Hub Radio is the University of the West of England’s (UWE) student radio station, which broadcasts on 1449AM locally or online. The Station boasts a schedule of varying appeal across a diverse range of musical genres, as well as special interest programs.
Hub broadcasts largely from UWE’s Frenchay campus in Bristol, as well as having a studio in the Bower Ashton campus.
The Hub originally started back in September 1994 under the banner Fresh.fm. Media Centre Senior Technical Director Instructor Steve Hagerty was keen for UWE to have it’s own student run radio station. Once the all clear was given, Steve along with a number of willing studens started fresh.fm on a Restricted Service License in Bristol. The station was sponsored by local businesses.
In 1998, UWE media students though that fresh.fm needed a make over and the station was re-branded as Radio Base. In 2002, a new media student group came about managed by Patch Jobson and gave the station a revamp, with a 5-year AM licence and 24/7 internet streaming. The station was then renamed The Hub, illustrating the station’s desire to be the centre of the UWE community at it’s new base in the Rachay building in City Centre.
In 2005, the station had to move out of Rachay due to rental costs and moved into a temporary home in Bower Ashton. Following a fall in participation in 2006, the station was re-branded once again into it’s current form today. The station found a new home on the 5th floor of F block on the Frenchay campus amongst a larger student population and next door to the UWESU media centre. The studio was crammed into an old store cupboard in F block 5th floor UWESU media centre (nicknamed “The Hubboard”) for a while until an unused games machine room became available on the ground floor in F block, next to the UWE main reception, and UWESU Escape Bar. Steve then moved all the equipment to the new room ready to have the new studio up for Freshers 2009.
Hub Radio is now under control by a committee of students as a society, and housed by the UWE Students’ Union. Steve is still involved as Chief Engineer of Hub Radio.