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For a list of all "GWR FM" stations, see GWR FM (disambiguation).
GWR Bristol
Image:GWRbristol NewLogo.PNG
Broadcast area Bristol
Frequency 96. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London Frequency is a measure of the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit Time. 3 MHz (Bristol)
103. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. 0 MHz (Weston-super-Mare)
NOW Bristol DAB multiplex
NOW Wiltshire DAB multiplex
First air date 27 October 1981
Format Contemporary
Audience share 15. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. Digital Audio Broadcasting ( DAB) also known as Eureka 147, is a Digital radio technology for Broadcasting Radio stations used in NOW Wiltshire is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom which serves West Wiltshire Digital Audio Broadcasting ( DAB) also known as Eureka 147, is a Digital radio technology for Broadcasting Radio stations used in Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 This article is about Broadcast radio, for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. 3% (September 2007, [1])
Owner GCap Media
Website www.gwrfmbristol.co.uk

GWR FM is a radio station serving the former county of Avon, England. GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The former County of Avon was a non-metropolitan county and ceremonial county in the west of England, named after the River Avon, which England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Broadcasting on 96. 3 in Bristol and 103. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London 0 in Weston-super-Mare, the station plays Top 40 and Hot Adult Contemporary music targeting 15-35 year olds. Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in It is the highest-rated local radio station in the area according to RAJAR, beating local competition from BBC Radio Bristol, Kiss 101, Star 107.2 and Original 106.5. Kiss 101 is a Radio station in Bristol broadcasting out to South Wales and South West England playing Dance music and R'n'B Star 1072 is an Independent Local Radio station in the United Kingdom, broadcasting to the City of Bristol on 107 Original 1065fm is a radio station that broadcasts to Bristol. At the 26th annual Sony Radio Academy Awards on May 12th 2008, GWR Bristol won Station of the Year; 300, 000 to 1 million TSA.

Contents

History

GWR FM launched on 27th October 1981 under its original name, Radio West, 11 years after BBC Radio Bristol. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The station began a full service commercial radio station on 96. 3 MHz FM and 1260 kHz AM (238 metres medium wave), the culmination of a merger between two companies bidding for the Bristol and Bath radio licence (Radio Avonside and Bristol Channel) awarded by the then Independent Broadcasting Authority. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. Amplitude modulation ( AM) is a technique used in electronic communication most commonly for transmitting information via a Radio Carrier wave The Independent Broadcasting Authority ( IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial Television ( ITV and The choice of on-air name proved to be simple when the BBC aired a series called Shoestring complete with the fictitious Radio West.

Radio West's cost base was large due to the extravagant studio premises that had been purchased, and the lack of audience made for disastrous advertising revenue and losses of £300,000 by 1983. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) John Bradford, who had helped found the extremely successful Mercia Sound in Coventry, joined the station in 1983. Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. Alongside Dave Cash (ex Capital Radio), big guns Johnnie Walker (ex Caroline, BBC) and Roger Day (ex Caroline, Piccadilly, and latterly BRMB) were brought in, but to no avail. Dave Cash (born 18 July 1942) is British DJ and radio host who has worked for Radio London, Capital Gold, BBC Radio 1, Gold is a network of oldies Radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007 Johnnie Walker MBE (born Peter Waters Dingley 30 March 1945 in Olton, Birmingham, England) is a popular British Radio Caroline is a European Radio station that started transmissions on Easter Sunday 1964 from a ship anchored in International waters off the coast of Key 103 is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the city of Manchester and the north west of England. The station still slipped and programmes had to be curtailed in October 1983. The station closed down each day at 7:30 pm, while resources were concentrated on daytime output. After more fine tuning of the station's output Radio West became more mainstream and by late 1984 the prospects were more promising and programmes were extended to a 1am closedown. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)

Although the station was broadcasting programmes of a high quality (including award-nominated computer show Datarama), listeners remained loyal to BBC Radio Bristol, already established as the radio station for the locality.

