BBC Surrey
Encyclopedia
BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio
service covering the English
county
of Surrey
, along with North-East Hampshire
and the northern fringes of West Sussex
including Crawley
, East Grinstead
and Gatwick Airport. It began on 14 November 1991 under the name BBC Radio Surrey, later becoming part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009.
in Guildford
. It broadcasts programming specifically for Surrey and North-East Hampshire weekdays from 6.00 to 9.00am, and on Saturdays from 6.00 to 9.00am and 2.00 to 5.00pm. Some other programmes broadcast on both BBC Sussex
and BBC Surrey are also broadcast from the Guildford studios. There are also dedicated news bulletins for Surrey on the hour at some times of the day. The remainder of the station's output is shared with BBC Sussex
.
BBC Surrey became available on BBC iPlayer
on 2 September 2009. It is not yet broadcast via DAB
, but is due to be carried on the forthcoming MuxCo Sussex & Surrey
multiplex.
an opt-out of BBC Radio Oxford
. (The station for Dorset was cancelled altogether.)
BBC Radio Surrey went on air initially on Saturday 6 September 1991 for coverage of a cricket match between Surrey and Hampshire - this was simply a relay of Radio Solent's coverage. The station finally went on air officially at 6.00am on Thursday 14 November 1991. At launch it broadcast 43 hours a week of its own programming from its studios on the campus of the University of Surrey in Guildford. The remainder of the output came from either its sister station BBC Radio Sussex, or from the BBC South & East network.
Just over a week after launch BBC Radio Surrey presented its first Children in Need
programme, and breakfast presenter John Terrett and travel reporter Christina King also made a brief appearance on the South East section of the television coverage. However the station was to receive little more in the way of promotion thereafter.
Over its two years on air BBC Radio Surrey struggled to build a substantial audience; in fact audience figures reached a maximum of only 29,000, or 7 per cent reach, in 1993. One factor in this was that the output was broadcast by only one transmitter at Guildford, covering West Surrey on 104.6 FM, meaning listeners in East Surrey could not hear the station properly (Although at the time of establishing the station, there was the possibility of it getting the 1350AM frequency to also broadcast on). Another was the fact that the county's ILR stations were already long-established, making it difficult for the new station to establish itself.
The original programme line-up was as follows:
Weekdays
Saturday
Sunday
John Terrett hosted the breakfast show from launch, which featured regular reports from the station's own dedicated travel presenter Christina King. It was followed by Julian Clegg's mid-morning phone-in , which was simulcast with BBC Radio Sussex - although news and travel bulletins were split between the two stations every hour throughout the day. The joint output avoided mentioning the name of either station; instead full use was made of split jingles. At midday Steve Watts hosted the hour-long 'Watts for Lunch' which featured celebrity guests, local topics, and the Weather Wardens, made up of listener-correspondents from across the county, who also brought unusual facts and history about their corner of Surrey. Following Miranda Birch's consumer show from Brighton, the final daily programme from Guildford was Drivetime with Claire Paul, although since she was also station editor she was absent from the show more often than not. Charles Carroll, Mike Carson and Radio Sussex's Stewart Macintosh were the usual stand-ins. In the early days Christina King also presented travel reports during this show as well.
There were three weekend programmes from Guildford - Steve Watts's light-hearted Saturday show which included a pub team quiz; the religious programme Sunday Best; and Nick Simmons's laid back Sunday morning show of music and chat.
In October 1992, John Terrett and Claire Paul left, so Stewart Macintosh took over the lunchtime show (while continuing to present BBC Radio Sussex's breakfast show) and Tim Humphrey moved to breakfast, while Steve Watts moved to Drivetime. Jonathan Wills
, later a presenter on ITV's London Tonight
, joined the station, first as a travel presenter, before moving on to news reading and then sports presenting. During 1993 Phil Kennedy became a regular stand-in on BBC Radio Surrey's Drivetime and lunchtime shows.
Following schedule changes in July 1993, BBC Radio Surrey was gradually wound down. From September the station was identified on air as 'BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey', although some programmes remained split between the two counties. The merger was complete on 7 January 1994 when BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey officially became a single station.
