Ocean FM
Encyclopedia
Heart Hampshire was a British
independent local radio
station serving South Hampshire
, West Sussex
and the Isle of Wight
primarily for Portsmouth
and Southampton
. The station served an area of England with a high proportion of commuters to London and a higher-than-average disposable income from middle-class families and people over 45. Its target age range was 25-45.
provided the first local commercial radio service in the South of England in 1975, with its small transmission area around Portsmouth. The station was disliked by the then regulator and when it Independent Broadcasting Authority
re-advertised the Portsmouth licence to include Southampton and Winchester, Victory lost out to a new consortium called Ocean Sound Ltd. Ocean Sound proposed an expanded coverage area taking in Southampton. Radio Victory ceased operations in June 1986, three months earlier than the expiry date of its franchise, with a test transmission informing listeners of the unprecedented situation. Ocean Sound took over programme provision that October from a new purpose-built broadcast unit in a business park at Segensworth
West on the western outskirts of Fareham
, Hampshire.
Ocean Sound debuted on 12 October 1986, initially with two services - Ocean Sound (West), covering Southampton, Winchester and much of the Isle of Wight, and Ocean Sound (East) serving Portsmouth and the surrounding area. Ocean Sound (West) used 103.2 MHz FM and 1557 kHz AM. Ocean Sound (East) used 97.5 MHz FM and 1170 kHz AM. The East service underwent a change of frequency from that inherited from Radio Victory (from 95.0 MHz to 97.5 MHz FM). Both services shared breakfast and evening programmes with daytime output and specialist programmes broadcasting uniquely on each service - for instance on Saturday evenings, an Isle of Wight programme with Jean-Paul Hansford would air on Ocean Sound (West), while an alternative would air on Ocean Sound (East). This was prior to the termination of simulcasting programmes on FM and AM, which would see both services transformed.
The reason that two stations launched, rather than an expanded solo station is that then Managing Director David Lucas identified two potential audiences: one familiar with commercial radio (in the East area), and one largely acquainted with the BBC (the West area, of which the majority of local listening was to BBC Radio Solent
). Ocean Sound (East) therefore sounded livelier than its West counterpart, which took on a softer sound.
West, a district outside Fareham
, beside the M27 motorway
in Hampshire. This move to base themselves outside the two major cities of Southampton and Portsmouth was a strategic one, so as not to appear sounding biased in favour of either city and to remove any lingering associations with Radio Victory, a poorly received radio station primarily focused on Portsmouth.
The following is an excerpt of a 1986 interview with then Managing Director David Lucas in an Independent Broadcasting Authority
publication:
"The original plan was to have studio buildings and offices in both Portsmouth and Southampton,' says Lucas. 'But that is an unnecessarily complicated way of doing the job. The important thing is for the programmes themselves to provide a strong and relevant local identity. Contribution studios have been established in both Portsmouth and Southampton to provide direct city-centre access to the airwaves for interviewees and guests."
"...But Lucas, like some other radio managers, wonders whether the high standards of IBA studio specifications are always necessary. 'A significant proportion of studio costs comes in sound-proofing them'; says Lucas. 'Would it really matter if the listener heard the occasional lorry rumbling past outside? With most stations operating on close mic techniques anyway, peripheral noise can be minor'".
Once the studios were complete, staff needed to be hired - almost from scratch. Sales managers and a Head of News were all recruited, ironically from Radio Victory. Construction of the new studios took under a year and finished in time for the station's launch in 1986.
On 6 December 1987, Ocean Sound's coverage area was extended with an additional service covering the Winchester
area. Entitled Ocean Sound (North) - The Light FM, this would relay the Ocean Sound West service, with locally focused news, travel and programmes during the morning, early afternoon and early evening. Ocean Sound North could be heard on 96.7 MHz FM.
The Gold AM launched on its medium-wave transmitters, effectively permanently separating from its FM counterpart. An all-oldies format playing 1960s and 1970s pop music, it won the right to use the name after a court battle with County Sound
, a station originating from Guildford
, Surrey
, selected County Sound GOLD, later resulting in the Surrey station adopting its First Gold Radio moniker.
