BBC Radio Lincolnshire
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BBC Radio Lincolnshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Lincolnshire—apart from the northern parts of the county, which are covered by BBC Radio Humberside. It broadcasts from its studios near Newport Arch in Lincoln on 94.9 (whole of the county) and 104.7 (Grantham) FM, 1368 (Swan Pool, west Lincoln) AM and online through its website.
Its managing editor is Charlie Partridge.
Transmitters and coverage
The main signal on 94.9 FM comes from the Belmont transmitter near Donington on Bain in the north of the county, which is the tallest mast in Europe, although the MW signal comes from Lincoln. The FM signal is not very clear in the south of the county, leaving only the MW frequency. Only north of Lincoln is the FM frequency reasonably clear. Sadly, however, the good folk of the affluent Northern Lincoln Fringe villages rarely tune in to it because whilst the signal quality is good, the quality of the programming rarely matches the signal. The Grantham signal, from a site just south of the town, is weak. It was the only local radio station in Lincolnshire until 1992, when Lincs FM began (it has since expanded its company) which is also broadcast from Belmont.
With the station's transmitter being the highest in Europe, coverage of the station spans nearby counties as well, and the station can be heard on the M1 from Mansfield all the way up to Barnsley. The south-west of the county can also receive Radio Leicester on 104.9FM.
Presenters
- Martin Daniels
- Maria Richmond
- Dave Bussey
- Veronica Capaldi
- Michael Hortin
- Dylan Roys
- Melvyn Prior
- Les Sheehan
- Alan Stennett
- Rob Underwood
- Rod Whiting
- Nick Wilmshurst
- William Wright
Programming
Launched in November 1980, it now broadcasts at least 11 hours each day of local programming. During early mornings, presented by [Dylan Roys] from Lincoln, from 5 - 6am and evenings from 7pm - 1am it shares some programming with other BBC local radio stations in the East Midlands (BBC Radios Derby, Nottingham and Leicester). Each morning, Dylan reads out people's favourite slap up breakfast recipes. From 6.35am, after the sport report, he asks listeners the name of a distorted version of an old TV theme in What's That Flaming Row. He teaches at an infants school near Gainsborough.
At 3.30pm each weekday, Melvyn Prior talks to Lincolnshire ex-pats around the world.
[Rod Whiting] presents the Breakfast Show from 7am (Dylan Roys is only heard until 6am in the other East Midlands counties). [William Wright] hosts the Drivetime programme from 4 - 7pm.
Late night weekday programmes are networked across the East Midlands, presented from Nottingham by [Rob Underwood], who broadcasts from 9pm until midnight. Radios Hereford & Worcester, Shropshire & Stoke also broadcast this programme.
"Amateur Slot", broadcast every hour on the hour for wannabee newsreaders.
Agricultural news has a half hour specialist show, Lincolnshire Farming hosted by [Alan Stennett], from 5.30pm on Fridays and 7.30am on Sundays. On Friday nights, a [youth magazine show], the Friday Night Mix is presented by [Nick Wilmshurst] and the youth team.
Alumni
Amongst its claims to fame are that it helped launch the careers of:
- the comedian Boothby Graffoe who presented a two hour programme on Friday evenings on the station, and briefly on Radio Nottingham, in the late 1980s.
- [John Inverdale], now presenter of national sports programmes on BBC Television and BBC Radio Five Live, started his radio career as a morning presenter from 1982-5, having worked briefly at the [Lincolnshire Echo].
- Although hardly launching the career of celebrated French film director Jacques Tati, his appearance as occasional film critic in the early days of the station found him a new audience amongst the devoted film fans of rural Lincolnshire.
Newsreader Gaffes/Mispronunciations
- Anglican Water - a more religious connection to Anglian Water?
- Grantham, near Lincolnshire (from a traffic report) - has Grantham deserted the county?
Trivia
Like a feature of all East Midlands local BBC radio stations, the station works with local job centres all over the county to publicise current vacancies. BBC local radio further south of the Midlands, for their own reasons, do not have this service.
With so many RAF stations in the county, and historical airfields, there is no outward recognition of this in the station's programming.
"I'm sorry. We're unable to bring you that report" - a celebrated catchphrase throughout Lincolnshire because of the number of occasions when newscasts have hit technical problems. Also the title of a panel game that ran on the station between 1989 and 1991.
In October 2005, it presided over the creation of a new [flag] for Lincolnshire.
The station has close links with local Womens' Institutes and holds a monthly 'Calendar Girl' competition. The winner has to provide a cake recipe for the cookery programme, and a photograph for the following year's Radio Lincolnshire calendar.
Students at Bishop Grosseteste College coming from parts of the UK with higher expectations of their BBC local radio stations have adopted certain of the presenters, and particularly the newsreaders, and put their effigies to good use in charitable collections in the summer.
It has assisted with broadcasts by the University of Lincoln's radio station [Siren FM], which included allowing use of the [Belmont transmitter].
The text number is 07786 201949.
External links
- [BBC Radio Lincolnshire]
- [Media UK - BBC Radio Lincolnshire]
- [History of local radio in Lincolnshire.]
- [Early logo.]
- [MDS975's Transmitter Map.]
- [Belmont transmitter.]
- [Grantham transmitter.]
News Items
| 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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