This short report was first published as a lead story for our Nouseletter.
Remember Longboi? York's celebrity mallard, an unusually tall male duck, became an internet meme in 2021 and was sadly declared dead after going missing in 2023.
On 15 May, the then-YUSU president, Pierrick Roger announced plans for a to-scale memorial statue. The fundraising campaign reached the necessary £2,000 within two days.
On 16 September, William Birch & Sons Ltd., a local construction company, announced they had installed "a new stone plinth in readiness for the statue". The statue has already been produced and shipped to York, and is ready for its unveiling on 26 September.
Nouse understands that University Radio York (URY) plan on covering the memorial alongside BBC Radio 1. Greg James, the BBC presenter whose obsession over Longboi has spanned years, has agreed to attend the ceremony.
On 26 September James' breakfast show will broadcast live from campus to celebrate the occasion.
URY is the UK’s Oldest Independent Radio Station, and recently became the second-ever student radio station ever to be awarded a Community Radio licence (C-DSP) by Ofcom in May.
This means URY are now able to broadcast on digital radio (DAB), and are audible across the whole of York.
Their DAB Switch On Show was held on the 8th September, and involved interviews with alumni, society members, and individuals from the local community.
Joe Brearley, Station Manager of URY told Nouse: "The show was fantastic! It was a great way to pay tribute to our history, the dedication of our members to make this project happen, and to be able to talk about how the University, York SU and the York SS-DAB multiplex helped us to achieve our new platform."
"We're looking forward to being able to broadcast on air across the entirety of York!"
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