Aircheck UK - Flintshire UPDATED: 02/01/2006 International UK Home AIRCHECK Home
Add your own memories and comments on these stations! E-mail us to personalise this page!
WALES (North)
AIRCHECK Flintshire
BBC LOCAL RADIO: BBC Radio Wales is the English language national broadcaster for Wales. Since it became broadcasting in 1978, when the station's output lasted for just a few hours a day, with Radio 4 in between the local programming, airtime has now expanded to over 19 hours of programming produced all over the country, specifically for the people living in the west of Offa's Dyke, however, the internet provides ex-pats and other interested parties with a service internationally.
The station's schedule focuses on the kind of information deemed relevant to life in the country, with all the usual features plus tide times, inshore water forecasts, surf conditions and hillwalkers information aired regularly. From 6:00am to 6:00pm, the phone lines are open (08700 100110) to provide programme content in whatever form. Monday nights include the Welsh Top 40 Chart Show.
The station broadcasts nationally on 93.9 (Swansea, Llanelli & Carmarthenshire), 94.8 (Anglesey, Bangor, Gwynedd, Carnaerfonshire & Conwy), 95.4 (Wrexham), 95.9 (Newport & Monmouthshire), 95.1 (Blaenavon, Torfaen & Carmarthenshire) & 104.0 (Cardiff, Penarth & Vale Of Glamorgan) and on AM bands 882 (South Wales), 657 (North Wales) & 1125 (Mid Wales).
COMMERCIAL: LOCAL (ILR)
MARCHER COAST FM / MARCHER COAST 96.3 / 96.3 COAST FM launched 26th August 1993 as part of what was then the ever expanding Marcher Radio Group. The expansion stopped in October 2000 when GWR fully acquired the group. Previously, GWR had been approached by Marcher management asking them to sell air time - OPUS, GWR's sales house, said they didn't sell airtime for non-GWR stations, but would do so as long as they could take a 20% stake in Marcher Radio. It was not long before the creeping death arrived and all stations in the group have been GWR'd or are in the process of being done. Other Marcher stations were MFM, Marcher Gold and Champion 103. At present, Coast isn't as GWR'd as most other GWR stations - 'today's best mix' wasn't blatantly obvious on a late 2002 trip to North Wales, but you could guess it was a GWR station if you weren't sure. The RA currently records the station, which broadcasts from studios at Media House, Conwy Road, Colwyn Bay, as 'Classic hits, local and international news and information.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARCHER SOUND 95.4 / MFM 103.4: Originally the mothership for what became Marcher Radio Group, Marcher Sound, or, in Welsh Sain-Y-Gororau, licenced by the Radio Authority's predecessor, the IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority), launched Monday 5th September 1983 at 6:30am for North East Wales, Cheshire & parts of Shropshire, broadcasting on 95.4FM and 238metres 1260kHz MW. It was launched by Lord Evans, the Chairman of Marcher Sound. The launch was transmitted using both English and Welsh to 660,000 people - with the strapline '..your station, your sound' - the first track was Cliff Richard's 'Wired For Sound' and a £50 shopping voucher was put up for grabs in the early moments.
Its present licence as MFM commenced 31st March 1989 serving Wrexham and Chester on 103.4FM. Frequency changes came about as part of a spectrum audit. Marcher Radio Group later expanded taking in other Welsh stations Marcher Coast FM, Marcher Gold & Champion 103. Expansion ceased back in October 2000 when GWR fully acquired the group. Previously, GWR had been approached by Marcher management asking them to sell air time - OPUS, GWR's sales house, said they didn't sell airtime for non-GWR stations, but would do so as long as they could take a 20% stake in Marcher Radio. It was not long before the creeping death arrived and all stations in the group were 'GWR'd'. MFM, as it became known prior to GWR's takeover, broadcasts from Mold Road, Gwersyllt, just outside Wrexham.
In late 2005, two radio groups, GWR and Capital Radio merged to form GCap Media. Following the merger, the company set about rationalising the set up and announced plans to sell certain stations. MFM along with sister stations, was earmarked for sale. As of the amendment date of this feature, no sale has been agreed, nor buyer identified. A further updated profile will appear here in due course.
