3.HOSPITAL RADIO HILLINGDON 72 HOUR BROADCAST MARATHON

Broadcast Marathon

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/Friday 14th September 2007

Radio

BROADCASTERS at Hospital Radio Hillingdon will be presenting non-stop for 72 hours during a charity marathon.

The talkathon which starts on September 21 will raise money to improve the current radio technology needed for the service the station provides to patients. Money will also be donated to The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.

Event organiser Keith Hotston, a volunteer with Hospital Radio Hillingdon for 21 years, said it was the third broadcast marathon in the last 20 years. He added: “One of our members recently suffered a loss in their family. The Shooting Star Hospice was instrumental in their final days in providing care and comfort during their final days together.”

The hospice enables families to spend quality time with a terminally ill child and relies on public donations. Hospital Radio Hillingdon is a registered charity and is always looking for volunteers to join the team to support fundraising events, broadcasting and helping behind-the-scenes.

Volunteers John Stanley, Jon Herd, Raymond Jackson, Steve Hickman, Gerard Conway, and Keith Hotston will be covering the three 24-hour shifts, supported by the station’s team of volunteers.

Mr Hotston has written to 90 companies asking for support, but has so far received only a couple of replies. The team needs to raise at least £3,000 to keep the radio technology up to date.

If you would like to get involved visit http://www.radiohillingdon.com/.

Ends

To read the on-line published Gazette article click on the link below.
http://icuxbridge.icnetwork.co.uk/uxbridgegazette/headlines/tm_headline=broadcasters-set-for-72-hour-talkathon&method=full&objectid=19784359&siteid=68148-name_page.html

REFLECTIVE REPORT: BROADCAST MARATHON

I am a volunteer at Hospital radio Hillingdon and they needed to raise money for the two charities. I decided to write the article to raise awareness of the work of the hospital, the actual event, the need for more voluteers and how to donate.

It is a story that reaches out to the residents of Hillingdon and the patients in the hospital, and their friends and families. It was published both in the Uxbridge gazette and online on the gazette website.

I booked a photoshoot, and appeared in it because I am a member of the hospital radio station and writing this article and having it published was a way to help them with their appeal. As a result of this article one reader donated £100 therefore I was very pleased with my achievement.

However one of the radio members suffered a loss as his daughter passed away. They wanted to mention the charity but did not want to mention names incase it caused distress to the family. The angle was about the marathon and the need for volunteers, therefore I kept the personal details to a minimum because it would distract the reader from my article.

A reporter needs to judge the article and select the right angle. My mission was to raise money for the radio station and the Shooting Star Children's hospice. What is left out is just as important as what is included.

I feel that I have achieved the right news angle by reporting the event and appealing for funds, without delving into the private lives of interviewees and provide extensive profiles of the presenters, some of which work for commercial radio stations and have an impressive career.