Radio Hampshire
Encyclopedia
The Breeze 107 is an independent local radio
station broadcasting to the Southampton
, Portsmouth
and Winchester
areas of Hampshire
, England
. It is owned by Celador Radio and is part of The Breeze
network of stations. The station has a 'contemporary easy listening' format, playing classic and recent melodic popular music
aimed principally at listeners over 40.
The station is operated by media firm Celador
and operates on three FM frequencies; the three were previously separate stations centred on each of the broadcast areas, which have over time combined into a single regional service. The station is also available on DAB
(on NOW South Hampshire
) and online.
The station launched under its current identity and format on 4 July 2010; it has operated under various owners, formats and identities previously, with the three services having launched independently of each other in 1999 as a series of local stations each focused on a specified broadcast area. All programming is now identical across the three licence areas.
The Breeze is based at Roman Landing in the Kingsway area of Southampton
, sharing facilities with another Celador-owned station in the region, 106 Jack FM.
In 2004, the licence was acquired by Southampton Football Club
, who renamed the station as The Saint, effectively making it an FM version of their existing club station of the same name (which was broadcasting on digital TV and online). The service was at this point based at studios within Southampton FC's ground, St Mary's Stadium
.
On 26 July 2007, Southampton FC confirmed it had sold the station to South Wales
-based radio group Town & Country Broadcasting - a firm headed by lifelong Southampton FC fan Jason Bryant (formerly of Talksport and Virgin Radio). The sale led to a rebranding of the station as 107.8 Radio Hampshire from 6 August 2007. As Radio Hampshire, the station combined adult contemporary music
with information and breaking news from Southampton FC; match coverage also continued, and the station continued to be operated from the studio at St. Mary's.
Radio Hampshire joined Nation Radio
, 102.1 Bay Radio, 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire, 97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, 97.5 Scarlet FM and 106.3 Bridge FM
in the T&CB portfolio.
In 1999, Win 107.2 (later 107.2 Win FM) was launched as a new local station serving the Winchester
and Eastleigh
area. Owned by Radio Investments Ltd, the station broadcast from a studio at the Brooks Shopping Centre in Winchester town centre. RIL was later bought by The Local Radio Company
.
TLRC sold Win FM to the Tindle Radio Group
in September 2006, and the new owner rebranded the station as Dream 107.2 in October 2007, adopting a soft adult contemporary music policy.
With extensive competition in the South Hampshire marketplace from numerous regional rivals - including Ocean (now Heart), Wave 105
and Original 106 (now 106 Jack FM) - Dream 107.2 struggled to build an audience, and Tindle Group subsequently decided the station was not viable as a business and should be sold off.
The local FM service for Portsmouth went on air on 19 September 1999 as a revived version of Radio Victory
; this was acquired soon after launch by The Local Radio Company
(TLRC) and later relaunched as 107.4 The Quay
(also known as Quay Radio). The Quay broadcast from studios on Twyford Avenue in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth FC subsequently entered into a joint-venture with TLRC to run the station (along with Spirit FM
in Chichester and Isle of Wight Radio
), with the club taking full control of The Quay when the partnership was dissolved in August 2009 (TLRC retained Spirit FM).
In the summer of 2010, Portsmouth FC went into administration; Quay Radio was shut down at noon on Friday July 30, 2010 as a result. The station was sold to Celador Radio Broadcasting, who announced that following their purchase of the frequency, 107.4 FM would broadcast as part of The Breeze 107.
The rights to broadcast Portsmouth FC matches were not taken on as part of the deal, meaning that the club's matches would no longer be broadcast on 107.4 FM.
.
The new station for Southampton and Winchester, named Play Radio, launched on the 107.2 and 107.8 FM frequencies at 10am on 4 July 2009. As under Radio Hampshire, the station operated a split breakfast programme (one for Southampton and one for Winchester), with all other programming shared across the two frequencies.
for an undisclosed sum.
It was announced on June 21, 2010 that the service would be relaunched as The Breeze 107. The new station would be aimed at upmarket 40-59 year olds and broadcast classic and contemporary easy listening
music with a slight female bias. It was also announced that the station would relocate, leaving its longtime base at St. Mary's Stadium to share facilities with sister regional station Jack FM in the Kingsway area of Southampton.
Celador subsequently sought and received permission from Ofcom
to end the split breakfast programme, meaning that as of the Breeze relaunch, listeners in Southampton and Winchester were receiving identical programming at all times.