. At first it ran a single all-talk schedule across Sussex and Surrey, however in September 1997 a dedicated breakfast show for Surrey was reintroduced, followed by a drivetime show in April 2006. Apart from a brief period in 2006, the former BBC Radio Sussex transmitter at Reigate on 104.0 FM was now used for the Surrey output, in order to give better reception for listeners in East Surrey.
continue effectively to operate as one station, with no change in management or infrastructure from its predecessor.
stations in the South and South East (namely BBC Sussex
, BBC Radio Solent
, BBC Radio Berkshire
, BBC Radio Oxford
and BBC Radio Kent
). During the station's downtime, BBC Surrey simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live
programming including Up All Night
, Morning Reports and the Stephen Nolan show.
BBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
service covering the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, along with North-East Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
and the northern fringes of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
including Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
, East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
and Gatwick Airport. It began on 14 November 1991 under the name BBC Radio Surrey, later becoming part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009.
Overview
BBC Surrey's studios are based on the campus of the University of SurreyUniversity of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
in Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
. It broadcasts programming specifically for Surrey and North-East Hampshire weekdays from 6.00 to 9.00am, and on Saturdays from 6.00 to 9.00am and 2.00 to 5.00pm. Some other programmes broadcast on both BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
and BBC Surrey are also broadcast from the Guildford studios. There are also dedicated news bulletins for Surrey on the hour at some times of the day. The remainder of the station's output is shared with BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
.
BBC Surrey became available on BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
on 2 September 2009. It is not yet broadcast via DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
, but is due to be carried on the forthcoming MuxCo Sussex & Surrey
MuxCo Sussex & Surrey
MuxCo , as the name suggests, is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for Surrey and North Sussex. It serves an area similar to the analogue area served by Heart Sussex and Surrey and 96.4 The Eagle....
multiplex.
Presenters
- David Allen (Saturday & Sunday late nights - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
& BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
, & with BBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
& BBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
on Saturday) - Sylvie Blackmore (Sunday lunchtimes - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Dave CashDave Cash (disc jockey)Dave Cash is a veteran British radio presenter who works for BBC Radio Kent, having had previous spells at Radio London, BBC Radio 1, Capital Radio, Radio West , Country 1035 and PrimeTime Radio.-Radio career:Cash was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, U.K...
(Saturday evenings - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
, BBC Radio KentBBC Radio KentBBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent.It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 , 97.6 and 104.2 also 774 and 1602 MW and DAB.- History :The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the...
, BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
, BBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
& BBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
) - Mark Carter (Sunday afternoons - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Jenny Day (Saturday lunchtimes - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Roger DayRoger DayBroadcaster Roger "Twiggy" Day Real name Roger Thomas currently presents on six BBC Local Radio stations across southern England.-Early career:...
(weekday evenings - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
, BBC Radio KentBBC Radio KentBBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent.It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 , 97.6 and 104.2 also 774 and 1602 MW and DAB.- History :The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the...
, BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
, BBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
& BBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
) - Allison Ferns (Monday-Thursday afternoons - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
)
- Sarah Gorrell (Drivetime - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Phil Jackson (BBC Introducing: The South, Sunday evenings - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
& BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
) - Emily Jeffery (Sunday breakfast - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Paul Miller (The Paul Miller Show - weekday late nights - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
, BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
, BBC Radio KentBBC Radio KentBBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent.It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 , 97.6 and 104.2 also 774 and 1602 MW and DAB.- History :The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the...
, BBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
& BBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio OxfordBBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
& The Paul Miller Soul Show - Sunday afternoons - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
& BBC Radio SolentBBC Radio SolentBBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
) - Danny PikeDanny PikeDanny Pike is a British Radio DJ who hosted the Breakfast Show on Southern FM in Sussex, from 1991 until the station's rebranding as Heart FM. Before joining Southern FM, Pike worked for both County Sound Radio and Radio Mercury....