Financially commercial radio struggled to make any money as the 1980s economy in Britain was hampered by union strikes. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Radio West had not made any profit since it started and looked set to close, when the neighbouring local station Wiltshire Radio, based in Swindon made an approach to merge the two stations, creating a station covering from Weston-super-Mare in the west to Swindon and Hungerford in the east. Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles Weston-super-Mare is a Seaside resort town and Civil parish in North Somerset, England. Swindon ( is a large town in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in the South West of England, midway between Bristol (64 km / 40 miles For other uses see Hungerford (disambiguation Hungerford is a Market town and Civil parish in Berkshire, This merger was approved by the government and was completed in 1985. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)

Some of the 1980s DJs included Dave Barrett, Dave Bowen, Mark Seaman, Andy Westgate, Alan Roberts, Gary Vincent, Steve Orchard, Sandy Martin, Keith Francis, David Hamilton, Andy Henly and a returning Johnnie Walker. Mark Seaman is a radio Disc jockey for BBC Radio Wiltshire. He presented a show on Radio West, and was the last voice heard on the station before it


Closure of Radio West

Radio West formally closed in September 1985 with a preview of the new radio station to come during test transmissions which followed immediately. In October 1985 GWR Radio was launched as a 24-hour radio station (previously Radio West closed overnight). New disc jockeys were brought in, however the station still sounded like competitor Radio Bristol with its mix of music, news and talk (as was the trend in British commercial radio at the time) and listening figures were not improving.

Split services

GWR Radio began splitting frequencies as required by the government - which declared its desire to end simulcasting on both FM and AM. Simulcast is a Portmanteau of " simul taneous broad' cast' " and refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one GWR Radio launched Brunel Radio on 15 November 1988, a "golden oldies" station on 1260 kHz in Bristol, and 936/1161 kHz AM in Wiltshire. For the local Swindon radio station of a similar name see Brunel FM Gold is a regional AM station in the west of England Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Etymology The county formerly 'Wiltonshire' or 'Wiltunscir' (9th century is named after the former county town of Wilton (itself named after the River Wylye In the early 1990s Brunel started networking programming to 2CR Radio in Bournemouth and Radio 210 in Reading, Berkshire. 2CR FM ("Two Counties Radio" is a British Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from a former carpet shop in Southcote Road in Bournemouth Bournemouth ( is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth in Dorset, England. 2Ten FM (Originally styled 2-Ten FM) is an Independent Local Radio station serving Berkshire and North Hampshire with studios in Reading Reading (ˈrɛdɪŋ as Redding) is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between Each station had Classic Gold appended to the end of their names (eg Brunel Classic Gold, 210 Classic Gold). Local news and shows were combined with networked programmes in each of its areas.

After the lifting on sanctions restricting the time spent playing music (so-called 'needle time') in 1988, GWR FM became more and more music-led, playing Top 40 chart music during the daytime, and specialist music (big band music, rock, rap etc) was over time eliminated. The local element of the station especially its news coverage had progressively become briefer and reduced in length, then moved onto Brunel Classic Gold, before being dropped altogether. GWR FM at last become popular, with the rise in listening figures confirming this.

A Bath ILR licence was awarded by the IBA in 1986. The Independent Broadcasting Authority ( IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial Television ( ITV and GWR Radio Bath debuted on 22 May 1987 as a separate station, now know as Bath's GWR FM. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) GWR FM is a UK radio station that serves Bath. It broadcasts on 103 FM on DAB Digital radio and online. Although there was still some programming being shared from GWR Bristol, local programming was put out during peak listening hours. However for official licencing purposes GWR Bath and Bristol are listed as one station and audience figures from RAJAR are combined with GWR Swindon. RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. All programming for GWR Bath comes from studios in Bristol.

