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New QA hospital radio hits the airwaves
A NEW radio station was officially launched at Portsmouth's main hospital yesterday.
Patients at Queen Alexandra Hospital can enjoy the soothing sounds of tunes from QA Radio.
The hospital radio service was broadcast from St Mary's Hospital but has been moved into QA after the redevelopment of the hospital last year.
The Portsmouth Hospital NHS Trust has helped launch the station by providing a new room and a new studio.
Mike Underdown, president of Portsmouth Hospital Broadcasting, said: 'We had the choice to move back up here and we jumped at the chance - this is a superhospital. It's tremendous.
'This is where we should be. It's a service that people love. We are really local radio. All of us here are local people. We can go and see our audience. We know what people want because they are here.
'It's lovely to be able to make people smile. There's a terrific amount of satisfaction when people phone us up and ask us things. We have a great diversity of presenters too. We have got something for everyone.'
The station is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the patients' hospital bed.
There is a round-the-clock pre-recorded service as well as presenters during the day. It has been broadcasting in its current form since 1970.
All the staff for the station are volunteers.
Peter Mellor, company secretary of the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'We are particularly proud of its history. It's been going for a long time and it's very successful.
'It provides such a fantastic service to our patients. The service is provided entirely by volunteers.
'For people that are away from home and a bit frightened and lonely this keeps them in touch with things that are going on locally.
'It's a fantastic service and we are fully supportive of it.'
Mick Lyons, co-ordinator of the Rocky Appeal, cut the ribbon to officially launch the radio studio yesterday.
He said: 'It's a great honour to come here today. It's one of the best hospitals in the country. To be here to see the new hospital radio open is great. I hope to be able to come down and talk on the radio here.'
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
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