The Sonifex mixing console used by HRB since 1978. L-r: Marcus Brooke, managing director of Sonifex; Mark Goodwin, chairman of Hospital Radio Bedford (HRB); and Chris Stills, technical director of Sonifex.

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Bedfordshire, UK - Apr 22, 2010 - Hospital Radio Bedford (HRB) is a registered charity that started broadcasting from a 12' x 10' room in Bedford Hospital, Bedfordshire, UK, on June 28, 1975. In 1982 the station moved into an air-conditioned modular building within the hospital grounds and in 1995 transferred back to the main hospital building where it now has three large studios, a record library and a reception area.

Back in 1978, HRB commissioned Sonifex to hand build a mixing console for its studio. The mixer has been used almost every day, has undergone three studio relocations, and after 30 years of service (with dedicated care and maintenance from the HRB studio engineers) was still going strong. Last year, as replacement parts were no longer available for the console, HRB decided to replace the aging mixer with a new Sonifex S2 digital I/O analog radio broadcasting split mixer. As the original mixer was still in such good condition, it was decided that it should be returned to Sonifex for posterity.

Hospital Radio Bedford is run entirely by volunteers and broadcasts to Bedford Hospital 24/7 with a combination of live and pre-recorded material. The committee of seven and around 40 members provide more than 37 hours of wide-ranging radio programs each week to the 300 patients of the hospital.