The Breeze (Bristol & Bath)
Encyclopedia
The Breeze is an Independent Local Radio
station in England, broadcasting across Bristol
on 107.2 MHz and Bath on 107.9 MHz. The station is operated by Celador Radio
and is part of The Breeze
network of stations. The station is aimed at upmarket 40 to 59 year olds, playing classic and contemporary easy listening music with a slight female bias.
's stations in Guildford
and Cambridge
. It rebranded in 2001 to Star 107.3 and in January 2004, the frequency moved to 107.2 MHz FM. The station played pop hits mainly from the 1980s and 1990s with a target audience aiming towards female adults between 25–35. It is currently the only Bristol station playing adult contemporary music 24 hours a day.
The studios were originally in the Bristol Evening Post
building on Temple Way in Bristol.
On 7 September 2010, Southampton based Celador Radio
acquired Tomahawk Radio Limited, the owners of 106.5 Jack FM and Star 107.2 FM, and in February 2011 the station's name was changed to The Breeze 107.2.
station, broadcasting in an underserved radio landscape in Bristol- with only Radio Bristol
and GWR FM
being well established as well as other pirates. Kute broadcast legally as a training facility in 1995, with a further trail in February 1998 in a joint arrangement with the Bristol Evening Post
newspaper group and radio group UKRD
with a view to gaining a permanent licence. The Radio Authority were formally advertising licence applications for several areas in the UK- including Bristol. A total of six applied for the City of Bristol licence.
Powerjam Radio, Respec Radio and Future Radio applied with an urban music format, and these applicants felt that broadcasting legitimately would create a radio format that would be a truly local service that would serve the city's Afro-Caribbean community- which they would say are consistently ignored by the mass media. However the eight-year licence was awarded to Kute FM, in recognition of the support from UKRD and the Bristol Evening Post. It proposed a soft rock and classic soul format, with ten hours dedicated to specialist music genres including R 'n' B and jazz. A speech minimum of 30% was also put forward with shows geared towards the Afro-Caribbean and other minority communities.
UKRD CEO, Mike Powell and fashioned on the existing 96.4 The Eagle
in Guildford, complete with logo, also owned by UKRD. Its advertising campaign was carried out by advertising agency "The Creative Department" and posters featuring well-known lyrics from pop songs were splashed out on the back of First Buses and newspaper ads. ironically in the Bristol Evening Post
and Western Daily Press
, its pre-launch partners. On-air The Eagle featured a fairly lively sound complete with jingles to reinforce the new name in listener's minds.
In 2000 The Eagle changed name to Star 107.3 with a new slogan different playlist, integrating the
licence remit into an adult contemporary music format.
In 2004, Star underwent a slight frequency change to 107.2MHz FM and a power increase to better cover Bristol.
On 2 March 2009, the station was taken over by Tomahawk Radio, the owners of Bristol's Original 106.5.Star now shares studios with its sister station in the County Gates building on Ashton Road, Bristol.
, announced that the station will re-brand to The Breeze 107.2 on 14 February 2011, following OFCOM agreeing to a format change.
on the Bathampton Down
Transmitter and was operated by the The Local Radio Company (TLRC) in February 2006. It's main rival station was GWR-FM Bath (now Heart on 103)
which also served the city.
The station was sold in June 2008 to Laser Broadcasting
, along with nearby stations Brunel FM
and 3TR FM
, but by October 28, 2008 (only four months later), the new company Laser Broadcasting was soon placed into administration.
The following day, after the collapse of Laser Broadcasting, Bath FM was then taken over by South West Radio Ltd (SWR) alongside Brunel FM, 3TR FM and two Quay West stations.
By 4th August 2009, SWR also collapsed and was put into administration. The assets and contracts were acquired by YMC Ltd who ran all five stations as a group.
On March 24, 2010, the stations were closed by administrators after multiple refusals on the part of regulator OFCOM
to transfer the licences, following a number of financial issues at the stations following TLRC's sale. One Gold Radio Ltd entered an agreement with Total Star Gloucestershire, owned by Storm Radio Ltd and in August 2010 all stations were relaunched as Total Star.
In May 2011 it was announced that Total Star Bath (along with Total Star stations in Swindon and West Wiltshire) was re-branded as More FM in June 2011, now with even more local news and events. This is due to the owners of the stations One Gold Radio Ltd (now called More FM Ltd), who have split partnerships with Total Star brand Storm Radio Ltd (after a one year deal) for not having enough local news and events. The Bath licence renewal was not taken up by the group, and therefore was up for sale.
won the re-advertised local radio licence for Bath. More FM then began broadcasting as The Breeze on the 107.9 FM frequency on 25 September 2011.
