Radio Bronglais is a hospital radio station, transmitting from the grounds of

Bronglais Hospital Bronglais Hospital () is an Acute District General Hospital in Aberystwyth, Wales. It is managed by Hywel Dda University Health Board. It is the only acute hospital within mid-Wales and is the main hospital for the students of Aberystwyth Universi ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It began broadcasting in 1970 and is one of the oldest hospital radio stations in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Radio Bronglais has been a registered

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

since 1983. Radio Bronglais transmits music and live radio shows twenty four hours a day, to the Bronglais Hospital site on a LPFM frequency of 87.8 FM. Online streaming, in December 2021, is deployed and is streaming.

History

Radio Bronglais began transmitting in early 1970 when members of Bow Street Youth Club presented a request programme on a Sunday evening between 7 pm and 9pm which was distributed to all patients in Bronglais Hospital. Equipment of the time was basic, with disco decks and a small

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

. An executive committee was set up to raise money to purchase the

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

and to provide equipment. In 1991 and 1999, Radio Bronglais won a British Telecom Award for 'The Best in Wales' and was also runner-up in the same competition in 1996. In September 1998 land became available on Bronglais Hospital's grounds. Radio Bronglais applied to the National Lottery Charity Board of Wales, and in the spring of 1999 were awarded £117,455. During September 2000 building work began on the new studio, which was completed in early February 2001. 2012 saw the station increase its power output after a successful application to

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

, and now broadcasts to a wider audience. In 2013 Radio Bronglais went digital with

online streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

on its website. In 2013 Radio Bronglais changed its name to RB FM and launched

webcams A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...

from the studio during live shows. Radio Bronglais currently plays music and live shows to the Bronglais,

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

Community 24 hours a day. The station is run by a dedicated committee, volunteer presenters, librarians, administrators, fundraisers and technical staff. Radio Bronglais relies entirely on

donation A donation is a gift for Charity (practice), charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, Service (economics), services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donati ...

s. In 2014 'The Breakfast Show' was nominated for a National Award for a Programme with multiple presenters, at the HBA Awards. Features include daily give-away competitions, news and weather on the hour, sports, both national and regional throughout the early morning hours. Radio Bronglais also has daily programming, mostly filling the 4PM-8PM "

Drivetime DriveTime Automotive Group Inc. is an American used car retailer and finance company. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, and sells and finances cars to customers around the nation. The company was formerly known as Ugly Duckling and was renamed Dr ...

" slot. In November 2013, Radio Bronglais re-branded itself as Radio Bronglais. The introduction of the re-branding also saw the introduction of RDS under the name RB-87.8. On 11 April 2014, Radio Bronglais's volunteers completed a 24-hour broadcast, with guests including Walter Coenig and

Wincey Willis Wincey Willis (born Florence Winsome Leighton; 8 August 1948 – 19 December 2024) was a British television and radio broadcaster who achieved national fame in the 1980s. She was perhaps best known for being part of the line up at TV-am, the UK's ...

Notes

Official Radio Bronglais website

References

{{Reflist Hospital radio stations Radio stations in Wales Radio stations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Wales