Welcome to the BCB newsletter for November. Here’s just a few things that have been going on at BCB and some events that are coming up:
John Hebden RIP
It was a great shock for all of us at BCB to hear the sad news of the sudden death of John Hebden. John presented Thursday’s edition of Bradford and Beyond with Nita Kaur, as well as producing occasional documentary and music programmes. He had been a volunteer with BCB since the late 1990’s when he first brought a group of men from the homeless project, Assisi House, to train with us. For many years John presented a music programme on BCB, North of Nashville, as well being an active member of the BCB sports team. John was passionate about climate breakdown and his passion often informed and guided BCB’s programming on environmental issues. He was such a great interviewer, always well informed and challenging of those in positions of power. John was a really kind, lovely man, an excellent radio presenter, and he will be greatly missed by all of us here at BCB.
The BCB move to Bradford Arts Centre! Latest news….
The Bradford Arts Centre opened at the beginning of October and it really is a lovely space. Do go in and have a look round. As we told you last month, they are still working on our part of the building. We are hoping that the building works will be finished in the next two weeks (though no formal completion date has been given to us atm.) We will formally take over the lease of the BCB space on 1 December. BCB volunteer Rich Halfpenny has been working so hard, overseeing all the works for the new studios. The equipment has now been ordered and we will start to install the studios in December – date tbc. So its all happening! The final day for us at Rawson Road is the 19 December so, one way or another, we’ll be installed in BAC by then! We will be calling on volunteers to help out with the clear out of Rawson Road and the move to BAC so watch this space. Marie Millward has been coordinating a group of BCB volunteers who have started to sort through things ….and there’s a lot to go through.
Festive Show Deadlines
Pre-recorded programmes being broadcast from Friday 19th December to Tuesday 6th January must be on the audiowall between cart numbers 13,000-13,300 BEFORE 5pm on Friday 28th November.
All these recorded shows will be broadcast from a play-out PC at the Bradford Arts Centre from Friday 19th December.
BCB AGM – Save the Date! Sat 6 December 10.15am
Just want to give you advance notice of the BCB AGM. Its going to be held on Saturday 6 December at 10.15am at the Bradford Arts Centre (regardless of where we are with the move!) If you’d like to think about any highlights of BCB in 2025 that you’d like to contribute to the meeting you’ll be very welcome to do so. AGM papers will be sent out in the next couple of weeks.
BCB On The Move
The BCB Take Away is Open! On the tables next to the Studio 1 window are items that volunteers are welcome to take if they have a use for them, including promo and music library CDs (there are some diamonds to be found), surplus stationery and other items. This will greatly help us clear items that we cannot take to the new studio. Please bring a bag and take a freebie! Limited time offer for the next month!
Please copy any shows or content that you would like to save from the Audio Wall. This may not be available after the move to the updated studio system, so take action now to avoid losing your precious archive!
There are some items to dispose of that might be of use for craft and making projects, schools etc. Things such as used CDs, card and stationery. Please do get in touch with marie.millward@bcbradio.co.uk if you you know anyone who would love our soon to be scrapped items! We are trying very hard to send as little as possible to landfill to keep the environmental impact of the move as low as possible.
We’re looking for volunteers to help sort items in readiness for the the move on the following dates: Tuesday 4th Nov 12-5pm, Wednesday 5th Nov 5-8pm, Sunday 9th Nov 10:30-12.30 with more dates to follow. If you want to volunteer some time to do this at other times when BCB is open please contact Marie Millward on 07505 507 551
‘Hear My Voice’
Hear My Voice is a project working with refugees and those seeking asylum, they are 5 weeks into their 8 week broadcast training. They have gelled well as a group while learning new radio skills.
The group are looking at variety of topics and will be starting with their own stories of migration to the UK and the reasons why they had to leave their homelands.
Hear My Voice also hopes to support those seeking asylum and refugees through signposting to support organisations and interviewing guests involved with these organisations.
Radio Times
We’re please to say that Radio Times had their first broadcast on the 1st of October on International Older People’s Day. They have continued to meet as a group and had their second broadcast on the 28th of October.
Radio Times provides a weekly drop in session at BCB where people who are 55+ can learn radio skills and present a weekly afternoon programme on BCB.
Radio Times broadcasts their weekly show every Tuesday afternoon between 2.12.pm and 3.00pm after 10Today.
If you are interested in taking part in Radio Times please contact Dipak on 01274 771677 or dipak.mistry@bcbradio.co.uk
Open Minds
Open Minds is BCBs project about mental health working with volunteers that have experienced mental health. They have been learning how to operate the studio, editing, planning and scripting all in preparation for broadcast.
The volunteers plan to signpost listeners that may be experiencing symptoms of poor mental health to support services and organsations that can help. Discuss their own journeys and interviewing mental health professionals and support workers.
Radio 119
Radio 119 have had a busy month as always, This month they interviewed Spectrum, Games and Craft as well as interviewing Ethan and Dipak about what they do at BCB. They also celebrated Diwali and Halloween and created shows for both. Lee and Tanya enjoyed a Autumnal walk in Lister park where they enjoyed lunch in the Cafe. This is a big thing for Lee as he was very anxious about changing his routine for lunch and building up his courage to try new places again, this was also one of his goals, Finally the group visited Darley Street Market and tried different food places for lunch.
Featured Programme of the Month
Every month we shine the spotlight on a particular programme on the BCB schedule. This month we’re telling you about Instrumental.
Instrumental is presented by Nan Brimble and Georgia Maker and goes out every fourth Sunday 8-9pm. Each month they dive deep into the nooks and crannies of one instrument at a time. Instrumental explores a range of tunes, from the greatest hits to the independent works they think you should know. Genre fickle, vibes-led, and always fun, come listen to the two music enthusiasts fall down the rabbit hole, and see just what each instrument can do.
Bradford Story Hub
🗓️ Sign Up Now-First Come, First Served! 🗓️
Bradford StoryHub is proud to partner with the Educate Against Islamophobia (EAI) initiative and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) for a powerful, interactive workshop on Islamophobia and the Media, taking place at 3pm on 4th November at Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB 106.6FM).
This free event for anyone aged 18+ explores how Islamophobia shows up in the media and how communities can work together to challenge harmful narratives through more inclusive storytelling. Spaces are limited, so we encourage early registration.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfagOTJE4D0C4163fcD4ftOhMvpZAlvsoJIolIfJ6gnVUf63Q/viewform
Join us as we amplify community voices, challenge prejudice, and rethink how stories are told in Bradford.
