Election night 2001 Studio C gallery

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuart Gandy and Keith Knowles on Election night in 2001, in Studio C gallery, in the early hours waiting for the results to come in. In the first photo you can see the names of the locations of the various OBs on the monitors.

These photos were originally posted on Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook group.

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

Stuart Gandy: ‘I remember the night well. The console in front of us with all the switches on was a special bit of kit (known as Robespierre – and I can’t remember why) that was only fetched out on election nights, that provided extra comms between the regions. It had to be connected back to comms centre with a lot of cabling a few days prior, which took quite a bit of planning and effort, but Pebble Mill was a regional election hub, so needed to communicate with a lot of places.’

Pete Simpkin: ‘I presented two General Election results Radio programmes on WM along with some local council ones and really enjoyed the through the night experience….. total exhaustion afterwards! Ten pm till 6 am the next morning was some ‘on air’ stint!!’

Andy Walters: ‘I was at the ICC that night Engineering for Radio WM. I remember it being a very late (or early morning) finish.’

Studio A Refurbishment – Stuart Gandy

Refurbished Studio A Gallery. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to believe but this month (March 2018) it is 20 years since Studio A came back into use after it’s digital widescreen refurbishment. The strip out had started just before Christmas 97, and then the rebuild continued early 98. Sadly as we all know the new studio had a very short life. I could be wrong (corrections please) , but I think the first programme in the new studio was Can’t Cook Won’t Cook. The picture is of the new production gallery.

Stuart Gandy

Midlands Today, Studio B

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Photo of Midlands Today in Studio B. Presenter Diane Kemp is on the right.

This photo was originally shared on the Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook page.

Pres Studio

Photographs from Stuart Gandy, no reproduction without permission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pres studio at Pebble Mill. This was probably taken around 2004, when the studio was being decommissioned with the move from Pebble Mill to the Mailbox.

Thanks to Stuart Gandy for sharing the photographs, which were originally posted on the Pebble Mill Engineers’ Facebook group.

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

Jason Dean: ‘The pres studio was largely left unused between it being the home of nightly weekday regional continuity during the late 1970s (all evening between Midlands Today and closedown in the early hours) and being used for Breakfast bulletins from Jan 1983. It looks like the photo might have been taken during this fallow period judging by the state of it?!’

Diane Kemp: ‘I did loads of bulletins from the little self opt studio, including the memorable time the Midlands was snowbound and we were interrupting network – all from there.
Can’t see it clearly enough to see the desk, the backdrop or the seat adjacent where SAs sat.’

Jane Green: ‘It looks like it’s being built or dismantled here….we SAs sat to the right of the presenter. It was a squash. The second photo shows what looks like a control desk that the presenter operated. Later on we had a proper backing with logo. Which once fell off on air asĀ  Jonathan Dick reminded me…National inserts were done from Pres too, if you had a guest for news or Newsnight. I sat there with Michael Heseltine one evening for what seemed an age. If it’s not Pres, I can’t think where it might be. The cameras would only be in Studio B or A otherwise?

Diane Kemp: ‘It’d be great to see a photo of it as it was. I’d say ‘in all its glory’, but to be fair it was never a beautiful space. Rivalled only by the fab studio in Nottingham above the probation service offices where you could hear the women’s toilets flush on-air.’

Children in Need 1991

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

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These photos are from Children in Need
1991. The top photo shows the hot-liners taking pledges of money. It could be Sue Beardsmore checking her cue cards.

The lower photo shows Bob Meikle and probably Diane Lester in their character outfits.

These photos were originally posted on the Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook page.