ONIONS MEDIA BLOG

Bonnie Dunbar, the American astronaut visited Prior’s Field School and then became the first guest  to be interviewed in the new Girls Allowed studio.

The Girls Allowed radio station will be the first for independent girls schools in Britain.

Miss Dunbar was interviewed by the school’s new deputy head Molly Wiliiams and fellow Media Studies student Charlotte Featherstone.

Dear Richard,
I am sure you will be pleased to know that we are now doing production work in the studio and thanks so much for your work to get it ready.
There should be some pix in the next e-bulletin.I have noticed several issues which need addressing and had a meeting with Jane Lunnon and discussion with

Leonie Ranson.Leonie has asked me to compile a list for you.

Most importantly (if an opening is to take place on June the 19th) we need the walls around the studio to be painted white, please. This is so that Baroness

Warnock could be photographed in an attractive area outside in the courtyard.This needs to be done by June the 1st.

I noticed a fifth form girl tripping over the broken cobblestone (by the door with the glass panes nearest to the studio). Also myself and Simon Carnell

noticed that one of the gutters is blocked by the wall.

Inside the studio, we need a ‘flap’ on the bottom of the exisiting door as leaves get blown in!Also would it be possible to have some shelves in the inner

section to store equipment and CD’s and mini-disks and a noticeboard inside the studio would be great.

Hopefully I will pop in to speak to you today or tomorrow.

Many thanks,
Sarah Onions.

JLu and SO met on 25/03/09 to discuss progress with Radio Station and plans for the opening. The following was agreed:

1.       SO to send off license application today. Ofcom suggest it’s 8 weeks from receipt of application – so crucial that this goes today. But this does leave us time to work towards an opening on Founder’s Day on 19^th June.

2.       Most equipment now here and sorted – awaiting only the transmitter (ordered) and one more mic. SO to chase up.

3.       Siting of speakers. SO and radio committee to draw up a proposal for location of the speakers around the school and to pass this  to JLu by start of next term. JLu will then agree it with SMT and speakers can then be ordered and installed in time for Founder’s Day.

4.       Location of Radio Station – SO has already been in discussion with SC about signage for the station. We will need some sort of weatherproof sign outside in the courtyard – to indicate the location of the station – SO to explore possibilities with SC. Signs will also be needed in the corridor. SO suggested footprints on the ground – a trail to the door of radio station. (Radio committee girls could do this. JLu to liaise with LR and RH.)

5.       David Mannion (Head of ITN News) already lined up to come and speak / be interviewed in a feature by the girls – SO to phone and confirm a time with him. This will need to be scheduled once the radio is up and running.

6.       Opening of station: – this is all up for discussion and needs to be agreed with JR and SMT – but we discussed the following:

·         If on Founder’s Day – we could get all school into courtyard at 11.00 (during break just before Founder’s Day assembly).

·         We could ask Baroness Warnock (who is here anyway), to open the station for us. (If we went with the theme: “Looking back, moving forward”, we could perhaps ask Baroness Warnock – as part of our heritage and the youngest pupil in the school (as part of our future), to cut the ribbon simultaneously?…

·         Opening the station might involve : cutting a ribbon / there’s an outside mic in the courtyard – so being the first voice on the airwaves – to declare it open / first playing of the jingle… etc

·         JLU to talk through with JR and SMT – regarding Baroness Warnock’s involvement. Also need to consider publicity for event. JLu to brief LH.

JLu and SO met on 25/03/09 to discuss progress with Radio Station and plans for the opening. The following was agreed:

1.       SO to send off license application today. Ofcom suggest it’s 8 weeks from receipt of application – so crucial that this goes today. But this does leave us time to work towards an opening on Founder’s Day on 19^th June.

2.       Most equipment now here and sorted – awaiting only the transmitter (ordered) and one more mic. SO to chase up.

3.       Siting of speakers. SO and radio committee to draw up a proposal for location of the speakers around the school and to pass this  to JLu by start of next term. JLu will then agree it with SMT and speakers can then be ordered and installed in time for Founder’s Day.

