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The Beach (radio station)

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City
  
Lowestoft, Suffolk

Format
  
Contemporary

First air date
  
29 September 1996

Broadcast area
  
North Suffolk and East Norfolk

Slogan
  
Just great songs for the East Coast. Made on the East Coast for the East Coast.

Frequency
  
103.4 MHz & 97.4 MHz FM, and DAB

The Beach is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting to North Suffolk and East Norfolk. It broadcasts from studios in Norwich. It formerly broadcast from studios on Hollingsworth Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk until 8th January 2017. Transmitters are located at Mobbs Way, Oulton Broad on 103.4 FM and on 97.4FM from a transmitter located at a water tower in Blythburgh, Suffolk. A transmitter is also located at Havenbridge House in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk which also broadcasts on 97.4 FM. The Beach is also available on DAB through the Norfolk multiplex.

Contents

History

In 1993 and 1994, three RSL licences in Lowestoft were operated and run by local radio volunteers, including some freelance radio professionals, with proceeds being donated to local charities. The station was called "Lowestoft Town Radio" (LTR-fm). LTR presenters included Martyn Lee, Steve Smart and Matthew Schofield. Following these successful 30-day trial broadcasts, along with similar efforts in Great Yarmouth, The Radio Authority (now Ofcom) created a new licence for the area. They granted the licence to the group behind the LTR, re-branded as "The Beach".

The Beach started broadcasting on 29 September 1996. It has been voted The Eastern Region Radio Academy Station Of The Year three times.

The station is currently owned by The Anglian Radio Group.

Programming

Prior to combining programming content with North Norfolk Radio and Radio Norwich 99.9, The Beach had four main programming segments. Breakfast on the Beach, airing from 6am—10am, was presented by Paul Carter. Daytime, airing from 10am—3pm, was helmed by Mikey Faulkner. Drivetime, airing from 3pm—7pm (6.30pm on Thursdays) was chaired by Tim Lindon, and Evenings, airing from 7pm—10pm, were presented by Joff Hopkins (although this programme was shared across all Anglian Radio networks, and was broadcast from Ipswich).

On January 9, 2017, The Anglian Radio Group combined the three stations and re-organised daily programming. Wake up to Wayne, presented by former Town 102 host Wayne Bavin, became the new breakfast show. Paul Carter moved to the Daytime slot, taking over from an outgoing Mikey Faulkner. Tim Lindon and Joff Hopkins both retained their original slots. After six weeks in the role, Bavin was axed from the station due to declining listener ratings, and was replaced by former Radio Norwich 99.9 host Rob Chandler, who had previously hosted the Radio Norwich Breakfast Show since January 2014, and prior to that, the Heart Radio breakfast show for 14 years. Since the merger, former Beach presenter Kate McCabe has acted as a stand-in for Paul Carter. Former Radio Norwich presenter Geoff Hillyer as also acted as a stand-in for Carter, while Steve Bradley has also acted as a stand-in for Tim Lindon.

Presenters

  • Rob Chandler (2017—present); Rob Chandler at Breakfast
  • Paul Carter (2006—present); Breakfast on the Beach (2006—2016), Daytimes (2017—present)
  • Tim Lindon (?—present); Daytimes, Saturday Morning Breakfast
  • Joff Hopkins (?—present); Evenings with Joff
  • Geoff Hillyer (2017—present); Stand-in presenter
  • Kate McCabe (?—present); Stand-in presenter, Sunday Morning Breakfast
  • Steve Bradley (2017—present); Stand-in presenter
  • Natasha Sims (?—present); 90s, 00s and Now: Saturday and Sunday Afternoons
  • Dom Atkins and Carli Norris (2017—present); Saturday Daytimes
  • Mikey Faulkner (2014—2016); Daytimes
  • Wayne Bavin (2017); Wake Up to Wayne (January—February 2017)
  • References

    The Beach (radio station) Wikipedia