Radio WR started life in the mid 80s broadcasting to a small part of Worcester on 104 FM. It was a small part due to the very low power they used at the time. In fact, the station is named after the street in which it could be heard. Radio WR = Radio Willowsea Road.
Later, they moved to the Worcester suburb of Fernhill Heath, still only using low power. This didn’t stop the DTI finding them though, they were raided in June of 1987 and 2 people later appeared in court.
Following the raid, the owner of Radio WR got involved with Sunshine Radio, and through them obtained a proper transmitter. This meant in May of 1988 they could start to broadcast taped shows all day on a Sunday from the top of Malvern on 103.8 FM. These broadcasts could be heard over much of the Midlands. DJs included Simon Cooper, Andy Rossy, Mark One, Scott Star and Tony St. John.
Later in 1988, they obtained a permanent broadcast site in Worcester again, this time with the studio in a cellar. Obviously, compared to the top of Malvern, the signal did not get out as far but at least the programmes were live. The station started to gain quite a following and they experimented with other frequencies including 99.2 and 106 FM. These were unsuccessful so they returned to the 103.4/5 area of the band.
When the station owner got his own house, the studio moved to his garden shed. DJs at this time included The Nasty voice, Marky Mark, Adrian Lowet, Fandyke Fanny, DJ Deano, Andy Westgate and Tracey John. Following complaints from neighbours, the studio was moved inside the house, first to the loft and then a bedroom. Unfortunately, the complaints continued and in 1992, following 3 years of regular weekend broadcasts, they were raided. The owner was took to court and fined.
The raid was not the end of the Radio WR story though. The station came back under new management and was heard on and off well into the 21st century. They could also be heard via the Net until 2006. Many former Radio WR staff now work in legal radio.
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Audio
| Dave Young – Fireworks Show – 2/11/86 | 25 mins |
| Dave Young – May 1987 | 23 mins |
| Dave Young – Road Show – Part 1 – 7/6/87 | 31 mins |
| Dave Young – Road Show – Part 2 – 7/6/87 | 28 mins |
| Dave Young – Including DTI Raid – June 1987 | 21 mins |
| Extracts – Summer 1988 | 14 mins |
| Simon Cooper & Andy Rossy – 1/5/88 | 90 mins |
| Top Of The Hour – Clip – 1992 | 1 min |