How it all began
From the Southampton Daily Echo July 2005:
After a 21-year campaign, Hedge End resident David Gates has seen his dream come true with the award of a five-year licence by television and radio regulatory body Ofcom.
From September an everyday tale of Hedge End folk could be hitting the airwaves. There will also be the sound of music, a breakfast show presented by Year 11 pupils from around the Eastleigh borough as well as the local issues of the day.
Skyline Community Radio will be broadcast from studios in the Hedge End Youth and Community Association centre in St John's Road and will be audible up to seven miles away.
"At last we can now begin work in earnest to get this station on air," said David, 49, who has worked in radio for more than 20 years. The station will be manned by up to 24 volunteers and David still needs to recruit up to eight more people.
Running costs will be about £22,000 a year and the station will only be allowed to retain half of its advertising revenue. But David has applied to Eastleigh Borough and Hampshire County Councils for start-up grants and intends to hold regular fund-raisers such as pub quizzes, car boot sales and discos.
Hedge End Town Council has made rooms available at the Hedge End Youth and Community Association centre rent free.
In 2007, the presenters were - David Gates, Mike Green, Geoff Dorsett, Nick Gay, Tom Bott, Steve Ridout, Martin Malyon, Matt Pike, Steve Spacagna, Andrew Moon, Matt Aldous, Margaret Head, Sylvia Powell, Andrew House, Mike Mack, Sam, Steven Wills, Ray Butt, Charles Taylor, Damon Heritage, Rob Davis, Sarah Martin.
David Gates sold Skyline Gold as a going concern to Mike Green, another Hedge End resident with a life-long interest in music and radio.
David is now a presenter on the internet-only radio station National121Radio - https://121radio.com/
Image - David Gates
The Mike Green Years
David Gates sold Skyline Gold as a going concern to Mike Green, another Hedge End resident with a life-long interest in music and radio.
Mike had been a DJ since the mid 60's. It started in 1964 when he first heard Radio Caroline and from then he knew, somehow, a DJ's life was for him.
He started the "Bootlace Disco" in 1966 and was a DJ/Radio Presenter until 2022. The 50's, 60's and 70's were his speciality years; his own favourites coming from the late 50's and early 60's. Danny and the Juniors "At the Hop" and Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" were amongst his all-time favourites.
As well as collecting records, he had a passion for old Radio and TV programmes especially the memorable adverts and jingles. He liked classic cars and motorcycles. His dislikes were the Nanny State with its over the top PC telling us what we can't say, think or do.
Mike regularly presented his breakfast show right up to the pandemic years, and managed the station, and its finances. Mike eventually sold the station to the new owner, Kevin Short in July 2022.
Throughout this time, the station had been operating from the Old School House in Hedge End, rent-free.
The Kevin Years
Kevin Short (aka Kevin Andrews) and his team improved the facilities at the Old School House, to include a second studio and a tea / coffee making area. The area was also painted. Although Hedge End Town Council had refurbished the ground floor of the Old School House, nothing had been done on the first floor, occupied by Skyline.
Discussions with the Council raised a concern that the building was still rent-free, and the Council was looking for additional income.
In May 2023, the town council told Skyline that they would need to pay them £3,600 a year to stay in the building. A series of negotiations took place to try and resolve this, and a reduction was made for the first year of rent. However, this was still unaffordable.
Kevin said, in an interview with the Echo “We have been treated very adversely by the council and it does not feel right. They have told us that we are essentially squatters in the building we have worked in since 2007." According to Kevin, in May the town council told Skyline, that the agreement which was in place, had run out in 2010. Kevin said: “We have even offered to share the books with them so we can come up with a lease figure that we can manage – they were not interested in working with us on a compromise. We have an obligation to meet our Ofcom licence criteria and as a part of that we are not allowed to make a profit. The council seems to take little notice of this.”
(Skyline Gold is funded by advertising revenue and contribution fees from the 13 volunteers that run the radio station.)
Image - Kevin Short aka Kevin Andrews
The station came close to closing down, but an offer was made of a room at the Bugle in Botley. Equipment was moved over a number of days and there was no break in transmission. A huge feat.
In June 2024, one of the presenters, Bob Shotter (aka Bob Deene), was made Station Manager by Kevin. Bob, after 20 years of retirement had, a few months earlier, dropped in to the Skyline Studio to see what his friend Stevie Edwards was up to. Bob was then he was back behind the mic doing a weekly pre-recorded show from his home in Falmouth. When Bob was made manager, this led to a number of presenters of live programmes, leaving the station, or being asked to leave as they would not fit the new station format. This included Alan Etheridge, Andy C, Gary James, Gary King, Keith Venn, Mags, Ray New, Stevie Edwards. Some of their last programmes are linked from this web site.
The station continued to operate from the room in Botley until the evening of Sunday 21st July, after Mags last show.
Kevin has stated that the station will start up again in early August, from new studios, and with the addition of a DAB service in the Southampton area. He has also stated there will be new presenters.
Bob has also stated that the FM coverage will be increased with a new location and a new transmitter.
Image - Bob Shotter aka Bob Deene
