Local – Page 24 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Tour of Gosta Green studios

Thanks to Bill Jenkin for making the video available.

This video is amateur footage from a visit to the BBC Studios at Gosta Green in the mid sixties.

Pete Simpkin added the following information on the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

“Wonderful to see the old Grams and the Pye Monitors………even the rewinding bench near the TK. What memories. After the TV moved out Radio Birmingham sometimes used the studio for audience attended Classical Music broadcasts. Classical music on Local Radio…now that IS going back some distance!!”

BBC Gosta Green Studios

Denis MacShane at Pebble Mill

Labour MP Denis MacShane stepped down as MP for Rotherham last week after an investigation into expenses irregularities. Before he went into politics he worked as a journalist in radio, and was at BBC Pebble Mill for a while.

The following comments were contributed via the Pebble Mill Facebook Group:

Pete Simpkin: ‘He was one of the original News reporting team at Radio Birmingham. Sad to hear of his demise when so many Radio Birmingham people went on to great jobs in Network Radio and TV……….and politics.’

Keith Brook: ‘he also, surprisingly, did stuff for Midlands Today because I remember trying to teach him the etiquette of walking in front of a camera.’

Michael Fisher: ‘On the Saturday Night show RTE1 tonight one of the guests will be Edwina Currie a former Tory politician turned broadcaster who got plenty of radio experience on the breakfast show Heart of the Nation at Pebble Mill when she was a Birmingham councillor.’

Norma Scott: ‘I remember Denis when he worked for the Sunday Mercury!’

Conal O’Donnell: ‘Denis was born Denis Matyjaszek apparently changing his name at the behest of the BBC because it was too hard to pronounce (!) A legend amongst phone-in producers Denis enlivened one of his flagging shows by posing as a caller himself -unethical you might think but hey what do u do when the lines are dead?Trouble is he went on to compound the deception by calling Tory politician Reginald “reggie” Maudling a crook on air .Well he was of course but taking full advantage of our rapacious libel laws Maudling sued the Beeb for muchos sponduliks.One can’t help but smile!’

Children in Need – Tony & Julie Medal!

Photo from Tony Wadsworth, no reproduction without permission.

This special medal was struck in 2002, as a ‘Children in Need’ souvenir. It features husband and wife, Radio WM presenting team, Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer.

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Three Degrees on Radio Birmingham/WM – Pete Simpkin

A memory of meeting the Three Degrees for Radio Birmingham/WM at Bingley Hall Broad Street in the 80s just before the building burned to the ground….it wasn’t us!!

Pete Simpkin

Radio Birmingham Badges

Photos from Pete Simpkin, no reproduction without permission.

These promotional badges for Radio Birmingham date from the early 1970s. They’ve suffered a bit over the years, but show the range of programmes on the station.

Pete Simpkin adds the following information, ‘they were given out at the hundreds of OBs we used to do in those days, also sometimes sent out with prizes for on-air competitions. The multi station one was a particular issue for the addition of Medium wave broadcasting , they were localised to each station involved as part of the national publicity drive for Medium Wave.’