Just a quick update regarding the ongoing development of the Pumpkin FM, old time radio network.
Microsoft’s recent price increase for Windows Server licences has forced me to re-evaluate other potential, less costly solutions. The play-out software we currently use is Windows based. We operate four different Windows cloud servers to play-out our programmes, all requiring a licence each.
For the past few weeks I have been testing an open-source solution called AzuraCast which runs under Linux. It is a community developed open source solution, so free of charge and maintained by volunteers. I currently have two test servers using AzuraCast under the Linux (Ubuntu) operating system. Linux is a far more reliable and robust platform than Windows and does not attract any monthly fees.
Although AzuraCast does not have all the bells and whistles of our current software, it is fully capable of providing the play-out service we require. I must admit, it is very hands on and took a while to get my head around, but can do the job. For those of you that are technically minded, it uses Liquidsoap. Liquidsoap is a powerful and flexible programming language for describing audio and video streams. I have had to write myriads of scripts to get it to do what I want, but have had help from the AzuraCast community, which was great.
I have been meaning to update schedules for quite a while and I feel now is the time to do that whilst I migrate station play-out to the new system.
In the next few weeks the following changes will happen:-
- American Comedy Gold (Schedules will be updated)
- Apple Pie Radio (new channel) will replace Venture Radio and showcase the very best of all genre’s of American OTR
- BritCom 1 brand new schedule will showcase the very best of older classic British radio comedy shows like ISIRTA, IRIHAC, Dad’s Army, the Goon Show, Navy Lark, beyond Our Ken, Round the Horne, Clitheroe Kid etc
- BritCom 2 Brand new schedule will showcase more recent comedy shows like Claire in the Community, Cabin Pressure, Fags, Mags & Bags, After Henry etc
- BritCom 3 Brand new schedule will showcase audio from Classic British TV comedy shows and panel games like The Unbelievable Truth, News Quiz, Just a Minute etc
- BritCom 4 (new channel) Will take over from BritCom 3 playing the best of the rest, shows that are too few in number to warrant their own time-slots
- Radio Britannia (new channel) replaces Radio England with a brand new schedule of the very best of British classic radio from comedy, crime, sci-fi, drama, factual and much more…
- Crime Incorporated (Brand New Schedule)
- Strange Radio (Brand New Schedule)
- 1940s Radio (Home Service) (Brand New Schedule)
- 1940s Radio (Light Programme) (new channel) replaces Malvern Radio JRS
- Malvern Radio International (Updated play-list)
I will be adding many newly acquired series and replacing poor sound quality shows with versions I have restored. I am working on scheduling to prevent shows ending before they are finished.
Not blowing my own trumpet, but the above is a huge amount of work. I envisage it will be completed within the next few weeks so watch this space. How you listen at the moment will not be affected. The stream coordinates will remain the same.
If you have any requests or ideas I would love to hear from you. You can use the contact form below.
Please do not send requests for shows to be removed, moans or groans 🙂 Maybe you don’t like certain programs but others do. I am trying to keep it balanced.
So please, send any constructive ideas or requests. I will keep them in mind. Sorry I do not have the time to answer these messages personally, but will take into consideration all constructive requests where possible.
Hi Pumpkin,
just to say how much I enjoy and appreciate your stations and work, it all keeps me, an English bloke in Germany, happy and also enables me to wallow in my own nostalgia!
Paul
Thank you for working to make this already wonderful site even better!!!!
Just to say ‘thank you’ for the Britcom streams, such a tonic in these grim times.
In case you are unaware, occasionally there are audio playout glitches, eg (15/03/2025) between 07.30hrs and 08.00hrs on B’com3, the audio was alternating every 3or4 mins between Bristow and ISIHAC.
Cheers for now, and again, many thanks.
Regards . . . .
Now that BBC Sounds (including Radio 4X) will shortly be unavailable outside the UK, your network will become even more valuable to us displaced folk.–Cambridge, MA, USA.
I just wanted to thank you for the time and energy you put into your radio stations. I usually listen to Brit Com 2 and it plays all night since my husband passed away. I love the shows that were always on our radio when I was a child. I expect I will be listening to Britcom 1 and Malvern when you introduce the updated Pumpkin Radio. Again, thank you for bringing the comfort of my childhood back.
Sending many thanks for the time you spend bringing back real radio and TV classics. Growing up in the 60s to hear so many shows we listened to as a family when I was a child brings so many happy memories. Again, a BIG thank you.
Many thanks for all the hard work. I listen to your stations virtually every night – particularly the Britcom ones. The changes to schedules sound great. Keep the amazing work!
After listening to pumpkin FM for a couple of years because I like British old-time radio I went for the Adbury experience at approximately 6 dollars. How long will I be ad free for?
Not sure whether you are using a third party app? We do not charge to remove ads and we do not play any advertisements other than vintage ads!