Ocean Sound and The Light FM continued as before on 97.5 and 96.7 MHz FM, whilst Ocean Sound (West) relaunched as a music-intensive youth pop station - 103.2 Power FM on 4 December 1988. Power FM was designed as a direct competitor to BBC Radio 1
in the area, with a heavy rotation of chart and Top 40 pop and mainstream dance, with quick hourly news and information. It aimed to win over Radio 1 listeners who were frustrated by the fact that the BBC station would remain on mediumwave
only in the area until May 1990, despite the fact that in the autumn of 1988 it was regularly plugging its new FM
transmitters, sometimes giving the impression that it could already be heard on FM throughout the UK.
radio station Southern Sound looked upon Ocean Sound as a potential takeover target, citing its location in a prosperous and commercially attractive area of England
. So in 1992 a merger was agreed forming Southern Radio plc, which would see the following further changes to Ocean Sound:
Ocean FM was reduced to an opt-out service from the main Sussex station, sharing output for most of the day with local news every half-hour at breakfast and drivetime
. South Coast Radio would take on a much more relaxed sound with the slogan "Nice and Easy", playing mostly Easy Listening
and soft Gold hits.
In 1994 Capital Radio
, looking for expansion possibilities, opted to purchase Southern Radio plc, which included Ocean Sound, now renamed Ocean FM. This led to more changes, this time to the on-air sound rather than name changes. Whilst Power FM took on Capital FM
's long-established, successful and highly-polished sound, Ocean FM became a more music-led station, playing heavy rotation soft adult contemporary hits, with its news and information sequences reduced in length and finishing with the sentence "And that's the way it is at .
In 1997 the Capital Radio Group
along with the GWR Group
sought Radio Authority
approval to reduce the amount of local programming on its AM stations, affecting South Coast Radio
. This would mean the station would be opting-out of a main service based in London. There Capital Gold
was launched in place of South Coast Radio, with four hours programming locally produced, usually either at breakfast or drivetime.
In 1998 Ocean FM was a key target for newly-launched Wave 105
, a similar-sounding commercial radio station also playing adult contemporary
music. Launched by former Ocean Sound Managing Director David Lucas, Wave 105 would curiously base itself in Segensworth East, a few hundred metres away from Ocean FM in Segensworth
West.
Meanwhile Ocean FM would be part of a network of AC stations, including Invicta FM and Fox FM. In 2000 this was re-organised to be part of the Century FM
network, playing current AC music with a slogan of Number 1 for 80s, 90s and Now!
, direct competition from Original 106, Wave 105
and BBC Radio 2
, Dream 107.2
, Radio Hampshire (formerly SouthCity FM & The Saint) and a failed revival of Radio Victory (now 107.4 The Quay
), Ocean was still a well-known brand and regularly featured among the better-performing local music stations. It was such a strong name that GCap Media bosses refused to re-brand the station as Century FM along usual radio network lines, and the station only broadcast special network shows.
Ocean went digital in 2003, airing on DAB
digital radio in South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along with sister stations Power FM and Capital Gold; competitors Wave 105, The Saint, BBC Radio Solent; and new stations Capital Disney
and XFM
.
In May 2006, Ocean dropped the 'FM' from its previous 'Ocean FM' name to become just 'Ocean', simultaneously introducing a new set of logos and the tagline Hampshire's Greatest Hits. In June 2007 the use of 'Ocean FM' was introduced back into the output in addition to a new tagline Classic Hits and the Best New Songs. However the website still used the Hampshire's Greatest Hits tag. Around the same time, Ocean did not renew the contracts of Presenters Richard Williams, Pippa Head, James Macdonald and Australian import Warren Kay.
Ocean also had their own charity, Help a Local Child. It launched in 2003 with a commitment to helping local children and young people up to the age of 18, who experience the negative effects of poverty, abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence, crime, illness and disability in the area. They frequently held fund raising events from car boot sale
s to themed discos with competitions.
. Ocean FM was amongst the final phase of stations to be rebranded, becoming Heart Hampshire on June 22, 2009.
as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. The new station, Heart South Coast
, began broadcasting from Fareham on 30 July 2010.
1989 - The Light FM - Turn on the Light
2004 - Ocean FM - the best mix of the 80's, 90's and today
2005 - Ocean FM - Number 1 for 80s, 90s and Now!
2006 - Ocean - Hampshire's Greatest Hits
2007 - Ocean FM - Classic Hits and the Best New Songs
2008 - Ocean FM - More Music Variety
2009 - Ocean FM - More Music Variety - The Heart of Hampshire and West Sussex (Used from April until June)
2009 - (This is) Heart - More Music Variety - Give it some Heart
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent local radio
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 serving South Hampshire
South Hampshire
South Hampshire or Solent City is a term used mainly to refer to the metropolitan area formed by the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton and their suburbs and commuter towns, in southern Hampshire, England. The area has population of around 1 million based on the 2001 census...
