1992 and 1995 on the 1260KHz frequency, previously occupied by GEM AM. It ceased broadcasting in 1995 when Sabras Radio won the licence.

Sunrise Radio East Midlands (Leicester) clips

Adverts include Direct Line, Spice of India and Heritage Leicester (Volvo).

Leicester Sound ad break into news 1995.mp3

On Saturday 8th December through into Sunday 9th December, the East Midlands was hit by heavy snowfall and blizzard conditions. Here is how it was reported on BBC Radio Leicester from Area Traffic Control.

BBC Radio Leicester - The Great Blizzard of December 1990

Introduced in 1992 when Leicester Sound began shared programming with Mercia FM in Coventry instead of Trent FM in Nottingham. Apologies for the quality.

Leicester Sound 1992 Jingle Package - Standard Sound

I grew-up in the 80's and 90's listening to radio in and around Leicester and I often recorded random station output. I am now revisiting these tapes before they go into the dustbin.

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