Before April 1974, Manchester sounded like the BBC. It was polite. It was polished. It was safe.

Then came the switch on. Piccadilly Radio 261.

We didn’t just broadcast; we interrupted. From the studios at Piccadilly Plaza, we unleashed a sound that actually reflected the city. It wasn’t about perfect pronunciation; it was about the Mancunian accent cutting through the static.

The “Ignition” era wasn’t just about playing records. It was about breaking the monopoly. While the rest of the country was listening to what they were told to like, Manchester was building a community on the medium wave. We were the first social network, decades before the internet.

This was the start. Rough, ready, and undeniably ours.