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Broadcast area Knebworth, Hertford, Ware, Hatfield, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City & Watton-at-Stone Slogan "You'll Hear All Sorts of Stuff" Frequency 106.7 MHz, 106.9 MHz, DAB First air date (as HertBeat FM) 3 March 2001 Owner Shadow Radio Holdings LtdArchived 13 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine. | ||
106 BOB fm is a radio station broadcasting to 106.7 MHz and 106.9 MHz on FM in Knebworth, Hertford, Ware, Hatfield, Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City, Welwyn Garden City, Watton-at-Stone in the United Kingdom and to the Home Counties on DAB digital radio broadcasting on Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire multiplex and streaming at www.bobfm.co.uk. Programming originates from studios at the Old Pump House in Knebworth Park.
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Early Years : Radio Hertford and HertBeat
In October 1998, following seven years of lobbying of the Radio Authority Radio Hertford was granted a Restricted Service Licence to broadcast for a two-week period to Hertford and surrounding areas.
In 1999 the Radio Authority invited applications to apply for a long-term Hertford licence. The Radio Hertford consortium submitted a bid to broadcast as Hertbeat FM competing with a rival entrant, Stag FM, backed by The Daily Mail Radio Group. Citing Radio Hertford's lobbying of the Radio Authority, trial broadcast and emphasis on local content, the HertBeat FM bid was awarded licence in February 2000: "an imaginative, music-led service, targeted at discerning 25 to 54 year olds, with intelligent speech that emphasises local news and information."
Following the award, the Old Pump House at Knebworth Park was converted into a radio studio. Broadcasting commenced on 3 March 2001 with the inaugural show presented by Robbie Owen, a director of the company. Amongst the original team was Steve Folland, who continued presenting at the station until November 2013.
July 2005 saw HertBeat FM acquired by Shadow Radio Holdings Ltd., led by Brett Harley, resulting in a change of directors.
The station continued its offering of locally oriented content, music and request shows using a roster of presenters through the day and night.
Jack FM
On 10 May 2010, accompanied by a cull of presenters, the station abruptly rebranded as Jack FM - the third such licensee operating in the UK. Amongst the reasons for terminating HertBeat was confusion with encroaching rival Heart.
The Jack format was mostly automated, initially only "Jack's Breakfast" with Steve Folland surviving as a presenter-led show but quickly complimented with a Saturday "Interactive Brunch" topical news show presented by Chris Hubbard and a Sunday "All Eighties" music show with Brett Harley. The rest of the schedule included music, snippets from Jack's Breakfast, News and other local content.
In common with the other UK Jack stations many links between segments were provided by the acerbic Voice of Jack, Paul Darrow, recorded at Jack FM Oxfordshire and often tailored for the local audience. Unlike HertBeat, Jack FM rejected listener's requests, a stance supported by the brand slogan, "Playing what we want" and Voice of Jack remarks.
In November 2013, as the Jack FM era drew to a close Steve Folland departed the station, replaced by experienced producer and presenter Graham Mack.
BOB fm
The station prepared to broadcast using DAB in addition to FM, triggering another rebranding due to lack of exclusivity of the Jack FM moniker on the DAB multiplex and potential clashes with the growing number of stations operating as Jack FM franchises.
From January to March 2014 listeners were encouraged to suggest new names for the station. Unlike the sudden transformation to Jack FM, the plan to rename the station was trailed extensively.
The rebranding was announced on 10 March 2014. The final song played by the station as Jack FM Hertfordshire was "Things Can Only Get Better" by D:Ream, airing shortly before 0800.
At 0808 the station was transformed into BOB fm: The inaugural song was "Hit the Road Jack" by Ray Charles.
BOB fm's links are provided by the Voice of BOB.
Although other Bob FM stations operate in USA and Canada and BOB fm Hertfordshire has utilized an existing catchphrase, "Turn your knob to BOB", the operations are unconnected and the Hertfordshire-based station remains independent.