BBC Local Radio service for Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight, England
BBC Radio Solent
is the
BBC's local radio station
serving
Hampshire
,
Dorset
and the
Isle of Wight
, broadcasting on
FM
,
DAB
, digital TV and via
BBC Sounds
from studios on Havelock Road in
Southampton
.
According to
RAJAR
, the station has a weekly audience of 204,000 listeners and a 4.2% share as of September 2023.
[1]
History
[
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]
The station began broadcasting on 31 December 1970. It is named after the
Solent
, the area of sea between
Southampton
,
Portsmouth
and the
Isle of Wight
.
In 1996, Radio Solent expanded its coverage into
West Dorset
and South Dorset by taking over neighbouring
BBC Dorset FM
, which was formerly an opt-out of
BBC Radio Devon
.
In 2013, a new programme specifically for
Dorset
listeners on 103.8
FM
was launched under the name
Breakfast in Dorset
, after campaigns for a more locally focused service. The programme comes from a studio complex in
Dorchester
and also broadcasts county-wide on
DAB
.
Technical
[
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]
The service is broadcast on 96.1
FM
for
Hampshire
, the
Isle of Wight
and eastern
Dorset
from
Rowridge transmitting station
on the Isle of Wight; and on 103.8 FM for western Dorset from
Bincombe
Hill transmitter. Since 2003, the station has also been broadcast on
DAB
Digital Radio from the
NOW South Hampshire
and NOW Bournemouth networks from thirteen transmitters between them.
[2]
[3]
[4]
The station also broadcasts on
Freeview
TV channels 722 (Hampshire / Isle of Wight) and 726 (Dorset) in the
BBC South
region, and streams online via
BBC Sounds
.
From launch until 2020,
[5]
BBC Radio Solent broadcast on
medium wave
, with the main
AM
transmitter on 999 kHz from
Fareham
covering most of the coverage area and a secondary transmitter covering
Bournemouth
and
Poole
on 1359 kHz from Fern Barrow, Bournemouth.
[4]
North and north-east Hampshire
[
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]
The signal for Hampshire on 96.1 FM from
Rowridge
on the Isle of Wight is weaker north of
Winchester
than the transmissions from other
BBC Local Radio
stations, so that the north Hampshire town of
Basingstoke
is officially served by
BBC Radio Berkshire
, while towns such as
Aldershot
,
Farnborough
and
Fleet
in the north-east of the county are served by
BBC Radio Surrey
.
Programming
[
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]
As of 2022, local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's
Southampton
studios from 6 am to 1 am each Monday to Saturday and from 6 am to 6 pm and 10 pm to 1 am on Sundays. These shows must contain at least 60% speech content within the core broadcast hours of 6 am to 7 pm, with full speech content during the breakfast peak of 7 am to 8.30 am.
[6]
The station must also provide at least 95 hours of locally-made programming per week, that provides news, information and content relevant to the areas and communities it serves.
[7]
The station's 6 am to 10 am breakfast show, 10 am to 2 pm morning show and 2 pm to 6 pm afternoon show are broadcast solely to the
Solent
area.
[8]
The station's Saturday and Sunday afternoon show is occupied by sports coverage under the
BBC Radio Solent Sport
banner. The Saturday evening 8 pm to 10 pm slot is occupied by the
BBC Music Introducing
programme
[8]
which features music from new and up and coming artists from the local area.
[9]
The show helped discover and launch the careers of
Wet Leg
[10]
and has featured artists such as
Natives
[11]
and
Echotape
.
During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Solent simulcasts overnight programming from
BBC Radio 5 Live
between 1 am and 6am
Presenters
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]
Notable past presenters
[
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]
- Roger Day
(DJ and presenter, left in 2012, now at
Boom Radio
)
[12]
- Kenny Everett
(1972)
- Nick Girdler
(1972?2006, 2009?2019)
- Nicky Horne
(left in 2019, now at Boom Radio)
- Simon Jupp
(now Member of Parliament for
East Devon
)
- Andrew Peach
(now at
BBC Radio Berkshire
)
- John Piper
(presented
Piper's Tune
throughout the 1970s, left to launch 2CR in
Bournemouth
)
- Carolyn Quinn
(left to join
BBC Radio 4
)
- Richard Skinner
(newsreader, left to join
BBC Radio 1
in 1973)
- Sean Street
(broadcaster, poet, writer, and Britain's first Professor of Radio)
- Sally Taylor
(presenter on
BBC South Today
, worked for Radio Solent from 2006 to 2011)
- Peter White
(the BBC's Disability Affairs Correspondent, worked for Radio Solent from 1970 to 2006)
References
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]
External links
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]
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Defunct stations
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National services
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Related topics
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