BBC Radio Lancashire

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BBC Radio Lancashire
City of license	Blackburn
Broadcast area	Lancashire
Frequency	95.5 MHz, 103.9 MHz, 104.5 MHz, 855 MW, 1557 MW
First air date	26 January 1971
Format	Local news, talk and music
Language	English
Audience share	9.8% (March 2009, [1])
Owner	BBC Local Radio, BBC North West
Website	BBC Radio Lancashire

BBC Radio Lancashire is the BBC Local Radio service for the county of Lancashire, in North West England. It began as BBC Radio Blackburn on 26 January 1971 on 96.4FM, then adding 854 kHz AM in 1972 and changing to the current name on 4 July 1981. It broadcasts from studios in Blackburn on 95.5 (Hameldon Hill, Burnley), 103.9 (Winter Hill, Horwich), 104.5 (Lancaster) FM and 855 (Riley Green near the A6061 between Preston and Blackburn, near junction 3 of the M65), 1557 (Oxcliffe Hill, close to the A683 near Lancaster) AM, DAB and Real Player via the website.

Contents 1 Transmitters 2 Programming 2.1 Weekdays 2.2 Saturday 2.3 Sunday 2.4 Radio 5 Live simulcasts 3 Former presenters 4 Producers 5 External links 5.1 Audio clips

[edit] Transmitters

The 103.9 FM signal comes 2,500 feet (760 m) high on the Winter Hill transmitter, and its height gives it the greatest coverage over Lancashire. North Manchester, although nearby, can just about pick up the signal. Winter Hill also carries national radio (including BBC DAB National), TV, Digital One, and the commercial stations 105.4 Century FM, Rock FM (formerly Red Rose Radio) on 97.4FM and Smooth FM on 100.4FM. Winter Hill also broadcasts two other local digital multiplexes - MXR North West 12C and CE Digital Manchester 11C (it is a digital transmitter for Radio Manchester). Radio Manchester is very clear in the south of Lancashire as is Radio Merseyside. The Lancaster transmitter also carries TV, BBC DAB National stations and Digital One. Beginning on 1 October 2001, the DAB signals have come from the EMAP Digital Central Lancashire 12A multiplex located at Winter Hill and Pendle Forest (near Nelson). Pendle Forest also started broadcasting BBC DAB National stations in April 2004.

[edit] Programming

[edit] Weekdays

Radio Lancashire opens transmission with Paul O'Gorman's early morning show from 6-7am, ahead of Tony Livesey's breakfast show from 7-9am. Ted Robbins hosts a mid-morning show from 9-11am, followed by Sally Naden with her studio audience and guest panel between 11am and 1pm. The afternoon line-up consists of John Gilmore's mid afternoon show from 1-4pm and Drivetime with Brett Davison from 4-6pm. Lancashire Sport airs from 6-7pm on Monday - Thursday and 6-8pm on Fridays.

Various programming is broadcast between 7pm and 10pm each weeknight. Gerald Jackson presents Unforgettable on Monday and Keith Fletcher presents JukeBox on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursdays at 7pm, the angling programme At the Water's Edge is broadcast on FM whilst Gagan Grewal airs on MW frequencies. At 7:30pm, the frequencies rejoin for BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty. On Fridays, after an extended edition of Lancashire Sport, Phil Brown presents The Drift at 8pm, followed by Lancashire Bluenotes at 9pm.

John Barnes presents The Late Show from 10pm-1am on Monday - Thursday, this show is also broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester from the Blackburn studios. On Friday nights at the same time, John Clayton and Sean McGinty present FNAT (Friday Night at Ten).

[edit] Saturday

The Saturday breakfast show, presented by Alex Worsick, airs from 6-10am, which currently includes "My Favourite Year" from 9-10am before a mid-morning show with Steve Royle from 10am-1pm and a lunchtime show with Alex Entwistle, who resumes "My Favourite Year" from 1-2pm. Lancashire Sport airs from 2-7pm each Saturday although times may vary.

The FM and medium wave frequencies are split throughout the evening:

• FM airs an hour of Northern Soul with Russ Winstanley from 7-8pm, followed by Dave Swanton's Sounds Like Saturday Night from 8-10pm. The cult, alternative music show On The Wire is broadcast between 10pm and 1am.
• MW frequencies broadcast Asian classical music with Talat Farooq Awan in Saaz from 7-8pm ahead of Apu Chaudry and Arjumand Alam's Bengali magazine show Shamoly between 8pm and 10pm. Sophia Hafeez presents Urdu, Punjabi and English music in Masti Mix between 10pm and 1am.

[edit] Sunday

Joe Wilson presents the Sunday breakfast show from 6-9am, followed by Phil Trow and Sally Bankes between 9am and 12pm, Joe Fish Country from 12-2pm, Stephen Lowe does all things "countryfile" and gardening from 2-4pm, and Jon Christos from 4-6pm.

The FM and medium wave frequencies are split throughout the evening:

• Both FM and medium wave frequencies simulcast the first hour of Sunday Night Soul with Keith Fletcher at 6pm before MW splits for Kemcho with Devendra Sadhanani at 7pm. Sunday Night Soul continues for a further hour on FM.
• The frequencies rejoin for the Asian community programme, Indus, from 8-10pm - the programme is also simulcast on BBC Radio Manchester.
• The frequencies split again at 10pm for a weekly compilation show on FM (Un-missable) and the Urdu programme, Jaltrang, on MW. The station closes at midnight.

[edit] Radio 5 Live simulcasts

Radio Lancashire simulcasts Radio 5 Live's Up All Night each night after closedown as well as the early morning news programme Morning Reports on Saturday and Sunday and the third hour of the Stephen Nolan show on Sunday.

[edit] Former presenters

Jim Bowen Richard Hammond

Graham Liver (now on BBC Radio Leeds) Sally Moon (now on BBC Radio Cumbria)

[edit] Producers

Steve Becker Alison Brown (Weekday mornings) Alison Butterworth (Weekday breakfast)

Alec Makinson Carole Turner (Weekday afternoons)

[edit] External links

• BBC Radio Lancashire
• On the Wire.
• North West Radio.
• History of local radio in Lancashire.
• The former Radio Blackburn.
• MDS975's Transmitter Map.
• Hameldon Hill transmitter.
• Lancaster transmitter.
• Oxcliffe transmitter.
• Pendle Forest (Digital).
• Winter Hill transmitter.

[edit] Audio clips

• 2001 jingle
• Some old jingles and clips.

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