At that time I was co-presenter of the ‘Computer Club’ on Radio Wyvern, at the time the only licenced Independent (i.e. non-BBC) Local Radio station for the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the English Midlands.

I programmed an animated ‘Christmas Card’ in BASIC for the TRS-80/Genie and Sinclair’s new ZX Spectrum and the station obtained permission to broadcast computer software, in the form of cassette interface beeps, after their normal 8pm curfew, directly following our weekly ‘Computer Club’ features and phone-in, produced by Rob Yarnold, later head of music at BBC Hereford and Worcester.

The 500 baud Tandy-format FM tape and the 1500 baud Sinclair programs were broadcast twice before Christmas. Several listeners reported that they were able to load them into their computers by recording off-air and replaying the tape into their micros. Not bad, considering that this was far from inevitable even for locally-made recordings!

I’d owned a Video Genie (EACA-made TRS-80 clone) since 1980 and was active in NATGUG, the UK National TRS-80 and Genie User Group and local computer clubs. I was also working for the three mainstream UK micro magazines (PC, PCW and CT).

That busy winter I also was on the production team of a local TV series (six half hour ‘Magic Micro Mission’ teatime children’s educatainment shows), made by Central ITV for broadcast in six TV regions, and had written a game (Gold Mine) for the Spectrum which went top 20 in the UK all-formats software chart.

The following year a Central ITV News crew interviewed me about how they felt the ‘home computer craze bubble had burst’, citing the collapse of Merseyside publisher Imagine and comparing micros with skateboards and hula hoops.

I demurred and the interview was not broadcast. But the TV and radio series’ ceased to run. I moved off the Z80 and plied my trade on Sinclair’s 68K-based QL for a decade.

A quarter-century on I’m principal programmer in the Central Technology group at Codemasters Software company. The last game I worked on sold over 2 million copies worldwide. Some bubble.

If we were to try to broadcast GRID for PS3, Windows or Xbox360 in TRS-80 cassette format it would take around four years and require a C-1957341 cassette (let’s get a ‘C two million’ to be on the safe side ;-) to record the results. However the graphics would be a lot better than my 1983 lowres mono animation of Santa and his sleigh. :-)

((Great page BTW – found it linked from the System 80 pages in NZ; I showed off my Video Genie, still running TRS-80 games from 87.5K floppies, at last year’s Retro Fusion show. It’s still set up on the desk behind me now, though I1m typnig this on an Amiga 4000. I used Scripsit on the Genie to write software manuals and magazine articles for more than a decade. ))