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 in England, broadcasting across 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...
on 107.2 MHz and Bath on 107.9 MHz. The station is operated by Celador Radio
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 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 is aimed at upmarket 40 to 59 year olds, playing classic and contemporary easy listening music with a slight female bias.
The Bristol 107.2 FM area
It started out as Kute FM on 105.8 MHz FM in February 1998, being partly owned by Western Newspapers. Then on 26 November 1999, it became 107.3 The Eagle, a name similar to two other of UKRDUKRD Group
The UKRD Group Ltd is a British media company which owns 16 commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The name originates from UK Radio Developments.-History:...
's stations 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...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. It rebranded in 2001 to Star 107.3 and in January 2004, the frequency moved to 107.2 MHz FM. The station played pop hits mainly from the 1980s and 1990s with a target audience aiming towards female adults between 25–35. It is currently the only Bristol station playing adult contemporary music 24 hours a day.
The studios were originally in the Bristol Evening Post
Bristol Evening Post
The Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....
building on Temple Way in Bristol.
On 7 September 2010, Southampton based Celador Radio
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...
acquired Tomahawk Radio Limited, the owners of 106.5 Jack FM and Star 107.2 FM, and in February 2011 the station's name was changed to The Breeze 107.2.
Licence applications
In its pre-launch guise, Kute FM was a pirate radioPirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station, broadcasting in an underserved radio landscape in Bristol- with only Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC Local Radio service for the English city of Bristol and the surrounding former Avon area. Launched in September 1970, it broadcasts from Broadcasting House in Bristol on FM frequencies 94.9 MHz , 104.6 MHz , 103.6 MHz , on AM 1548 kHz and on DAB.The...
and GWR FM
GWR FM
GWR FM was a network of three radio stations in the south west of England. All three stations were rebranded and joined the Heart Network on 23 March 2009.*GWR FM Bristol - now Heart Bristol - was launched in 1981 as Radio West, it relaunched as GWR in 1985....
being well established as well as other pirates. Kute broadcast legally as a training facility in 1995, with a further trail in February 1998 in a joint arrangement with the Bristol Evening Post
Bristol Evening Post
The Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....
newspaper group and radio group UKRD
UKRD Group
The UKRD Group Ltd is a British media company which owns 16 commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The name originates from UK Radio Developments.-History:...
with a view to gaining a permanent licence. The Radio Authority were formally advertising licence applications for several areas in the UK- including Bristol. A total of six applied for the City of Bristol licence.
- Cabot FM (City of Bristol Broadcasting Company Ltd.)
- Future Radio Ltd.
- Respec Radio (Respec Radio Ltd)
- Kute FM (Bristol Community Radio Ltd)
- Powerjam Radio
- Republic Radio
Powerjam Radio, Respec Radio and Future Radio applied with an urban music format, and these applicants felt that broadcasting legitimately would create a radio format that would be a truly local service that would serve the city's Afro-Caribbean community- which they would say are consistently ignored by the mass media. However the eight-year licence was awarded to Kute FM, in recognition of the support from UKRD and the Bristol Evening Post. It proposed a soft rock and classic soul format, with ten hours dedicated to specialist music genres including R 'n' B and jazz. A speech minimum of 30% was also put forward with shows geared towards the Afro-Caribbean and other minority communities.
On-air
On 26 November 1999, Kute FM changed name launched as 107.3 The Eagle. The station was designed byUKRD CEO, Mike Powell and fashioned on the existing 96.4 The Eagle
96.4 The Eagle
96.4 Eagle Radio is an Independent Local Radio station in the Surrey and North Hampshire area of England owned by the UKRD Group. The radio station, based in Guildford, Surrey, was the brainchild of Mike Powell, previously the Managing Director of Surrey and Hampshire's County Sound Radio.Peter...
in Guildford, complete with logo, also owned by UKRD. Its advertising campaign was carried out by advertising agency "The Creative Department" and posters featuring well-known lyrics from pop songs were splashed out on the back of First Buses and newspaper ads. ironically in the Bristol Evening Post
Bristol Evening Post
The Bristol Evening Post is a newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, Northern Somerset and South Gloucestershire....
and Western Daily Press
Western Daily Press
The Western Daily Press is a regional newspaper covering parts of South West England , mainly Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset as well as the metropolitan areas of Bath and North East Somerset and the Bristol area. It is published Monday to Saturday in Bristol, UK...
, its pre-launch partners. On-air The Eagle featured a fairly lively sound complete with jingles to reinforce the new name in listener's minds.
In 2000 The Eagle changed name to Star 107.3 with a new slogan different playlist, integrating the
licence remit into an adult contemporary music format.
In 2004, Star underwent a slight frequency change to 107.2MHz FM and a power increase to better cover Bristol.
