It's a case of "air time gentlemen, please" at a York pub which has launched its very own radio station.

A state-of-the-art studio has been built in the basement of The Shoulder of Mutton, Heworth Green.

When Pub-Net Radio goes on air in August, it will broadcast to regulars in York and at Bass pubs across the country for nearly 12 hours a day.

The audacious scheme, thought to be the first of its kind in the country, is the brainchild of publicans Paul Egan and Susie Matthews, along with Peter Nacey and Jane Peers of Haxby-based Rhythm Entertainment & Promotions.

They are the same team who transformed the Shoulder into a spaceship for a sci-fi spectacular last year. It later beat off competition from 58,000 pubs to win the Publican newspaper's national Pub Promotion of the Year.

Paul said: "Being the UK number one last year it could have been easy to become complacent. We want to drive the pub forward and be number one again this year."

He sold his home gym equipment to make room in the basement. Then the four of them built the £7,000 studio over a period of months, in total secrecy.

It has not cost them a penny as 14 local firms have sponsored the project. Pub-Net Radio will broadcast for a trial period of a month from August 16. From 11am until 7pm, there will be pre-recorded music programmes catering for all tastes. Four local DJs will then host live shows until 11.30pm. Dedications and quizzes with cash prizes are planned.

All costs will be covered by advertising revenue with profits going to a children's cancer charity.

Other Bass pubs can take the station's output via the company's network of ISDN lines, which are like telephone lines but faster and of much better quality. Non-stop dance music broadcast on Friday and Saturday nights might replace the traditional disco in some pubs.

Pub-Net radio will also be broadcast on the Internet. The site goes live next week on www.soft.net.uk/pub-net.

Any firms interested in getting involved should contact Paul and Susie on (01904) 435942.

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