Comment: Anyone remember
the Saturday Morning show called 'How
do they get away with it'? with John
Warwick. I think Dave Jamieson was co-presenter,
if only for a while.
Comment: Thanks
for this site, I was a big fan of
Mercia when it started in 1980, right
up until we moved away in 1989. We
were recently up in Nuneaton listening
to Mercia and I decided to search
for some original info. Fantastic!
Thank you so much!
Comment: Great
site found by accident - I have fond
memories of Mercia - started me on
my way to becoming a presenter. Memories
- John Warwick my favorite - Friday
nights you could phone and get tour
favorite jingles played - try that
today.I've got some old 1/4 snoop
recordings somewhere must dig them
out.
Comment: What
a great site, found it quite by accident.
I really enjoyed Mercia Sound in
the early days, I have the first
part of Gordan's programme on tape!
The jingles were great, I'd love
to get hold of a good quality copy
of them. I still live in Coventry
but very rarely listen to Mercia
FM....it's just not the same
Comment: Fantastic
web site - well done. I was only
11 when Mercia Sound kicked off -
but most of my formative years were
spent with my ear to the tranny!
I only formally "worked" at Mercia
for about 2 months when Ted Elliott
let me help out in Commercial Production.
I also anoraked "on the phones" for
his weekend shows - but "from little
acorns..." I have now been a comedy
producer at Radio 4 for 8 years!
Comment: Great
site. Well done Kevin.
I hosted a segment in the 80's relating to CB radios. What a truly local
station, still remember us all at the nearby pub for drinks.
Emigrated to Australia in 88 with my Mercia Sound T-shirt on my passport
photo!
Regards to anyone who remembers me.
Comment: Excellent
website! I moved up to the Midlands
in 1991 from East Anglia. Mercia
at the time was the best ILR station
within the Midlands Radio Group I
listened to it all the way up North
West Leicestershire!
Loved The Mercia Mix show every Saturday Nite great mix high energy simply
the best mix of music around!!!!
Great presenters, CLIVE SKELTON,KEENY,KARL STEIN,MATT WRIGHT,BERNIE KEITH,CRAIG
BECK,KEVIN SYKES,CHRIS PEGG,JEFF HARRIS,MIKE SALISBURY,JIM TWYNHAM,SHAUN
TILLEY AND AL KELLY
Comment: I worked
at Mercia between August 84 and February
89, firstly with Mercia Action and
later as a freelance presenter where
the weekend Daybreak programmes were
mine for 3 years. I consider myself
lucky to have worked with experienced
broadcasters like Paul, Dave, Jim,
Jeff, Annie and Stuart. Very fond
memories of when we were all part
of a REALLY local radio station!
Would love to hear from any former
staff. Regards to all.
Comment: Mercia
Sound was what local radio is all
about, there was no othe station
like it. Remember the Christmas Goldrush
days?
Those megamixes Kevin were the best, so loooooong and of high quality.
Does anyone know if they are available on CD please?
Any listeners of Alan Turner's Some Like it Hot show out there, remember
staying up to tape it - still got them!
Comment: I remember
our Saturday Nights at Mercia with
great fondness. Your remix of Vogue
was and still is legendary. Shame
GWR ruined what was without doubt
a superb station - all credit to
those early visionaries (Warwick,
Lloyd, Linnell, Napier-Barrett etc)Good
work you anorak !
Comment: I listened
to Mercia from day one, and it was
a superb example of quality, local
eclectic radio. Great to find your
site, brings back some good memories
- shame GWR destroyed it!
Comment: When
Mercia commenced, I lived in Tamworth,
slightly outside the official area.
I could only receive the 220 signal
(due to Beacon beaming in on 97.2FM).
In 1985 I obtained a new job which
meant a move to Coventy and a clear
FM signal !! Great jingles, great
presenters and great music. Radio
just ain't the same anymore.
Comment: Kevin...Great
web site and I found it by accident.
Yes I'm the same Glen Thompsett that
worked at Merica along with Dave
Simms, Jim Lee, Stuart Linnell and
the rest of the gang. I'll try and
email you a dog-eared Mercia mug
shot of me. Great work, keep it going.
Comment: I can
scarcely believe that it is now 20
years since I started my broadcasting
career at the Mercia. Sorry I couldn't
make last year's reunion. Hello to
old colleagues and well done on the
site, Kevin.
Comment: Oops.
Message continued...it's a case of
finding non playlisted stuff wherever
you can. Maybe BBC 6 Music will save
the day.
I hate to leave on a sad note but I learned recently that John Warwick
is no longer with us.
Keep up the good work and I look forward to future updates.
Comment: Brings
back some memories. I was just outside
the true catchment area for Mercia
but always found it preferable to
BRMB. I especially remember Dave
Jamieson's saturday show with 6 of
the best which he took with him from
BRMB...Image by Alan Haven...I've
still got that record somewhere.
I can't imagine the sort of questions
he posed being allowed anywhere near
radio these days. In fact radio in
general leaves me cold now, its a
case of fin
Comment: I am
currently the Station Administrator
at Mercia FM and started working
here in August 1997 for the (then)MD
Ian Rufus, who you will recognise
as one of the original people at
the station! I am Coventry born and
bred and take huge pride in being
involved in the ongoing success of
the biggest and best station in the
area.
Comment: My god....almost
22 years since The Mercia went on
air. And some of us STILL believe
in radio.
This REALLY is sad-anorakism of the first degree but congrats!! Aah...the
memories....
Oh yeah...and Big Bad Bev called me at home out of the blue just last
week!! So she IS still alive...
Comment: Great
site! I was a ten year old lad when
I came across Mercia Sound in 1980,
it all seemed very magical to me.
I never did like my own local station
at the time, BRMB (apart from Les
Ross).
It was Mercia Sound that made me want to work in radio, and I started
my career at 21. Nice to see the photos again, great memories of a THEN
great station. Keep updating Kev!
Comment: I lived
in Hinckley and took the day off
school just to listen to the first
days programming. I recorded the
first hour and was so excited to
have an ILR in my area at last after
a couple of years enjoying the renegade
broadcasts of Beacon 303. I always
wondered what happened to Andy Lloyd!
He was by far the best presenter
on the station - a touch of class.
I heard on BBC Radio Bedford in the
late 1980's, but may be he became
a lawyer after all!
Kevin.Sykes@kps.org.uk 
Page updated
Saturday, February 14, 2009
