Orkney Wireless Museum on Radio 4's Broadcasting House

Interesting piece by Sandy Firth of Orkney Wireless Museum on Radio 4's Broadcasting House this morning as background to the national switch-over to digital radio, and the switch-off of FM broadcasting planned for a few years hence. Click here later on Sunday to listen again (it's about 40 minutes into the programme, immediately after the funny segment on humorously removing letters from Radio 4 programme titles, by newsreader and ukelele player Kathy Clugston).

Look at the history of relatively-early adoption of technology in the Northern Isles - mains electricity, internal combustion, wireless (including CB radio), air-mail, telephones, broadband, and many more. Harbours, roads, airports, transmitters, cabling, interconnect the mainland with the islands, and are the things that tie us together as Scotland, and connect us with the other parts of Europe. Give us our share of national infrastructure (and appropriate legislation, licencing and regulation) and we will find a way to make new things work for the community, and to make a contribution for others to make of what they will. After all, where would Radio 3 be without the St Magnus Festival (hang on, is that the right way round?)? Where would the National Theatre of Scotland be without KGS and the other Orkney-resident components of its Mixter Maxter company? Where (literally) would the RSNO be without the roads, ferries, planes, piers and airports to get them here with their instruments? Where would Radio Scotland be without Tom Morton in Shetland? Where will Scotland safely and securely find it's energy in the future, except from the waves, tidal-flows and wind in Orkney and elsewhere?

If you have a few minutes between performances, make sure you visit the Orkney Wireless Museum, at the Shore St end of Junction Road (and also the Orkney Museum's "Captain E E Fresson: Pioneer Aviator" exhibition, at tankerness House, directly opposite the Cathedral).

If my rambling above does not provide a clear enough connection with the Festival, though, Paddy O'Connell said on air that our very own blog contributer, and Speigeltent-meister Les Burgher, suggested the story to them! Where does he find the time?