BBC Radio WM

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BBC Radio WM
BBC Radio WM logo 2020.svg
CityBirmingham
Broadcast areaWest Midlands conurbation
Frequency95.6 MHz, DAB, Freeview channel 722
RDSBBC WM
SloganThe sound of Birmingham and the Black Country, and all the music you love
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatLocal news, talk and music
Ownership
OwnerBBC Local Radio,
BBC Midlands
History
First air date
9 November 1970
Former names
BBC Radio Birmingham (1970–1981)
BBC WM (1981–2020)
Links
WebsiteBBC Radio WM

BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands.

It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Mailbox in Birmingham.

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 166,000 listeners and a 3.3% share as of March 2020.[1]

History[]

BBC Birmingham 1970s logo.png

Until 2004, BBC WM broadcast from the Pebble Mill studios, in Edgbaston.[2] On 4 July of that year, the station moved to the new BBC Birmingham city centre offices in The Mailbox.[2] Its facilities include two broadcast studios, a talk studio, an operations and production area, and a studio shared with the BBC Asian Network.[citation needed]

On 23 November 1981, the station changed its name to BBC WM [3] and had a studio in the back of a shop in New Street. The shop sold trinkets branded with the Radio WM identity.

As a 1990s economy measure, the station took over BBC CWR in Coventry and Warwickshire. On 3 September 2005, CWR resumed the production of separate programming between 5am and 10pm each weekday (6am-6pm at weekends).

BBC Radio Wolverhampton[]

In January 2021, BBC Radio Wolverhampton launched as a temporary sister station. The service provided eight hours of opt-out programming for listeners in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area each weekday until March 2021.[4]

The Mailbox, home to BBC WM's studios in Birmingham

Audience[]

When it launched, the station had a monopoly of local radio in the Birmingham area. The station's low audience since the advent of independent local radio has led to reports of threatened closure on various occasions. In the mid-1980s, a new manager, Tony Inchley, brought in extensive format changes with a view to stabilising the audience, although the station remained small in listenership numbers.

Programming[]

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Birmingham studios from 6am - 1am each day.

Off-peak programming, including the late show from 10pm - 1am, is simulcast with sister stations in the BBC Midlands and BBC East Midlands regions.

During the station's downtime, BBC Radio WM simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London.

Notable presenters[]

Notable presenters include:

References[]

  1. ^ "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "BBC WM – 40th anniversary". BBC News Online. BBC Birmingham. 8 November 2010. In November 1981 Radio Birmingham changed its name to BBC Radio WM (the 'Radio' was later dropped) to give a better reflection of the area it covered.
  3. ^ BBC WM: The first 40 years
  4. ^ "BBC Radio in Wolverhampton is changing on Friday 15th January 2021 | Help receiving TV and radio". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

External links[]

Coordinates: 52°28′33″N 1°54′18″W / 52.4759°N 1.9050°W / 52.4759; -1.9050

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