Jack FM (United Kingdom)
JACKfm is an adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and on DAB in Oxfordshire. Between 2016 and 2017 it also broadcast in Surrey and parts of Hampshire. The station shares premises in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, with its sister stations JACK 2 and Jack 3, as well as its national DAB stations Union JACK, Union JACK Rock and Union JACK Dance.
Broadcast area | Oxfordshire, United Kingdom |
---|---|
Frequency | 106.4, 106.8 MHz & DAB |
Slogan | Playing What We Want |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Adult Hits |
Ownership | |
Owner | Jack Media Oxfordshire Ltd |
JACK 2 JACK 3 Union JACK Union JACK Rock Union JACK Dance | |
History | |
First air date | 18 October 2007 |
Links | |
Website | www www |
Information
The station is owned by Jack Media Oxfordshire Ltd. The radio station is the most awarded Local Radio Station in the United Kingdom, having secured 23 industry award wins in just 5 years on air . The breadth of awards won by the station range from Imaging right through to news, programming and the most coveted Station of the Year awards.
Based on an American model, JACKfm runs with a strapline of "Playing What We Want" and mostly has no DJs across daytimes (and even nighttimes). The music is played out on an automated system interspersed with witty soundbites voiced by former Blake's 7 actor Paul Darrow, referred to on the station only as The Voice of JACK.[1] Following Darrow's death in June 2019, Oxford born Jim Rosenthal has been introduced as an additional voice to commentate on current affairs while Darrow's more generic announcements continue to be used.
In 2010, JACKfm became the first radio station in the United Kingdom (except for Forces Radio BFBS) to broadcast live from Afghanistan for a week-long series of breakfast broadcasts in conjunction with the M.O.D from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. The station returned to Bastion and Kandahar again in 2012 for another series of broadcasts and Father's Day special.
The only live show on the station is JACK's Morning Glory, hosted by Trevor Marshall and Rich Smith. Past shows include The Sunday Roast and The Big Banana, a live sports show centred on live commentary from Oxford United matches. It was hosted by the station's sports guru Andrew 'Selfy' Self who also commentated live along with Andy Roberts with punditry and opinion from Kev Jordan.[2]
The radio station runs live local news every hour from 6am till 7pm weekdays (every half-hour from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm), and from 9am till 1pm on weekends with live traffic reports from 6am till 7pm.[3]
Awards for Jack FM
- 2016 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Gold Presenter of the Year (under 2m TSA) (Trevor and Caroline) Winner Gold Station Imaging Winner Bronze Unsung hero
- 2015 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Gold Presenter of the Year (under 2M TSA) (Trevor and Caroline) Winner Silver Breakfast show of the year (under 2m TSA)
- 2014: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Specialist Programme of the Year - The Sunday Roast with Caroline
- 2013: New York Radio Festival Awards
Silver JACK in Afghanistan The Return
- 2013: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards[4]
Finalist Caroline Verdon News Journalist
- 2013: Sony Radio Academy Awards
Finalist Station of the Year
- 2012: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Station Imaging Winner Station of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Winner Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Finalist Breakfast Show of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA
- 2012: Sony Radio Academy Awards
Winner Gold 2 Strangers and a Wedding Best Competition Winner Bronze News Journalist of The Year Winner Bronze The Sunday Roast Best News and Current Affairs Programme Finalist Best Station Imaging
- 2012: IRN News Awards
Winner Newcomer of the year Jessica Parker Finalist Best Newsteam/Newsroom <750,000
- 2011: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Station of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Winner Social Action Initiative of the Year JACK in Afghanistan Winner Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Finalist Feature(s) of the Year JACK in Afghanistan Finalist Station Imaging
- 2011: Oxfordshire Business Awards
Winner Bottle PR Social Media Award
- 2011: New York Radio Festival Awards
Winner Gold Jack in Afghanistan Social Issues / Current Events
