WHAT makes a man who has worked for 40 years in the television industry decide to throw himself back in to the media circus and try to set up not only Ryedale's first radio station but also a television station dedicated to York?

David Sumner, who was one of the most powerful people at Yorkshire Television in his role as director and general manager, is now only weeks away from broadcasting his Ryedale community radio station on the internet.

After retiring from YTV, Mr Sumner became a parish councillor in his home village of Hovingham and also a magistrate, though he was still involved in broadcasting through his son.

But the life he had been wont to lead during retirement has now been cast aside in favour of his new ventures. So, it begs the question: why get into all this when he could put his feet up and enjoy retired life?

Said Mr Sumner: "When I retired and got very involved in aspects of the community, I realised that so far as local communities are concerned, such as this in Ryedale, the media is not able to do very much." He said that having looked at various aspects of community life, this became his "preoccupation."

He added that it was this "gap" in coverage that his radio project and television scheme, for that matter, were trying to fill. "Everything (on the radio station) will be about Ryedale and nothing else. That's the concept. The idea behind it is to solve some of the community's problems."

Another motivating factor is the chance to help people launch their careers in the media, though those involved can be of any age and with or without experience in the field of broadcasting. "I see this presenting an opportunity for people," he said. The idea to set up production units all over the area, from which contributors can file stories to be broadcast and also images for the internet.

The immediate future for his Ryedale radio station is to set it broadcasting on the internet, which Mr Sumner hopes to do in the coming weeks, having secured funding from Yorkshire Forward and given presentations to the likes of Ryedale District Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority. "It has been very well received," he said. Eventually, the idea is to go down the more traditional route and use the good old-fashioned wireless for his radio station.

"It was always meant to be the other way around," said Mr Sumner. But he added: "The growth in technology makes it manageable and workable (on the internet) by people with enthusiasm." To make this electronic side of the project realise its full potential, he hopes that in the future, every rural dweller will be able to access the internet at their nearest village hall.

Mr Sumner wants to hear from people who would like to get involved in his scheme. People can e-mail him at david@radioryedale.com.

Updated: 11:09 Thursday, November 01, 2001