BBC Radio Norfolk

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BBC Radio Norfolk

City of license	Norwich
Broadcast area	Norfolk
Frequency	95.1 MHz FM (East Norfolk) 95.6 MHz FM (North Norfolk) 104.4 MHz FM (West Norfolk) 855 kHz AM (East Norfolk) 873 kHz AM (West Norfolk) DAB Digital Radio
First air date	September 11, 1980
Format	Mainly local news and talk
Audience share	16.1% (September 2007, [1])
Owner	BBC
Website	BBC Radio Norfolk

BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Norfolk, broadcasting since 11 September 1980. It broadcasts from the studios of BBC East in The Forum, Norwich on 95.1 FM (Stoke Holy Cross), 104.4 FM (Great Massingham), 95.6 FM (West Runton, near Cromer), 855 kHz AM/MW (Postwick, east Norwich near the A47), 873 kHz AM/MW (West Lynn, near the A47 and River Great Ouse), DAB and through the internet using Real Player.

The station should not be confused with the fictional BBC Radio Norwich in the television comedy series I'm Alan Partridge.

1 Transmitters
2 Schedule
3 Important Dates
4 Important Facts
5 Former Presenters
6 References
7 External links
- 7.1 Audio clips
- 7.2 Video clips

The 95.1 FM signal covers the Norwich area, 104.4 FM covers the West and Kings Lynn area, while 95.6 FM (which came on-air on September 12, 2005) serves north Norfolk. The Great Massingham transmission site also has the commercial radio station KL.FM 96.7, although they use separate towers. The Postwick transmission site also broadcasts Five Live on 693 AM/MW, talkSPORT and Virgin Radio. The Stoke Holy Cross transmission site also broadcasts Radio Broadland on 102.4 FM, Kiss 105-108 East on 106.1 FM and 99.9 Radio Norwich. The 95.1 FM signal used to come from Tacolneston. The West Runton transmission tower also has a TV relay on it. Since 31st March 2003, DAB signals have come from the NOW Digital Norfolk 11B multiplex, with transmitters at Great Yarmouth, Oulton (Lowestoft in Suffolk), Stoke Holy Cross, Thetford, and West Runton. Broadland FM and The Beach are also on this multiplex. Of all the DAB transmitters, Stoke Holy Cross is the most powerful, at 1.1kW.

On weekdays, programming begins at 4am with Wally Webb, followed by Breakfast With Bumfrey, presented by Stephen Bumfrey, from 7am to 10am. Bumfrey's programme, unlike the rest of the output, is almost entirely talk-based, with no music in its first two hours. 10am to 1pm is Chris and Nicky (Chris Goreham and Nicky Barnes), with Roy Waller from 1pm–4pm. Both of these programmes feature general interviews, chat, local interest features, competitions and music. Nicky Price presents a news and music-based programme running from 4pm to 7pm.^[1]

From 7pm, BBC local radio stations in the East share the same programmes. Firstly Sue Marchant, who broadcasts from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, followed by Nick Risby, who broadcasts from 10pm until 1am from the BBC Radio Suffolk studios.

From 1am to 4am, the station simulcasts with BBC Radio 5 Live.

September 11, 1980 - Norfolk's "new neighbour" starts broadcasting at 5:55pm from Norfolk Tower, Surrey Street, Norwich on 95.1 MHz VHF (FM) & 855 kHz (351m) MW/AM to East Norfolk, plus 1602 kHz (187m) MW/AM to West Norfolk. Note: There were no FM transmissions to West Norfolk.

September 12, 1980 - Terry Wogan broadcast his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show live from the new station.

1982 - West Norfolk's MW/AM transmitter changed frequency to 873 kHz (344m) MW/AM

1984 - West Norfolk got the very first FM tranmissions of the station. It broadcast on 96.7 MHz. These transmissions were broadcast in mono due to an 'off-air' re-broadcast system. This picked up the Tacolneston 95.1 FM broadcast and re-transmitted it, but was unable to reproduce a clear stereo signal.

1986 - The West Norfolk transmitter was re-tuned from 96.7, to 104.4 MHz FM (the mono broadcasts continued).

Early 1992 - The King's Lynn studio moves from Tuesday Market place to the North Lynn Business Village.

circa 2000 - Tacolneston transmissions cease and Stoke Holy Cross transmissions start. These continue on 95.1MHz FM but at slightly less transmitter power.

June 27, 2003 - The last programme is broadcast from Norfolk Tower. The station leaves this site at 7pm.

June 28, 2003 - Radio Norfolk starts from a new home - The BBC studios on the 1st floor at The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich, Norfolk, England. The first presenter from their new home was Stewart White.

September 12, 2005 - As part of BBC Radio Norfolk's 25th birthday celebrations, North Norfolk gets a clearer signal with the official launch of transmissions on 95.6 MHz FM (stereo) from the West Runton mast.

Oct/Nov 2005 - West Norfolk finally get stereo broadcasts on 104.4 MHz FM.

April 27, 2007 - Chris Moyles broadcasts his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show from the station, and Moyles' newsreader Dominic Byrne co-hosts on BBC Radio Norfolk with Nicky Barnes.

BBC Radio Norfolk was the first BBC local radio station to be launched after a gap of several years in the BBC's local radio development programme. This was due to the Government's review of local radio (both BBC and ILR) in the late 1970s.

Due to the policy of launching only one local radio service at a time in a particular area, when it came to choosing whether Norfolk or Devon would receive a BBC or commercial station first, there was contention between the BBC and the IBA as to who would get which area. This was settled by the toss of a coin, with the BBC winning and choosing Norfolk. The IBA therefore got Devon.^[2]

BBC Radio Norfolk became to first BBC local radio station to broadcast in stereo on VHF/FM.

It was the first BBC local radio station to cover a county, as opposed to a city or town.

The launch of East Anglia's first BBC local radio station was broadcast live on BBC Look East - the region's local BBC TV news magazine.

BBC Radio Norfolk's first presenter was John Mountford, who now runs a TV and radio commercial production company (The JMS Group) on the outskirts of Norwich.

The studios and offices were on the ground floor of Norfolk Tower, Surrey Street, Norwich and were a carpet showroom before Radio Norfolk moved in.