BBC Radio Tees
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2010) |
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| Broadcast area | Northern North Yorkshire and south-east County Durham |
|---|---|
| Frequency | FM: 95.0 MHz (Nunthorpe) FM: 95.8 MHz (Whitby) FM: 104.0 MHz (Darlington) DAB: 11B Freeview: 722 |
| RDS | BBC Tees |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Local news, talk and music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | BBC Local Radio, BBC North East and Cumbria |
| History | |
First air date | 31 December 1970 |
Former names | BBC Radio Teesside (1970–1974) BBC Radio Cleveland (1974-2007) BBC Tees (2007–2020) |
Former frequencies | 96.6 FM |
| Links | |
| Website | Website |
BBC Radio Tees is the BBC's local radio station serving the former county of Cleveland which comprises the unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees.
It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Newport Road in Middlesbrough.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 97,000 listeners and a 2.7% share as of March 2023.[1]
History
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BBC Radio Teesside
The station was originally launched as Radio Teesside at 6pm on 31 December 1970 with a local news programme entitled Teesside Tonight, presented by George Lambelle.
BBC Radio Cleveland
On 1 April 1974, the station became known as Radio Cleveland when the county of Cleveland was formed. The station moved to new studios in 1983. On 1 April 1996, the county of Cleveland was abolished and the boroughs of Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Redcar and Cleveland were returned to County Durham and North Yorkshire. These four boroughs, along with nearby Darlington, now form the governmental sub-region of Tees Valley. Also included in the main coverage area is the Army's main garrison at Catterick Garrison, which is also included in the transmission area of Radio York on 104.3 FM.
BBC Tees
On Saturday 11 August 2007, the station was renamed BBC Tees. The BBC Tees brand was already associated with its "Where I Live" website and "BBC Bus", which have both since been discontinued.
BBC Radio Tees
On 27 January 2020, the station was renamed BBC Radio Tees. The addition of "radio" to the names of most BBC local radio stations was to avoid confusion with its similarly named TV news regions.
Technical
Before moving to Eston Nab, the signal on 95 FM originally was relatively strong and originated from the 900-foot Bilsdale transmitter on the North York Moors. A relay transmitter covering the town of Whitby broadcasts on 95.8 FM.
The DAB signals come from the Bauer 11B multiplex at Eston Nab (near the A174 road) and Brusselton (near Shildon between the A68 and A6072).
On 10 August 2021, FM transmission was knocked off air indefinitely following a fire at the Bilsdale site. It is feared that the structural integrity of the transmitter mast may have been compromised.[2] As at 11 August 2021, the 95 FM service is available again, using the Eston Nab transmitter, but it does not reach all areas of the station's transmission area.[3] A temporary transmitter on 104.0 FM has also been instated for Darlington and the surrounding areas.[4]
The station also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 722 and streams online via BBC Sounds.
The station was also broadcast on medium wave until 1992.
Programming
Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Middlesbrough studios from 6am to 10pm each day.
The late show, airing from 10pm to 1am, originates from BBC Radio Newcastle every night.
During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Tees simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London.
Notable past presenters
References
- ^ "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Bilsdale transmitter fire: TV and radio for 1m off air indefinitely". BBC News. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ^ @BBCTees (11 August 2021). "Arqiva has installed a temporary..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Problems with television and radio services in North Yorkshire and Teesside". BBC News. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.