HAYGROVE HOUSE - Somersound Ltd bought this beautiful family home not long after winning the franchise. Here it is before even the builders moved in to turn it into Orchard FM - I helped in the gardens, as a consortium member but not yet employee - May 1989. >	It really did begin life on a farm! Orchard FM's first premises - Dillington Farm estate office, Ilminster, with accompanying portakabins for sales and staff. Below is moving out day. Sales staff, admin and presenters sit on swivel chairs in the sun as tractors roll by.	New MD David Rodgers proudly stands on the steps of his new radio station six months before it goes 'live'...avec cigar of course...
Below is the only picture of Studio 1 Orchard FM when it was still a lounge! I took this in May '89 ..and a few months later...men under serious pressure trying to make sense of where the wires go...their deadline had been brought forward by 5 weeks.	The kitchen as was above - soon to be the newsroom below.. Marcus Dare looking like he's up to something in a brand spanking new Newsroom	The moles around 'ere are bloody massive - or maybe someone from rival Somerset Sound is burrowing to spy. Work starts on studio 2
May 1989 - The house minus a reception area, and below, 6 months later	The stations future breakfast presenter cum-actor from The Bill, Mike 'Bernie' Burnside, points to the direction in which he'll be running in a few weeks time when he walks out ! God knows what Head of news Charles Eden had been upto or where, judging by his zip adjustment caught here.	Wow, what a line up: Bernie inspects a studio widget, God knows what Charles Eden is doing this time, as Paul Webber looks on.
Look ! A giant wok in among some bushes...new breakfast presenter Mike Burnside goes a-hunting in the Orchard grounds. Harpo, Chico and Groucho take a well earned lean against my old astra. Presenters Paul Webber, Bernie and David Rodgers. Last minute urgent phone calls the night before launch - presumably for ritalin and valium.	Landscapers have a cuppa while making Orchard's grounds more presentable. Below; before the work was done and after - note the expanded room in the roof which became the sales office. The back of the house after all the work was finished - Nov '89	Studio 2, production, slowly comes together even though the station is on air. Orchard was originally slated to launch in Jan 1990 but the recession loomed and it had to go live before Christmas '89, getting much needed advertising revenue. As it was, things got tough during 90/91, with news redundancies and regional studios having to be closed. New Orchard FM sales Astras arrive for the team.
Sunday November 26th 1989 - 10am A TSW news crew captures the moment we launch - how I managed to take these snaps and make the opening announcement, given how nervous I was, I'll never know... These guys are Brian Hulls and Brian Comer.	Calling all transmitters, calling all transmitters - Phil Easton and Mr Rodgers seconds before I do the opening announcement launching the station at 10am.	Head of Presentation Phil Easton calmly presents the launch show in the first moments of that cold, crisp sunny Sunday morning - playing my vinyl copy of Bill Withers, Lovely Day. (That means I bought the first record...uh?)
The chopper is fully fuelled and ready to whisk me around the region to pick up new listeners and bring them back to the station. The pilot let me take over the controls by the Mendip transmitter, but quickly took them back when I veered too close to the giant mast carrying our signal. Not the sort of disaster we needed on day one. I also had one of the early mobile phones onboard - it was the size of a school satchel, heavy as a brick and the only way to do 'lives' from the area.	Now - spot which of these fine folk were cast members of ITV's The Bill ? A third of them were - namely the two guys at the back on the left. Guest celeb and Bill detective, Jon Iles, helping launch Orchard FM and meet these winning new listeners, and Bernie, nervously clutching a teddy, who left breakfast to become Asst Met Commissioner in the police drama. Note, Parker from Thunderbirds stands just in front of Jon.	Ah, now here's a fine triumvirate of looks & talent! In reception on launch day - myself, Hazel Minife from sales and Orchard's then PR man Brian Highley.
