Radio Wave 96.5
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| City of license | Blackpool |
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| Broadcast area | The Fylde: FM |
| Slogan | Today's Best Mix for Blackpool and the Fylde Coast |
| Frequency | 96.5 MHz Live Stream Real/WM |
| First air date | 25 May 1992 |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| Audience share | 11.7% (December 2009, [1]) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 53°48′57″N 3°03′18″W / 53.8159°N 3.0551°WCoordinates: 53°48′57″N 3°03′18″W / 53.8159°N 3.0551°W |
| Owner | UTV Radio |
| Website | Radio Wave 95.5 |
Radio Wave 96.5 is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Blackpool and Fylde coast areas of Lancashire. The station's output is broadcast from a specially-constructed transmitter aerial which is situated atop Blackpool Tower. The station was originally called Radio Wave and has also been known as The Wave 96.5.
The quarterly listening figures for the station for the period ending June 2008 from RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) give a 17% market share in its survey area of a total of 240,000 adults (aged 15 and over). The station is listened to by 75,000 (31%) people each week with each listener tuning in an average of eleven hours every week.[1][2]
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History [edit]
In the late 1980s local businessman John Barnett started lobbying the radio industry regulator for a distinct Independent Local Radio (ILR) licence for the Blackpool and Fylde area. The licence was awarded in 1992[3] and Radio Wave first broadcast at 7am on 25 May 1992 with an introduction from its founder, John Barnett. The first presenter was Neil Sexton, the first record played was "Simply the Best" by Tina Turner and the official launch took place on a specially erected stage in front of a live audience on the promenade by Blackpool Tower and featured Les Dawson and Derek Batey together with other local celebrities. The original daytime line up was Neil Sexton, Simon Tate, Jon Culshaw, John Peters, Ceri Glen, Basil Soaper and Andy Mitchell
In its first year of broadcasting the station won a Sony Radio Academy Awards Gold Award and was commended in the Local Station of the Year category.[3]
In August 1996, Radio Wave was confirmed by RAJAR as the most listened-to radio station in the area, ahead of fourteen other stations which were available including BBC Radio 1, which had half the amount of listeners locally.[4] In 2000 Barnett received an M.B.E. for services to radio broadcasting.[5] He is now the station's chairman.
Transmission area [edit]
Radio Wave broadcasts from studios based on Mowbray Drive in the Layton area of Blackpool. The station can be heard from Fleetwood in the Wyre district, in the northwest corner of the Fylde, Preston to the east and Southport, 14.8 miles (23.8 km) west-southwest of Preston.
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Listening Figures - Quarterly Listening". RAJAR. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "Radio Wave 96.5 - Latest audience data". mediauk.com. June 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ a b "An application to Ofcom for the Independent Local Radio Licence covering Preston, Leyland and Chorley" (PDF). Section 105 (A) (Ofcom). 2006-09-07. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-09-23.[dead link]
- ^ "On the crest of a wave!". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 1996-08-15. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "The Queen's Birthday Honours - MBEs: A - K". BBC News. 2000-06-16. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Part One video of the launch of Radio Wave on 25 May 1992
- Part Two video of the launch of Radio Wave on 25 May 1992
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