The Breeze 107 launched on-air to Southampton and Winchester on 4 July 2010, exactly a year after its predecessor Play Radio had officially replaced Radio Hampshire.
In late July 2010, following Celador's purchase of the Portsmouth licence, the broadcast area of The Breeze expanded.
In February 2011, Celador relaunched their Bristol
station Star 107.2 as The Breeze; following this, programmes broadcast to Bristol (outside of localised daily Breakfast and weekday Drivetime shows) are sourced from the Southampton-based station.
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 broadcasting to the 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...
, 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 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...
areas of 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...
, 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...
. It is owned by Celador Radio and is part of The Breeze
The Breeze (radio network)
The Breeze is a network of independent local radio stations broadcasting to Bristol, Bath, Bridgwater, West Somerset, Frome, West Wiltshire and the Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester areas of Hampshire, England...
network of stations. The station has a 'contemporary easy listening' format, playing classic and recent melodic popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
aimed principally at listeners over 40.
The station is operated by media firm Celador
Celador
Celador is a global light entertainment company originally formed as an independent production company in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire which collected...
and operates on three FM frequencies; the three were previously separate stations centred on each of the broadcast areas, which have over time combined into a single regional service. The station is also available 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....
(on NOW South Hampshire
NOW South Hampshire
NOW South Hampshire is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Hampshire. It launched in February 2003 and is operated by NOW Digital, who are owned by Arqiva after being sold by Global Radio....
) and online.
The station launched under its current identity and format on 4 July 2010; it has operated under various owners, formats and identities previously, with the three services having launched independently of each other in 1999 as a series of local stations each focused on a specified broadcast area. All programming is now identical across the three licence areas.
The Breeze is based at Roman Landing in the Kingsway area of 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...
, sharing facilities with another Celador-owned station in the region, 106 Jack FM.
107.8 FM in Southampton
The 107.8 FM service launched under the name SouthCity FM on 5 September 1999.In 2004, the licence was acquired by Southampton Football Club
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, who renamed the station as The Saint, effectively making it an FM version of their existing club station of the same name (which was broadcasting on digital TV and online). The service was at this point based at studios within Southampton FC's ground, St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
.
On 26 July 2007, Southampton FC confirmed it had sold the station to South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
-based radio group Town & Country Broadcasting - a firm headed by lifelong Southampton FC fan Jason Bryant (formerly of Talksport and Virgin Radio). The sale led to a rebranding of the station as 107.8 Radio Hampshire from 6 August 2007. As Radio Hampshire, the station combined adult contemporary music
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....
with information and breaking news from Southampton FC; match coverage also continued, and the station continued to be operated from the studio at St. Mary's.
Radio Hampshire joined Nation Radio
Nation Radio
Nation Radio launched on 16 June 2008 as a regional radio station broadcasting to the South Wales area from Neath.Nation Radio took over the Ofcom broadcasting licence held by Xfm South Wales when GCap Media sold the station to Town and Country Broadcasting for an unspecified fee on 30 May 2008....
, 102.1 Bay Radio, 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire, 97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, 97.5 Scarlet FM and 106.3 Bridge FM
106.3 Bridge FM
Bridge FM is the local commercial radio station broadcasting in south Wales' Bridgend County Borough and the surrounding areas on a frequency of 106.3 MHz....
in the T&CB portfolio.
107.2 FM in Winchester
See also Dream 107.2In 1999, Win 107.2 (later 107.2 Win FM) was launched as a new local station serving 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...
and Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
area. Owned by Radio Investments Ltd, the station broadcast from a studio at the Brooks Shopping Centre in Winchester town centre. RIL was later bought by The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
.
TLRC sold Win FM to the Tindle Radio Group
Tindle Radio Group
The Tindle Radio Group is a media company which owns stations in southern England, the Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland. It has its head office in Great Blakenham in Suffolk....
in September 2006, and the new owner rebranded the station as Dream 107.2 in October 2007, adopting a soft adult contemporary music policy.
With extensive competition in the South Hampshire marketplace from numerous regional rivals - including Ocean (now Heart), 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 Original 106 (now 106 Jack FM) - Dream 107.2 struggled to build an audience, and Tindle Group subsequently decided the station was not viable as a business and should be sold off.
Franchise merger
In November 2008, Tindle Radio Group sold Dream 107.2 to Town & Country Broadcasting, who sought and received permission to largely absorb the Winchester service into their existing Radio Hampshire service at Southampton. The Winchester studios were closed and the 107.2 FM Winchester frequency switched to sharing content with Southampton's service 20 hours a day. A separate local daily breakfast programme for the Winchester licence area was maintained, though this was broadcast from the Southampton base.107.4 FM in Portsmouth
See also 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:...
The local FM service for Portsmouth went on air on 19 September 1999 as a revived version of Radio Victory
Radio 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:...
; this was acquired soon after launch by The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
(TLRC) and later relaunched as 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...
(also known as Quay Radio). The Quay broadcast from studios on Twyford Avenue in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth FC subsequently entered into a joint-venture with TLRC to run the station (along with Spirit FM
Spirit FM
Spirit FM broadcasts to West Sussex from studios in Dukes Court, Chichester - the place it has been since its launch more than 10 years ago. It was previously only available in the South West of the County but gained complete coverage through a transmitter near Midhurst.- History :Spirit FM began...
in Chichester and Isle of Wight Radio
Isle of Wight Radio
Isle of Wight Radio is an independent local radio station in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The station began transmitting from Briddlesford Farm AM transmitter on April 15, 1990...
), with the club taking full control of The Quay when the partnership was dissolved in August 2009 (TLRC retained Spirit FM).
In the summer of 2010, Portsmouth FC went into administration; Quay Radio was shut down at noon on Friday July 30, 2010 as a result. The station was sold to Celador Radio Broadcasting, who announced that following their purchase of the frequency, 107.4 FM would broadcast as part of The Breeze 107.
The rights to broadcast Portsmouth FC matches were not taken on as part of the deal, meaning that the club's matches would no longer be broadcast on 107.4 FM.
Play Radio
On 28 May 2009, Radio Hampshire ceased broadcasting due to Town & Country Broadcasting deciding to sell the station. On 5 June 2009, the two licences for Radio Hampshire in Southampton and Winchester were acquired by internet station Play Radio UKPlay Radio UK
Play Radio UK was a British internet radio station based on the South Coast of England. Its output comprised two mainstream music radio streams, a talk radio stream, and several other genre-specific music streams...
.
The new station for Southampton and Winchester, named Play Radio, launched on the 107.2 and 107.8 FM frequencies at 10am on 4 July 2009. As under Radio Hampshire, the station operated a split breakfast programme (one for Southampton and one for Winchester), with all other programming shared across the two frequencies.
The Breeze
In April 2010, the licences were purchased by Celador Radio BroadcastingCelador
Celador is a global light entertainment company originally formed as an independent production company in 1983. It has produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is probably best known for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and co-producing the film Slumdog Millionaire which collected...
for an undisclosed sum.
It was announced on June 21, 2010 that the service would be relaunched as The Breeze 107. The new station would be aimed at upmarket 40-59 year olds and broadcast classic and contemporary 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...
music with a slight female bias. It was also announced that the station would relocate, leaving its longtime base at St. Mary's Stadium to share facilities with sister regional station Jack FM in the Kingsway area of Southampton.
Celador subsequently sought and received permission from Ofcom
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...
to end the split breakfast programme, meaning that as of the Breeze relaunch, listeners in Southampton and Winchester were receiving identical programming at all times.
The Breeze 107 launched on-air to Southampton and Winchester on 4 July 2010, exactly a year after its predecessor Play Radio had officially replaced Radio Hampshire.
In late July 2010, following Celador's purchase of the Portsmouth licence, the broadcast area of The Breeze expanded.
In February 2011, Celador relaunched their Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
station Star 107.2 as The Breeze; following this, programmes broadcast to Bristol (outside of localised daily Breakfast and weekday Drivetime shows) are sourced from the Southampton-based station.
Presenters
- David Perry (Weekday Breakfast)
- Mark Walker (Weekday Mid-mornings, Saturday Afternoon)
- Stewart Smith (Weekday Drivetime, Sunday Breakfast)
- Ben Burrell (Weekday Evenings, Sunday Afternoon)
- Pippa Head (Saturday Breakfast)
- Donny OsmondDonny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
(Weekend Lunchtimes) - Tony Wright (Saturday Evenings)
- Michelle Horn (Sunday Evenings)
See Also
- 106 Jack FM (South Coast)
- The Breeze 107.2
- 106 Jack FM Bristol106 Jack FM (Bristol)106 Jack FM is an English language adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.5MHz FM in Bristol, United Kingdom and is owned by Celador Radio.-History:...