- 2011: Sony Radio Academy Awards
Finalist Breakfast Show of the Year Finalist Community Programming JACK in Afghanistan Finalist Programmer Award Ian Walker
- 2010: New York Radio Festival Awards
Winner Silver Social Issues/Current Events Ali’s Cancer Diaries
- 2010: Sony Awards
Winner Gold Station Imaging Winner Silver Best Community Programming Ali’s Cancer Diaries Finalist Station of the Year
- 2010: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Best Special Programme Ali’s Cancer Diaries Winner Best Imaging Finalist Station of the Year Finalist Best Promotional / Advertising Campaign Save JACK Finalist Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year
- 2009: Promotions And Marketing Awards
Finalist Best Imaging
- 2009: New York Radio Festival Awards
Winner Bronze Best Comedy Special Around the World in 80 Phone Calls
- 2009: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Best Station Sound
- 2009: Sony Awards
Silver Best Station Imaging Bronze Best Themed Programming Afghanistan Oxfordshire's Forgotten Army Best News Journalist of the Year JACKfm Newsteam
- 2008: Sony Awards
Winner - Silver Best Station Imaging
Ali Booker
In 2009, JACKfm News presenter Ali Booker, who previously worked for BBC Radio Oxford, began documenting her life with cancer via audio diaries which were broadcast on Jack FM.[5] In May 2010 Ali was awarded the Silver Sony award. A few weeks later the diaries also won Ali commercial radio’s top award – a Radio Academy Gold Arqiva. Ali's diaries were featured in The Sunday Times on 27.6.2010 and The Independent on 1.7.2010. MP Ed Vaizey also paid tribute to Ali in the House of Commons. Ali died on July 1, 2010 from breast cancer.[6]
Sister Stations
Jack FM has developed a number of sister stations.
- Jack 2, branded as Jack 2 Hits, was launched in 2013 and was previously known under a variety of names since its original launch in 1997. It broadcasts on DAB in Oxfordshire and previously on DAB in Surrey and Hampshire.
- Jack 3, branded as Jack 3 & Chill, is an easy listening station which launched on DAB in Oxfordshire in May 2017. A national variant launched on DAB+ on the Sound Digital multiplex in April 2018[7] and was replaced by JACK Radio in October. The national and Oxford versions of JACK 3 were two separate streams, and the Oxfordshire version remains available. In April 2020 it replaced Jack 2 on 107.9 MHz in Oxfordshire following a request to Ofcom.[8]
- Union JACK is a national station, broadcasting on DAB+ on the Sound Digital multiplex, playing music from British artists. It launched on 9 September 2016.[9] Union JACK is a music-heavy station with British-only songs and artists completely chosen by listeners in a JACK 2-like format and interspersed with classic and commissioned comedy clips, mainly impressions done by Josh Berry.[10] The station also features a weekly programme dedicated to new music titled 'Underdogs', presented by 'Lucy Leeds'.[11] The station, along with Jack 3 and Union Jack, features voiceovers from Paul Darrow and Jim Rosenthal.[12] In December 2020, two spin-off stations were launched to complement the station, Union JACK Rock, playing only British rock tracks, and Union JACK Dance, playing only British Dance and Upbeat tracks
Former stations
- JACK Radio ran from 23 October 2018 until 10 December 2020 on the Sound Digital national multiplex, taking the place of the national version of JACK 3. JACK Radio played music performed by female and female-fronted acts, including classic and contemporary hits, and female artists' covers of tracks originally recorded by male performers.[13]
See also
References
- http://jackfmoxfordshire.co.uk/content/jack-voice Jack's Voice
- http://jackfmoxfordshire.co.uk/content/jacks-big-banana Jack's Big Banana
- www.jackfm.co.uk/oxfordshire/info/public-file Jack FM's Public File
- http://commercialradioawards.org/archive.html
- http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/archive/2010/06/21/8229757.Radio_diary_wins_award/ Radio diary wins award
- http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/archive/2010/07/01/8249965.DJ_Ali_Booker_loses_cancer_battle/ Oxford Mail
- Jack 3 added to Sound Digital multiplex
- New Union Jack National Station will play the best of British rock
- The Man Behind the Voices
- Underdogs
- Absolute Radio founders launch DJ-less national station
- "JACK launches new female-orientated station", a516digital
External links
- JACK fm (Oxfordshire)
- JACK 2 Hits (Oxfordshire)
- JACK 3 & Chill (Oxfordshire)
- Official website of Union JACK
- Transmitter information