Kmfm
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| kmfm | |
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| Broadcast area | Canterbury (was CTFM 106); Dover & Folkestone Shepway & White Cliffs Country(was Neptune Radio) ; Medway Towns (was Medway FM then Medway's Mercury FM) ; Thanet (was TLR); Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks (Was KFM, then West Kent's Mercury FM Ashford (was Lark FM) Maidstone (was CTR FM) |
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| Frequency | 106.0 MHz; 106.8 MHz, 96.4 MHz; 100.4 MHz, 107.9 MHz; 107.2 MHz; 96.2 MHz, 101.6 MHz; 107.6 MHz 105.6 MHz |
| Format | Contemporary |
| Audience share | 6.7% (September 2007, [1]) |
| Owner | Kent Messenger |
kmfm is the name of seven Independent Local Radio stations and one digital station (on the Kent Digital Multiplex) owned by KM Radio Ltd, each broadcasting locally to a region of Kent. Although similarly branded, they are officially seven separate licences, named
- kmfm for Canterbury,
- kmfm for Shepway & White Cliffs Country (broadcasting to Dover & Folkestone),
- kmfm for Medway,
- kmfm for Thanet,
- kmfm for West Kent,
- kmfm for Ashford,
- kmfm for Maidstone[1],
- kmfm Digital (broadcasting to Kent via DAB),
with offices in Canterbury, Folkestone, Dover, Rochester, Margate, Tonbridge, Ashford and Maidstone respectively.
The West Kent licence was originally KFM and launched in 1995. Later owned by DMG, it was bought by GWR and named West Kent's Mercury. In 2002 the Kent Messenger Group purchased it, renaming it kmfm for West Kent. The Thanet station launched in January 1998 after a delay; 106ctfm in Canterbury and Neptune Radio covering Shepway and Dover both launched in 1997.
The Canterbury licence launched on the 21 September 1997 as 106ctfm and was renamed kmfm 106 in January 2003. CTR 105.6 fm (abbreviated from County Town Radio) was broadcast to Maidstone and the mid-Kent area of the county and rebranded to kmfm Maidstone on September 12, 2007.[1]
[edit] kmfm Maidstone
kmfm in Maidstone originally operated under the name of CTR 105.6 fm, launched as the independent radio station for Maidstone and Mid-Kent on October 18th, 2003 under the directorship of former TLR 107.2 programme controller Jon Maxfield, prior to a buyout by the Kent Messenger Group in November 2006.
The station began life as an RSL named Maidstone Festival Radio in the early 1990s, before changing name to CTR FM, and, at the request of the Radio Authority, rebranding a third time to 20/20fm (after the A20 and M20 trunk roads that run through the area), following concerns that the station would be confused with the similarly named 106ctfm, which had just launched a full-time service in Canterbury.
Mike Russell was the first voice on air in 2003; the first song to be played was 'Start Me Up' by the Rolling Stones.
CTR's launch line-up, which, rather unusually, featured many of the members of the original RSLs, was as follows:
- Jon Maxfield - MD, Mid-Mornings and station founder (now at Atlantis FM in Tenerife)
- John Brocks - Programme Controller, Drivetime (now running RadioWorks)
- Mike Russell - Producer, Breakfast
- Sarah Thompson - Head of Sales
- Kevin Field - Marketing and Promotions Manager, Presenter - 'The Heat' (dance show) and Outside Broadcast Presenter
- Patrick Foster - Mellow Grooves and Cover Presenter
- Colin Woolven - Saturday Breakfast
- Brian Jones - IT and Evening Presenter (Now presenting evenings on Atlantis FM on Tenerife)
- Richard Cave - Sports Presenter
- Russell Card - Head of IT and Sports Cover
- Moira Mitchell - News Editor/Breakfast Co-Host (now editor of the Downs Mail newspaper)
- Helen Fisher - News Editor/Breakfast/Drivetime Co-Host (now with GMTV)
[edit] kmfm Thanet
kmfm in Thanet began life as Thanet Local Radio (TLR 107.2), founded by Alan Mackay, and launching in January 1998 from studios at Margate harbour. Pete Willson was the first voice on-air; the first song to be played was Take That's 'Back For Good', with reggae star Pato Banton recording a special version of his duet with UB40, Baby Come Back, for the station's launch. The station's line-up was largely unchanged for five years.
TLR was originally owned by a consortium of local investors, with local businessman Ken Wills being the majority shareholder. The Kent Messenger Group took control of TLR in 1999, and subsequently bought out the other investors in March 2003, rebranding the station to kmfm, relocating it to their own premises in Cliftonville.
The station covers Sandwich and Deal as part of its transmission area.
