Help ICR celebrate its 35th anniversary!

On Tuesday 17th September Ipswich Community Radio (ICR) will be celebrating 35 years of broadcasting on FM. The celebrations will include a day of music from 1989, plus birthday and celebration tunes.

The station will also host an open studio between 1 pm and 8 pm. “If you’ve ever been part of ICR, we would love to see you. If you’ve never been to ICR and are curious, do pop along and mingle with broadcasters and members.” said Izzy Lane, Friday Breakfast Show co-host.

ICR first broadcast from a caravan in Christchurch Park over the long weekend of 15 to 17 September 1989. Various moves have brought the studio to its current location on Tower Street in the heart of Ipswich.

Long-standing presenter Steve Mann, who was part of the first broadcasts in 1989, says, “I’ve been presenting and playing alternative tracks since the early broadcasts on ICR. I’m proud to have been involved with ICR and hopefully will continue as long as possible.”

Presenter Chris Bate comments that, for him, “ICR means giving back to the community through my radio show and helping the station and its members in general.”

ICR shows span a broad range of musical tastes. They include everything from house, techno and death metal to ’60’s, ambient and gospel. Some shows are in languages other than English, with the Kurdish hour being a current favourite. The station also collaborates with other local radio stations, and is pleased to be currently working with Hospital Radio Ipswich including a simultaneous broadcast every Thursday evening.

New members are always welcome. Full training is available, as well as other support such as mentoring as required. Shows can be music or talk shows, as well as being in any language.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what the ICR studio looks like, pop along on the 17th September and have a look!