Mercia returns to the radio for one night only to mark 45 years

Mercia Sound is returning to the air for a special one-off broadcast on Saturday 24 May to celebrate the station’s 45th anniversary.

The tribute is being hosted by community station Radio Plus in Coventry, which now operates from Mercia’s original studios on Hertford Place.

Live from 6pm until midnight, the event will feature six hours of programmes filled with music and memories from former presenters.

The line-up includes Gordon Astley, Annie Othen, Jim Lee, Clive Skelhon, Andy Lloyd, Paul Robinson, Macca and Rick Ward.

These voices were all part of Mercia Sound and later Mercia FM, which first launched at 7am on 23 May 1980.

Radio Plus has temporarily handed over its studio space for the takeover broadcast, which aims to reflect the heritage and spirit of the original station.

The shows will look back on four and a half decades of local radio, revisiting key moments and celebrating the presenters who helped shape the sound of Mercia.

Listeners can tune in to the anniversary takeover on 101.5FM in Coventry, on DAB, or online via Get Me Radio.

The broadcast is being promoted as a nostalgic evening for Coventry, Warwickshire and south-west Leicestershire radio listeners.