Echo (radio station)
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| File:Echo-logo-web.png | |
| Broadcast area | Rushmoor |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 87.7 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Music radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Farnborough College of Technology |
| History | |
First air date | May 1992 |
Former call signs | FCT FM Passion |
Former frequencies | 100.5 MHz 106.4 MHz 106.8 MHz 107.8 MHz |
Echo is Farnborough College of Technology's student radio station with participation from further education and higher education students. Echo normally broadcasts through March. In 2011, it was scheduled to broadcast from February 28th to the end of March on a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) from OfCom.
History
Echo was originally broadcast under the name FCT-FM,[1] based on an abbreviation of Farnborough College of Technology where the station was, and is, based. It operated, and still operates, for four weeks per year on a Restricted Service Licence.[2] The station first broadcast during May 1992, with 24-hour output starting in 1995.[1][3] In 1994, the station was first sponsored by Guildford-based radio station County Sound;[4] having originally broadcast with 1 Watt of power, from 1996 FCT-FM was awarded rights for a 15 Watt transmitter, funded by County Sound.[5]
Programming
Since rebranding as Echo during the 2000s, a typical weekday's programming has usually consisted of four standard slots:
- Breakfast (7–10am)
- Mid-Morning (10am–1pm)
- Afternoon (1–4pm)
- Drivetime (4–7pm Monday to Thursday, 4–5pm Friday)
Invariably, the Breakfast, Mid-Morning and Drivetime shows have each had distinct on-air teams who present and produce content for the same timeslot each weekday throughout a given year's Echo run. Afternoon programmes usually have different presenter(s) and producer(s) each weekday. Echo broadcasts a news bulletin hourly between 7am and 7pm inclusive, with information collated from both local sources and Independent Radio News (IRN). From 7–10pm, Echo airs a range of specialist music programmes, each focussing on particular genre. The station also broadcasts a live-music focussed programme called Echo Sessions featuring live performances by Rushmoor based bands. Since 2011, live studio-based output on a Friday has finished at 5pm.
The normal programming schedule is sometimes adjusted to accommodate 30–60 minute one-off programmes, produced as coursework by students of Farnborough College of Technology who are not necessarily otherwise involved in Echo. Such programmes were originally branded Lunchbox and now air as Bitesize. Finally, until the 2011 running of Echo the station operated a limited live output on Saturdays, with a Late Breakfast programme leading into sports-themed discussion show Saturday Sport. Live presenter-led output is supplemented by an automated music service overnight and at weekends.
References
- ^ a b "New Radio Station Manager appointed". Farnborough College of Technology. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "Farnborough College of Technology guide". Universities and Colleges. The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "Rushmoor radio on air". Surrey & Hants Star. April 1995.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ "Support for students". Radio Magazine. 210. 20 April 1996.
- ^ "Farnborough calling". Surrey & Hants Star. May 1996.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help)
http://www.sonifex.co.uk/company/press/2010/18052010_echo_fm_choose_s2.shtm
http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/33816_airwaves_echo_to_sound_of_students
http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2048498_x_factor_contest_comes_to_farnborough_
http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s/2000645_students_take_to_the_airwaves
http://www.farn-ct.ac.uk/templates/pressrelease____159.aspx
http://www.farn-ct.ac.uk/templates/pressrelease____205.aspx
External link
Farnborough College of Technology, Echo FM licensee and studio owner.