BBC Radio Berkshire

BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, Northern Hampshire, and South Oxfordshire. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 (Henley-on-Thames), 95.4 (Windsor), 104.1 (Hannington) and 104.4 (Reading) FM from its studios at Thames Valley Park near Reading. The station is also available on DAB, Freeview, and through live streaming on the internet, also on demand for thirty days after broadcast through the BBC iPlayer.

BBC Radio Berkshire
CityReading
Broadcast areaBerkshire, Northern Hampshire, parts of Buckinghamshire and parts of South Oxfordshire
Frequency94.6 MHz, 95.4 MHz, 104.1 MHz, 104.4 MHz
DAB: 12D
Freeview: 719
SloganThe sound of Berkshire and all the music you love
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatLocal news, talk and music
Ownership
OwnerBBC Local Radio,
BBC South
History
First air date
Tuesday 21 January 1992
Links
WebsiteBBC Radio Berkshire

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 94,000 listeners and a 5.1% share as of December 2018.[1]

History

The station began on 21 January 1992, starting as a sister station of Radio Oxford, broadcasting for part of the weekday and weekend mornings. Due to financial cutbacks, BBC Director-General John Birt announced that it was to merge with BBC Radio Oxford on 9 April 1996 to become BBC Thames Valley FM. On 14 February 2000, the two stations became separate once again.

Awards

BBC Radio Berkshire was named Station of the Year in the 2012 Frank Gillard Awards, also winning in the Sports Coverage category for its coverage of olympic rowing at Eton Dorney. Andrew Peach won silver in both the Programme Presenter and The Ultimate Hot Seat categories.[2]

In the 2013 Sony Radio Academy Awards the Andrew Peach programme won bronze in the category Breakfast Show of the Year (under 10 million).[3]

Transmitters

The Hannington transmitter for BBC Radio Berkshire's 104.1 FM frequency is located on Cottington Hill (close to Watership Down). Along with the BBC's signal it also carries television channels and Heart South on 102.9 FM. The 104.1 FM signal can be heard over most of Hampshire, certainly more than BBC Radio Solent. The Fountain House transmitter carries Heart South on 97 FM and BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.4 FM since 1991. The Henley-on-Thames transmitter which carries BBC Radio Berkshire on 94.6 FM also carries Heart South on 103.4 FM. The Windsor transmitter carries BBC Radio Berkshire on 95.4 FM.

Since 31 July 2004, DAB broadcasts have come from the NOW Digital Berkshire & North Hampshire 12D multiplex from Coppid Beech (at the junction of the B3408 and A329(M) in west Bracknell), Hannington and Hemdean (just north of Caversham). The Basingstoke DAB transmitter (between Cliddesden and Winslade near the A339 in Hampshire) was added on 3 October 2005.

Since June 2016 BBC Radio Berkshire has been available on Freeview channel 719 from television transmitters in the region.[4]

The station essentially covers the M4 corridor.

Programmes

The majority of the station's programmes are produced and broadcast from their state of the art studios in Thames Valley Park, Reading. The studios were especially designed for BBC Berkshire following the sale of Caversham Park House, which was their location for many years. The move was spoken about for many months, and was finally completed on 21 November 2018.

During off-peak hours, BBC Radio Berkshire also carries regional programmes for the South and South East regions, produced from sister stations BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Kent and BBC Radio Oxford. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Berkshire simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live overnight.

The station's notable presenters include

  • Andrew Peach - Monday-Thursday 6am-10am
  • Sarah Walker - Monday-Wednesday 10am-2pm & Friday 2pm-6pm
  • Phil Kennedy - Monday-Thursday 2pm-6pm
  • Michelle Jordan - Monday-Thursday 6pm-10pm
  • Paul Miller - Monday-Friday 10pm-1am
  • Kirsten O'Brien - Friday-Sunday 6am-10am
  • Bill Buckley - Thursday-Sunday 10am-2pm
  • Andy Jones - Sunday 2pm-6pm
  • Tony Blackburn - Sunday 6pm-10pm

References
  1. "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. "Berkshire wins Gillard Station of the Year". Radio Today. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  3. "Sony Radio Academy Awards > The Winners 2013 > Breakfast Show of the Year (under 10 million)". The Radio Academy. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  4. "BBC Local Radio services". Digital UK. Retrieved 1 July 2016.

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