, 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...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
primarily for Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. The station served an area of England with a high proportion of commuters to London and a higher-than-average disposable income from middle-class families and people over 45. Its target age range was 25-45.
History
Ocean Sound's predecessor, Radio VictoryRadio Victory
Radio Victory was the independent local radio station for Portsmouth in southern England. It was launched on 14 October 1975 and served south Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.-History:...
provided the first local commercial radio service in the South of England in 1975, with its small transmission area around Portsmouth. The station was disliked by the then regulator and when it Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
re-advertised the Portsmouth licence to include Southampton and Winchester, Victory lost out to a new consortium called Ocean Sound Ltd. Ocean Sound proposed an expanded coverage area taking in Southampton. Radio Victory ceased operations in June 1986, three months earlier than the expiry date of its franchise, with a test transmission informing listeners of the unprecedented situation. Ocean Sound took over programme provision that October from a new purpose-built broadcast unit in a business park at Segensworth
Segensworth
Segensworth is a business park at Whiteley / Fareham in Hampshire in England. It is near junction 9 of the M27 midway between Southampton and Portsmouth....
West on the western outskirts of Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, Hampshire.
Ocean Sound debuted on 12 October 1986, initially with two services - Ocean Sound (West), covering Southampton, Winchester and much of the Isle of Wight, and Ocean Sound (East) serving Portsmouth and the surrounding area. Ocean Sound (West) used 103.2 MHz FM and 1557 kHz AM. Ocean Sound (East) used 97.5 MHz FM and 1170 kHz AM. The East service underwent a change of frequency from that inherited from Radio Victory (from 95.0 MHz to 97.5 MHz FM). Both services shared breakfast and evening programmes with daytime output and specialist programmes broadcasting uniquely on each service - for instance on Saturday evenings, an Isle of Wight programme with Jean-Paul Hansford would air on Ocean Sound (West), while an alternative would air on Ocean Sound (East). This was prior to the termination of simulcasting programmes on FM and AM, which would see both services transformed.
The reason that two stations launched, rather than an expanded solo station is that then Managing Director David Lucas identified two potential audiences: one familiar with commercial radio (in the East area), and one largely acquainted with the BBC (the West area, of which the majority of local listening was to 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,...
). Ocean Sound (East) therefore sounded livelier than its West counterpart, which took on a softer sound.
New Studios
Once the franchise was won, Ocean Sound needed brand-new state of the art studios in SegensworthSegensworth
Segensworth is a business park at Whiteley / Fareham in Hampshire in England. It is near junction 9 of the M27 midway between Southampton and Portsmouth....
West, a district outside Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
, beside the M27 motorway
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
in Hampshire. This move to base themselves outside the two major cities of Southampton and Portsmouth was a strategic one, so as not to appear sounding biased in favour of either city and to remove any lingering associations with Radio Victory, a poorly received radio station primarily focused on Portsmouth.
The following is an excerpt of a 1986 interview with then Managing Director David Lucas in an Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
publication:
"The original plan was to have studio buildings and offices in both Portsmouth and Southampton,' says Lucas. 'But that is an unnecessarily complicated way of doing the job. The important thing is for the programmes themselves to provide a strong and relevant local identity. Contribution studios have been established in both Portsmouth and Southampton to provide direct city-centre access to the airwaves for interviewees and guests."
"...But Lucas, like some other radio managers, wonders whether the high standards of IBA studio specifications are always necessary. 'A significant proportion of studio costs comes in sound-proofing them'; says Lucas. 'Would it really matter if the listener heard the occasional lorry rumbling past outside? With most stations operating on close mic techniques anyway, peripheral noise can be minor'".
Once the studios were complete, staff needed to be hired - almost from scratch. Sales managers and a Head of News were all recruited, ironically from Radio Victory. Construction of the new studios took under a year and finished in time for the station's launch in 1986.
On 6 December 1987, Ocean Sound's coverage area was extended with an additional service covering the Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
area. Entitled Ocean Sound (North) - The Light FM, this would relay the Ocean Sound West service, with locally focused news, travel and programmes during the morning, early afternoon and early evening. Ocean Sound North could be heard on 96.7 MHz FM.
