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A project plan was drawn up, estimates obtained and then the task of writing grant applications, begging letters, etc. began.
The National Lottery drew a blank, and another
major funding body said it would be at least four years before our project came to the top of their pile. However, the good people of Rochdale in the form of Heartbeat, the Hospital League of Friends, Rochdale and
Milnrow Carnival committees, Littleborough Lions and of course the Healthcare Trust, came to our aid.
In April 1996, Phase One of the project was undertaken. This involved completely gutting our main
broadcasting studio, a task made all the more difficult by the fact that when our engineer made anything, he made it to last. However much wrenching and grinding later an empty shell of a room was all that remained.
The old adage of 'Many hands make light work' came into play, and before very long, the new equipment was in place and working. Then came the biggest task, training all the presenters how to use modern
technology.
To celebrate the completion of the refurb, it was decided to broadcast Birch Radio throughout Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton for a month as a Restricted Service Licence on 106.6 FM. This allowed
us to
publicise the service we provide, and gain valuable experience.
In association with the Rochdale Observer Group, the broadcast took place throughout November 1996, and as well as being a great
success, it also allowed us to swell the remaining Appeal kitty to the extent that we could now look at upgrading our second studio.
Two factors governed the choice of equipment for Studio Two, firstly our
budget was extremely limited, and secondly the studio itself is much smaller than the main room.
Thankfully, as luck would have it, two new products hit the market at just the right time. Firstly a small but
versatile mixer was launched, at a very attractive price, then secondly a computer system which allows music to be recorded to and played from the hard disk was brought to our attention.
A sponsorship deal
with the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, which would see the studio named after them, allowed us to proceed with Phase Two earlier than had been envisaged.
Again the old equipment had to be wrestled from its
fixings, and the room redecorated before the hard worked and underpaid contractor (his words not mine) spent a fraught twelve hours installing the new gear.
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