Timeline

This is the general URY timeline, arranged by decade.

60s

1960: The UK's first student radio station is founded as Crush Radio (but it doesn't legally broadcast for a while).
1967: URY is founded as the UK's first legal independent broadcasting radio station, as Radio York under a test licence from the BBC.
1969: Radio York is refounded as University Radio York and opened with a guest broadcast by John Peel.

1976: URY hosted the National Association of Students broadcasters 5th Annual College, Goodricke College, Saturday 31st of January to Sunday 1st of February.

1998 URY celebrates its 30th birthday by a Restricted Service Licence (RSL), broadcasting on FM for four weeks to the city of York as well as campus.

1999 URY moves from an induction loop system on campus to the current Low Power AM (LPAM) transmitter, enabling a stronger signal on campus and more listeners. URY's frequency changes from 999kHz to the current 1350kHz.

1999 To celebrate the turn of the millenium URY compiles the "Ultimate Student Chart" with "Bohemian Rhapsody" named the No.1 song. The station also organised its first gig featuring local and national bands called "Spark".

2011: URY joins the UK Radioplayer service as one of the first stations to do so.
2012: URY moves to a larger webcaster licence. At the same time, Tom Whitehouse ends his long tenure as Honorary President and is replaced.
2013: URY wins 7 Student Radio Awards out of 9 nominations.
2014: URY wins Best Journalistic Programming at the Student Radio Awards with its coverage or river safety.
2018: URY celebrates its 50th Anniversary. (maybe don't trust the years at the top of this page)
2018: We won a grant from the alumni for £40,000 to upgrade our studios.

2020: The pandemic happened, and we moved to a year of remote broadcasting from home.
2020: URY won Gold for Best Student Radio Station at the Student Radio Awards.
2021: URY started broadcasting on 88.3am. Subsequently, a license was awarded to do so until 2027.
2023: 1350AM was finally switched off after 135 hours of consecutive radio, ending with a large party. Many alumni were invited.
2023: URY achieved the most Gold medals at the Student Radio Awards, and possibly the most overall with 9 awarded.