Sustainer

URY is not a 24-hour radio station (usually), so it has a sustainer whose job is to play something during downtime to make sure URY never broadcasts dead air.

This page is a tribute to the various sustainer systems URY has had over the years.

Sustainer Technology Through The Ages

19??-19?? Other radio stations

Before URY had its own sustainer, it broadcast a feed from other radio stations. The 80s Technical Manual makes reference to Viking FM being the radio station in this role in 1988.

It is currently not known to this wiki what URY did back in its foundation years (BBC feed? Dead air? Caroline!?), as commercial independent radio wasn't exactly around back then.

The earliest schedules available from archives of the URY website shed no light on this, sadly.

19??-1998 Student Radio Network

Reference is made between Summer 1997 and Summer 1998 of URY relying on the Student Radio Network for out-of-hours broadcasting. The wiki team currently don't know much about the SRN, but it was likely similar to the Student Broadcasting Network URY later used.

1998-19?? Student Broadcast Network

Back in the 90s the sustainer service came from the Student Broadcast Network who broadcast news, music and programming on a national basis for student radio.

While we're not broadcasting our own programmes, we relay the Student Broadcast Network. Broadcasting live via satellite, SBN is a service exclusively for student radio stations in the UK. During the day it provides stations with a non-stop mix of student orientated music with news on the hour every hour. Throughout the night there's a line-up of student programmes, combining live shows from their studios in London and programmes provided by student radio stations around the country.

The SBN folded in 2004.

2004?-???? OWEN

More information needed.

This system, named after Owen Murphy (station manager), is the source of the Overnight Owen slots that appear in the schedule at around 2005.

2012-present INSIDIOUS TONES

The current jukebox system is provided by a LiquidSoap system affectionately named "If No Show, I Do An Instantly Organised Unending Show: Totally Outrageous Nonstop Entertainment System", or INSIDIOUS TONES for short (also known as just iTones).

Branding

Though currently known as the URY Jukebox, the sustainer service previously went by other names:

• Non-Stop Music
• URY Music Jukebox
• Overnight Owen