radio wave

Radio Wave 96.5

Radio Wave 96.5 is an English FM radio station broadcasting to the Blackpool and Fylde coast area. The station's output is broadcast from a specially-constructed transmitter aerial which is situated atop Blackpool Tower. The station was originally called Radio Wave and has also been known as The Wave 96.5.

The quarterly istening figures for the station for the period ending June 2008 from RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) give a 17% market share in it's surbey area of a total of 240,000 adults (aged 15 and over). The station is listened to by 75,000 (31%) people each week with each listener tuning in an average of eleven hours every week.

History

In the late 1980s local businessman John Barnett started lobbying the radio industry regulator for a distinct Independent Local Radio (ILR) licence for the Blackpool and Fylde area. The licence was awarded in 1992 and Radio Wave first broadcast at 7am on 25 May, 1992 with an introduction from it's founder, John Barnett. The first presenter was Neil Sexton and the official launch took place on a specially erected stage in front of a live audience on the promenade by Blackpool Tower and featured Les Dawson and Derek Batey together with other local celebrities.

In it's first year of broadcasting the station won a Sony Radio Academy Awards Gold Award and was commended in the Local Station of the Year category.

In August 1996 Radio Wave was conirmed by RAJAR as the most listend to radio station in the area, ahead of fourteen other stations which were available including BBC Radio 1, which had half the amount of listeners locally. In 2000 Barnett received an M.B.E. for servies to radio broadcasting. He is now the Chairman of the station.

Broadcast

Radio Wave broadcast from their studios based on Mowbray Drive in the Layton area of Blackpool. The station can be heard from Fleetwood in the Wyre district, in the northwest corner of the Fylde, Preston to the east and Southport, west-southwest of Preston.

The station broadcasts a mixture of music and covers local sport and news.

Notable presenters

In April 1998 the station recruited Coronation Street actor, Nicholas Cochrane as presenter for the afternoon show on a short term contract. He presented the show until 8 May.

Former BBC 6 Music presenter Vic McGlynn was at Radio Wave from 1992 to 1996. The impressionist and comedian Jon Culshaw presented the Breakast Show. Others who have worked at the station include Wes Butters formerly of BBC Radio 1. The stations News Editor, Andy Mitchell has been with the station since it opened in 1992.