Time 106.8
Encyclopedia
106.8 Time FM was a local commercial radio station
located in the south-east London
and north-west Kent
area of England
, which broadcast to Greenwich
and Bexleyheath
in London and Dartford
and Gravesend
in Kent on 106.8 FM
, and ceased transmission in April 2009.
, sharing its premises with sister station South London Radio 107.3
.
Time 106.8 was, in the final five years of its life, owned by the Sunrise Radio Group
.
in 2000. Fusion Radio Holdings later took reigns of the station.
Millennium was rebranded as Time 106.8 at the beginning of 2003, in a move to associate the station with local town Greenwich
's connection with the Meridian Line. Avtar Lit
's Sunrise Radio Group
purchased the station in March 2004. A later decision was taken to rebrand other stations in the group under the same banner - two of which (Time 106.6
in Slough and Time 107.5
in Romford) continue to use the moniker.
performance since the middle of 2005. In its final survey at the end of 2008, Time recorded an audience of 13,000 listeners, representing a market share of 1%.
At its peak it achieved a market share of 8% of the available audience - this was during the tenure of Rodney Collins as Managing Director.
In an unusual move, the Sunrise Radio Group put the station up for sale via a message on its website in mid-October 2008, and following disputed claims a buyer had been found, Time 106.8 ceased broadcasting at midnight on Saturday 4 April 2009.
At the Time 106.8 relaunch in March 2003, the presenter line-up was as follows:
The presenter line-up prior to the station's closure:
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in the south-east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and north-west Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
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...
, which broadcast to Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
and Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath is a main suburban district of Southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley with a small percentage of the district itself being in the London Borough of Greenwich. Bexleyheath is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is east south-east of Charing Cross...
in London and Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
and Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
in Kent on 106.8 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...
, and ceased transmission in April 2009.
Background
The station started broadcasting from studios on Tavy Bridge ,Thamesmead,as RTM Radio transmitting on 103.8 F.M. where they stayed until moving to the Thamesmead Town offices in Harrow Manor Way during April 1994. The new studios and production facilities were designed and built in house by Frank de Pellette and Jon lucas. The station then moved to Basildon Road on the outskirts of PlumsteadPlumstead
Plumstead is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. Plumstead is a multi cultural area with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities, in similarity to local areas such as Woolwich and Thamesmead...
, sharing its premises with sister station South London Radio 107.3
Time 107.3
South London Radio was a South London-based radio station, previously known as FLR 107.3, Fusion 107.3 and Time 107.3, which ceased broadcasting in April 2009.-Background:...
.
Time 106.8 was, in the final five years of its life, owned by the Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group Limited is a UK radio broadcaster. The group is owned by the Litt Corporation , and runs Sunrise Radio, Yarr Radio, Kismat Radio and Punjabi Radio...
.
History
The station launched on the FM radio band as RTM Radio on 18 March 1990, having previously exclusively broadcast on the area's local cable television service as Radio Thamesmead, and intended to fulfil a community-style remit, with any profits generated being invested in local regeneration projects. RTM changed its name to Millennium 106.8 in 2000, having successfully amended its minority-orientated programming obligations with the Radio Authority. The station was put up for sale in June 1999, and was purchased by the Milestone GroupMilestone Group
The Milestone Group is a British Technology company. Originally a cross media proprietor who had holdings in radio, publishing and television, it now focuses on digital solutions and creates websites and mobile applications...
in 2000. Fusion Radio Holdings later took reigns of the station.
Millennium was rebranded as Time 106.8 at the beginning of 2003, in a move to associate the station with local town Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
's connection with the Meridian Line. Avtar Lit
Avtar Lit
Avtar Lit is the owner and chairman of Sunrise Radio Group, and was listed by AIM magazine as one of the "20 most powerful Asians in British media" in 2005, and said to have amassed a big personal fortune...
's Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group Limited is a UK radio broadcaster. The group is owned by the Litt Corporation , and runs Sunrise Radio, Yarr Radio, Kismat Radio and Punjabi Radio...
purchased the station in March 2004. A later decision was taken to rebrand other stations in the group under the same banner - two of which (Time 106.6
Time 106.6
Time 106.6 is a local radio station for East Berkshire, South Bucks, North Surrey and the Heathrow area of London. The station plays a variety of music from the latest songs to music from the 80s, 90s and 00s from various genres. The station strapline is "All Time Favourites"...
in Slough and Time 107.5
Time 107.5
Time 107.5 is an Independent Local Radio station, broadcasting to the east London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge.-History:...
in Romford) continue to use the moniker.