Martyn Tyler-Bennett recalls: 'Interesting article on Marcher Sound. I was headhunted from Harlech Television to be the Managing Director for Marcher Sound and I was responsible for the conception, build, set up and marketing of the station until its takeover. A photograph sits alongside a tape containing my opening statement, and my choice of first record - Cliff Richard's 'Wired For Sound' - in a time capsule under the atrium floor of the studios...'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MARCHER SOUND / MARCHER GOLD / CLASSIC GOLD MARCHER: The split of AM & FM came in the early 1990s, with the AM 1260 service taking on the classic hits format which became the norm for AM commercial radio across the UK. With the arrival of GWR in 2000, further changes saw the encroaching of Classic Gold. As with GOLD stations GEM AM (East Midlands) & AMBER (Norfolk), the name has been retained along with the new name, at least for now - whilst local programming as gradually slipped to only a short segment of the day - and otherwise, the national Classic Gold output has been rolled out. As with all Classic Gold stations, it is now 'owned' by UBC who purchased all of the AM stations from GWR. GWR (now GCap) own shares in UBC and, at the time of sale, incorporated terms and an agreement to buy back the stations within a reasonable timespan, by which time it probably hoped that station ownership laws would have been relaxed. This agreement is thought to be either elapsing shortly, or have already elapsed, leaving UBC as owner and operator.
COMMERCIAL: REGIONAL (IRR)
JAZZ FM 100.4 / 100.4 SMOOTH FM: Broadcasting from the Exchange Quay in Manchester, this specialist regional station began broadcasting on 1st September 1994, and is therefore one of the oldest of the IRR stations. As Jazz FM, its London sister station started four years previously. This particular station's format is one of jazz, soul, blues and r&b, with regional, national and international news in with the speech content. The Jazz FM brand belongs to the Guardian Media Group - the 100.4 North West IRR MD is the ex-Border Radio/Century boss John Myers. The service is also available to DTT Freeview customers, on SKY Digital, via cable TV operators, DAB Digital Radio and on line at www.jazzfm.co.uk. Daytime output included a general mix of popular jazz and soul music - with evening programming taking on an increasingly more laid back feel as the night progressed. Specialist shows also featured. Well known presenters to appear include Tony Blackburn, Paul Jones (Manfred Mann & Radio 2), Andy Crane (Piccadilly, Capital & Children's BBCTV) and Jim Colvin (Chiltern Radio & Choice FM). There are also experienced Jazz musicians in the presenter line-up. As far as regional coverage is concerned, it is designed to reach as far north as Carnforth, just outside the Lake District, through the Lancashire coastal towns of Morecambe and Blackpool, across Merseyside and across the North Wales areas of Denbighshire & Flintshire to approximately 5.4million people.
What does Jazz FM mean to listeners in the North West? This was a question asked as part of extensive research carried out across the North West by Jazz FM's owner Guardian Media Group (GMG) in 2003. Conclusions were drawn that a station by the name of Smooth-FM would appeal to a much wider audience, and more people would tune in to it, as opposed to the less likely chance of listeners tuning into a station which mentions a music genre instead, with the survey showing a hindrance to tune in because of the name Jazz FM.
As a result, the North West Jazz FM franchise, which reaches over 5.25m people across Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire, was relaunched as Smooth FM from March 1st 2004. However, it will continue to feature tracks played on Jazz FM but aims to appeal to a much broader market as well. The London Jazz franchise remained unchanged along with stations aired on Digital networks as of the time of the North West station relaunch. Smooth FM (North West) includes a mix of tracks from artists who have been known to venture into the Jazz or Soul genres for tracks, sessions or albums, such as Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones and Rod Stewart, whilst maintaining the airplay of contemporary standards from the likes of Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin. The relaunch was backed up by a strong marketing campaign focusing on 40 years worth of smooth favourites.
The North West station showed a 7% reach under the Jazz FM name, but GMG expect the newly named station to go significantly better. But the relaunch doesn't mean a dumbing down of the specialist Jazz and Soul shows which will continue to feature in both night-time and weekend programming line-ups, however, other programming slots will have a distinctly wider appeal.
This isn't the first time that the Smooth brand has been used by GMG. An easy listening format with the Smooth FM name has been used in both trials and licence applications, one of particular note being the Smooth FM bid for the East Midlands 2nd regional radio licence - GMG losing out at the award stage to SAGA 106.6FM. Smooth FM broadcast from the Ilkeston Co-Op Buildings in Derbyshire in the run up to the licence advertisement for the East Midlands 2nd regional - the service was warmly welcomed, but listeners in the Ilkeston area never had the opportunity to enjoy it again. Locals in and around Ilkeston continue to talk about the service which featured prominent and highly experienced local and regional radio presenters, although the area now has its own radio station, albeit currently on short-term licences only.
Speaking on the changes in the North West, ex-Border Radio boss John Myers said: "We are sorry to see the name Jazz FM go in the North West but this is a great opportunity to establish a new brand that will have broader appeal to potential new listeners. Like Jazz FM, Smooth FM will be a 'mood enhancing' listen and the new name reflects this message well."
The London sister station was eventually renamed under a similar business case. www.smoothfm.com
HOSPITAL RADIO:
RSL:
DIGITAL:
Want to go International? Click here!