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BBC Three Counties Radio
Broadcast area	Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Frequency	90.4FM, 92.1FM, 94.7FM, 95.5FM, 98.0FM, 103.8FM, 104.5FM, 630MW, 1161MW
First air date	24 June 1985
Format	News, local news, local chat, occasional music and competitions
Audience share	5.0% (September 2007, [1])
Owner	BBC
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/ local_radio

BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire (referred to as Beds, Herts and Bucks). Its main studios are on Hastings Street in Luton; the studios at Willen in Milton Keynes produce a separate breakfast show from 6.30am to 10am, and a separate lunchtime programme for Milton Keynes from 1pm.

Contents 1 History 2 Transmitters 3 Schedule 4 External links 4.1 Audio clips 4.2 Video clips

It started as "Radio Bedfordshire" on 24 June 1985, serving the whole of Bedfordshire plus (despite the name) North Bucks and the northern parts of Hertfordshire. Therefore, as well as Luton and Bedford (and the rest of Beds), Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Letchworth, Stevenage and Hitchin were served by the new station. Almost eight years later, the station changed to its present name on 5 April 1993 to reflect the wider reach across the three counties and to give equal service to all. The editorial area was not, at that point, expanded but enhanced studio facilities and staff were devoted to Bucks & Herts.

Since 1995, it has not played music during its daily output, instead relying on pure speech from 4:30am until 7pm, when specialist programming is broadcast. The studios at Willen have produced the separate breakfast show since October 2001, with a separate drivetime show from November 2004 until October 2005, before producing the separate lunchtime programme which ended in February 2007 with a revamp of the schedule.

New transmitters at Epping Green and Bedmond extended the coverage to Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Cheshunt, and west Hertfordshire in late 2005.

BBC Three Counties Radio broadcasts on 90.4FM (Epping Green, near Hertford), 92.1FM (Bedmond, near Hemel Hempstead), 94.7FM (Quainton Hill, near Aylesbury), 95.5FM (Sandy Heath), 98.0FM (High Wycombe), 103.8FM (Zouches Farm, near Luton), 104.5FM (Bow Brickhill, near Milton Keynes), 630 kHz MW (Lewsey Farm, near Luton), 1161 kHz (Kempston, near Bedford), and streaming from the BBC 3CR website. BBC 3CR is not broadcast on digital radio; instead BBC London 94.9 is carried by the London 2 (Switch London) multiplex which is transmitted from Zouches Farm and Bedmond. A Beds, Herts and Bucks digital multiplex, to be run by NOW Digital Ltd, will begin broadcasts in spring 2008.

None of the transmissions are very powerful, but the Milton Keynes 104.5FM signal from Bow Brickhill is the strongest and can be received the furthest; it can be heard in Swindon and as far north as Rugby (where it begins to interfere with Radio Derby). The 630 kHz signal from Lewsey Farm can be heard clearly as far north as south Lincolnshire, and it can interfere with the Voice of Russia, which is on the same frequency.

Gareth Lloyd is the presenter of the 5-6am weekday show. The 6-9am Breakfast shows are presented by Roberto Perrone in Beds and Herts, and by Luke Ashmead and Helen Leigh in Bucks. At 9am, Ronnie Barbour and Katherine "Kill a Show" Boyle takes over. From 11am until 2pm everyday, Stephen Rhodes investigates listener's consumer problems. At 2pm Lorna Milton presents the afternoon show. From 4.30pm, Martyn Coote presents the drivetime show, featuring local news, information and comedy.

The weekend and evening schedule is varied, including local sport and community shows. The Saturday breakfast show is presented Toby Friedner and the Gardening Phone-in from 11am.

Other weekend presenters include Barry Hyde and Colin Berry, whose shows includes music, phone-ins and competitions. A popular show over the weekend is Treasure Quest, presented by Toby Friedner and produced by Chris Bolton. A show in which studio-based contestants have to solve six clues, sending reporter Victoria Cook around the area to find the next clue.

Three Counties Radio also broadcasts Rokker Radio, a show aimed at the Pikies and the travelling community, which had lots of national press attention when it was announced in March 2006. The show, presented by Jake Bowers, one of the UK's only Romany journalists, broadcasts on a Sunday evening from 5pm. Rokker Radio was expanded following popular demand in August 2006 across the BBC local radio stations in the Eastern region, in Northamptonshire, Cambridgshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex.

A new programme called The Box Office was launched on 3CR in November 2006. Presented by Gareth Lloyd, this programme looks at live music, gigs, cinema, theatre and unsigned music across Beds, Herts and Bucks. Every week an unsigned band from the area plays live in the studio. The programme is on at 20:00 till 22:00 every Thursday.

Ian Pearce a renowned soap dodger is a presenter of Melting Pot, a programme for all faiths and none, on Sunday mornings and also commentates on the local football programmes. He is popular former English teacher at Challney High School for Boys on Stoneygate Road in Challney, Luton.

In August 2007, Mark Norman returned to Three Counties Radio as Editor.

Their jingles are made by Music 4 of Berners Street in London.

The author Robert Anwood appears as a character called "Fact Man" on Lorna Milton's 2.00-4.30pm afternoon show on Tuesdays (following changes to the schedule which took effect on 1 October 2007). 4.30 to 7pm is a new Drive Time show presented by Martyn Coote. Martyn has been at the station for 12 years presenting many programmes from the Early Riser onwards.

• BBC Three Counties Radio
• Media UK - BBC Three Counties Radio
• Roberto Perrone's Website
• Jonathan Vernon-Smith.
• Bow Brickhill transmitter.
• Epping Green transmitter.
• Hemel Hempstead (Bedmond) transmitter.
• High Wycombe transmitter.
• Lewsey Farm transmitter.
• Kempston transmitter.
• Quainton Hill transmiter.
• Sandy Heath transmitter.
• Zouches Farm transmitter.

• Former jingle

• Katherine Boyle and Roberto Perroni deliver Meals on Wheels in Luton

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