Performance and subsequent closure
The station consistently struggled to perform in a ferociously competitive London market in terms of audience figures, with its market share steadily declining in RAJARRAJAR
RAJAR was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the RadioCentre...
performance since the middle of 2005. In its final survey at the end of 2008, Time recorded an audience of 13,000 listeners, representing a market share of 1%.
At its peak it achieved a market share of 8% of the available audience - this was during the tenure of Rodney Collins as Managing Director.
In an unusual move, the Sunrise Radio Group put the station up for sale via a message on its website in mid-October 2008, and following disputed claims a buyer had been found, Time 106.8 ceased broadcasting at midnight on Saturday 4 April 2009.
Presenters
Original RTM / Millennium presenters include:- Craig Hannington
- Jon Lucas
- Frank de Pellette
- Steve Sutherland
- Clive Richardson
- Rodney Collins (Managing Director of RTM-Millennium from 1991–1998)
- Steve George
- Tony Shearman
- Sam Tate
- Dave (Dickie) Davis (Sport)
- Greg Whelan (Sport)
- Ken Murray (station co-ordinator/presenter)
- Rob Hooker (now head of compliance Box Television)
- Ben Hartley (now with BBC SussexBBC SussexBBC Sussex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex. It began on 14 February 1968 as BBC Radio Brighton, later becoming BBC Radio Sussex and then part of BBC Southern Counties Radio, before adopting its present name on 30 March 2009...
and BBC SurreyBBC SurreyBBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport...
) - Simon Beale (now with Heart London)
- Julie Goodwin
- Mark Fox
- Barry Shaw
- Chris PearsonChris PearsonChris Pearson is the name of:* Chris Pearson * Chris Pearson * Chris Pearson , first premier of the Yukon* Chris Pearson , British radio presenter* Christopher Pearson, journalist...
now BFBS - Jamie Wisdom
- Clive Brady (went to various FM commercial stations)
- Jenny Costello (briefly moved to BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC 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...
) - Peter Haynes
- Andy Fields (went to Jazz fm )
- Dave Moses - Saturday Afternoons (Now Imaging Producer at Capital (radio network))
- Delroy Haynes (Now BBC TV con announcer)
- Gary Mulligan (now programme controller at Dream 100 FMDream 100 FMDream 100 FM is an Independent Local Radio station that formerly broadcast 24 hours a day across north east Essex and south east Suffolk from Colchester...
) - Paul Stutch (died December 2008)
- Dave Lockwood
- Sammy Bell
- Pete Flynn (now with SFM Radio, Sittingbourne)
- Caesar The Geezer / The Boogieman
- Richard Wright
- Jonathan MilesJonathan Miles (radio presenter)Jonathan Miles is a British radio presenter. He has previously worked for a number of radio stations, including Channel 4 FM in Dubai, Radio Luxembourg, Jazz FM, British Forces Broadcasting Service, Capital Life, Invicta FM and South London Radio....
(now with BBC Radio NewcastleBBC Radio NewcastleBBC Newcastle is the BBC Local Radio service English metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, broadcasting from studios on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne.- Technical :...
)
At the Time 106.8 relaunch in March 2003, the presenter line-up was as follows:
- Mike Russell - BreakfastTIME
- Sam Gudger - DayTIME
- Richard Price - DriveTIME
- Martyn Jordan - The TIME Machine
- Sarah Kerr - DriveTIME (now with NME RadioNME RadioNME Radio is the radio station from NME magazine, that broadcasts in a new commercially oriented alternative music format. It first began broadcasting on 24 June 2008.- History :...
)
The presenter line-up prior to the station's closure:
- Tara Jay - Interim Breakfast Presenter
- Martin Gray - Daytime and Evenings
- Trevor Smith - Drivetime
- Eddie Matthews - Weekend Mid-Mornings
- Alex Stevanovic - Saturday Afternoons
- Nathan Cooper - Weekend Evenings
- John Varnham - Sunday mid-mornings
- Richard Linton - Sunday Afternoons
- Pete Flynn - Swing Presenter
- Dan Davis - Charlton Chat (a weekly football phone-in for supporters of Charlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic F.C.Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
) also with Dave Lockwood & John Lucas (from the original RTM/Millennium team).