BBC Radio Leicester

BBC Radio Leicester

City	Leicester
Broadcast area	Leicestershire
Slogan	A passion for Leicestershire, BBC Radio Leicester
Frequency	RDS: BBC Leic, 104.9 FM
First air date	8 November 1967
Format	Local news, talk and music
Language(s)	English
Audience share	24% (July 2014, )
Class	I
Owner	BBC Local Radio,o BBC East Midlands
Website	BBC Radio Leicester

BBC Radio Leicester is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The station broadcasts from studios in Leicester on 104.9 FM, on DAB, and via the BBC iPlayer.

History

BBC Radio Leicester was the first of the new wave of BBC Local Radio stations introduced in the 1960s. Radio Leicester began broadcasting at 12.45 pm on 8 November 1967 on 95.05 VHF from a transmitter located on Gorse Hill above the city centre.

The station's former 837 kHz medium wave frequency from the Freeman's Common transmitter near the University of Leicester is now used by the BBC Asian Network which originated in Leicester but is now a national network delivered via DAB, digital satellite, Freeview and other systems across the UK and beyond.

In 2007, the station celebrated its 40th Anniversary by launching a Ruby Rainbow Appeal in aid of the Rainbows Hospice based in Loughborough, within its TSA. Special events took place throughout the year culminating in a final fund-raising appeal around the time of the anniversary in November 2007.

As of October 2014, the station has a listenership figure of 189,000, representing 23% of the local audience share.

Studios

BBC Leicester building, at 9 St Nicholas Place

In 2005, the station moved to new premises at 9 St Nicholas Place, which have recently won a Civic Society award for design. This new centre is adjacent to the medieval Guildhall and Cathedral and includes many aspects of Leicester's history including Victorian tiles and an Undercroft (first revealed in 1841) with remains dating to Roman times. The Centre houses the BBC College of Journalism's base for the Midlands, an IT Centre which is used in partnership with local organisations, and a BBC Shop selling a wide range of BBC-branded merchandise.

Transmitters

Although the station's FM transmitter mast is only 70 m (230 ft) tall, it is set 235 m (770 ft) above sea level on top of the Jurassic limestone ridge at Copt Oak, next to the M1. This is a high point in Charnwood Forest, part of the National Forest. The signal reaches a long way throughout the southern section of the East Midlands, Warwickshire, and Northamptonshire. It can be received as far south as Towcester and as far north along the M1 as the Woodall service station near Sheffield and towards Stoke. It can also be received in North East Doncaster in line of sight. Since 6 December 2002, the station's DAB signal has come from the NOW Digital East Midlands (NDEM) Leicester 11B multiplex, which comes from Copt Oak and Houghton on the Hill. The Waltham transmitter and Houghton-on-the-Hill have a Digital One multiplex and Waltham has a BBC National DAB multiplex. The Copt Oak transmitter also broadcasts Gem 106.

Programming

The majority of the station's programming is produced and broadcast from Leicester. During off-peak hours, BBC Radio Leicester also carries regional programming for the Midlands and East Midlands regions, produced from sister stations BBC WM and BBC Radio Nottingham. As with all BBC Local Radio stations, it also airs the networked weekday evening shows, originating from BBC Radio Leeds and produced independently by Wire Free Productions. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Leicester simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live overnight.

External links

Copt Oak transmitter next to the M1 motorway.

Audio clips

Suspect dedication in 2006

BBC Local Radio

East	BBC Essex Radio Cambridgeshire Radio Norfolk Radio Northampton Radio Suffolk Three Counties Radio

East Midlands	Radio Derby Radio Leicester Radio Nottingham

East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire	Radio Humberside Radio Lincolnshire

North West	Radio Lancashire Radio Manchester Radio Merseyside

North East and Cumbria	BBC Tees BBC Newcastle Radio Cumbria

South East	Radio Kent BBC Surrey BBC Sussex

South	Radio Berkshire Radio Oxford Radio Solent

London	Radio London

South West and the Channel Islands	Radio Cornwall Radio Devon Radio Guernsey Radio Jersey

West	Radio Bristol Radio Gloucestershire BBC Somerset BBC Wiltshire

West Midlands	BBC WM BBC Coventry & Warwickshire BBC Hereford and Worcester Radio Shropshire Radio Stoke

Yorkshire	Radio Leeds Radio Sheffield Radio York

Former stations	Dorset FM Radio Durham Southern Counties Radio Thames Valley FM

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.