(weekday & Saturday mid-mornings - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Joe Talbot (Friday afternoons & Dig It - simulcast with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
) - Nick Wallis (Surrey Breakfast)
Newsreaders
- Aurelia Allen
- Laura Hampton
- Clare Cowan
- Fiona McCarthy
- Peter Stewart
- Suzanne Bamborough
Frequencies
- AnalogueAnalog signalAn analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
VHFVery high frequencyVery high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
FMFrequency modulationIn telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
- 104.0 MHz - ReigateReigateReigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
& CrawleyCrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
(Reigate Transmitter) - 104.6 MHz - GuildfordGuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
(Guildford Transmitter)
- 104.0 MHz - Reigate
- AnalogueAnalog signalAn analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
MediumwaveMediumwaveMedium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
AMAmplitude modulationAmplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
- 1368 kHz - ReigateReigateReigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead...
& CrawleyCrawleyCrawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
(Duxhurst Transmitter)
- 1368 kHz - Reigate
BBC Radio Surrey (1991-1994)
In the late 1980s, with the BBC Local Radio network nearing completion, a management team was appointed for 'BBC Radio Surrey and Berkshire', the plan being to have two separate stations with their own identities, but with shared resources, and some shared programming. But then in 1990, as part of a plan to save £3 million, the BBC announced that BBC Radio Surrey would instead launch as an opt-out service of BBC Radio Sussex, with BBC Radio BerkshireBBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
an opt-out of BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
. (The station for Dorset was cancelled altogether.)
BBC Radio Surrey went on air initially on Saturday 6 September 1991 for coverage of a cricket match between Surrey and Hampshire - this was simply a relay of Radio Solent's coverage. The station finally went on air officially at 6.00am on Thursday 14 November 1991. At launch it broadcast 43 hours a week of its own programming from its studios on the campus of the University of Surrey in Guildford. The remainder of the output came from either its sister station BBC Radio Sussex, or from the BBC South & East network.
Just over a week after launch BBC Radio Surrey presented its first Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
programme, and breakfast presenter John Terrett and travel reporter Christina King also made a brief appearance on the South East section of the television coverage. However the station was to receive little more in the way of promotion thereafter.
Over its two years on air BBC Radio Surrey struggled to build a substantial audience; in fact audience figures reached a maximum of only 29,000, or 7 per cent reach, in 1993. One factor in this was that the output was broadcast by only one transmitter at Guildford, covering West Surrey on 104.6 FM, meaning listeners in East Surrey could not hear the station properly (Although at the time of establishing the station, there was the possibility of it getting the 1350AM frequency to also broadcast on). Another was the fact that the county's ILR stations were already long-established, making it difficult for the new station to establish itself.
The original programme line-up was as follows:
Weekdays
- 0600-0900 John Terrett
- 0900-1200 Julian Clegg (simulcast with BBC Radio Sussex)
- 1200-1300 Steve Watts
- 1300-1400 Ian Collington (simulcast with BBC Radio Sussex)
- 1400-1600 Miranda Birch (simulcast BBC Radio Sussex)
- 1600-1900 Claire Paul
- 1900-2200 Steve Riches (BBC South & East Network)
- 2200-0000 Brian Hayes (BBC South & East Network)
Saturday
- 0700-1000 Stewart Macintosh (simulcast with BBC Radio Sussex)
- 1000-1300 Steve Watts
- 1300-1800 BBC Radio 5BBC Radio 5 LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
simulcast - 1800-0000 BBC Radio Sussex simulcast
Sunday
- 0700-0900 Sunday Best with Margaret Collingwood
- 0900-1200 Nick Simmons
- 1200-0000 As BBC Radio Sussex
John Terrett hosted the breakfast show from launch, which featured regular reports from the station's own dedicated travel presenter Christina King. It was followed by Julian Clegg's mid-morning phone-in , which was simulcast with BBC Radio Sussex - although news and travel bulletins were split between the two stations every hour throughout the day. The joint output avoided mentioning the name of either station; instead full use was made of split jingles. At midday Steve Watts hosted the hour-long 'Watts for Lunch' which featured celebrity guests, local topics, and the Weather Wardens, made up of listener-correspondents from across the county, who also brought unusual facts and history about their corner of Surrey. Following Miranda Birch's consumer show from Brighton, the final daily programme from Guildford was Drivetime with Claire Paul, although since she was also station editor she was absent from the show more often than not. Charles Carroll, Mike Carson and Radio Sussex's Stewart Macintosh were the usual stand-ins. In the early days Christina King also presented travel reports during this show as well.