Orchard's first Sunday request show on launch day with Peter Hayes, left, and Sky sports presenter Richard Keys. Looks like Gus Honeybun is the guest here as well - the partnership didn't last long before Peter went solo. The rabbit was killed off in '92 as well...	The MD with assembled family - Orchard FM - 1991. From left: a work experience called Alex, Stu from Sales, DR, Marcus Dare, Jane Soole, Gordon ( 'got any cheap cigars..?') Campbell, Janet from sales, Sally.	Bernie explains to Phil Easton (rgt), and guest Jon Iles (middle) , the extraordinary little things he's been out to find in Weston-Super-Mare. Our first 'live OB' after launch in the region was there to boost our presence on the edge of our official area. It didn't really work as Weston was too Bristol focussed. It now has its own radio station for zimmer-users and people waiting to die! Within two weeks of this photo, Mike Burnside would mysteriously not appear at his scheduled Yeovil OB in the Quedam Centre - instead opting to continue driving on the A303 to London - never to be seen again! He was officially Orchard's first casualty, leaving us somewhat in the lurch.
Yeovil Hospital - Radio Camelot - Hazel, Lesley and I do a charity appearance together on air raising some cash &, I suspect, making people alot sicker.	Breakfast presenter from early 1990 onwards, Bob McCreadie, comes live from reception awaiting the arrival of The Princess Royal. Looking on, (bored) is HTV cameraman Mike Hastie! Bob had been the perfect replacement to build a breakfast audience after Bernie's sudden 'flit'.	The board of directors awaits Princess Anne -from left; bloke from IBA, Charles Clive, Nigel Lindsay, Hugh Gregory, Dave Cousins, David Lucas, dunno.
Princess Anne arrives on a hideously rainy March day to officially open Orchard FM. From left; founding board member Charles Clive Ponsonby-Fane, Caroline Cameron (Lady), Ewen Cameron, Chairman, HRH, personal police protection, David R on umbrella duty.	The launch plaque from March 90 - sadly now taken down	Rory McGrath (he thinks it's all over!), and that bloke from The Buggles have that 'eureka' moment where they discover the real talent behind the station! Bowles & Highley...
The Orchard Family having sunday lunch, a fine mix of sales, presenters, tech ops and news bods. Cows go mad at Orchard Farm - escaped cattle in the grounds during my sunday show - they caused havoc and took ages to round up, which wasn't easy between records.	The 'Nightlive' team - from left; Martin Brice, he used to read the gig guide & book the local acts, (Martin sadly died in 2005), Dave Mason, Dave 'Woody' Greenwood enjoying an after show drink at the station's local pub, The Greyhound, Staple Fitzpaine, nr Taunton. '91 'Nightlive' sessions, this time featuring Sam Howard - down the pub -also pictured is Mark the engineer from the Devon studio (owned by Jethro Tull's Martin Barr), which sponsored our local bands slot.	Me and the MD - a rare pic in the office as I was usually only here for final warnings before facing the sack! Doing the evening shows until 1992. I was only there for 2 and a half years but they were hugely formative and like serving an apprenticeship. Having total music choice was a luxury I didn't appreciate until I moved to the bigger metropolitan stations Phil always said; 'you won't be choosing our own tracks when you leave here'...computer music selection was looming...
Winter 1991 hits hard - people love their local radio in the snow, don't they!	Let's try to find a white house in the snow...	That sponsored Astra Belmont at home.
Darren Daley (he loved his sweatshirt), and I on a dull Saturday OB nr Chard - broadcasting 'live' on the back of a goddamed miserable flatbed farm lorry, as I recall. ( I loved that ridiculous hooded 'rave' top! )	1990 - The Royal Bath & West Show OB with Phil Easton. Phil points to engineer Nicky Bennett, clearly blaming him for the lack of a Radio 1 Roadshow-sized crowd! It could have more to do with the fact no one was fooled that Orchard couldn't afford its own Roadshow caravan, but instead lamely stuck a banner over DevonAir's! We were just getting to know our audience, it was early days...recession, had no money...blah blah...	Status Quo 25th anniversary, Butlins, Minehead, Dec 1990 Pictures do tell a 1000 words, only... this is tv / radio host Judi Spiers being coaxed down from a chair by David R with Phil Easton looking on. I recall it descended into chaos with Fluff Freeman there DJing, Chris Tarrant, Vicki Michelle from Allo Allo - and drunk members of Quo.