Wiltshire's GWR FM
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- For a list of all "GWR FM" stations, see GWR FM (disambiguation).
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| Broadcast area | Swindon and West Wiltshire |
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| First air date | 12 October 1982 |
| Frequency | 102.2 MHz, 96.5 MHz, 97.2 MHz, NOW Swindon DAB multiplex NOW Wiltshire DAB multiplex and Online [1] |
| Format | Contemporary |
| Owner | GCap Media |
| Website | gwrfm.co.uk |
GWR FM serves Wiltshire. It broadcasts on 96.5, 97.2 and 102.2FM, on DAB Digital radio and online [2]. The station plays top 40 and Hot Adult contemporary music targeting 15-35 year old adults. It is currently the highest-rated local radio station in the area, (Source RAJAR) with local competition from BBC Radio Swindon and Brunel FM.
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[edit] History
GWR FM launched on 12 October 1982 under its original name, Wiltshire Radio. This was the only radio station available locally and nationally, since BBC Radio 1 had bad reception in Swindon. BBC Local Radio in Wiltshire would launch nine years later. The station began a full service commercial radio station on 107.7 MHz FM and 936 and 1161 kHz AM (238 metres medium wave).
Because there was no BBC radio for Wiltshire and therefore no competition, Wiltshire Radio found it relatively easy to build a very loyal listenership and only a few months into broadcasting became very profitable. Early programmes started out with a general diet of local news, community information, talk and middle-of-the-road pop music, then eventually became more and more formatted, saving its 4 hour 'needle time' daily music quota for the evening show to play rock and newer pop. One notable presenter for WR would become a very significant figure in British commercial radio- Ralph Bernard hosted a weekend show.
Financially commercial radio in Britain struggled to make any money as the 1980s economy in Britain was hampered by vast union strikes- however Wiltshire Radio grew as a company, capitalising on its dominance in the local radio market. WR made tentative plans for growth as it set to acquire struggling Bristol station Radio West. Radio West never made a penny since it started and looked set to close when WR made an official approach to merge the two stations, creating a station covering from Weston-super-Mare in the west to Swindon and Hungerford in the east. This merger was approved by the British Government and was completed in 1985.
[edit] Wiltshire Radio into GWR
In October 1985 Wiltshire Radio relaunched as GWR Radio was launched as a 24-hour radio station (previously Wiltshire Radio closed in overnight to re-open in the morning), however the sound didn't change much as GWR Radio was essentially a revamp which coincided with the re-launch of its sister station in Bristol.
[edit] Split services
GWR Radio began splitting frequencies as required by the British Government - which declared its desire to end simulcasting on both FM and AM. In November 1988 GWR Radio launched Brunel Classic Gold, a golden oldies service (now part of the Classic Gold Network) whilst GWR FM launched an opt-out service for West Wiltshire as a more localised service, this was however dropped a few weeks later, citing "poor reception". A fill-in relay for Marlborough was opened on 14 October 1988 on 96.5 MHz FM.
After the lifting on sanctions restricting the time spent playing music (so-called 'needle time') in 1988, GWR FM became more and more music-led, playing Top 40 chart music during the daytime, and specialist music (Big Band music, rock, rap etc) was over time eliminated. The local element of the station especially its news coverage had progressively become briefer and reduced in length, then moved onto Brunel Classic Gold, before being dropped altogether. Despite this GWR FM retained Number 1 status, beating off the likes of BBC Radio Wiltshire, which launched in 1990.
[edit] The Mix Network
In 1992 a re-launch of the station saw The New GWR-FM become the hub of what was The Mix Network, a network of radio stations owned by the GWR Group (now GCap Media ) covering southern England and Wales. The radio station's (and the group's) long held philosophy of heavily researching the average person's listening habits and tastes led by Group chairman Ralph Bernard has created a tightly formatted sound where popular Top 40 chart hits ex-Top 40 songs are blended in with older hits. This has led to its "Better Music Mix" format which has since spread to other radio stations within the GWR Group, including Essex FM, Trent FM and Beacon Radio creating a mini national network.
