To a Secret Location in Downtown Wivenhoe! …on Thursday evening to see three men in a boat. Well not actually in a boat, but very nearby, which probably blows the cover of the location for the fancy new studios for Radio Wivenhoe.

Thursday night was studio launch night for the Voice of the Colne - and whom better to be that voice for the glam opening than Mr Mule? Having entertained the Thursday night kitchen sink crowd of Wivenhoe for a fair few months now, it only seemed right that the honour should go to Martin.

It has been some considerable effort and immense work behind the scenes to get studio Radio Wiv fit for broadcasting. The Wivenhoe Business Centre has been very generous with the offer of the space, as has BT with some sponsorship to provide the furnishing and modern interweb lines.

But most of, it has been Jerry Davis and Joe Newell working behind the scenes to make sure that Radio Wivenhoe now has a permanent base. On a practical level it will allow the presenters to broadcast live, rather than pre-record back at base.

The studio also offers up a more professional approach, looking and feeling very much like a proper radio station, and certainly fitting for a hyperlocal organisation that has grand ambitions to secure a community license over the next year or so.

And so Thursday evening saw Mr Mule press the magic button to put the studio live on air, and then we were straight in with some hardcore loungecore. It wasn’t quite Tony Blackburn spinning Flowers in the Rain, but then Wivenhoe always has been something slightly left of centre.

Left of centre of the main mixing desk in the studio is the jewel in the crown of Radio Wivenhoe - a water cooler with a built in fridge.

Blimey.

And the price to pay for lubricating the tonsils of the top broadcasters at the Voice of the Colne? That will be £2.50 to you Sir, via eBay.

Eyes right and a big cheesy grin would also help - Radio Wivenhoe now has a live webcam. I’m personally looking forward to the local late night sex therapy phone-in.

Only joking. I think…

I didn’t loiter for long on Thursday evening. Mr Mule had incoming calls from a growing audience, as well as entering into a debate with Joe about the family tree lineage of the Iglesias clan.

They’re not from round here, donctaknow.

But yeah - Radio Wivenhoe has the green light for go, somewhere just past the big boat down by the business centre. It’s not quite a pirate approach to broadcasting, but you do need to walk the plank to gain entry.

Splendid.