4.       Location of Radio Station – SO has already been in discussion with SC about signage for the station. We will need some sort of weatherproof sign outside in the courtyard – to indicate the location of the station – SO to explore possibilities with SC. Signs will also be needed in the corridor. SO suggested footprints on the ground – a trail to the door of radio station. (Radio committee girls could do this. JLu to liaise with LR and RH.)

5.       David Mannion (Head of ITN News) already lined up to come and speak / be interviewed in a feature by the girls – SO to phone and confirm a time with him. This will need to be scheduled once the radio is up and running.

6.       Opening of station: – this is all up for discussion and needs to be agreed with JR and SMT – but we discussed the following:

·         If on Founder’s Day – we could get all school into courtyard at 11.00 (during break just before Founder’s Day assembly).

·         We could ask Baroness Warnock (who is here anyway), to open the station for us. (If we went with the theme: “Looking back, moving forward”, we could perhaps ask Baroness Warnock – as part of our heritage and the youngest pupil in the school (as part of our future), to cut the ribbon simultaneously?…

·         Opening the station might involve : cutting a ribbon / there’s an outside mic in the courtyard – so being the first voice on the airwaves – to declare it open / first playing of the jingle… etc

·         JLU to talk through with JR and SMT – regarding Baroness Warnock’s involvement. Also need to consider publicity for event. JLu to brief LH.

S.O. for website/Girls Allowed/ March the 4^th.

As I write radio history is being made.

The studio for what will be the first girls’ school radio station in Britain is being installed.

The men from Alice Soundtech are building a studio in a tiny room in the heart of the school which used to be where the boarding girls’ trunks were stored.

This is particularly welcome news to the stalwarts of the radio club who have been attending every week in preparation for the on-air date.

We hope that the radio station will be granted a licence by Ofcom, the main radio regulator in Britain.

An application is to be made for a long-term Restricted Service Licence (RSL) on the AM frequency and the plan is for girls to broadcast three times a week to start with.

If you would like to be involved in and/or can offer media skills, please contact me at sonions@priorsfieldschool.com and look out for the launch.

Sarah Onions, Head of Media Studies.

I received this email from Ofcom’s technical adviser.

Dear Sarah,

Don’t worry about supplying the map, it’s something i’ve wanted taking off
the application form for several years now! Whoever you appoint to do your
installation has to supply us with photos of the aerial in situ and a
calculation.

LPFM is not a possibility in your area, they are designed for sparsely
populated areas of the UK.

Kind regards

David

________________________________________
From: Sarah Onions [sonions@priorsfieldschool.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 9:08 AM
To: David Matthew Harrison 
 ***************************************end of email***********************************************

So it would seem that Girls Allowed will be on AM.

Order placed and cheque signed for equipment.

Sarah Onions.

The reality of Girls Allowed Radio has come a step closer with the preparation of the radio room during the school Christmas holiday. The boss of Alice Soundtech Andy Gemmel-Smith visited Priorsfield School in Godalming to inspect the studio space and advise on installation. The room has been painted and a partition wall installed by the maintenance team at PF school. The equipment will include a mixing desk,ten fader channels and a mike with a pop shield. It’s hoped that the installation will include training for 4/5 members of staff at Priorsfield School. 

No studio installed yet at PF school. However Andy Gemmell-Smith from Alice Sound Tech is coming to school on Monday the 22nd to re-measure the space.

Radio Coombeshead is taking part in the BBC’s School Report. It strikes me that a visit to Coombeshead College would be useful.

We now have 2 mini-disk recorders,mikes, headphones. Shame I cannot upload audio onto PC at school – there’s a block on adminstrator’s privileges. I sometimes yearn for the old days when we dubbed from Uher to reel2reel with no barriers!

I will have to re-install the Sony Mini-Disk software on my laptop – not sure why. But, I can now listen to Radio Berkshire using Real Player on my laptop.

We have made contact with a producer at the BBC who is running School Report. Radio Coombeshead is involved in that project which also has a radio station.