The practice for the Mix Network stations were each station played a centrally produced playlist (from GWR FM itself), songs were broadcast on or almost at the same time as neighbouring group stations and each station adopted the "Better Music Mix" tagline, to be said by local disc jockeys in between each song. Fans of the previous guises of some stations bought by the GWR Group, notably Essex FM and Beacon Radio were shocked and disgusted at the sudden re-branding of the station's taglines and playlists, accusing the new management of reducing local content such as news reports and cancelling local shows in place of programming from the Mix Network, such as Late Night Love and The Request Fest, which originate from the Bristol studios.
In 2003 Now Digital, a subsidiary of GWR Group launches local DAB services for Wiltshire and Swindon. In Swindon GWR FM went digital along with sister station Classic Gold, BBC Radio Swindon, Swindon FM and XFM amongst others. In West Wiltshire and Bath GWR FM Bath and BBC Radio Wiltshire airs in place of GWR Swindon and Radio Swindon respectively.
GWR FM still continues to be very popular with listeners despite an attempt by the BBC to focus more on Swindon and Wiltshire by launching BBC Radio Swindon. A local radio station for Swindon on DAB Swindon FM and a new local service expected to launch in 2006/7 under the name of Brunel FM (not connected to GWR FM) is expected to increase listener choice and competition in an area which has been poorly served locally up until now.
[edit] Current programmes broadcast on GWR FM
- Howard & Roo at Breakfast
- Skool Daze
- Late Night Love with Graham Torrington
- Music Control with Kevin Hughes and Sally Bailey
- Drivetime with David Francis
- Music on Demand
- Hairbrush Divas
- Entertainment Weekly
- Live at the Local
- hit40uk
[edit] Slogans
- 1982 Wiltshire Radio- "With more to say"
- 1985 GWR- "Listen, we're talking about you!"
- 1989 GWR Radio "Wiltshire's number one", "Good Music, Great Talk"
- 1992 The New GWR FM- "No rap, less chat"
- 1994 A mix of the 70s, 80s and the best of today
- 1995 GWR FM - A better music mix - from the 70s, 80s and today
- 1997 Today's better music mix
- 2001 Swindon and Wiltishire's GWR FM- "Today's best mix"
- 2004 "Today's best mix, today's best variety" - "More music, less talk" - "The best mix of the 80s, 90s and today"
[edit] Past Logos
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| Logo of Wiltshire Radio | Original Logo of GWR Radio | Later logo of GWR Radio | GWR FM - 90's Logo | Early 00's Logo |
[edit] What GWR stands for
It is well known that the initials GWR has had a long association with the Great Western Railway especially in the South West of England, and there is a popular misconception with listeners that the station stands for Great Western Radio. Indeed GWR FM Wiltshire was previously called Wiltshire Radio (WR) before its merger with Radio West. However according to Group management, the letters GWR officially do not stand for anything.
It should also be noted that GWR's oldies service was originally called Brunel Classic Gold, after the Great Western Railway's founding father Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
[edit] The GWR Group
The company which formerly owned GWR, the GWR Group, expanded from the late 1980s / early 1990s onwards to purchase other stations throughout the country. Many UK stations now follow the GWR format. It became the largest radio company in the UK, before merging with its competitor Capital Radio to become GCap Media on May 9, 2005.
[edit] Past and Current Management
Chairman
- 1994-2003: Nicholas Tresilian
- 2003-present: Nicky Morrison
Programme Controllers
- 1994-1995: Steve Orchard (now GCap Media Group Programme Controller)
- 1995-1996: Dirk Anthony (now GCap Media Group Content Director)
- 1996-1998: Scott Williams
- 1998-2000: Steve Fountain
- 2000-2004: Trevor James (now at Capital Radio London)
- 2004-2005: Sue Carter
- 2005-present: Paul Kaye
[edit] Premises
- Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire (was former GWR Group headquarters)
- Westlea, Wiltshire
[edit] References
- The Radio Companion by Paul Donovan, ISBN 9-780586-090121
- Commercial Radio Pocket Book by Commercial Radio Companies Association
- Radio Authority Pocket Book 1992-2003 by the Radio Authority
- Transdiffusion
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
| GCap Media |
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National FM radio station: Classic FM |
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Website: www.gcapmedia.com |
