Chelmsford Radio

Chelmsford Radio

Broadcast area	Chelmsford and surrounding area
Frequency	107.7 MHz RDS: CHELMSFD
First air date	18 October 1998 as Chelmer FM 14 February 2002 as Dream 107.7 2 February 2009 as Chelmsford Radio
Format	Contemporary
Audience share	2.10% (June 2010, [1])
Transmitter coordinates	51°42′56″N 0°34′27″E / 51.7155°N 0.5743°E / 51.7155; 0.5743Coordinates: 51°42′56″N 0°34′27″E / 51.7155°N 0.5743°E / 51.7155; 0.5743
Owner	Adventure Radio
Website	www.chelmsfordradio.com

Chelmsford Radio is the local radio station for Chelmsford and mid Essex, broadcasting from studios in Southend, and owned by the Adventure Radio Group.

History

Chelmsford Radio began broadcasting as Chelmer FM in 1998, under the ownership of Mid Essex Radio Ltd. In September 2001, the station was purchased by the Tindle Radio Group — owner of Dream 100 in Colchester — and rebranded as Dream 107.7 in mid-February 2002.

In September 2008 the station was sold by Tindle to Adventure Radio, the owners of Mercury 96.6 and Southend Radio, with whom Ofcom approved a co-location arrangement for Dream to move its studios to the Southend complex. The station now has networked programming with Southend Radio and on February 2 2009 the station re-launched as Chelmsford Radio. Chelmsford Radio shares all its programming with Southend Radio and some programmes with Connect Radio in Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Many of the Southend Radio presenters (networked with Chelmsford Radio) had careers at the old Dream 107.7 before most moved to Southend Radio when the station launched. Paul Lovett and Craig Burchell (breakfast and drive/Saturday breakfast respectively) remained in the same shifts they carried at Dream 107.7. The Drivetime show is networked with sister station Southend Radio. The Breakfast show is now also networked with Southend Radio, currently presented by Paul Lovett (temporarily) following the departure of Mikey Porter. Tracie Young remains in her Daytime slot which is networked across the whole Adventure Radio network.

Technical

Chelmsford Radio broadcasts on 107.7 MHz from a mobile phone mast at Church Green in the village Danbury. It broadcasts at an ERP of 100 watts. The transmitter also broadcasts DAB. Before 2002 the station broadcasted from a transmitter close to the A414 in Danbury.

The 107.7 signal can be received as far away as Basildon, Ongar, and on some occaisions Braintree and Colchester. Towards the south east however the signal is not receivable. This is due to hills in Rayleigh and Hockley preventing the signal from travelling into Southend-on-Sea and south east Essex. Sister station Southend Radio is also blocked by the same hills, but on the other side, meaning both stations do not overlap as such.

See also

• Connect Radio 106.8
• Connect Radio 97.2 & 107.4
• Mercury 96.6
• Southend Radio

External links

• Chelmsford Radio
• Media UK
• History of local radio in Essex
• Radio in Essex
• Danbury Church Green transmitter