Take a look at this unassuming building right in front of you-can you sense the hum of voices, the fizz of local news just waiting to burst out? This is BBC Radio Lincolnshire, your backstage pass to everything Lincolnshire, whether you’re a tractor-driving farmer, a cathedral bell-ringer, or just someone who needs company on a drizzly afternoon.
Let’s crank the clock all the way back to Thursday, March 8th, 1951. The BBC’s presence in Lincolnshire began with a national broadcasting site over at Stamp End Depot, sending out the first flickers of local news with a show called “News from the North.” I imagine it sounded like the radio equivalent of a strong cup of tea in cold hands. But it took nearly 30 more years before Lincolnshire got its very own voice-an identity on the airwaves that would echo through every kitchen, shopfront, and village hall.
November 11th, 1980. Picture it: It’s 7 AM, a misty morning. Suddenly, the air vibrates with a peal of bells from Lincoln Cathedral. Then, for the very first time, a warm, inviting voice-Nick Brunger-cuts through the static to say: “And it’s a warm welcome for the first time to the programmes of BBC Radio Lincolnshire.” Talk about radio making an entrance!
In those early days, radio was a daytime affair. By sunset, the station would hand you over to BBC Radio 2. If you were a night owl in the 1980s listening from Lincolnshire, you’d have to wait years for your own evening shows. Slowly, though, the lights stayed on later, and local programming extended its reach-like a chatty neighbour who eventually keeps you talking until midnight.
Jingles are a radio station’s secret sauce, and BBC Radio Lincolnshire had its own special recipe. In 1988, Alfasound, the famed jingle producer, crafted a package based on the folk song, The Lincolnshire Poacher. So for almost 20 years, it was impossible to tune in without hearing something that sounded like a countryside adventure-a melodic toast to local tradition.
The station isn’t just about music and news. It’s the heartbeat of Lincolnshire sport, bringing full commentary of Lincoln City football matches. There’s even a dedicated farming programme-imagine catching up with sheep news at 6 AM on a Sunday. And if your Portuguese is a bit rusty, you would’ve loved their special show for migrant workers until 2008-not bad for a radio station that covers wheat fields and city streets alike!
Speaking of technical feats, radio coverage here is almost as tricky as navigating Lincolnshire roads. Most of the county can hear the station on FM thanks to the broadcast mast at Belmont-at one time the tallest in Europe. And if you find yourself in a tricky dead zone, don’t fret. Get your digital fix with DAB, your TV, or the magic of BBC Sounds online, where you’re never more than a click away from home. Though, beware, if you’re at the very edges of the county in Barton upon Humber or Bourne, you might pick up a rival station-don’t worry, we’ll forgive you.
Radio Lincolnshire hasn’t shied away from innovation, either. In 2006, they trialed broadcasting straight from XDA pocket-PCs-picture reporters on the hoof, dashing through the streets with pocket computers, possibly looking a bit like high-tech shepherds.
And who can forget the BBC Bus? This mobile studio brought live radio right to the people. Sadly, budget cuts sent it on a permanent coffee break in 2008, but its legend lives on.
Through all these changes, the station’s shelves groaned under the weight of local awards and stories. Under Roy Corlett, the very first manager, and then David Wilkinson-who stuck around for 14 years-the station became the soundtrack of Lincolnshire. Add in gaggles of future-famous presenters: Boothby Graffoe the comedian, John Inverdale of sports fame, and Jo Wheeler, the weather whisperer.
Did you know this humble station presided over the creation of the Lincolnshire flag in 2005? And every year, local folk talent competed in “Song For Lincolnshire,” filling radio waves with fresh, toe-tapping tunes.
Through storms, sporting triumphs, and sleepy Sunday mornings, BBC Radio Lincolnshire links community voices, weaving old stories with new technology. It’s no wonder 73,000 people tune in every single week-though, with that many listeners, I hope they’ve got a very big kettle! And as you stand here, remember, every time you turn on the radio in Lincolnshire, you’re tuning in to a living, breathing slice of local history. Fancy giving them a wave? Maybe your story will be next on air.
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