BBC Radio Solent

BBC Radio Solent

Broadcast area	Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight
Slogan	Loving life in the south, be part of it!
Frequency	96.1 FM, 103.8 FM, 999 MW, 1359 MW, DAB (NOW South Hampshire)
First air date	31 December 1970
Format	Local news, talk and music
Language	English
Audience share	9.4% (March 2011, [1])
Owner	BBC Local Radio, BBC South
Website	BBC Radio Solent

BBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth, Newport, Poole, and Dorchester. It was previously based in South Western House, the former railway hotel at the old Southampton docks terminus station.

The station, which began broadcasting on 31 December 1970, is named after the Solent, the area of sea between Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. In 1996 Radio Solent expanded its coverage into rural Dorset by taking over neighbouring BBC Dorset FM, although a dedicated news and information service was retained for the county.

Transmitters

The service is broadcast on 96.1 FM and 999 AM for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and on 103.8 FM and 1359 AM for Dorset, DAB (NOW South Hampshire), and via its website using Flash and Windows Media streaming formats.

North and north-east Hampshire

The signal for Hampshire on 96.1 FM from Rowridge on the Isle of Wight is less clearly audible north of Winchester than the transmissions from other BBC Local Radio stations, so that the north Hampshire town of Basingstoke is officially looked after by BBC Radio Berkshire (on 104.1 FM from Hannington), while towns such as Aldershot, Farnborough and Fleet in the north-east of the county are served by BBC Surrey via their Guildford transmitter on 104.6 FM. BBC Surrey's slogan into the news is: "The radio station for Surrey & North-East Hampshire".

Programming

Weekdays Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location 0100 – 0500 BBC Radio 5 Live: Up All Night London 0500 - 0630 Alina Jenkins Southampton 0630 - 0930 Julian Clegg 0930 - 1300 Alex Dyke 1300 - 1600 Katie Martin 1600 - 1900 Steve Harris 1900 - 2200 Roger Day Tunbridge Wells 2200 - 0100 Paul Miller Southampton Friday variations Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location 1900 - 2000 The H2O Show Southampton 2000 - 2200 Roger Day Tunbridge Wells Saturday Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location 0100 – 0500 BBC Radio 5 Live: Up All Night London 0500 - 0600 The H2O Show Southampton 0600 - 0800 Alina Jenkins 0800 - 1100 Sasha Twining 1100 - 1400 Bubblegum & Cheese: Alex Dyke 1400 - 1800 BBC Radio Solent Sport 1800 - 2100 Dave Cash Tunbridge Wells 2100 - 0100 David Allen Southampton Sunday Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location 0100 – 0300 Paul Miller Southampton 0300 - 0500 BBC Radio 5 Live: Up All Night London 0500 - 0600 BBC Radio 5 Live: Morning Reports 0600 - 0900 Tim Daykin Southampton 0900 - 1200 Nick Girdler 1200 - 1400 Georgina Windsor 1400 - 1700 Richard Cartridge 1700 - 1900 FM & MW only: Neil Sackley 1700 - 1900 DAB only: Paul Miller Soul Show 1900 - 2100 BBC Introducing: Phil Jackson Brighton 2100 - 0000 David Allen Southampton News and Sport staff Sports Presenters / Commentators Adam Blackmore (Sports Editor) Kris Temple Tony Husband Alan McLoughlin Laurence Herdman Kevan James Andy Moon Sam Fishlock Newsreaders Marcus White Mike Powell Lucy Morgan Emily Hudson Julie Massiter Fiona Biggs Reporters Nadine Dukeson Dominic Blake Jo Palmer Tristan Pascoe Harry Crawford Neil Sackley Paul Clifton Geoff Allen (Travel bulletins) This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Weather Presenters Alexis Green Reham Khan Sam Fraser This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Notable past presenters Kenny Everett (presenter, 1972) John Piper (presenter of Piper's Tune throughout the 1970s, left to launch 2CR in Bournemouth) Richard Skinner (newsreader, left to join BBC Radio 1 in 1973. Now presents for Xfm London) Peter White (the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent, worked for Radio Solent from 1967-2006) Carolyn Quinn (now a BBC Radio 4 presenter) Ricky Salmon (Presenter of 'the Lunchtime and Evening News' from 1996-1999. Now a BBC Radio 2 Newsreader) Lee McKenzie External links BBC Radio Solent Official Site. Media UK - BBC Radio Solent