June 2008
On the 21st of June, Ridgeway Radio embarked on covering possibly the
largest WWII themed event in Dorset for many years. I, Sam Elms Ridgeway's
Location Recording Manager, arrived on site to begin setting up the site
studio at just before 9am. Just after 10am the studio was ready, in time for
the sounding of the air raid siren - this signified the beginning of events
for Saturday.
The air raid siren was recorded and relayed back to patients at Dorset County Hospital before 11am. After 11 o'clock, new members Chris and Wendy Bowden arrived for their first outside broadcast with Ridgeway. Chris and Wendy recorded many of the 20 features which were relayed from the site studio back to the main studio at Dorset County Hospital, throughout the day.
Afterwards Chris said "Wendy and I enjoyed our first OB for Ridgeway Radio and the unique events at Maiden Newton". One of the biggest of the features to be broadcast was the 3pm main re-enactment battle. Some of the explosions could be heard from the site studio, in the youth centre, a considerable distance from the battlefield!
All-in-all I thought that the day was a total success. And that the group of three of us did well to research, record, prepare and present so many reports. Our final feature was broadcast at 5.30pm and included a report which I recorded the previous week. This was from a man in Weymouth who found a WWII air raid shelter in his back garden only a month ago. Whilst packing up, some of the re-enactors had the chance to hear our final report from the canteen next door.
I left the site at about 7pm. Upon getting home I had a message from Chris who summed up the days events "It was a fun day - hopefully, for us, the first of many OB's to come."