Among the station's presenters prior to the kmfm takeover:
- Pete Willson - Breakfast
- Mike Stevens - Mid-Mornings
- Jon Maxfield - Drivetime (under the pseudonym Jon Rogers)/Programme Controller
- Horace - Programming Assistant and Outside Broadcast Co-ordinator
- Howard Evans - Cover Presenter
- Richard Cave - Saturday Sport
- Patrick Foster - Cover Presenter
- Nigel Harris - Cover Presenter
- Jerry Wright - Overnights
- Bob Mower - Cover Presenter
- Colin Woolven - Sunday Breakfast
- Mike Russell - Cover Presenter
- Johnny Lewis - Breakfast/Drivetime/Evenings
- Kevin Field - Cover Presenter/Marketing Manager/Prize Monkey
- Paul Pearson - Weekend Presenter
- Doc Atherton - Weekend Presenter
- Cheryl Pendry - Head of News
- Pete Liggins - Journalist
- David Allen - Journalist
- Ros Connors - Journalist
- Griselda Caan - Journalist
- Julia Rouse - Journalist
[edit] kmfm Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay
106ctfm began broadcasting in 1997 to Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay; KM increased their involvement in the station's day-to-day running in October 2000 with a re-launch and programming re-direction. The station became the fastest growing in the UK in terms of listenership with a 48% increase in listening in Q4 rajar 2000.
In 2001 programme sharing initially began on Saturday nights with Brian Jones presenting his show across TLR and 106ctfm. Also in 2001 the Kent Messenger Group took control of Neptune radio from which time programme sharing began across all three neighbouring East Kent stations (TLR and Neptune Radio).
The station was rebranded to kmfm in 2002.
Former Presenters/Staff include:
- Ian St James - Breakfast Presenter
- Kevin Field - Cover and Saturday Evenings/Breakfast Producer/Marketing Manager
- Bob Mower - Drive Presenter
- Nigel Harris - Mid-Mornings
- Jon Maxfield - Presenter/PC (He was on air the day the Twin Towers came down in the US)
- John Humphries - News
- Will Inglis - News
- Sarah Saunders - News
- John Holmes - Presenter
- Mat Willcocks - Producer
[edit] kmfm Shepway and White Cliffs Country
Like 106ctfm, Neptune Radio began broadcasting on September 29, 1997 from premises on Church Street in Dover to Folkestone and the area termed White Cliffs Country. Initially, a split mid-morning show was broadcast for each town respectively. This had, however, been dropped prior to the kmfm takeover and rebranding at the beginning of 2003, which coincided with a relocation to the KM newspaper offices on Sandgate Road in Folkestone.
Former Neptune presenters included Spencer Cork (still with kmfm) and Eddy Austin.
[edit] kmfm Medway
kmfm Medway launched in September 1997 as Medway FM from premises on Rochester High Street on 107.9 and 100.4 FM, later operated by DMG and then GWR as Medway's Mercury FM. The station was purchased by the KM Group in 2002, and relocated in 2004 to the Medway City Estate in Strood.
[edit] kmfm West Kent
kmfm West Kent launched in 1995 as KFM from studios on East Street in Tonbridge on 96.2 and 101.6 FM. The station was relaunched by DMG (the radio division of the Daily Mail newspaper group) as Mercury FM in December 1999, before the company disposed of their radio assets a year later, selling their stations to GWR. As was the case in Medway, the KM purchased and rebranded the station in 2002.
[edit] kmfm Ashford
kmfm for Ashford (the group's sixth station) launched on October 3, 2005, broadcasting from East Street in the town, serving the district surrounding Ashford and Tenterden on 107.6 FM. The licence was awarded to an organisation under the name Lark FM, (Local Ashford Radio Kent), in which the KM Group had a majority stake.
[edit] Digital Radio
The KM Group also operates kmfm Digital, a countywide DAB service which shares many of the networked programmes broadcast on FM on the Now Kent multiplex.
[edit] Non-Service Area
Several parts of Kent are not officially covered by kmfm's transmission areas, namely Dartford, Erith and Gravesend (served by the Sunrise Media Group's Time 106.8), and Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey (where there is no commercial radio licence), despite the presence of KM-owned newspapers in these areas.
[edit] Current KMFM Presenters
Current kmfm presenters include Myma Seldon, Richard Adams, Johnny Lewis, Nigel Harris, Bob Mower, Neil Faraday, Adam Dowling, Paul Ellen, Rik Scott, Spencer James, Vanessa Elms, James Dean, Benedict Smith, Toby Mackenzie, Chris Finn, Kirstyn Read, Danny Williams, Tom Hogan, Spencer James, Oli Kemp, Tony Blackburn and Richard Walters.
Shows are networked across all six kmfm stations each weeknight from 7pm, and again at weekends; there are two regional mid-morning shows during the week for West and East Kent respectively. Breakfast and drivetime are broadcast locally, as dictated by each station's licence.
[edit] News Service
Initially, each station provided an independent service during peak hours from their respective newsrooms, with an off-peak service from Independent Radio News. Local bulletins have since been superseded by a network bulletin encompassing the county during peak hours; kmfm's off-peak news service is now provided by Sky.
