BBC Hereford & Worcester
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2010) |
 | This article needs to be updated. (August 2010) |
 | |
| City | Worcester |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Herefordshire and Worcestershire |
| Frequency | 94.7 FM (Hereford) 104.0 FM (Worcester) 104.4 FM (Redditch) 104.6 FM (Kidderminster) DAB Freeview: 720 |
| RDS | BBC H&W |
| Slogan | The sound of where we live, and all the music you love |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Local news, talk and music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | BBC Local Radio, BBC Midlands |
| History | |
First air date | 14 February 1989 |
Former frequencies | 738 MW 1584 MW |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
BBC Hereford & Worcester is the BBC's local radio station serving Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Hylton Road in Worcester.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 91,000 listeners and a 7.5% share as of March 2020.[1]
History[]
The station began broadcasting on 14 February 1989 (St Valentine's Day), and to mark the unusual, two-centre set-up for the radio station, the first record played was the song Two Hearts by Phil Collins. The original team of presenters included Graham Day (mid-morning), Gill Capewell (afternoons) and Allan Lee (drive). Other staff included Robert Piggott (now BBC Religious Affairs correspondent), TV journalist Liz MacKean and former LBC presenter Jeremy Dry.
When the station first began, Jane Garvey (of Radio Five Live) was one of the team of journalists. A few months later, she took over the Breakfast Show and went on to win a Sony Award with it.
Today, the station broadcasts on 104 (Worcester), 104.4 (Redditch) 104.6 (Kidderminster) and 94.7 (Hereford) FM; as well as Freeview TV channel 720, online and DAB.
It serves the rural communities across Herefordshire as well as the more populous Worcestershire with a range of programmes from news, sport, consumer, arts, religion, gardening, jazz, funk, northern soul and local music.
Although the administrative county of Hereford and Worcester was abolished in 1998, the name of the station was not altered to reflect this.
Transmitters[]
BBC Hereford and Worcester still transmits on FM. The original, and two strongest FM transmitters are on 104 FM (Great Malvern, serving Worcestershire) and 94.7 FM (Ridge Hill, between Ross On Wye and Ledbury near Much Marcle, serving Herefordshire), These signals are not particularly powerful, and have limited coverage outside the two counties, unlike stations such as BBC WM. An additional FM transmitter on 104.6 has improved coverage in the Kidderminster area & in February 2006, a new transmitter was turned on for Redditch (Headless Cross) on 104.4FM, as reception in the town had been unreliable.
The main AM transmitter on 738 kHz was on the western edge of Worcester and covered most of the two counties. Originally, there was another AM transmitter for Hereford on 819 kHz. That frequency was given up to accommodate a new commercial station for south Shropshire. However, due to adjacent channel problems with 828 kHz from BBC WM, 855 kHz was used for that licence. There is a more recent addition to AM, a small transmitter on 1584 kHz at Woofferton, just south of Ludlow on the A49. Although they have weaker FM signals compared to other BBC local radio transmitters, the 94.7FM signal can be heard clearly in the north of Bristol and even in Weston-super-Mare, as well as along the M4 from the Severn Bridge to Cardiff. The 738MW signal can also be heard in the north of Bristol. The station started broadcasting on DAB in 2013 with the new MuxCo Herefordshire and Worcestershire multiplex at the Bromsgrove, Ridge Hill and Malvern transmitter sites. This was extended in August 2016 with a further transmitter at Hereford and in September with another at Kidderminster.
On Freeview BBC Hereford and Worcester is carried by the main transmitters at Ridge Hill, Sutton Coldfield and The Wrekin, and by their associated relays, covering a much larger area than FM, AM or DAB.
On 13 May 2021, BBC Hereford and Worcester ceased broadcasting on Medium Wave.[2]
Programming[]
Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Worcester studios from 6am - 10pm each day.
The station's late show, airing from 10pm-1am, originates from BBC Radio WM in Birmingham.
During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London.
Presenters[]
Notable current presenters include:
- Malcolm Boyden (Sunday daytime)
- Andrew Marston (BBC Music Introducing)
- Elliott Webb (weekday breakfast)
References[]
- ^ "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ "Ten more stations turn off Medium Wave services". 14 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
External links[]
- Radio stations established in 1989
- 1989 establishments in England
- BBC Local Radio
- Radio stations in Herefordshire
- Hereford
- Radio stations in Worcestershire
- Culture in Worcester, England
- Organisations based in Worcestershire