BBC Radio Lancashire

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BBC Radio Lancashire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Lancashire. It began as BBC Radio Blackburn on 26 January 1971 on 96.4FM, then adding 854 kHz AM in 1972 and changing to the current name on 4 July 1981. It now broadcasts from studios in Blackburn on 95.5 (Hameldon Hill, Burnley), 103.9 (Winter Hill, Horwich), 104.5 (Lancaster) FM and 855 (Preston), 1557 (Oxcliffe Hill, close to the A683 near Lancaster) AM, DAB and Real Player via the website.

Transmitters

The 103.9 FM signal comes 2500ft high on the Winter Hill transmitter, and its height gives it the greatest coverage over Lancashire. North Manchester, although nearby, can just about pick up the signal. Winter Hill also carries national radio (including BBC DAB National), TV, Digital One, and the commercial stations 105.4 Century FM, Rock FM (formerly Red Rose Radio) on 97.4FM and Smooth FM on 100.4FM. Winter Hill also broadcasts two other local digital multiplexes - MXR North West 12C and CE Digital Manchester 11C (it is a digital transmitter for Radio Manchester). Radio Manchester is very clear in the south of Lancashire as is Radio Merseyside. The Lancaster transmitter also carries TV, BBC DAB National stations and Digital One. Beginning on 1st October 2001, the DAB signals have come from the EMAP Digital [Central Lancashire 12A multiplex] located at Winter Hill and Pendle Forest (near Nelson). Pendle Forest also started broadcasting BBC DAB National stations in April 2004.

Schedule

Early Breakfast with Mark Paxton on BBC Radio Lancashire & Merseyside on weekdays from 5 - 6am. Alec Makinson is from 6 - 7am. Tony Livesey (pronounced Livsey), the Daily Sport editor from Burnley, also broadcasts at breakfast from 7 - 9am. The Scouse comedian [Ted Robbins] is from 9am - 12pm. Yorkshireman [Brett Davison] is from 12 - 3pm. The afternoon show comes from [John Gillmore]. With many rugby league and football teams in the region, there is Lancashire Sport from 6pm each weekday, lasting 4 hours on Tuesday and Friday, though shorter on other days. From 10pm - 1am Monday - Thursday, [Carole Turner] has her phone-in show, 'Later With Carole'. The local BBC TV news is North West Tonight from Oxford Road, Manchester.

Radio Lancashire is perhaps best known for "On the Wire", a late night alternative music programme hosted by DJ Steve Barker which has been broadcast on the station since 1984.

Three original staff from 1971 are still heard on the station. Gerald Jackson (Sunday 13:00-18:00), Stuart Whaley (news broadcasts) and Wendy Howard (sports bulletins and programmes). They all joined BBC Radio Blackburn at its launch and all left the staff but have continued to contribute to this day. BBC Radio Lancashire is to celebrate its 25th Birthday on July 4th 2006.

External links

BBC Local Radio stations
BBC Radio Berkshire	BBC Radio Bristol	BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
BBC Radio Cleveland	BBC Radio Cornwall	BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
BBC Radio Cumbria	BBC Radio Derby	BBC Radio Devon
BBC Essex	BBC Radio Gloucestershire	BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Guernsey	BBC Hereford and Worcester	BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Jersey	BBC Radio Kent	BBC Radio Lancashire
BBC Radio Leeds	BBC Radio Leicester	BBC Radio Lincolnshire
BBC London 94.9	BBC Radio Merseyside	BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Norfolk	BBC Radio Northampton	BBC Radio Nottingham
BBC Radio Oxford	BBC Radio Sheffield	BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Solent	BBC Somerset Sound	BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Radio Stoke	BBC Radio Suffolk	BBC Radio Swindon
BBC Three Counties Radio	BBC WM	BBC Radio Wiltshire
BBC Radio York

Former BBC Local Radio stations
BBC Radio Brighton	BBC Radio Bedfordshire	BBC Radio Durham
BBC GLR	BBC GMR	BBC Radio London

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