Southern FM
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Southern FM | |
Broadcast area | As far west as Chichester, as far north as Crawley, and as far east as Eastbourne, Hastings, and Rye. The radio station can also be received in some parts along the north coast of France |
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Frequency | 103.5 MHz, 96.9 MHz, 102.4 MHz and 102.0 MHz |
First air date | 29 August 1983 |
Format | Contemporary |
Audience share | 13.3% (September 2007, [1]) |
Owner | Global Radio |
Website | www.southernfm.com |
Southern FM is an Independent Local Radio station which is owned by GCap Media (formerly Capital Radio Group) and plays commercial, chart-oriented popular music. Broadcast from Portslade, the station plays a mix of pop, rock and RnB with the tag line being 'More Music Variety'.
The Breakfast Show (named Danny and Nicky in the Morning) is presented by Danny Pike and Nicky Keig-Shevlin assisted by "Jack the Lad". Other presenters include Dan Gasser, Lynsey Bartlett, Chris Copsey, Luke Smith, Nick Simon, Garry Wilson and Graham Torrington, who is the presenter of Late Night Love, which is syndicated across a number of Global Radio owned stations.
The station launched as Southern Sound Radio from the converted Rothbury Cinema in Franklin Road Portslade. Under the leadership of Managing Director Rory McLeod, early presenters included Sean Bolger, Peter Young, Jim Hawkins, Howard Pearce and Russ Williams.
Tommy Boyd joined the station, initially as a fill in for Timbo (Tim Lloyd) and was subsequently hired to present a regular Sunday evening show with a team of assistants including Nicky Keig Shevlin, Cathy, Steve Lawrence and Mary.
At the launch of the station, Southern Sound broadcast only to Brighton and parts of West Sussex. In 1987 transmissions were extended to Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford. Then on 5th February 1989 the station won a new licence for East Sussex too. Initially running split programming for East and West Sussex, the station now only splits for commercial breaks.
In 1994 the Radio Authority merged the two licences to become one official ILR licence.
The station broadcasts to the following areas:
- Analogue VHF FM
- 96.9 MHz - Newhaven (Newhaven Transmitter)
- 102.0 MHz - Hastings (Hastings Transmitter}
- 102.4 MHz - East and West Sussex, including Eastbourne (Heathfield Transmitter)
- 103.5 MHz - Brighton and Worthing (Whitehawk Hill Transmitter)
- DAB Digital Radio: Block 11B 218.64 MHz
- Worthing (Findon Transmitter)
- Newhaven (Beddingham Transmitter)
- Hastings (Hastings Transmitter}
- Eastbourne (Eastbourne Transmitter}
- Chichester (Burton Down Transmitter)
- Brighton (Whitehawk Hill Transmitter)