Last Friday I visited CHBN Radio which is based at Treliske Hospital for an interview about my journey into politics and the highs and lows along the way. Keith Naylor was the interviewer and he is one of dozens of volunteers who help the Friends of RCHT Hospital provide support to the community including those spending time at Treliske.
The Community and Hospital Broadcasting Network to give it its full name is the oldest radio station in Cornwall, established in the early eighties before we even had BBC Radio Cornwall. Initially, it was described as Hospital radio and was part of a national network of similar community radio stations. It has now broadened its remit but retains a base at Treliske Hospital with state-of-the-art equipment. It has around thirty different presenters providing a range of interests, different interviews and a range of music tastes. It was recently shortlisted in the final ten for a national award as the best Hospital Radio station which shows that, once again, Cornwall is often a leader when it comes to community spirit.
Like a lot of broadcasters, it is now available in multiple formats given it further reach. It maintains an FM wavelength local signal to Truro and surrounding areas on 100.8 but there is also now a CHBN App for smart phones and it is available for live streaming online or via speaker systems like Alexa linked to Google. Looking through the list of presenters I even noticed Jason Moyle who is an old school friend from my Primary School days at Truro Cathedral School. The interview from Keith Naylor was intended to be more "Desert Island Discs" than Newsnight and we covered lots of different aspects of the role of an MP. CHBN are often looking for additional volunteers and supporters to help with the station.
It was fitting that I visited Cornwall's oldest radio station last week because a few days earlier I had been trying to amend the Government's Media Bill so that Ofcom would place more emphasis on recognised National Minorities when assessing the delivery of public service broadcasting. Cornwall is unique and this is recognised through our addition on the Framework Convention for National Minorities. In Cornwall, we have a strong and loyal following for local radio including Radio Cornwall and Pirate FM. I would like to see the BBC and other public sector broadcasters do more to prioritise Cornwall when making decisions about local radio services rather than just treating us as if we are no different from the rest of the country and had the chance to make that case last week.
