BBC Radio York

Infobox Radio station
name = BBC Radio York


city = York
area = North Yorkshire
branding =
slogan =
airdate = 4 July 1983
frequency = 103.7, 104.3 MHz, 666 & 1260 kHz
share = 7.7%
share as of = March 2008
share source = [http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php]
format = Local news, talk and music
power =
erp =
class =
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = BBC North Yorkshire
owner = BBC Local Radio,
BBC Yorkshire
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/local_radio BBC Radio York]
affiliations =

BBC Radio York is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of North Yorkshire.

Early history

The station was launched at 6:30am on 4 July 1983 - a launch featured on the cover of the Radio Times. A year prior to its launch, a temporary AM service was broadcast for coverage of Pope John Paul II's visit to the city.

Radio York was the only local radio station in North Yorkshire in its first nine years of operation. The independent commercial rival, Minster FM, began broadcasting on 4 July 1992. Stray FM, the independent station covering the Harrogate and Ripon areas, made its first transmission exactly two years to the day after Minster's launch and eleven years to the day after Radio York's launch.

Technical

BBC Radio York broadcasts from its studios in York on 95.5 (Olivers Mount, Scarborough), 103.7 (Acklam Wold near Leavening, midway between York and Malton and 104.3 (Woolmoor, near Upsall four miles north of Thirsk close to the A19 - for Harrogate, Northallerton and the Yorkshire Dales) FM, 666 (Fulford), 1260 (Row Brow, Scarborough) AM and by Real Player from their website. It is not on DAB yet. In the north, the BBC local radio stations use EMAP Digital multiplexes. There is an MXR (Chrysalis) multiplex broadcasting from Acklam Wold, who do not broadcast BBC stations.

Acklam Wold is the strongest frequency on 103.7 which is for Ryedale and the Vale of York, and the 140ft transmitter also has the commercial station, Minster FM on 104.7. The 103.7 signal can be heard as far south as Mansfield on the M1, and can be received in West and South Yorkshire. The transmitter used to broadcast on 90.2FM, and another on 97.2. The Olivers Mount transmitter also has Yorkshire Coast Radio on 96.2, as well as television and national radio frequencies. The Woolmoor transmitter has national radio frequencies.

DAB licence

The DAB licence that Radio York will use only covers the eastern part of North Yorkshire, York, and the north part of East Yorkshire (York and Scarborough). The licence was advertised in June 2007, and will be taken by MuxCo, as it submitted the [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/dcr/applications/north_yorkshire only application] in September 2007. It will be ready in June 2009.

Presenters

Former presenters

Former presenters at the station include ITV Sport commentator Jon Champion, Sky Sports commentator Rob Hawthorne and Will Hanrahan - who went on to present Look North and report for Good Morning with Anne and Nick.

Past Programming

Up until 2007, BBC Radio York simulcast evening and weekend programming with counterpart stations in the BBC Yorkshire region (Radio Leeds and Radio Sheffield) including Martin Kelner's Late Thing and The Alex Hall Late Night Phone In. "The Early Show" from BBC Radio Humberside (within the BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region) was also carried. Recently, networked programming has been replaced with further local output. However, some networked output from the BBC North East and Cumbria and BBC Yorkshire regions continues to air, including the Frank Wappat show on Sunday evenings (from BBC North East and Cumbria), "Chris Marsden's Love Songs", also on Sunday evenings, and the Russell Walker late show on weeknights (both from BBC Yorkshire).

BBC Radio York was also a part of The BBC Night Network, a group of ten BBC Local Radio stations in the North of England which featured networked programming every evening.

Criticism

Recently, North Yorkshire district councils have criticised Radio York for over dramatising the flood of June 19, 2005, which led to the sudden drop of tourism in North Yorkshire for the remainder of 2005.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/local_radio BBC Radio York]
* [http://www.mediauk.com/radio/289 Media UK - BBC Radio York]
* [http://www.geocities.com/thehotw/aircheck_UKYorks.htm History of local radio in Yorkshire.]
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/d.allen43/main_pages/york.htm David's Transmitter World]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/acklam-wold.php Acklam Wold transmitter.]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/fulford.php Fulford transmitter.]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/olivers-mount.php Olivers Mount transmitter.]
* [http://www.alancordwell.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/radioheritage/rhscarbrocci.html Row Brow transmitter.]
* [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/woolmoor.php Woolmoor transmitter.]

Audio clips

* [http://www.intervalsignals.net/files/ukg-bbc_radio_york_270202.m3u 2002 jingle]
* [http://www.jinglemad.com/audio/tanner-york.mp3 Early Radio York jingles.]
* [http://www.jinglemad.com/audio/york85.mp3 1980s jingles.]
* [http://www.jinglemad.com/audio/york91.mp3 1990s jingles.]