Wish FM
Encyclopedia
Wish FM is a British
Independent Local Radio
that serves the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
in Greater Manchester
and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
, Merseyside
. The station takes its name from the initials WIgan and St Helens.
It broadcasts on 102.4 FM from a transmitter powered by a wind-up generator at Billinge Hill
in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
on air since 1 April 1997. The studios are in the Orrell
district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester
, but in early 2007, the station's owners approached UK media regulator OFCOM to ask permission to move the station's base to Newton Le Willows, in St Helens, Merseyside, as part of a plan to share a single building with two other stations from the UTV Radio group: Tower FM
and Wire FM. However, after selling-off Stockport
-based Imagine FM
, UTV Media decided to keep Wish FM in Orrell, and moved Wire FM and Tower FM into the Orrell base.
Wish FM now covers sport heavily with Home & Away Commentaries on Wigan Athletic
matches in the Premier League returning ahead of the 2010/2011 season and a deal to do commentaries on both Wigan Warriors
and St Helens RLFC Rugby League games ahead of the 2011 Super League
season.
Wish FM carries a network evening programme, called Total Access, from 7pm on weekday evenings.
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:...
that serves the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town, Wigan and also includes the towns of Leigh, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, and Hindley. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
The Metropolitan Borough of St Helens is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It is named after its largest town St Helens, and covers an area which includes the settlements of Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Haydock, Rainhill, Eccleston, Clock Face, Billinge and...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. The station takes its name from the initials WIgan and St Helens.
It broadcasts on 102.4 FM from a transmitter powered by a wind-up generator at Billinge Hill
Billinge Hill
Billinge Hill, also known as Billinge Lump, is the highest point in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in North West England. It is also the highest point of Merseyside It lies in Billinge, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire....
in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
Metropolitan Borough of St Helens
The Metropolitan Borough of St Helens is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It is named after its largest town St Helens, and covers an area which includes the settlements of Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown, Haydock, Rainhill, Eccleston, Clock Face, Billinge and...
on air since 1 April 1997. The studios are in the Orrell
Orrell, Greater Manchester
Orrell is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The area is contiguous to the town of Wigan itself and the centre of the district is situated to the west of the town centre...
district of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, but in early 2007, the station's owners approached UK media regulator OFCOM to ask permission to move the station's base to Newton Le Willows, in St Helens, Merseyside, as part of a plan to share a single building with two other stations from the UTV Radio group: Tower FM
Tower FM
Tower FM is a British Independent Local Radio station which broadcasts across the towns of Bolton and Bury and parts of north Manchester from its studios in Wigan....
and Wire FM. However, after selling-off Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
-based Imagine FM
Imagine FM
Imagine FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Stockport broadcasting to South Manchester and Cheshire in the North West of England.-History:...
, UTV Media decided to keep Wish FM in Orrell, and moved Wire FM and Tower FM into the Orrell base.
Wish FM now covers sport heavily with Home & Away Commentaries on Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
matches in the Premier League returning ahead of the 2010/2011 season and a deal to do commentaries on both Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
and St Helens RLFC Rugby League games ahead of the 2011 Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
season.
Wish FM carries a network evening programme, called Total Access, from 7pm on weekday evenings.