There were three weekend programmes from Guildford - Steve Watts's light-hearted Saturday show which included a pub team quiz; the religious programme Sunday Best; and Nick Simmons's laid back Sunday morning show of music and chat.
In October 1992, John Terrett and Claire Paul left, so Stewart Macintosh took over the lunchtime show (while continuing to present BBC Radio Sussex's breakfast show) and Tim Humphrey moved to breakfast, while Steve Watts moved to Drivetime. Jonathan Wills
Jonathan Wills
Jonathan Wills is a British journalist currently employed by ITV Anglia.He previously worked for ITN, where he was best known for presenting the sports segment during the now defunct ITV News at 10.30...
, later a presenter on ITV's London Tonight
London Tonight
London Tonight is a regional news programme broadcast on ITV London . Produced by ITN, the programme is broadcast at 6pm every weeknight, also including local sports news and local features of interest.Like all regional news programmes on ITV in England and Wales and Channel Television, it uses...
, joined the station, first as a travel presenter, before moving on to news reading and then sports presenting. During 1993 Phil Kennedy became a regular stand-in on BBC Radio Surrey's Drivetime and lunchtime shows.
Following schedule changes in July 1993, BBC Radio Surrey was gradually wound down. From September the station was identified on air as 'BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey', although some programmes remained split between the two counties. The merger was complete on 7 January 1994 when BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey officially became a single station.
BBC Southern Counties Radio (1994-2009)
On 1 August 1994 the station's name was changed to BBC Southern Counties RadioBBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Southern Counties Radio was the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Surrey and Sussex. The station also covered a large part of North-East Hampshire. It was the first BBC Local Radio station to introduce a controversial all-speech format...
. At first it ran a single all-talk schedule across Sussex and Surrey, however in September 1997 a dedicated breakfast show for Surrey was reintroduced, followed by a drivetime show in April 2006. Apart from a brief period in 2006, the former BBC Radio Sussex transmitter at Reigate on 104.0 FM was now used for the Surrey output, in order to give better reception for listeners in East Surrey.
BBC Surrey (2009-present)
The county name returned to the radio station's name on 30 March 2009, when BBC Surrey became the new name for BBC Southern Counties Radio across Surrey, North-East Hampshire and Crawley, broadcasting on 104.0 and 104.6 FM. BBC Surrey and its sister station BBC SussexBBC Sussex
BBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
continue effectively to operate as one station, with no change in management or infrastructure from its predecessor.
Networked and simulcast programming
Evening programming throughout the week is networked with counterpart BBC Local RadioBBC Local Radio
BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. They cover a variety of areas with some serving a city and surrounding areas, for example BBC Radio Manchester; a county, for example BBC Radio Norfolk; an administrative region for...
stations in the South and South East (namely BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex
BBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
, BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
, BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest...
, BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Oxford is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Oxfordshire, broadcasting on 95.2 FM via the Oxford transmitter and online. The station broadcasts live from the BBC's Summertown studios in Oxford between 5am and 7pm each weekday, for over 13 hours on Saturdays & 19 hours...
and BBC Radio Kent
BBC Radio Kent
BBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent.It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 , 97.6 and 104.2 also 774 and 1602 MW and DAB.- History :The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the...
). During the station's downtime, BBC Surrey simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
programming including Up All Night
Up All Night (radio show)
Up All Night is a programme broadcast on the national radio station BBC Radio 5 Live in the United Kingdom, and is on air between the hours of 1 am and 5 am every night...
, Morning Reports and the Stephen Nolan show.