THIEVES have taken Stourbridge’s Black Country Radio off the air after breaking into the studios and stealing vital broadcasting equipment worth around £10,000.
Volunteer broadcasters at the station, based at St John’s Church, have been left shocked and speechless over the incident which is believed to have happened in the early hours of this morning (Friday September 9).
Mixing desks, amplifiers and studio equipment were among the items taken in the raid – which was only discovered when Black Country comedy stars The Fizzogs turned up for their Friday morning breakfast show.
Station chief executive (operations) Alex Totney said: “The whole team are in a state of shock. When our volunteers arrived to unlock the building ahead of our breakfast show, they were greeted with a scene of disarray.
“It’s not particularly the equipment being taken that’s upsetting – that can be replaced. It’s just incredibly sad to think that somebody would try and ruin what we feel has become a valuable community resource.
“Our members, who all give their time here voluntarily, put in hundreds of hours each week to provide a service to the local community.”
He said a pre-recorded programme was being broadcast at the time of the break-in and the premises were locked up and he added: “We can take some comfort from the fact that none of our members were on site at the time.”
The burglary comes less than a week before volunteers were set to celebrate the first birthday of the station which was formed in September 2015 when 102.5 The Bridge and internet station Black Country Community Radio joined forces.
Alex said: “This puts a huge dampener on things.”
Station bosses, however, have been working flat out to try and get back up and running in the hope of being back on the air by this evening or tomorrow morning.
Dave Brownhill, chief executive (finance), said: “Black Country Radio exists to serve the community and we put a huge amount of effort in to making it as good as we can on very limited resources.
“Whilst we're all upset, we're not going to let this get in the way of providing the service we aim to do every day.
“We’re not sure if the thieves knew what they wanted or whether it was a chance discovery, but they’ve managed to hand pick some key pieces of equipment that are important to how we work.”
Station bosses say the studio is covered by CCTV and they have handed over footage to West Midlands Police which despatched forensic officers to the scene.
Black Country Radio broadcasts on 102.5 FM across the Black Country, DAB across Birmingham and online across the UK on UK RadioPlayer.
The station had been due a studio refit soon but the theft has forced volunteers to set about putting in a new mixing desk sooner than they intended; it also means they need to raise £10,000 as soon as possible to buy additional equipment to ensure the new desk functions optimally.
To keep up-to-date with when the station’s back on the air keep an eye on Facebook or Twitter @WeAreBCR or check out blackcountryradio.co.uk
Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so online at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Blackcountryradio
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel