Swansea Sound
Encyclopedia
Swansea Sound is a British
independent local radio
station broadcasting to Swansea
and surrounding areas, aimed at a core 40+ demographic. Swansea Sound was the first local radio station in Wales, and has won several awards, including the number one regional station in South Wales
.. Its sister station is 96.4 The Wave.
, and the first commercial radio station to broadcast bilingually in the Welsh language
. From 1974, Swansea Sound broadcast on 1170 AM and 95.1 FM. In the early 1980s Swansea Sound changed its FM frequency to 96.4. In 1995 the company decided to "split frequencies", a practice that had been widely adopted within the commercial radio industry in order to avoid relinquishing frequencies, so a new station called 96.4 FM Sound Wave (now 96.4 The Wave) was launched on the FM frequency, while Swansea Sound continued to broadcast as normal on 1170 AM.
, DAB Digital Radio & Online
across Swansea
& South West Wales
. It covers a larger area than The Wave, as medium wave has a further reach than FM
. The station can also be heard on 1170 AM in North Devon, across the Bristol Channel
, although this is not acknowledged by the station's official coverage area.
, near Gorseinon along with The Wave 96.4 FM, which is more devoted to contemporary hits
. Swansea Sound is dedicated to broadcasting Welsh language programming most evenings, with hourly news updates, discussions and music, mainly through the medium of Welsh. The station also provides live commentary of all Swansea City AFC football matches. The flagship show is Breakfast with Kevin Johns MBE. The transmitter is located Winch Wen
, on the side of Kilvey Hill and for technical reasons does not use the same mast on the top of Kilvey Hill
as its sister station.
stations, making the music varied.
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 broadcasting to Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and surrounding areas, aimed at a core 40+ demographic. Swansea Sound was the first local radio station in Wales, and has won several awards, including the number one regional station in 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...
.. Its sister station is 96.4 The Wave.
History
Swansea Sound was launched in 1974 as the first commercial radio station in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and the first commercial radio station to broadcast bilingually in the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. From 1974, Swansea Sound broadcast on 1170 AM and 95.1 FM. In the early 1980s Swansea Sound changed its FM frequency to 96.4. In 1995 the company decided to "split frequencies", a practice that had been widely adopted within the commercial radio industry in order to avoid relinquishing frequencies, so a new station called 96.4 FM Sound Wave (now 96.4 The Wave) was launched on the FM frequency, while Swansea Sound continued to broadcast as normal on 1170 AM.
Coverage area
The station is available on 1170 MWMediumwave
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...
, DAB Digital Radio & Online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
across Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
& South West Wales
South West Wales
South West Wales is a region of Wales. A definition consisting of the unitary authorities of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire is used by a number of government agencies and private organisations including:*BBC...
. It covers a larger area than The Wave, as medium wave has a further reach than FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
. The station can also be heard on 1170 AM in North Devon, across the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
, although this is not acknowledged by the station's official coverage area.
Programming
The Programming Director is Steve Barnes and the station is based on Victoria Road in KingsbridgeKingsbridge, Swansea
Kingsbridge , is a village in the City and County of Swansea, Wales falling within the Kingsbridge ward.-Location:Kingsbridge lies to the south of Gorseinon and Penllergaer, to the east of Penyrheol, to the north of Gowerton and Cockett, and to the west of Penderry.-Local Facilities:Kingsbridge...
, near Gorseinon along with The Wave 96.4 FM, which is more devoted to contemporary hits
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
. Swansea Sound is dedicated to broadcasting Welsh language programming most evenings, with hourly news updates, discussions and music, mainly through the medium of Welsh. The station also provides live commentary of all Swansea City AFC football matches. The flagship show is Breakfast with Kevin Johns MBE. The transmitter is located Winch Wen
Winch Wen
Winch Wen is a suburban district in the Bon-y-maen ward of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It lies some 3.5 miles north-east of Swansea city centre....
, on the side of Kilvey Hill and for technical reasons does not use the same mast on the top of Kilvey Hill
Kilvey Hill
Kilvey Hill is a hill in Britain. It rises in south Wales, to the east of Swansea city centre. Kilvey Hill is high and is classed as a Sub Marilyn...
as its sister station.
Music Policy
The music Swansea Sound play is targeted to the 40+ audience. Swansea Sound hold network broadcasting at certain hours, which is live from other UTV RadioUTV Radio
UTV Radio is a UK media company, and owner of several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is a growing branch of UTV Media....
stations, making the music varied.