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The Community Radio Station covering Central-Southern Dorset, run by volunteers and not-for-profit

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The Community Radio Station covering Central-Southern Dorset, run by volunteers and not-for-profit

Celebration 60 years of voluntary broadcasting in Dorchester

On 29th September 1966 a new radio station launched in Dorchester exclusively for patients in the old Dorchester Hospital in Princes Street. It was called the Dorchester Hospital Broadcasting Service and played record requests for one hour a week from a tiny studio originally located in the Conservative Club. That station was followed by one at Herrison Hospital and, in the 1990s, the new West Dorset Hospital which eventually became Dorset County Hospital. The station at DCH was called Ridgeway Radio and many of its members started KeeP 106, your community radio station of today, together with some former presenters from Wessex FM. On 29th September 2026 we broadcast a special edition of our magazine programme North, South, East & West to celebrate 60 years of voluntary radio in Dorchester. Several guests in the programme recalled memories from those 60 years of hospital radio and we featured music from that year, 1966. You can listen to the programme below…

Some photos of the occasion by Nick Billings (click to enlarge)

Group photo

Standing, from left, Andy Venton, Mike Streeter, Rob Mott, Andy Worth. Seated, Heather and Peter Foster