Connect FM

Infobox_Radio_station | name = Connect FM


city =
area = Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden
branding =
slogan = Hear the Difference
airdate = 6 April 1990
frequency = 107.4 MHz, 97.2 MHz
format = Contemporary
power =
owner = Forward Media Group
website =

Connect FM is a United Kingdom radio station serving the Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden areas of Northamptonshire

Origins

It was first launched in 1990 as KCBC on 1530AM with the original line up as follows...

6am - Howard Rose
10am - Tony Harrison
2pm - Terry Doyle
6pm - Mark Jeeves
9pm - Andy Jackson
"'

When the station launched it was, on the whole, a "golden oldies" station, playing hits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Due to the reach of AM transmitters, the station had a big and dedicated listenership that stretched out further than Northamptonshire.

Over the next couple of years two of the presenters who would become synonymous with the station, Richard Oliff and Carlo Fiorentino (who is still with them in 2007), joined the team. In 1992, KCBC switched frequency to 1584AM. The typical line up in that year was as follows...

6am - Terry Doyle
10am - Carlo Fiorentino
2pm - Tony Harrison
6pm - Tom Hooper,Murray J or Mark Jeeves"'

During the mid 1990s with Pat Foley then Jon Shipton as MDs the station retained its "gold" format but with Paul Thompson as Programme Controller the 80s and a sprinkling of 90s and chart music was added to the format. With the inclusion of popular local personalites such as Darren Harte, Des Barber, Andy Garside and Sean Smith meant it became a "sleeping giant". Extremely successful in its field and very popular in Kettering and Corby. Other presenters to enjoy an on-air presence in the mid 1990s included Darren Jackson, Mike Smith, Ian Sharpe, Claire Reynolds, Mark Williams, Roger Tilling and Michael Watson. Hourly local news was introduced, presented by Nick Quarashi, Jon Meek and Kevin Pashby.

KCBC was always well respected for its local sport content. The original sports team of Barrie Chambers, Mick Dean and Dave Wakefield replaced in 1996 by that of Nick Collier, Sue Morris and Gregg Nunney, and in 1997 by David Percy, Dave Pike and Gregg Nunney.

In 1996 the typical weekday lineup looked like this...

6am - Richard Oliff
10am - Paul Thompson
2pm - Carlo Fiorentino
6pm - Nick Collier or Sue Morris
10pm - Mike Watson or Mike Smith"'

TLRC takeover

In 1996, The Local Radio Company (TLRC) bought KCBC Ltd. At the time they were headed by Chris Carnegy. That, along with the appointment of Bill Johnston as station MD, was a move that would lead to some of the most radical changes in the station's history. Not least, the move, in 1998, to FM. This saw a lot of the station's longest standing personalitles leave the airwaves including weekend stalwarts such as Wally Valentine and Paul Wright all departed in 1998.

FM launch and the birth of Connect

1998 saw a new Programme Controller, Dougie King, and coincided with TLRC opening a sister station, Connect FM, in Wellingborough with local radio personality Danny Gibson hired by TLRC to launch and present the Breakfast Show. Danny left the Breakfast Show after just six months.

By Summer 1998, personalities like Ian Sharpe, Gregg Nunney and Carlo Fiorentino were regulars, all of whom are still with the company in September 2007. The weekday line-up on 107.4fm KCBC and Connect FM, in September '98, was as follows...

"'KCBC
6am - Richard Oliff
10am - Carlo Fiorentino
2pm - Dougie King*
6pm - Ian Sharpe"'

Connect FM
6am - Rob Quicke
10am - Anna Tyler
2pm - Martin Forster
6pm - Sonia Adams

*Dougie King left soon after and was replaced by Tom Green on Drive

Station merger

In August 1999 it was announced that new owners, HubTransCommunications were to merge the stations, and co-locate both offices to Kettering. KCBC and Connect FM would re-brand as Connect 97.2 and 107.4FM. The line-up contained a collection of presenters from both stations, and notably, saw the departure of Richard Oliff in June 2001 after over 9 years with the company, in which time he served as presenter, news editor and station manager.