The Gold, The Power and The Light
1988 saw Ocean Sound undergo a massive re-organisation of its frequencies and services. The main changes were:- Ocean Sound (East and North) on FM would become FM-only and simply renamed Ocean Sound and The Light FM
- Ocean Sound (West) on FM would become Power FM
- Ocean Sound on AM would become The Gold AM
The Gold AM launched on its medium-wave transmitters, effectively permanently separating from its FM counterpart. An all-oldies format playing 1960s and 1970s pop music, it won the right to use the name after a court battle with County Sound
County Sound Radio 1566 AM
County Sound Radio is a commercial radio station covering Surrey and north-east Hampshire. Currently broadcasting on 1566 MW and 91.5 FM and on the internet via the website.- History :...
, a station originating from 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...
, 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...
, selected County Sound GOLD, later resulting in the Surrey station adopting its First Gold Radio moniker.
Ocean Sound and The Light FM continued as before on 97.5 and 96.7 MHz FM, whilst Ocean Sound (West) relaunched as a music-intensive youth pop station - 103.2 Power FM on 4 December 1988. Power FM was designed as a direct competitor to BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in the area, with a heavy rotation of chart and Top 40 pop and mainstream dance, with quick hourly news and information. It aimed to win over Radio 1 listeners who were frustrated by the fact that the BBC station would remain on mediumwave
Mediumwave
Medium 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...
only in the area until May 1990, despite the fact that in the autumn of 1988 it was regularly plugging its new FM
Frequency modulation
In 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...
transmitters, sometimes giving the impression that it could already be heard on FM throughout the UK.
Mergers, takeovers and relaunches
SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
radio station Southern Sound looked upon Ocean Sound as a potential takeover target, citing its location in a prosperous and commercially attractive area of 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...
. So in 1992 a merger was agreed forming Southern Radio plc, which would see the following further changes to Ocean Sound:
- Ocean Sound and The Light FM would unite as Ocean Sound - Classic Hits (later abbreviated just to Ocean FM)
- Power FM would continue as before
- The Gold AM would merge with Southern Sound's AM frequencies to create South Coast Radio.
Ocean FM was reduced to an opt-out service from the main Sussex station, sharing output for most of the day with local news every half-hour at breakfast and drivetime
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
. South Coast Radio would take on a much more relaxed sound with the slogan "Nice and Easy", playing mostly Easy Listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and soft Gold hits.
In 1994 Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
, looking for expansion possibilities, opted to purchase Southern Radio plc, which included Ocean Sound, now renamed Ocean FM. This led to more changes, this time to the on-air sound rather than name changes. Whilst Power FM took on Capital FM
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
's long-established, successful and highly-polished sound, Ocean FM became a more music-led station, playing heavy rotation soft adult contemporary hits, with its news and information sequences reduced in length and finishing with the sentence "And that's the way it is at .
In 1997 the Capital Radio Group
GCap Media
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. On 31 March 2008 the company agreed a takeover by...
along with the GWR Group
GCap Media
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. On 31 March 2008 the company agreed a takeover by...
sought Radio Authority
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
approval to reduce the amount of local programming on its AM stations, affecting South Coast Radio
South Coast Radio
South Coast Radio was a commercial radio station which broadcast on Medium Wave on the South Coast of England between 1991 and 1998.-History:...
. This would mean the station would be opting-out of a main service based in London. There Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
was launched in place of South Coast Radio, with four hours programming locally produced, usually either at breakfast or drivetime.
In 1998 Ocean FM was a key target for newly-launched Wave 105
Wave 105
Wave 105 is a UK regional commercial radio station broadcasting across Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of West Sussex and Wiltshire. Playing a mix of adult contemporary music, it combines presenter-led shows with local news and information, entertainment guides and competitions. The...
, a similar-sounding commercial radio station also playing adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
music. Launched by former Ocean Sound Managing Director David Lucas, Wave 105 would curiously base itself in Segensworth East, a few hundred metres away from Ocean FM in Segensworth
Segensworth
Segensworth is a business park at Whiteley / Fareham in Hampshire in England. It is near junction 9 of the M27 midway between Southampton and Portsmouth....
West.
Meanwhile Ocean FM would be part of a network of AC stations, including Invicta FM and Fox FM. In 2000 this was re-organised to be part of the Century FM
Century FM
Century Radio was the brand name of a group of independent local radio stations in England. The brand was developed with the launch of 100-102 Century Radio in North East England in 1994, with John Myers as managing director and John Simons as programme director...
network, playing current AC music with a slogan of Number 1 for 80s, 90s and Now!
Ocean in the 2000s
With fiercely loyal listenership to BBC Radio SolentBBC 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,...