On 2 March 2009, the station was taken over by Tomahawk Radio, the owners of Bristol's Original 106.5.Star now shares studios with its sister station in the County Gates building on Ashton Road, Bristol.
Re-brand
On 20 January 2011, Star 107.2 owners Celador RadioCelador
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...
, announced that the station will re-brand to The Breeze 107.2 on 14 February 2011, following OFCOM agreeing to a format change.
The Bath 107.9 FM area
Originally launched in Bath in November 1999 as 107.9 Bath FMBath FM
Bath FM was a local independent radio station based at the former Weston railway station in Bath, England. The station was launched in November 1999 and closed on 24 March 2010.The station broadcast to an area with a population of 104,000...
on the Bathampton Down
Bathampton Down
Bathampton Down, is a flat limestone plateau in Bathampton overlooking Bath, and the River Avon, Somerset, England.There is evidence of man's activity at the site since the Mesolithic period including Bathampton Camp, an Iron Age hillfort or stock enclosure...
Transmitter and was operated by the The Local Radio Company (TLRC) in February 2006. It's main rival station was GWR-FM Bath (now Heart on 103)
GWR FM Bath
Heart 103 was an independent radio station serving Bath in Somerset, England, broadcasting on 103 MHz FM, on DAB Digital radio and online.-History:In 1986, a Bath ILR licence was awarded by the IBA...
which also served the city.
The station was sold in June 2008 to Laser Broadcasting
Laser Broadcasting
Laser Broadcasting was a commercial radio operator based in Darlington in County Durham, England.-History:The group was founded in 2002 by Nigel Reeve—one of the launch directors of Classic FM and one time chief executive of London News Radio owners of LBC—and Nick Jordan, a media sales executive...
, along with nearby stations Brunel FM
Brunel FM
Brunel FM was a UK commercial radio station broadcasting to the town of Swindon and outside areas of close proximity.-Overview:Brunel FM was owned and operated by YMC Ltd, however it was a company in its own right....
and 3TR FM
3TR FM
3TR FM was a radio station based in the ancient market town of Warminster, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It broadcasted on 107.5 FM to the West Wiltshire, East Somerset and surrounding area, and online via Internet streaming...
, but by October 28, 2008 (only four months later), the new company Laser Broadcasting was soon placed into administration.
The following day, after the collapse of Laser Broadcasting, Bath FM was then taken over by South West Radio Ltd (SWR) alongside Brunel FM, 3TR FM and two Quay West stations.
By 4th August 2009, SWR also collapsed and was put into administration. The assets and contracts were acquired by YMC Ltd who ran all five stations as a group.
On March 24, 2010, the stations were closed by administrators after multiple refusals on the part of regulator 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 transfer the licences, following a number of financial issues at the stations following TLRC's sale. One Gold Radio Ltd entered an agreement with Total Star Gloucestershire, owned by Storm Radio Ltd and in August 2010 all stations were relaunched as Total Star.
In May 2011 it was announced that Total Star Bath (along with Total Star stations in Swindon and West Wiltshire) was re-branded as More FM in June 2011, now with even more local news and events. This is due to the owners of the stations One Gold Radio Ltd (now called More FM Ltd), who have split partnerships with Total Star brand Storm Radio Ltd (after a one year deal) for not having enough local news and events. The Bath licence renewal was not taken up by the group, and therefore was up for sale.
New licence awarded for Bath
On 24 May 2011, Celador RadioCelador
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...
won the re-advertised local radio licence for Bath. More FM then began broadcasting as The Breeze on the 107.9 FM frequency on 25 September 2011.
In Somerset
In August 2011, The Breeze acquired three frequencies in Somerset previously operated as Total Star Somerset. These frequencies have began operating as The Breeze on Sunday 7 August 2011.Slogans
- 1999- Bristol's Newest Radio Station, Bristol's Fastest Growing Radio Station
- 2000- Bristol's Best Music / More Hits From More Years
- 2001- Better Music and More of it
- 2004- Real Music Variety
- 2005- Music to make you feel good!
- 2005/6- Playing great songs others don't
- 2008- More Music Variety
- 2009- Your Station, Your Music
- 2011- The Smoothest Sounds in the South West
Presenters
- Tony Wright (Weekday Breakfast, Saturday Evening)
- Mark Walker (Weekday Mid-Mornings, Saturday Afternoon) (networked from Southampton)
- Russ Wilcox (Weekday Drivetime, Saturday Breakfast)
- Ben Burrell (Weekday Evenings, Sunday Afternoon) (networked from Southampton)
- 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 Lunchtime) (syndicated from America) - Craig Wright (Sunday Breakfast)
- Michelle Horn (Sunday Evening) (networked from Southampton)
See Also
- 106 Jack FM (Bristol)106 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:...
- The Breeze 107 (Hampshire)
- 106 Jack FM (South Coast)