ContactIsle of Wight Radio
"From the Needles to the Nab Tower..."
Isle of Wight Radio
Isle of Wight Radio
Broadcasting from their Dodnor Park, in Newport, Isle Of Wight Radio uses two frequencies and four transmitters to cover the island - this is due to the general lie of the land.
Three transmitters operate on 102FM and are situated at Ventor, Cowes and Ryde, with a general mainland transmitter as used by other broadcasters, on Chillerton Down, 200 meters above sea level, using 107FM. The station launched on 15th April 1990 as a 1kw 200w AM station on 1242kHz due to their being no FM frequency available at the time. The transmitter was based at Briddlesford Farm.
The station is currently part of The Local Radio Company, but this hasn't always been the case. It was back in 1989 that the Radio Authority's predecessor, The IBA (Indepedent Broadcasting Authority) awarded the licence for the island to Isle Of Wight Radio. It was founded by a group of local business people thus providing a secure basis from which to build. The station has gone down in the history of commercial radio, as it was the first small-scale commercial radio station - referred to as a SALLIE (Small-scale alternative local licence) or 'incremental' - meaning 'to increase'.
Having become established, the station fell into the hands of GWR - and it was the Bristol-based outfit that turned the station around from some early financial difficulties. Another radio group - The Local Radio Company (TLRC) saw the company move into the black in 1996 - they also took the station in the FM world in when the Radio Authority granted a licence to change bands two years later.
The credits continued with a nomination in the 'Station Of The Year' category at the Commercial Radio & Sony Radio Awards ceremonies. The change over to Radio Investments Group came in the Millennium year - audience research (RAJAR/IPSOS/RSL) has shown that the station has been able to boast the highest average audience based on the amount of people listening for half and hour at breakfast, in England. The station aims at a 25 to 55 age and this means a mix of songs per hour, a couple from the 70s, a few more from the 80s & 90s and a couple of ex-chart or chart hits. Off the Isle Of Wight, the station can be heard on the mainland just outside of Chichester, Winchester and Bournemouth, dependent on where you are geographically in relation to the island.
Local presenters form a backbone of the programme schedule.
Information amended from the excellent Aircheck UK webpage
Isle of Wight Jingles
- Isle of Wight - Airforce jingle demo - "It's a Kind of Magic"