Broadcasting legend Tony Blackburn opens Q Radio's new studios

By Bob Huggins

Iconic DJ and broadcasting legend Tony Blackburn has officially opened Q Radio's brand new headquarters in the heart of Belfast.

He joined Belfast Lord Mayor councillor Nuala McAllister at the Fountain Centre in College Street.

As well as his official opening duties, the man whose voice launched BBC Radio One and who continues to present for the BBC on both Radio 2 and Radio Berkshire, joined Owen and Yazz as a co-presenter on the Drivetime Show.

Kick-starting his radio career in 1964 with slots on pirate radio ships Caroline and London, Tony Blackburn presented his first BBC Radio Programme on 2 August

1967. His brief stint as a Q Radio Presenter comes just before his hour-long special broadcast on Radio 1 to mark 50 years of the iconic station, his first in 33 years since parting ways with the station.

Robert Walshe, Managing Director and Head of Programming at Q Radio, commented:

“We are incredibly honoured to host Tony Blackburn – a true radio icon – on the Q Radio airwaves. He is synonymous with the evolution of radio and, in his 53 years of broadcasting, has been more privy than most to the changes in technology, music, demand and audiences.

“He played a key role in bringing pop music to the mainstream and I can think of no one more appropriate to officially open QHQ and mark the station’s serious ambitions for continued growth.

Now known as ‘QHQ’, and located in the Fountain Centre on College Street, the new base boasts three studios and two newsrooms as well as a sales floor and private offices for senior management.

The latest set of figures from radio industry body RAJAR have revealed a listenership figure of 284,000 across Northern Ireland.