1992, the year of……

Anglia Translations Ltd was not the only notable birth in 1992. In that same year (and month!), Classic FM began broadcasting. The idea for a radio station devoted to popular classics, rather than to the more diverse cultural offerings of Radio 3, took some years to come to fruition, mainly due to funding difficulties. It was thought that a constant diet of classics interspersed with chat, news items and advertisements, was unlikely to draw audiences away from popular BBC programmes and the many independent stations catering for more specialised tastes.

But it did draw a huge audience which continues to this day. Despite criticisms that the same old tunes are played over and over again, the audience reaction seems (rightly) to be: what’s wrong with the same old tunes being played over and over again. We like ‘em!

Even the BBC took note and two of the best (in my view) Classic FM presenters, Petroc Trelawny and Rob Cowan, were swiftly poached by Radio 3 where they continue to showcase the best of classical music.