The official re-launch line up of the new service was as follows

"'Weekdays
6am Tom Green & Anna Tyler
10am Carlo Fiorentino
2pm Ian Sharpe
6pm Gregg Nunney's Evening Connection (Fridays, The Connect Countdown)"'

In February 2000 it was announced that the on-air pairing of Tom and Anna would be split up and Ian Sharpe took over the Breakfast Show. Danny Gibson was brought back to present the overnight programme and news reporting. Tom Green moved on to Drive Time. Further changes to the station saw Tom Green leave in August 2000, to be replaced by Danny Gibson. This coincided with another change in ownership. Connect was bought by Southport based Forward Media.

The line up of Ian, Carlo, Danny and Gregg remained in place until February 2004. At that point Gregg Nunney took over the breakfast show, and remained there for 18 months until he left the station. Ian Sharpe moved to the evening show, before switching with Carlo Fiorentino at lunchtime. Danny Gibson made more changes and recruited Richard Oliff after a 4 year period at the BBC and was recruited to revive the flagging Connect Saturday breakfast show. Danny also hired BBC Northampton presenter Alan Hodgetts to present Sunday afternoons on Connect

At the end of 2004 the stations line up was

"'MON-FRI
6am - Gregg Nunney
10am - Ian Sharpe
2pm - Danny Gibson
6pm - Carlo Fiorentino
11pm - Love At Eleven

SAT
7am - Richard Oliff
11am - Danny Gibson
2pm - Richard Meekings
6pm - Saturday Night Party with Steve McNeal

SUN
7am - Danny Gibson
11am - The Vintage Chart with Ian Sharpe
2pm - Richard Meekings
4pm - The Smash Hits Chart"'

In August 2005, after 9 years in total with KCBC / Connect, Gregg Nunney moved to present the Drive Show on sister station Lite FM in Peterborough. Ian Sharpe moved back to the Breakfast Show on Connect, with Tom Hooper taking over the lunchtime slot.

In January 2007 station owners Forward Media announced plans for Connect to leave its home on the Telford Way Industrial Estate in Kettering. It would re-locate its operations and broadcast all output from outside its listener area at the HQ of Lite FM; relaying back to the transmitter sites in Northamptonshire. This change had been approved in December 2006 by OFCOM and was carried out later in 2007. [http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.1492.2]

In April 2007 further changes came around. Danny Gibson was made redundant, and Gregg Nunney re-joined to present a new-look drive show. Ian Sharpe's breakfast show finished at 9 instead of 10, and two new presenters came to the weekday lineup. Keith Dalton was the first presenter of the golden years. Keith went to do the breakfast show for Lite FM so Russ Down took over the golden years in June until November when Gregg took over who is the current host in June 2008 on Connect FM. The station became came under the programme management of Russ Down which gave Connect some of the best audience figures in many years. Russ left in Jan 08 and the station is now programmed by Gregg Nunney

In November 2007 the line up was

Monday to Friday

6am Ian Sharpe's Early Morning Wake Up
9am Russ Down and The Golden Years
11am Catherine Whale
3pm Gregg Nunney
7pm Chris Tibbles

Saturday

7am Chris Tibbles
11am Tom Hooper
3pm Gregg Nunney
7pm Saturday Night Jukebox

Sunday

7am Chris Tibbles
12pm Tom Hooper/Russ Down
4pm The A-List Chart
7pm Carlo Fiorentino

As of the 9th June 2008 the line up is as follows

"'Monday-Thursday

*6am Ian Sharpe's Early Morning Wake Up
*9am The Golden Years with Gregg Nunney
*10am Tom Hooper's Bit in the Middle
*2pm Flashback with Ian Sharpe
*3pm Gary Ball at Drivetime
*7pm Mike Clarke
*10pm Love till Midnite

Friday

*10pm Weekend Warm-Up

Saturday

*7am Gregg Nunney's Saturday Decades
*10am Ian Sharpe's Vintage Chart
*11am Ian Sharpe
*2pm Richard Meekings
*6pm Saturday Night Party

Sunday

*7am Mike Clarke
*11am Tom Hooper
*3pm The Best of the Early Morning Wakeup
*4pm Hit40UK
*7pm Sayeh Stone's Sing-a-long Classics
*10pm Love till Midnite

External links

* [http://www.connectfm.com/ Official website]