Centre Radio
Encyclopedia
Centre Radio was the first independent local radio
station to serve Leicestershire
. It was based as at the lavish Granville House, Leicester
, England
.
would often rollerskate up and down London Road. Mallett presented the first breakfast show with multi coloured hair, dressed in a dinner jacket and a bowtie and the moment was filmed for a BBC documentary.
Other presenters on Centre Radio included Tony Cook, Jay Cooper, Mark Hurrell, Alan West, John Evington, Mark Williams and Kenny Hague.
Financial problems caused by the recession and over spending on the station's premises hit the fledgling station hard, but attracting listeners also proved difficult. BBC Radio Leicester
had been on air since 1967, and many listeners stayed loyal to the BBC
.
When a takeover bid for the station was blocked by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, Centre Radio announced on 6 October 1983 that it would cease broadcasting. Programming ended at 1pm with a short news bulletin read by Tony Cook (Centre's head of news) announcing the station's closure followed by continuous music until a final closing announcement at 5.30pm.
The station's licence was re-advertised and won by Leicester Sound
, which commenced broadcasting on 7 September 1984. Leicester Sound merged with Trent FM
and Ram FM
in January 2011 to form the regional station Capital FM East Midlands, based in Nottingham.
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station to serve Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. It was based as at the lavish Granville House, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
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...
.
History
Centre Radio launched on 7 September 1981 in a blaze of publicity. Several adverts were placed in the Leicester Mercury, the station's presenters appeared at many local events preceding the launch. To build people's interest further, one of their more famous DJs, Timmy MallettTimmy Mallett
Timmy Mallett is a TV presenter and broadcaster in the UK. He achieved cult status on BBC Radio Oxford and Manchester's Piccadilly Radio and later on TV-am...
would often rollerskate up and down London Road. Mallett presented the first breakfast show with multi coloured hair, dressed in a dinner jacket and a bowtie and the moment was filmed for a BBC documentary.
Other presenters on Centre Radio included Tony Cook, Jay Cooper, Mark Hurrell, Alan West, John Evington, Mark Williams and Kenny Hague.
Financial problems caused by the recession and over spending on the station's premises hit the fledgling station hard, but attracting listeners also proved difficult. BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.-History:...
had been on air since 1967, and many listeners stayed loyal to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
When a takeover bid for the station was blocked by the Independent Broadcasting Authority, Centre Radio announced on 6 October 1983 that it would cease broadcasting. Programming ended at 1pm with a short news bulletin read by Tony Cook (Centre's head of news) announcing the station's closure followed by continuous music until a final closing announcement at 5.30pm.
The station's licence was re-advertised and won by Leicester Sound
Leicester Sound
Leicester Sound was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcast to Leicestershire. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Trent FM and Ram FM to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-Background:Leicester Sound was launched by the owners of Radio Trent on...
, which commenced broadcasting on 7 September 1984. Leicester Sound merged with Trent FM
Trent FM
Trent FM was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcast to Nottinghamshire. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Leicester Sound and Ram FM to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-History:Launched on 3 July 1975 as Radio Trent and based in a...
and Ram FM
RAM FM
Ram FM was an Independent Local Radio station, which broadcast to central and southern parts of Derbyshire on 102.8 FM. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Trent FM and Leicester Sound to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-History:The station began life...
in January 2011 to form the regional station Capital FM East Midlands, based in Nottingham.