Two Stations Celebrate New Year for One Trust

In a first for hospital broadcasting, Radio Horton teamed up with Radio Cherwell to connect patients, their families and friends across the four hospitals in the Oxfordshire University Hospitals Foundation Trust  – The John Radcliffe Hospital, The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, The Churchill Hospital and Banbury’s Horton General Hospital, for a special joint New Years Eve simulcast.

Smette: “Nobody likes to be in hospital over the festive season, so we hope we were able to deliver a pleasant and enjoyable evening for the patients of our four hospitals.”

The four hour programme was fronted by Radio Horton’s Programme Coordinator, Sam Smette and counterpart, Ian Pinnell from Radio Cherwell’s studios at the Churchill Hospital. The duo reviewed the last year in hospital radio, including the two station’s annual request charts and a head-to-head quiz in which the presenters tested one another in ‘How Well Do You Know Your Hospitals’, before counting down the all important minutes and seconds until 2016.

Speaking after the broadcast, Radio Horton committee member, Sam Smette said: “This was a really exciting opportunity for both stations as it was the first time we have collaborated on such a broadcast. Both radio stations are based within the same Hospital Trust and we wanted to do something special for those who are unable to be home with their families and friends on New Years Eve. We had been planning the show for several months, so whilst we were apprehensive initially, it was great to see all of our collective efforts formulate together.

“Nobody likes to be in hospital, especially not over the festive season, so we hope we were able to deliver a pleasant and enjoyable evening for the patients of our four hospitals.”

The simulcast was a joint success and the two stations hope to work together on more simulcast programmes in the future. “We’ve already got a date in the diary for our next New Years Eve programme”, mused Smette.

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