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* Jules Bellerby
* Jules Bellerby
*Stephen Bumfrey<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/04/14/radio_norfolk_biog_stephen_bumfrey_feature.shtml</ref>
*Stephen Bumfrey<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/04/14/radio_norfolk_biog_stephen_bumfrey_feature.shtml</ref>
Jim Ensom
* Jim Ensom
*Vernon Harwood
*Vernon Harwood
*[[Peter Heaton-Jones]]<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/10/27/peter_heatonjones_feature.shtml</ref>
*[[Peter Heaton-Jones]]<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/10/27/peter_heatonjones_feature.shtml</ref>

Revision as of 15:48, 26 April 2010

BBC Essex
  • Chelmsford
Broadcast areaEssex
Frequency103.5 FM, 95.3 FM, 729 AM, 765 AM, 1530 AM
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTalk / News / Music
Ownership
OwnerBBC Local Radio,
BBC East
History
First air date
5 November 1986
Links
WebsiteBBC Essex

BBC Essex is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Essex. It broadcasts from its studios on New London Road in Chelmsford on 103.5 (Great Braxted) and 95.3 (South Benfleet) FM, and on 729 (Manningtree), 765 (Bakers Wood), and 1530 (Rayleigh) AM. It is also available on DAB and live streaming via the internet.

History

BBC Essex launched on 5 November 1986. It broke from the naming convention of "BBC Radio (county name)" so as to avoid confusion with Essex Radio (later Essex FM, now Heart Essex). There had also been a pirate station called Radio Essex in the 1960s.

BBC Essex set out to be different from existing BBC local stations, which were often perceived as rather "stuffy" and "worthy". It launched with a more up-beat sound, an almost "tabloid" news style and younger presenters than most stations; the BBC Essex symbol also didn't feature the traditional BBC logo. However, over the years the style has been toned down and the format is now more in line with the rest of the BBC local radio family.

The station celebrated twenty years of broadcasting in November 2006.

Transmitters

The strongest signal is 103.5 FM, which comes from a small transmitter between Witham and Tiptree. It reaches into Hertfordshire. The 95.3FM signal is heard in most of the southern Thames Estuary as well. The South Benfleet transmitter also provides Essex FM on 96.3FM and DAB. The 500ft Manningtree transmitter, the highest of all five, also has national radio frequencies, Absolute Radio, BBC National DAB (the only one in Essex) and Digital One. It is the main FM transmitter for Radio Suffolk. The Bakers Wood transmitter also has Essex FM on 102.6FM, and is one of the DAB transmitters. DAB signals, since 20 May 2002, have come from the Essex 12D multiplex, which has transmitters at Maitland House (Southend-on-Sea town centre), Colchester, Sudbury (in Suffolk), and Rye Hill (south of Harlow - on a water tower). Rye Hill also has Ten 17 on 101.7FM.

Presenters

BBC Essex presenters, sorted alphabetically

Previous presenters

Programmes

Weekdays

An hour-long regional programme with Wally Webb airs at 4am on all BBC Local Radio stations in the East of England before BBC Essex opens transmission with The Dawn Breaker at 5am, followed by The Ray Clark Breakfast Show from 6am. After a campaign by listeners, music was recently been reinstated to the station's breakfast show. The rest of the daytime line-up includes Dave Monk from 9am-12pm, Etholle George from 12-2pm, Steve Scruton from 2-4pm and Drivetime from 4-7pm. The station simulcasts regional evening and late night shows with Sue Marchant (Monday - Thursday, 7-10pm and Friday, 8-10pm), Nick Risby (Monday - Thursday, 10pm-1am) and Ern & Vern (Friday, 10pm-1am). On Fridays, further local output is broadcast in the form of the new music show, BBC Essex Introducing (7-8pm).

Saturdays

Ian Wyatt presents the Saturday breakfast show from 6-9am ahead of Essex Gardening from 9am-12pm. After the Sadie Nine show from 12-2pm, BBC Essex Sport airs from 2-6pm (during the football season). BBC Essex simulcasts regional evening & late night shows with Paul Barnes (6-9pm), Richard Spendlove (9-11pm) and Colin Berry (11pm-1am) alongside stations in the BBC East and BBC South East regions.

Replacement summer programming includes Summer Saturday and Summer Soul.

Sundays

Ian Wyatt presents the Sunday breakfast show from 6-9am, followed by The Essex Years from 9am-11am, Sadie on a Sunday from 11am-1pm and Essex Country from 1-3pm. Pirate BBC Essex airs from 3pm, ahead of Monster Memories between 4 and 6pm. Regional simulcast programming consists of The Naked Scientists (6-7pm) and Pirate Radio Skues (9-1am). Additional local output on Sundays airs with the Bridget Metcalfe show from 7-9pm.

Radio 5 simulcasts

BBC Essex simulcasts Radio 5 Live's Up All Night each night after closedown between 0100 & 0400 on weekdays and 0100 & 0500 on weekends. Five Live's early morning news programme Morning Reports is simulcast on Saturday and Sunday mornings between 0500 and 0600[11].

Pirate BBC Essex

From 10 to 17 April 2004, BBC Essex marked the fortieth anniversary of offshore radio in Britain by launching their own ship-based radio station, Pirate BBC Essex. Broadcasting from an old light vessel, the station transmitted sixties music and memories twenty-four hours a day all week. This was followed in August 2007 by another broadcast marking the anniversary of the closing of the pirate stations by the Marine Offences Act.

Over the Easter Weekend in April 2009, the popular Pirate Radio Essex programme was resurrected by popular demand from listeners[12], occurring 5 days after the release of the comedy movie The Boat that Rocked[12]. This was broadcast on the AM frequencies, as well as on the internet, which resulted in many calls from as far away as New Zealand. Presenters included Johnny Walker, Tony Blackburn, Dave Cash & Keith Skues as well as the stations presenters: Steve Scruton; Ian Wyatt & Ray Clark[13].

References

  1. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/local_radio/presenters/
  2. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/04/14/radio_norfolk_biog_stephen_bumfrey_feature.shtml
  3. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2005/10/27/peter_heatonjones_feature.shtml
  4. ^ http://radiotime.com/program/p_418/Alex_Lester.aspx
  5. ^ http://www.hrc.org.uk/flashback.php
  6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/presenters/paddy_oconnell.shtml
  7. ^ http://www.e3grouponline.com/entertainmentagency/book/speakersandpresenters/markpougatch
  8. ^ http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/essexradio.html
  9. ^ http://www.karatritton.co.uk/biogph.htm
  10. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/content/articles/2008/08/15/ray_blog_wk29_feature.shtml
  11. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/programmes/schedules
  12. ^ a b http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/content/articles/2009/02/20/pirate_bbc_essex_feature.shtml
  13. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/essex/local_radio/pirate_bbc_essex/pirate_presenters/index.shtml

Audio clips

Video clips

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