| Intro |
Before transmission press |
Before transmission archive |1980
- 1983 | 1984 - 1986
| 1987 - 1990 | 1991
- 1993
| 1994 - now |
What The Papers Said
DevonAir Radio was generally given a cautious coverage by the regional media. The announcement of Radio Haldons success as the new media boys (and girls) on the block provided the company, which was to be known as DevonAir Radio, with 'business like' headlines in the local press. As 'commercial enemies' there was an overall reluctance to give this new firm exposure it deserved.
The building and planning of the station was afforded the usual inquisitorial coverage as was the build-up to 'the big day' in November 1980. Reading the stories today you get a feeling of the print journalists waiting in the wings for something truly awful to happen or for the station to make a complete dog's breakfast of the entire project! But the launch went well and so did the initial exposure in the papers.
After 1982 the local press covered (with a degree of glee) the internal problems that beset the station compounded at one point with a DevonAir staffer who actually 'tipped off' the hungry journalists with a tasty story regarding an alleged power struggle that was underway at DevonAir.
The station headlined the regional news more than once during its history as noticeable boardroom struggles, redundancies, cut-backs and lay-offs hit DevonAir Radio. But despite these headlines there were stories that provided the station with national publicity which was duly covered in the South West, namely the early morning presenter who over slept, the late evening presenter who became 'cupid' and the daytime presenter who underwent a sex change. With the current proliferation of British commercial radio, looking back most of those articles probably wouldn't have much coverage in the 2000's but in the 1980's - 1990's they were sensation making headlines.
With the 1993 franchise battle came more news 'shockers' with individuals (myself included), radio groups and consortia making public their bid for the franchise. With the result of the regulators deliberation came the massive spreads of 'sadness' as the day of DevonAirs demise drew inevitably closer. The story of DevonAir read like Victorian news coverage of the condemned man waiting for the end.
When the termination came the local media were there to give the hungry reader every gory detail as the last record was played and the transmitters which had carried DevonAir throughout its 14 year life were handed over to the contractual successor. The momentary silence and atmospheric crackle was deafening as an English county drew its breath to savour the moment. When that moment was over - so was DevonAir Radio.
These pages (still in development) carry transcripts from the local press from before the station went on air through to the demise of DevonAir Radio.