University Radio Essex - Later History

Later History

The move in studio locations marked a neat change in URE's history. It cost Essex University Student's Union over 20,000 pounds to move the URE studios up the union corridor from their favoured positions above the stairs, to the present position at the end of the union corridor. The move bought a new Air2000 broadcast desk which is in use to this day, plus what at the time was state of the art equipment: Sonifex broadcast cartridges and twin CD vari-speed players.

Part of the cost went towards wiring up the new Square three coffee bar with URE speakers. This was the original food bar, before the Hexagon was built, however with the advent of the Square four coffee bar in 1980 it was closed and used as a lecture room. The Square Four coffee bar was wired with twin speakers in the ceiling, a home built amp, an outside broadcast socket for URE's totally unique "network" sockets. By 1989 a new coffee bar was mooted - the old Square 3 rooms: in a weekend long operation after the coffee bar was finished by estates, URE members put speakers over the ceiling tiles, and then ran a single screened cable under the podia (an operation involving a member walking 20 feet (6.3m) above the ground on a single cable tray), although the speakers were later cut into ceiling tiles, and then run through a single 100 volt transformer. The Square three coffee bar later closed, but in 2006 became what is now called Food on Three, still with the student radio station on speakers in the ceiling. The Square Four coffee bar shut in 1989, and became tutorial rooms, but reopened as SXPress in 2000, however no attempt has been made to put speakers back here, despite the permanent landline.

By 1996 the station was the first student radio station to have a digital playout system - Myriad. By 1997 the station was becoming so important to campus life that it was clear that the SU would have to pay for a permanent staff member: this was highly successful, and a permanent Station Manager brought in almost more advertising than the station cost. In 1998 the station started Freely Radiating on 1404 kHz using LPAM, an AM frequency in a tightly defined area restricted by the terms of the licence to the university campus. In the case of URE this was particularly restrictive, as URE was one of the "test beds" of the first four LPAM AM licences issued by the Radio Authority. URE was of note as at the time it was one of the leading campus radio stations, and with this experimental new licence the authorities were particularly cautious about who should have a licence. URE proved that it could act responsibly, and it led the way by which other student radio stations gained LPAM.

Although designed just for campus, in daytime reception was now possible throughout Colchester, however this could not be advertised under the terms of the licence. This transmitter - again, by Wireless Workshop - was initially sited by Bertram Russell tower. This, on a hill by water, was one of the best possible AM transmission sites in Essex. The 1602 kHz LPAM mast had to be moved in 2003 to accommodate new student residences, and was sited behind the Sports Hall. Although in the tradition of URE, 999 kHz on induction loops was maintained as backup. URE closed 999 kHz in 2001 due to the extra costs of two AM licences.

By 1997 month long FM broadcasts became the norm, and these were permitted to be heard by an audience beyond the campus. 20 watts with a mast on the roof of the SU building gave good coverage over North Essex. It gave virtual 24 hour output: these acted as a good advert for the student union, and also broadcast the Sabbatical election hustings, encouraging thousands to vote. URE broadcast in FM from 30 Sep-27 Oct 1997 (during which it also maintained a split service daytime 1404AM output, and had separate jingles for 999 kHz AM. Medium Wave was known as the "Gold" service, FM was "hot hits".) There were subsequent FM broadcasts from 6 October -2 November 1998, 5 October - 1 November 1999, and 31 January - 27 February 2005.

In 2003 the Student's Union suspended the constitution. This was considered by many to be a devastating blow, and there was much criticism at SU meetings. Instead of URE's management for the following year being voted on by the members who had seen how hard they had worked that year, there was instead to be just one Station Manager, and no other management staff. This was a paid Sabbatical position voted by all SU members, and it also encompassed "Rabbit", the SU newspaper. The post became a political position, and with little day to day care, URE collapsed and shut down virtually overnight.

A massive setback for URE again was the collapse in the summer of 2004 of SBN - the Student Broadcast Network - as the sustaining service. It provided URE with specialist shows and student-orientated news and information via satellite. SBN paid stations for taking syndicated advertising and sponsored shows, which enabled them to buy transmitting and studio equipment. However, in July 2004, SBN's parent company Campus Media ceased its student radio operation at just one weeks notice. URE suffered badly from this cutback, both in loss of revenue, and from the loss of output on air that could not be supplied from automated computer playlists from the studios.

The SU took back the sole production studios in 2006, at just one weeks notice. It turned them into offices for non-sabbatical officers, which mean the station could not now produce anything off-air, from debates to trails. The station now just has one room, with the Alice Air 2000 broadcast desk.

At one point there was an attempt to re-brand URE as "Rabbit Radio" - moving in inline with the student newspaper, The Rabbit, this however was heavily resisted and the idea dropped. In 2003 the station was rebranded as RED by the Student Union, however a survey in 2006 showed few people at Essex University associated RED with a radio station.

URE or RED - 1404 AM still exists today, but massively truncated from its status as previously one of the most dominant radio stations, defining alternative radio listening and leading the Student's Union media outlet of the past four decades.

Information on the present day activities of URE can be found under the name RED - 1404 AM