BBC Three Counties Radio
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| BBC Three Counties Radio | |
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| Broadcast area | Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire |
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| Frequency | 90.4FM, 92.1FM, 94.7FM, 95.5FM, 98.0FM, 103.8FM, 104.5FM, 630MW, 1161MW |
| First air date | 24 June 1985 |
| Format | News, local news, local chat, occasional music and competitions |
| Owner | BBC |
| Website | www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties |
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (referred to as Beds, Herts and Bucks). Its main studios are on Hastings Street in Luton; the studios at Willen in Milton Keynes produce a separate breakfast show from 6am to 9am.
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[edit] History
It started as "Radio Bedfordshire" on 24 June 1985, serving the whole of Bedfordshire plus (despite the name) North Bucks and the northern parts of Hertfordshire. Therefore, as well as Luton and Bedford (and the rest of Beds), Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Letchworth, Stevenage and Hitchin were served by the new station. Almost eight years later, the station changed to its present name on 5 April 1993 to reflect the wider reach across the three counties and to give equal service to all. The editorial area was not, at that point, expanded but enhanced studio facilities and staff were devoted to Bucks & Herts.
Since 1995, it has not played music during its weekday daytime output,instead relying on pure speech from 5am until 7pm, when specialist programming is broadcast. The studios at Willen have produced the separate breakfast show since October 2001, with a separate drivetime show from November 2004 until October 2005, before producing the separate lunchtime programme which ended in February 2007 with a revamp of the schedule.
The station has won several Sony Gold Awards.
New transmitters at Epping Green and Bedmond extended the coverage to Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and west Hertfordshire in late 2005.
[edit] Transmitters
BBC Three Counties Radio broadcasts on 90.4FM (Epping Green, near Hertford), 92.1FM (Bedmond, near Hemel Hempstead), 94.7FM (Quainton Hill, near Aylesbury), 95.5FM (Sandy Heath), 98.0FM (High Wycombe), 103.8FM (Zouches Farm, near Luton), 104.5FM (Bow Brickhill, near Milton Keynes), 630 kHz MW (Lewsey Farm, near Luton), 1161 kHz (Kempston, near Bedford), and streaming from the BBC 3CR website. BBC 3CR is not broadcast on digital radio; instead BBC London 94.9 is carried by the London 2 (Switch London) multiplex which is transmitted from Zouches Farm and Bedmond. A Beds, Herts and Bucks digital multiplex, to be run by NOW Digital Ltd, will begin broadcasts in spring 2008.
None of the transmissions are very powerful, but the Milton Keynes 104.5FM signal from Bow Brickhill is the strongest and can be received the furthest; it can be heard in Swindon and as far north as Rugby (where it begins to interfere with Radio Derby). The 630 kHz signal from Lewsey Farm can be heard clearly as far north as south Lincolnshire, and it can interfere with the Voice of Russia, which is on the same frequency.
[edit] Schedule
Wally Webb starts the day at 4am with the Early Early Show which is taken by all BBC local stations in the East,Wally takes the first look at the days news,travel and weather plus he plays some good music at Bank Holidays and over Christmas and New Year Wally is on BBC 3cr until at least 6am. Gareth Lloyd then takes over with The Early Breakfast Show 5am-6am looking at all the days news, sport, weather and travel plus speaking to people around the world . The 6-9am Breakfast Shows are presented by Stephen Rhodes in Beds, Herts and Bucks, and by Helen Legh in Milton Keynes 104.5 F.M only. At 9am, Ronnie Barbour takes over. From 11am until 2pm everyday, JVS investigates listener's consumer problems. At 2pm Lorna Milton presents the afternoon show. From 4.30pm, Roberto Perrone presents the drivetime show, featuring local news and information. From 7pm BBC 3cr goes regional with Sue Marchant and 3 hours of good music and chat,then at 10pm its Nick Risby with the Late Show there's the Mystery Year every night around 10.15pm for half an hour,then the Fab Five thats when listener gets there top 5 tracks played,then after 12am its the musical loose connection,plus a couple of love songs just after the midnight news.
