28th January 1981
Deputies meet to decide if they want BBC or an independent broadcaster
Both Jersey and Guernsey have their own BBC local radio stations, but it was by no means certain that either of them would allow the Corporation to use each Bailiwick’s airwaves.
Each island had been assigned a single medium wave (AM) frequency to use as required and, originally, there had been a push to use them to establish commercial stations, leaving no room for the national broadcaster.
An easy decision
Jersey decided fairly early on that this wasn’t the best course of action and, when the matter came up for discussion in the States, in January 1981, it was largely a formality. However, things were more complicated in Guernsey, where there was a stronger push to revisit the idea of commercial broadcasting. This was largely because the BBC had pared down what it was able to offer the islands from up to ten hours of Bailiwick-focused content each day to a single hour, with the stations simulcasting Radio 2 the rest of the time.
In the end, both islands decided the Beeb was best after all. BBC Radio Jersey went on the air the following year.
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Other events that occured in January
Jerriais poet Jean Dorey is born
- Jean Dorey was one of the most prolific writers working in the Jèrriais language, which he wrote alongside French and English.
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Missing parents are declared dead
- Elizabeth and Nicholas Newell were last seen alive in October 1997. Just over three years later they were declared dead.
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Jersey registers its lowest ever temperature
- Jersey's daytime temperature dropped to well below freezing when it recorded its lowest ever temperature in January 1895.
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Jersey beggar is sentenced to hard labour
- A beggar who claimed to have just arrived from Jersey raised suspicions on the mainland and was sentenced to a month's hard labour.
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