, direct competition from Original 106, Wave 105
Wave 105
Wave 105 is a UK regional commercial radio station broadcasting across Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of West Sussex and Wiltshire. Playing a mix of adult contemporary music, it combines presenter-led shows with local news and information, entertainment guides and competitions. The...
and BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, Dream 107.2
107.2 WIN FM
- Information :Dream 107.2 was a local adult contemporary radio station, primarily serving Winchester, Eastleigh and their conurbations, owned by the Tindle Radio Group.- History :...
, Radio Hampshire (formerly SouthCity FM & The Saint) and a failed revival of Radio Victory (now 107.4 The Quay
107.4 The Quay
The Breeze is a United Kingdom radio station, broadcasting to the cities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. The station is operated by Celador and is part of The Breeze network of stations...
), Ocean was still a well-known brand and regularly featured among the better-performing local music stations. It was such a strong name that GCap Media bosses refused to re-brand the station as Century FM along usual radio network lines, and the station only broadcast special network shows.
Ocean went digital in 2003, airing on 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....
digital radio in South Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, along with sister stations Power FM and Capital Gold; competitors Wave 105, The Saint, BBC Radio Solent; and new stations Capital Disney
Capital Disney
Capital Disney was a British digital radio station aimed at 8 to 16 year olds which used to broadcast across the UK on DAB Digital Radio . It was also broadcast on Sky Digital, Tiscali TV, Virgin Media, and streaming online. The station announced on 14 May 2007 that it would close down on 29 June...
and XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
.
In May 2006, Ocean dropped the 'FM' from its previous 'Ocean FM' name to become just 'Ocean', simultaneously introducing a new set of logos and the tagline Hampshire's Greatest Hits. In June 2007 the use of 'Ocean FM' was introduced back into the output in addition to a new tagline Classic Hits and the Best New Songs. However the website still used the Hampshire's Greatest Hits tag. Around the same time, Ocean did not renew the contracts of Presenters Richard Williams, Pippa Head, James Macdonald and Australian import Warren Kay.
Ocean also had their own charity, Help a Local Child. It launched in 2003 with a commitment to helping local children and young people up to the age of 18, who experience the negative effects of poverty, abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence, crime, illness and disability in the area. They frequently held fund raising events from car boot sale
Car boot sale
Car boot/trunk sales or boot/trunk fairs are a mainly British form of market in which private individuals come together to sell household and garden goods.The term refers to the selling of items from a car's boot or trunk...
s to themed discos with competitions.
Heart rebranding
In 2008 it was announced that Ocean FM, along with 30 other stations in the One Network, would be rebranded Heart by owners Global RadioGlobal Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
. Ocean FM was amongst the final phase of stations to be rebranded, becoming Heart Hampshire on June 22, 2009.
Network restructuring
On 21 June 2010, Global Radio announced plans to merge Heart Hampshire with Heart Dorset & New ForestHeart Dorset & New Forest
Heart Dorset was a British Independent Local Radio station, broadcast from studios at a former carpet shop on Southcote Road in Bournemouth. Its original name was derived from the fact that its broadcast area included parts of the counties of Dorset and Hampshire...
as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. The new station, Heart South Coast
Heart South Coast (regional)
Heart Solent is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to southern and western parts of Hampshire, West Sussex, east Dorset and the Isle of Wight...
, began broadcasting from Fareham on 30 July 2010.
Slogans
1987 - Ocean Sound - We're on your Wavelength!1989 - The Light FM - Turn on the Light
2004 - Ocean FM - the best mix of the 80's, 90's and today
2005 - Ocean FM - Number 1 for 80s, 90s and Now!
2006 - Ocean - Hampshire's Greatest Hits
2007 - Ocean FM - Classic Hits and the Best New Songs
2008 - Ocean FM - More Music Variety
2009 - Ocean FM - More Music Variety - The Heart of Hampshire and West Sussex (Used from April until June)
2009 - (This is) Heart - More Music Variety - Give it some Heart
See also
- Galaxy South Coast
- Heart Sussex
- Wave 105Wave 105Wave 105 is a UK regional commercial radio station broadcasting across Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of West Sussex and Wiltshire. Playing a mix of adult contemporary music, it combines presenter-led shows with local news and information, entertainment guides and competitions. The...
- Gold
- Global RadioGlobal RadioGlobal Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
- 107.4 The Quay107.4 The QuayThe Breeze is a United Kingdom radio station, broadcasting to the cities of Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. The station is operated by Celador and is part of The Breeze network of stations...
- Play Radio
- The Coast (radio station)The Coast (radio station)106 Jack FM is an adult hits format radio station broadcasting to a stretch of the English South Coast on 106 MHz & 106.6 MHz FM and on DAB Digital...