Radio Essex
Radio Essex is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Essex, England via DAB and Mid and South Essex via FM, from studios in The Icon Building on Southend Seafront, owned by the Adventure Radio Group.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Essex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | FM: 105.1 MHz (Southend-on-Sea) 107.7 MHz (Chelmsford) DAB: 12D RDS: Radio_SX |
| Slogan | The Hit Music Station |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Contemporary Hit Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Adventure Radio |
| History | |
First air date | 23 March 2015 |
| Links | |
| Website | Radio Essex |
History
The station until 2015, two separate stations with separate names.
107.7 FM began broadcasting as Chelmer FM in 1998, under the ownership of Mid Essex Radio Ltd. The station was re-branded twice, first in 2002 by the Tindle Radio Group as Dream 107.7 (in line with Dream 100, also owned by Tindle Radio), then again in 2009 by Adventure Radio as Chelmsford Radio.
105.1 FM was launched in 2008 as Southend Radio. The station was awarded its licence to broadcast in October 2005, beating three rival bids.[1]
The two radio stations shared programming from 2009 before finally sharing programming 24/7 the next year. On 6 June 2013 the stations launched on DAB under the singular service Radio Essex. The local Essex DAB mux transmission area is far greater than the two stations' TSAs put together and Includes the towns of Colchester and Harlow, where FM transmission cannot reach.
On 23 March 2015 all 3 stations were relaunched as one service using the name Radio Essex.
Programming
All programming on Radio Essex is broadcast from its studios in The Icon Building on Southend Seafront, which also at times provides programming for other stations owned by Adventure Radio.
The station broadcasts local news bulletins from 6am to 7pm Weekdays and between 8am and 11am at Weekends.
Travel News is broadcast between 6am and 7pm on weekdays and provided live at key times from the Essex Traffic Control Centre at County Hall in Chelmsford. There are also travel bulletins at the weekend.
Radio Essex has a hit music policy, tailored to its audience.
Technical
Radio Essex broadcasts to Southend-on-Sea on 105.1 MHz from a transmitter located at the top of Maitland House in Southend High Street.
In Chelmsford and Mid Essex, Radio Essex can be received on 107.7 MHz. This is broadcast from a mobile phone mast at Church Green in the village Danbury.
Analogue (FM)
| Transmitter Site | Frequency | Power | RDS Name | PI Code | Area | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maitland House | 105.1 MHz | 500W | Radio_SX | C3A6 | Southend-on-Sea, Rochford, Rayleigh, & Canvey Island | Essex |
| Danbury (Church Green) | 107.7 MHz | 390W | Radio_SX | C3A6 | Chelmsford, Maldon, & South Woodham Ferrers | Essex |
Digital (DAB)
| Multiplex Name | Bitrate | Short Label | Long Label | SID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOW Essex | 112kbit/s | RadEssex | Radio Essex | C3D0 |
References
- "Licence for Southend Radio Station". Sarfend.co.uk. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2020.