Aircheck UK - Alderney
UPDATED: 24/01/2003
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CHANNEL ISLANDS (UK)
AIRCHECK Alderney
BBC LOCAL RADIO: BBC
Radio Guernsey (93.2FM & 1116AM) opened along with it's sister station, BBC
Radio Jersey in March 1982, in BBC
Radio Guernsey's case, the 16th March, a day after them, and quickly
established itself as 'the voice of the islands’
providing residents in the Bailiwick with a comprehensive service of local news
and current affairs.
Originally a very small operation, producing a limited amount of local
broadcasting, BBC Radio Guernsey has grown until today it deliver
seventy-eight hours of local programming a week. From its original
headquarters in Les Banques, St. Peter Port, the station’s journalists and
programme makers cover every corner of the Bailiwick.
It became a tradition that BBC Radio Guernsey quickly became part of
everyday life and special events. Every year the station is prominent at
all the local shows and celebrations, especially Battle of Britain Day and the
Liberation Day celebrations. Very early on in its history, BBC Radio
Guernsey established correspondents in Sark and Alderney, the other two main
islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
Audience research carried out in 1999 showed the station has 19,000 listeners -
out of an Island population of 68,000. Among popular programmes are the
Sunday Phone-in which deals with the major issues in the Bailiwick, and attracts
a massive listenership. The station also provides exclusive live coverage
of the meetings of the States of Guernsey, held on two consecutive days in the
last week of the month and are broadcast on BBC Radio Guernsey’s medium
wave frequency 1116khz MW.
1999 was an exciting year for the station. In August of that year,
staff from the station played a key role in the BBC's coverage of the total
eclipse of the sun. The entire morning's programmes came live from
Alderney, from first sun rise just before 6am, and on through all the phases of
the eclipse. Some of the best views of totality in the British Isles were viewed
from the island. Guernsey also had special Milllennium celebrations
as covered by the BBC station for those not able to make it to the main party.
COMMERCIAL: LOCAL (ILR) 104.7 Island FM (93.7 for Alderney) is Guernsey's commercial radio station, offering contemporary adult hits, news and information from it's studios at 12 Westerbrook Street, Sampsons. As with the neighbouring, larger Channel Island of Jersey, commercial radio is in it's infancy, having started just prior to Jersey's station, on 15th October 1992. Island FM was re-awarded it's licence in 2000, and is therefore currently licenced until 14th October 2008. Along with Jersey's Channel 103, it is owned by Tindle Radio Group Limited, headquarters for which are based in Surrey.
There are nine on-air presenters including James Mountford, originally from Birmingham, who started in the bizz at the age of 15 at BRMB, then spending a few years at other stations whilst studying at Essex University. Ed Nell was born in Norfolk and started in hospital radio aged 16. He graduated from Loughborough University having spent time in the local campus radio station. Other presenters include staff who work elsewhere, for example, Jim Trott is a manager at one of the international merchant banks on the Island. Most presenters have remained with the station since launch.
Weekday programming runs from 5am to 1am, and 6:30am to 1am at weekends. Being the second largest of the Channel Islands, Island FM also covers the smaller islands of Alderney, Herm and Sark which come under it's Bailiwick, or authoritative control. There are three members of the station's news team: Alison McGarragh, News Editor, who joined in 1997 as a rookie post degree, Katie Collins, who joined in 2000 post degree and from University Radio, and Lindsey Morgan, the latest news recruit, although she did help out for 2 years on Sports programming whilst doing her A-levels.
(Tindle Radio is the only family-owned radio operator in the UK. It operates six radio stations across the UK. It owns Channel 103, Jersey; Island FM, Guernsey; The Beach, Lowestoft (Suffolk/Norfolk); Dream 100, Colchester/Clacton; Dream 107, Chelmsford; Bridge FM, Bridgend; as well as minority stakes in Kick FM, Newbury; and Kestrel FM, Basingstoke.)
HOSPITAL RADIO: No details known.
RSL:
QUAY FM: Operating on 87.7FM,
this is Alderney's very own radio station. It is
entirely manned by volunteers and goes live every August to bring music, news,
competitions, weather forecasts, traffic reports, personal messages, adverts and
entertainment 24 hours a day. It operates under licence from the UK Radio
Authority.
They can be contacted on +44 (0)1481 824887, Fax +44 (0)1481 823601, and E-mail:
bellevue@alderney.net
DIGITAL: There is no digital multiplex for the Channel Islands currently.
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