BBC Radio Kent

BBC Radio Kent

City	Royal Tunbridge Wells
Broadcast area	Kent
Slogan	Its All Here
Frequency	96.7 FM, 97.6 FM, 104.2 FM, 774 MW, 1602 MW, DAB, Freeview 719
First air date	18 December 1970
Format	Local news, talk and music
Language(s)	English
Audience share	8.5% (March 2011, )
Owner	BBC Local Radio, BBC South East
Website	BBC Radio Kent

BBC Radio Kent is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Kent and parts of southeast London.

It broadcasts on FM on 96.7 (West Kent, Wrotham transmitter), 97.6 (Folkestone area) and 104.2 (East Kent, Swingate transmitter) also 774 (Littlebourne) and 1602 (Rusthall) MW and DAB.

History

The radio station was launched in 1970 under the name of BBC Radio Medway, originally only serving the Medway Towns. It broadcast from studios at 30 High Street in Chatham, a former newspaper office which was subsequently named Media House.

The station gained its current name when operations expanded to Kent on 2 July 1983 as part of the BBC's policy of operating countywide stations. Radio Medway was closed down by long serving staff member Rod Lucas, who was also the first voice to be heard on the new BBC Radio Kent.

In July 1986, the studios moved to the nearby Sun Pier, from where it broadcast in stereo for the first time.

In 2001, the station moved to The Great Hall in Royal Tunbridge Wells, to combine with new television studios for the BBC South East region covering Kent and Sussex. From here BBC Radio Kent operates a total of four studios - two for programmes, one for news bulletins, and one network contributions area.

BBC Radio Kent also operates a studio and office in The Wendy House (a building close to the original Sun Pier site in Chatham), and small contributions studios in Dover and Canterbury.

BBC Radio Kent averages around 200,000 listeners a week, and is regularly the most popular local radio station in Kent, with its Breakfast and Drive programmes among the most popular.

Programming

The majority of the station's programming is produced and broadcast from Tunbridge Wells. During off-peak hours, BBC Radio Kent also carries regional programming for the South, South East and East regions, including some of its own weekend output. As with all BBC Local Radio stations, it also airs the networked weekday evening shows, originating from BBC Radio Leeds and produced independently by Wire Free Productions. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Kent simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live overnight.

The station's local presenters include Julia George, Dominic King and James Whale.

Notable former presenters

Rod Lucas 1971-1985
Jimmy Mack 1970-83
Don Durbridge (1983–1992)
Mo Dutta (1991–1994)
Adrian John (1990–92)
Barbara Sturgeon (1983–2004)
Dave Cash (1999-2016)

External links

Royal Tunbridge Wells

Locations within Tunbridge Wells	Hawkenbury High Brooms Langton Green Rusthall The Pantiles

Buildings	High Brooms station High Rocks halt Holy Trinity Church Hungershall Forge Kent and Sussex Hospital King Charles the Martyr Church Royal Victoria Place St. Mark's Church St. Paul's Church Standings Mill The Opera House Tunbridge Wells station Tunbridge Wells West station

Businesses	BBC South East Freight Transport Association Kent and Sussex Courier Subbuteo

People	List of people from Royal Tunbridge Wells Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells

Political	Tunbridge Wells constituency (since 1974) Tunbridge Wells borough (since 1974) Local elections

Schools and colleges	Bennett Memorial Skinners' St. Gregory's Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School K College

Sport, leisure and the arts	Assembly Hall Theatre BBC Radio Kent Dunorlan Park High Rocks Ice Melters Curling Club KMFM West Kent Linden Park Cricket Club Nevill Ground South East Today Spa Valley Railway Trinity Theatre Tunbridge ware Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club Tunbridge Wells Football club Tunbridge Wells Forum Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon Tunbridge Wells Rugby club

Twin towns	Wiesbaden

Italics denote places in East Sussex included as they are generally considered part of Tunbridge Wells.

BBC Local Radio

East	BBC Essex Radio Cambridgeshire Radio Norfolk Radio Northampton Radio Suffolk Three Counties Radio

East Midlands	Radio Derby Radio Leicester Radio Nottingham

East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire	Radio Humberside Radio Lincolnshire

North West	Radio Lancashire Radio Manchester Radio Merseyside

North East and Cumbria	BBC Tees BBC Newcastle Radio Cumbria

South East	Radio Kent BBC Surrey BBC Sussex

South	Radio Berkshire Radio Oxford Radio Solent

London	Radio London

South West and the Channel Islands	Radio Cornwall Radio Devon Radio Guernsey Radio Jersey

West	Radio Bristol Radio Gloucestershire BBC Somerset BBC Wiltshire

West Midlands	BBC WM BBC Coventry & Warwickshire BBC Hereford and Worcester Radio Shropshire Radio Stoke

Yorkshire	Radio Leeds Radio Sheffield Radio York

Former stations	Dorset FM Radio Durham Southern Counties Radio Thames Valley FM

Radio stations in Greater London

LW AM stations	198

MW AM stations	558 720 909 963 972 1035 1089 1152 1215 1305 1332 1413 1458 1548 1584

FM stations	88.8 89.1 89.6 91.0 91.3 91.8 93.2 93.5 94.0 94.9 95.8 96.9 97.3 98.5 98.8 100.0 100.6 100.9 102.2 103.3 104.4 104.9 105.4 105.8 106.2 106.8 107.1 107.3 107.8

DAB multiplexes	Greater London I (CE London) Greater London II (Switch London) Greater London III (DRG London)

Defunct stations	648 MW

United Kingdom radio markets Aberdeen Glasgow London Liverpool Manchester Northern Ireland South West England West Midlands West Yorkshire Worcester See also: List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

Coordinates: 51°07′49″N 0°15′49″E / 51.130235°N 0.263537°E / 51.130235; 0.263537

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