At the weekends there is a total music and chat format on BBC 3cr the line up has improved but there are still areas of improvement,paticulary on a Sunday daytime,on Saturday's Ronnie Barbour is on at 9am and Luke Ashmead makes a welcome return to the airways of BBC 3cr between 2-6pm,Luke covers all the events going on in the area and goes to various places and meets the people who live there mixed in with good music. Barry Hyde presents the 70's Album Show at 6pm,then its Keith Skues(Cardboard Shoes)Rock and Roll Heaven at 7pm music from the 50's and 60's. Richard Spendlove is on at 9pm with the longest running phone inn anywhere on U.K radio,BBC 3cr join with the rest of the BBC local radio sations in the South and East of England Richard is followed by BBC radio 2 legend Colin Berry who also does a shared regional programme the same as Richard ever Saturday from 11pm-1am.
Other weekend presenters include Ian Pearce with Melting Pot Sundays at 6am which is BBC 3cr's faith programme, A popular show over the weekend is Treasure Quest at 9am presented by Andy Gelder. A show in which studio-based contestants have to solve six clues, sending reporter Victoria Cook around the area to find the next clue. Its a cheap radio version of C4's Treasure Hunt. Sunday lunchtime is hosted by Ernie Almond from 12pm and is a round table discussion with three guests, with topics of national and local interest. Listeners are encouraged to join in by text, email or phone. During the final hour, Ernie relays his visits - pre-recorded during the week - to villages in Beds, Herts & Bucks. Later in the evening at 9pm is Pirate Radio Skues with of course the legend that is Keith Skues hits from the watery wireless days along with interesting documentaries and guests,like record expert Eric White,Keith also plays records from the 50's 70's and 80's too,this programme like all BBC 3cr evening shows is a shared regional one and goes on until 1am,not actualy part of the region BBC radio Lincolnshire take the programme,so PRS has a large and wide audience with listeners in Leeds and London.
Every Friday from 7pm BBC Three Counties Radio plays host to the national BBC Introducing... programme. Gareth Lloyd presents the one hour programme called BBC Introducing... in Beds, Herts & Bucks, which features the best local talent from across the three counties. Every week an unsinged local band get the chance to perform a live set on the radio. Recently they took a local Luton band to record a session at the BBC studios in Maida Vale.
Three Counties Radio also broadcasts Rokker Radio, a show aimed at the travelling community, which had lots of national press attention when it was announced in March 2006. The show, presented by Jake Bowers, one of the UK's only Romany journalists, broadcasts on a Sunday evening from 5pm. Rokker Radio was expanded following popular demand in August 2006 across the BBC local radio stations in the East.
Ian Pearce the presenter of Melting Pot, a programme for all faiths and none, on Sunday mornings,also commentates on Luton Town Football games as part of Saturday Sport from 2pm during the football season. He is popular former English teacher at Challney High School for Boys on Stoneygate Road in Challney, Luton. BBC 3cr in a wise move now carry's all its communtiy programming on M.W weeknights from 7pm first up is The Community Hour with a different programme from a different community then from 8pm its the Asian Network,with Origins(programmes for the black communtiy) some nights at 10pm and also on a Sunday evening from 5pm.
In August 2007, Mark Norman returned to Three Counties Radio as Editor,former managing editors who have run the station were Mike Gibbons he set the whole station up and opened it in 1985,Mike stayed until 1995.Andrew Wilson who used to be in charged at BBC radio Cambridgeshire came and took over the running of BBC 3cr in 1998. Former presenters who were very popular with the BBC 3cr audience are Simon Groom former Blue Peter presenter he used to present with Ian Pearce mid mornings and Susie Barnes who presented the afternoon show from 1989 until April 1993 Suise was a good presenter. Jamie Crick presented Drivetime during the mid nighties.
Their jingles are made by Music 4 of Berners Street in London.
[edit] External links
- BBC Three Counties Radio
- BBC Introducing... in Beds, Herts & Bucks
- BBC Introducing... in Beds, Herts & Bucks on Myspace
- BBC Introducing... in Beds, Herts & Bucks on Youtube
- Gareth Lloyd from BBC Introducing.. in Beds, Herts & Bucks
- Media UK - BBC Three Counties Radio
- Roberto Perrone
- Jonathan Vernon-Smith.
- Bow Brickhill transmitter.
- Epping Green transmitter.
- Hemel Hempstead (Bedmond) transmitter.
- High Wycombe transmitter.
- Lewsey Farm transmitter.
- Kempston transmitter.
- Quainton Hill transmiter.
- Sandy Heath transmitter.
- Zouches Farm transmitter.
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