Piccadilly Radio archives turn digital with £99k National Lottery grant

An archive collection of the radio station’s reel-to-reel tapes held at Manchester Central Library will for the first time be digitised for a new generation of radio fans and history buffs since it first started in April 1974.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded Manchester Central Library the £99,000 grant to make the archive catalogues browsable for new audiences by curating 300 Piccadilly Radio clips and ephemera at the Manchester Digital Music Archive (MDMA).

The lottery grant has been topped up with match funding from Manchester Libraries Trust and former Piccadilly Radio staff.

Overseeing the project will be a newly hired project manager who will ensure that it is executed to the highest standard, while capturing a poignant look back through the archives and the legacy of Piccadilly Radio today.

Introductory podcasts with those who listened to and made the radio station famous will be made by journalism students from the University of Salford. Students will put their talents to work interviewing former Piccadilly Radio staff members, presenters and loyal listeners for a series of special podcast episodes that will put the importance of the archive into context.

The project grant will also help to nurture new young radio lovers by making the station more interactive for younger people through a collaboration with the Manchester Hip Hop archive. This will be a 3-month project with young people to educate them in podcast producing techniques through Piccadilly Radio’s soul and hip-hop shows.

Workshops and reminiscence sessions will take place for older people to help them gain new skills and confidence, while training will be given to 60 volunteers to improve finding aids which enables them to listen to the clips from home or the library, adding search terms and other information to make the catalogue more accessible.

The journey to making Piccadilly Radio archives digital will be celebrated with a 6-month exhibition at Manchester Central Library next year and behind-the-scenes tours of the venue for volunteers, participants, lottery players and listeners. Everyday access to the digitised archives will be made available on library access pods.

The grant for Manchester Central Library has been given because the safely stored tapes are now degrading and the reel-to-reel format is obsolete, which means it’s even more important to save them in digital format for future generations.

Members of the public will be called on to share tapes from shows they recorded at home that aren’t already in the archives such as classic shows such as Mike Shaft’s Taking Care Of Business and Stu Allan’s Bus Diss.

Piccadilly Radio was the city’s first commercial radio station to hit the airwaves with DJ Roger Day, who read the station’s first news bulletin, being one of many broadcasters who kept listeners hooked through a mix of news and music to sports and drama across generations.

The fondly remembered station is also credited for launching the careers of talented broadcasters including Mike Sweeney, Susie Mathis and Mark Radcliffe.

The lottery backed project will take 12 months to complete and officially ends in December 2025.

John Hacking, executive member for Skills, Employment and Leisure, said:  “The radio station has played an important role in our broadcast media in the city, for former staff members and its many listeners over the years. I am proud to see this being rightly recognised and for the project to be collaborating with diverse people in our community and being made accessible for young and older audiences.”

Helen Featherstone, director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:  “Local radio holds a special place in the hearts of many people in the North of England, so it is fantastic news, that thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to support the Manchester Central Library to ensure that its Piccadilly Radio collection is preserved for years to come. This investment will mean that more people can learn about our rich musical heritage, gain new skills in podcast production and cataloguing and hopefully inspire future broadcasters.”

Brendan O’Shea, chair of Manchester Libraries Trust, said: “Manchester Libraries Trust is delighted to have helped secure funding for the digitisation of Piccadilly Radio archives. Piccadilly Radio is an important part of the history of Manchester. Digitising the content will provide future generations with a vital insight into a time of significant social and economic change in Manchester.”

Tony Ingham, former producer at Piccadilly Radio, said:  “It was very important that the legacy of Piccadilly Radio be preserved. As someone that worked at the station for many years, it played a massive part of people’s everyday lives in the 70s and 80s and the fact that its cultural significance and magical memories will be accessible for them, and future generations is fantastic.

“I know that former colleagues who worked at the station are delighted and grateful to the Library and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for recognising the importance of the archive.”