Sam FM (Swindon)

Sam FM Swindon
Broadcast area Swindon
Slogan "We're In Charge"
Frequency 107.7 MHz FM and online
First air date 2 September 2006
Format Adult Contemporary
Owner Celador
Website Sam FM

Sam FM Swindon is a radio station which broadcasts on 107.7 MHz FM in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station launched in 2006 and is currently operated by Celador, having had five previous owners. It re-launched as Sam FM on 1 April 2015, replacing Jack FM.

Its Lime Kiln studios at Royal Wootton Bassett, near Swindon, were used by Wiltshire Radio (later GWR Radio and then Heart Wiltshire) from its launch in 1982.

History

In 2005, after the radio group Swindon FM lobbied for a second FM Radio Licence to be granted for Swindon, Ofcom invited applications for the 12-year broadcasting licence for the area. The Local Radio Company applied for the licence, proposing a radio station called Now FM. After being awarded the licence they renamed the station to Brunel FM after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, chief engineer of the railway which had converted Swindon from a small village to a large town. Brunel Radio was also the previous name for AM station Classic Gold Radio (now DAB station Gold) when Wiltshire Radio / GWR-FM (now Heart Wiltshire) launched on FM. However Brunel FM and Brunel Radio / Brunel Classic Gold have no connection other than name and where their studios are based.

Brunel FM launched at 10 am on 2 September 2006, and remained under control of The Local Radio Company until its sale to Laser Broadcasting in June 2008, along with sister stations Bath FM and 3TR FM. Following the buyout a number of the station's staff resigned, allegedly due to lack of payment.

In October 2008, Brunel FM was sold again to South West Radio Ltd,[1] following the collapse of Laser Broadcasting which went into administration.[2]

In August 2009 South West Radio itself collapsed and was also placed into administration. Brunel FM was then acquired by YMC Ltd, along with Bath FM, 3TR FM, Quay West 107.4 and Quay West 102.4/100.8. YMC Ltd then ran the five licensed stations as a group, with local broadcasting throughout the day and some shared or "networked" programming over the weekend. On 24 March 2010, the YMC Ltd 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.[3]

First rebrand

Brunel FM and its sister stations - 3TR FM, Bath FM and the two Quaywest stations - were eventually bought by One Gold Radio Ltd. All five stations were rebranded Total Star as part of an agreement with Total Star 107.5 in Gloucestershire, owned by Storm Radio Ltd.

Second rebrand

In May 2011, it was announced Total Star Swindon (along with sister stations in West Wiltshire and Bath) would be rebranded to More Radio from June 2011, after owners One Gold Radio Ltd (now More FM Ltd) ended their partnership with the Cheltenham based Total Star group.[4] The group also decided not to contest the renewal of the Bath licence, which was awarded to Celador - and was rebranded as The Breeze in September 2011. The company also purchased the 107.5 Warminster/Frome area licence, turning it into The Breeze in November 2011.

Third rebrand

It was announced in April 2012 Celador had bought the final More Radio licence in Swindon[5] and following a brief period of grace for the brand, and on-air indications it would, like its neighbours, become The Breeze, relaunched the station as Jack FM Swindon on 28 May 2012.[6]

Rebrand to Sam FM

Less than three years later, on 1 April 2015, the station was rebranded to Sam FM.[7]

On-air

Sam FM Swindon has a live weekday breakfast show with Carl Hughes and Rachel Chew, the Daimen St John In-Car Listening Experience at drivetime, and automated programmes at other times of the day. All are interspersed with topical one-liners from the "voice of Sam", Gareth Hale (of Hale and Pace). Live news and travel information is broadcast until 7pm each weekday.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Five Laser stations sold". Radio Today. 29 October 2008. Retrieved 5 November. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. ↑ "Wiltshire radio station's owner goes into administration". Gazette & Herald. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  3. ↑ Plunkett, John (25 March 2010). "Brunel FM among five other radio stations to close". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  4. ↑ RadioToday: Total Star stations in Swindon and Wiltshire to become More FM
  5. ↑ RadioToday: Celador buys Swindon More licence: 16 Apr 2012
  6. ↑ RadioToday: Celador launches Jack FM in Swindon: 28 May 2012
  7. ↑ Radio Today: Celador's JACK stations to become Sam FM: 1 April 2015

External links

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