The Mix Network

In 1992 a re-launch of the station saw The New GWR-FM become the hub of what was The Mix Network, a network of radio stations owned by the GWR Group (now GCap Media ) covering southern England and Wales. GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The radio station's (and the group's) long held philosophy of heavily researching the average person's listening habits and tastes led by Group chairman Ralph Bernard created a tightly formatted sound where popular Top 40 chart hits ex-Top 40 songs are blended in with older hits. This led to its "Better Music Mix" format which spread to other radio stations within the GWR Group, including Essex FM, Trent FM and Beacon Radio creating a mini national network. Essex FM is a British commercial Radio station. It was originally launched as Essex Radio on September 12, 1981, broadcasting Trent FM is an Independent Local Radio station which broadcasts from Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Beacon Radio is the name of a Radio station in the Midlands of England, previously known as Beacon FM, and before that Beacon Radio 303. The practice for the Mix Network stations was for each station to play a centrally produced playlist (from GWR FM itself). Songs were broadcast at the same time as neighbouring group stations and each station adopted the "Better Music Mix" tagline, to be said by local disc jockeys in between songs. Fans of the previous guises of some stations bought by the GWR Group, notably Essex FM and Beacon Radio were unhappy at the sudden re-branding of the stations, accusing the new management of reducing local content such as news reports and cancelling local shows in place of programming from the Mix Network, such as Late Night Love and The Request Fest, which originate from the Bristol studios.

Despite protests from outside Bristol, GWR FM continues to be popular with RAJAR listening figures showing an average 18% listening share of all radio broadcast in the area. In 2002 the Radio Authority renewed GWR FM's licence. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication It was due to expire in October 2009, but will now expire on 28 of October 2013 according to GWR FM licensees page(link of this infomation is below) however it is expected to be automatically renewed because it provides a DAB simulcast signal. This article is about the year For the film see 2009 Lost Memories. Digital Audio Broadcasting ( DAB) also known as Eureka 147, is a Digital radio technology for Broadcasting Radio stations used in This is the same scenario applies to its sister stations GWR FM Bath and Classic Gold 1260. For the local Swindon radio station of a similar name see Brunel FM Gold is a regional AM station in the west of England

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/amfm/AL016-2.htm?STN=AL016-2&submit=Lookup+FM+station

Current programmes broadcast on GWR FM

Slogans

What GWR stands for

The initials GWR have an association with the Great Western Railway especially in the South West of England, and there is a popular misconception with listeners that the station stands for Great Western Radio. The Bush and Troy Show is the breakfast show for Bristol's GWR FM, running weekdays from 630am-10am ( GMT) The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West Indeed neighbouring GWR Wiltshire was called Wiltshire Radio (WR) before its merger with Radio West. However according to Group management, the letters GWR do not stand for anything.

It should also be noted that GWR's oldies service was originally called Brunel Classic Gold, after the Great Western Railway's founding father Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 &ndash 15 September 1859 (ˈɪzəmbɑrd ˈkɪŋdəm brʊˈnɛl was a British Engineer.

The GWR Group

The company which formerly owned GWR, the GWR Group, expanded from the late 1980s / early 1990s onwards to purchase other stations throughout the country. GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Many UK stations now follow the GWR format. It became the largest radio company in the UK, before merging with its competitor Capital Radio to become GCap Media on May 9, 2005. GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Past and Previous Management

Premises

References

See also

External links


GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The One Network is the collective name for the thirty-eight regional Independent Local Radio licences operated by GCap Media in the United Kingdom. For the local Swindon radio station of a similar name see Brunel FM Gold is a regional AM station in the west of England Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip-hop music The Storm was a Digital -only modern Rock music radio station broadcasting in parts of Central and Southern UK, and owned by GCap Media. The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication GWR FM is a UK radio station that serves Bath. It broadcasts on 103 FM on DAB Digital radio and online. For a list of all "GWR FM" stations see GWR FM (disambiguation. The One Network is the collective name for the thirty-eight regional Independent Local Radio licences operated by GCap Media in the United Kingdom. GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group
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