Vale FM
Encyclopedia
Vale FM was an Independent Local Radio
station which broadcasted to the Blackmore Vale
and Cranborne Chase
, from Shaftesbury
, Dorset
, in southern England
.
- a project which saw the combining of programmes and resources with Ivel FM
in Yeovil, now also identified as Midwest Radio. Carnegy left in March 2009 to join the BBC and the Midwest stations were acquired by Devon businesswoman Michele Roberts.
Cameron Smith continued presenting the weekday morning breakfast show from Shaftesbury through the transition and also recorded a regular weekend 80s show. In May 2010 the Shaftesbury studios were closed and all programme production moved to Yeovil. The breakfast show was taken over temporarily by David Mortimer and Cameron's long association with the station ended.
David Mortimer's temporary stewardship of the breakfast show ended on Friday 20th August 2010 and Jason Herbert, previously with Wessex FM, took over as the new breakfast presenter from the following Monday.
It was reported in the Blackmore Vale Magazine that Midwest Radio had been given permission by Ofcom to have a single breakfast show, but John Baker, the station manager, said "the group had no plans to close either of its centres or to stop broadcasting separate breakfast shows for South Somerset and North Dorset. Although we now have permission from Ofcom to share our breakfast hours, we will not be doing this." Mr Baker implied that broadcasting was continuing from the Shaftesbury studios but this was not the case.
However, by March 2011 the breakfast show had indeed merged, with a single presenter - Steve Carpenter - based in Yeovil and the departure of Jason Herbert. And the fallacy that Mid West was continuing to broadcast from Shaftesbury also had come to an end with the local contact address now being given as "Compton Abbas Airfield, near Salisbury".
The history of Vale FM had come to an end.
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 which broadcasted to the Blackmore Vale
Blackmore Vale
The Blackmore Vale is a vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England. The vale is part of the Stour valley...
and Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase is a Chalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. The plateau is part of the English Chalk Formation and is adjacent to Salisbury Plain and the West Wiltshire Downs in the north, the Dorset Downs to the south west and the...
, from Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 718 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, in southern 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...
.
Background
In the summer of 2008 Chris Carnegy who was the founder and driving force behind the start of the radio station acquired Vale FM from The Local Radio Company. He restructured and rebranded it Midwest RadioMidwest Radio (UK)
Midwest Radio is a radio station which serves parts of Somerset and Dorset, in the United Kingdom.-History:Midwest Radio was formed when ivel FM and Vale FM were acquired from TLRC and merged to form one station....
- a project which saw the combining of programmes and resources with Ivel FM
Ivel FM
Ivel FM was a United Kingdom radio station. The studios were based in Yeovil centre, but the station's transmission service area covered parts of south Somerset and parts of west Dorset. The station could be heard on 105.6 and 106.6 FM.-History:...
in Yeovil, now also identified as Midwest Radio. Carnegy left in March 2009 to join the BBC and the Midwest stations were acquired by Devon businesswoman Michele Roberts.
Cameron Smith continued presenting the weekday morning breakfast show from Shaftesbury through the transition and also recorded a regular weekend 80s show. In May 2010 the Shaftesbury studios were closed and all programme production moved to Yeovil. The breakfast show was taken over temporarily by David Mortimer and Cameron's long association with the station ended.
David Mortimer's temporary stewardship of the breakfast show ended on Friday 20th August 2010 and Jason Herbert, previously with Wessex FM, took over as the new breakfast presenter from the following Monday.
It was reported in the Blackmore Vale Magazine that Midwest Radio had been given permission by Ofcom to have a single breakfast show, but John Baker, the station manager, said "the group had no plans to close either of its centres or to stop broadcasting separate breakfast shows for South Somerset and North Dorset. Although we now have permission from Ofcom to share our breakfast hours, we will not be doing this." Mr Baker implied that broadcasting was continuing from the Shaftesbury studios but this was not the case.
However, by March 2011 the breakfast show had indeed merged, with a single presenter - Steve Carpenter - based in Yeovil and the departure of Jason Herbert. And the fallacy that Mid West was continuing to broadcast from Shaftesbury also had come to an end with the local contact address now being given as "Compton Abbas Airfield, near Salisbury".
The history of Vale FM had come to an end.
Former Presenters
- Bob Kingsley
- Cameron Smith
- Dan Gold
- Dave Goulden
- Dave Webster
- Emma Wray
- James Richards
- Jon Pyle
- Jon Stanley
- Karen Bidewell
- Lorraine Kingsley
- Marie Brougham
- Mark Guy
- Martin Lee
- Matt Rogers
- Mike Draper
- Nick Darby
- Phil Stocks
- Richard "Wiggy" Wiggins
- Rob Maybury
- Stewart Smith
- Tim Barton
- Tim Butcher
- Val French