Radio Ability
From Freeradio
Although the Radio Ability project was intended as a radio station, in practice it became a series of radio programmes which were aired on a number of stations - both pirate and legal.
The brainchild of founder and DJ Tony Page, Radio Ability covered disability issues, to serve people with disability issues and also to promote greater understanding of disability among the non-disabled.
Created in 1993, Radio Ability first aimed to be broadcast on the Short Wave pirate, the Northern Ireland Relay Service. However, the NIRS closed down soon before Radio Ability broadcast its first programme.
Next, Radio Ability aimed to broadcast on the satellite station Euronet - sadly, Euronet again closed before Radio Ability had properly started.
For a while, Radio Ability was supplied to interested people on cassette tape. Interest increased as time went on. Radio Ability soon broadcast regularly on the Nottingham pirate Breeze FM Nottingham, and on the Short Wave pirate Radio Atlantis - which broadcast its own Radio Ability programmes, in addition to those supplied by Tony Page.
In December 1993, Radio Ability's peak came when live broadcasts were aired every Friday night, from 10pm to midnight, on Tamworth's RSL community radio station Palace FM. At the same time, pre-recorded broadcasts were aired on Nottingham's Radio Cracker RSL, run by Chris Kerry - culminating on Xmas Eve in a live interview by Chris Kerry with Tony Page, Radio Ability's founder and DJ.
In early 1994, Radio Ability planned to broadcast via Radio Stella International, but this fell through due to technical difficulties.
In spring 1994, Radio Ability made a one-off broadcast one Sunday afternoon - from the centre of Erdington in Birmingham, on approximately 105.5 FM, to test a 0.5 Watt Transmitter.
In summer 1994, Radio Ability was suspended when Tony Page started a work attachment in Cardiff.
In summer 1995, Radio Ability returned, this time via Community Net on Clowne. Tony Page had by this time reverted to his pirate pseudonym of Al Capone. Interest in the rural - and far from cosmopolitan - area of Clowne was low, sadly, and Radio Ability ended in early 1996.
In 2005, Radio Ability returned for a while as a mostly non-stop music station, on the internet, via Live 365. This experiment ended in early 2006 due to lack of funds and slow uptake in listenership.
In late 2007, Radio Ability was resurrected - this time with streamed audio of pre-recorded programmes, on the station's web site.
