Radio WM – Page 14 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Birmingham Focus – Radio WM supplement

This Radio WM supplement in the Birmingham Focus newspaper of October 1991, features the station’s presenters, left to right: Jenny Wilkes, Gordon Astley, Paul Brighton; front row: Tony Butler, Ed Doolan, and Pat de Whalley.

Thanks to Pat de Whalley for sharing the paper.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Walters: ‘Jen and Ed still work at WM. Paul is seriously ill after a stroke. I hear Tony isn’t too great either.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘I too am distressed to hear about Paul….we worked the old Wolverhampton studio together in the mid 80s when I was the producer there.’

Radio WM goes stereo

This article is from the Pebble Mill News from 1984. It tells about the refurbishment of the Radio WM studios, and the installation of stereo equipment by two BBC engineers: Roger Maynard and Bob Croom.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Andy Walters: ‘The stereo studios were BBC Local Radio Mark 3 and were used until Pebble Mill closed. The transmitter at Sutton Coldfield was also made by BBC Designs Department and is still in use today.’

Steve Dellow: ‘Looks like most of the Comms staff in the left hand pic! John Noble too…and Glyn Benbow!
Dave (?) Robinson, Mr Noble, John Nestor, Chris Donovan, Jeff Woods, Ian, Glyn, Roy Winson, Jon Parker, Bob Allison, Fred Norton, Nigel Harris, Paul Wheeldon, John Malby, Derek Smith, Malcolm Hickman
Any more?’

Mark Whittaker 1957-2014

You may already know that the journalist and broadcaster, Mark Whittaker, who worked for the BBC at Radio WM in the 80s and returned to Pebble Mill as a presenter of Costing the Earth in the 90s has died after a short illness. He leaves a wife, Jane Stimpson, who also worked at the Mill in the 80s, and two children.

Mark was a know it all in the nicest possible way. He had a huge brain full of stuff that could be deployed at work and at play. As I’ve reflected elsewhere I never lost a pub quiz with him and have never won one without him.

There is a very touching tribute to him on the Ariel page written by his colleagues on BBC World Service World Business Report where he’d been working for the last few years.

Richard Uridge

Here is the link to the article in Ariel about Mark: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ariel/29463075

Below is an excerpt from the article:

“World Service presenter Mark Whittaker has died suddenly of cancer.

One of the presenters of World Business Report and Business Matters, he had finished his last shift at the BBC about a month ago, on August 27.

He was diagnosed with cancer only three weeks before his death on October 1. He leaves behind two children and his wife Jane.

‘Mark was a radio genius who not only had brilliant ideas, but relentlessly executed them to perfection,’ said Martin Webber, editor of BBC World Service business news in an email to World Service staff.

‘We marvelled as he crafted beautiful scripts and then drew on his vast memory of music and sound, to turn a dull topic into a radio delight.

‘He regularly quietly re-edited interviews himself when the producer failed to do a perfect job.

His interviews connected effortlessly with the people he spoke to wherever they were in the world”

‘When Business Matters started with an hour-long format, he thrived doing the extended live interviews that the programme demanded. On location in India and Japan in the past year, he showed us all what could be achieved.”

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Alex Fraser: ‘He was a lovely, lovely man’

Sue Welch: ‘Such a lovely man with a wicked sense of humour.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘Well said all of the above…in addition Mark seemed to want to break down the barriers of the time between news and general programme staff and he planted seeds that bore spectacular fruit.’

Lorraine Randell: ‘I worked with Mark in Radio WM’s News Room and I reiterate everything that has been said…one of the nicest people I have ever worked with.’

Pete Simpkin broadcasts on BRMB

Pebble Mill News, March 1984

This article about Radio WM prodcuer/presenter Pete Simpkin broadcasting on BRMB, is from Pebble Mill News March 1984.

Thanks to Robin Sunderland for making the cutting available.

Pete Simpkin added the following comment on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

‘I remember it clearly!! BT had started what today would be an early attempt at social communications,by dialling a number you could get groups of people together but I was totally unprepared when l dialled it to find Les on his parallel BRMB breakfast show on the same lime!’

Children in Need – Allo Allo

These photos are from a Children in Need evening show. There is a definite French theme, with ‘Allo ‘Allo actress, Vicki Mitchell, accompanied by Floor Manager, Mick Murphy, sporting beret and garlic!

Thanks to Mick Murphy for sharing the photos.

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Rachel Broomfield: ‘Was it around1989? [Actually the photos are from 1990]. I think this was one of the ones I worked on as a humble studio assistant for Radio WM. If I remember rightly Toyah Willcox also topped the bill and Sue Beardsmore fronted for Midlands Today.’