Kmfm

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**kmfm**

Broadcast area	Canterbury (was CTFM 106); Dover & Folkestone Shepway & White Cliffs Country(was Neptune Radio) ; Medway Towns (was Medway FM then Medway's Mercury FM) ; Thanet (was TLR); Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks (Was KFM, then West Kent's Mercury) Ashford (was Lark FM)
First air date	September 21, 1997, September 29, 1997, September 1, 1997, January 17, 1998, July 8, 1995
Format	Contemporary
Owner	KM Radio

kmfm is the name of six Independent Local Radio stations and one digital station (on the Kent Digital Multiplex) owned by KM Radio Ltd, each broadcasting locally to a region of Kent. Although similarly branded, they are officially six separate licenses, named

kmfm for Canterbury,
kmfm for Shepway & White Cliffs Country (broadcasting to Dover & Folkestone),
kmfm for Medway,
kmfm for Thanet,
kmfm for West Kent,
kmfm for Ashford,
kmfm Digital broadcast area: Kent,

with offices in Canterbury, Folkestone, Dover, Rochester, Margate, Tonbridge and Ashford respectively.

Each station has different launch dates. The West Kent licence was originally KFM and launched in 1995. Later owned by DMG, it was bought by GWR and named West Kent's Mercury. In 2002 the Kent Messenger bought it, renaming it kmfm for West Kent.

The Canterbury licence launched on the 21 September 1997 as CTFM and was renamed kmfm 106 in January 2003 and later renamed kmfm for Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay.

kmfm Thanet launched in January 1998 as Thanet Local Radio. This station was originally owned by Kent Messenger and in March 2003 was renamed kmfm for Thanet.

kmfm Folkestone & Dover is now known as kmfm for Shepway and White Cliffs Country, echoing the service Neptune Radio once provided, which was the forerunner for this station broadcast from Church Street, Dover from 29 September 1997. In March 2003 it was renamed kmfm Folkestone, Dover, Sandwich & Deal. In January 2003 the station moved to Sandgate Road, Folkestone.

kmfm Medway launched in 1997, originally as Medway FM and was later owned by GWR as Medway's Mercury FM. The station was bought by the Kent Messenger in 2002 and renamed kmfm for Medway.

kmfm's sixth station, kmfm for Ashford, launched on the 3rd October 2005. Broadcasting from East Street, Ashford, serving the district surrounding Ashford and Tenterden on 107.6FM. Its trial station was known as Lark FM, standing for Local Ashford Radio Kent.

KM Radio Ltd also owns kmfm a digital station on the Now Kent multiplex and in November 2006 bought CTR FM Maidstone in which they previously owned a stake.

kmfm presenters include Richard Adams, Johnny Lewis, Nigel Harris, Bob Mower, Neil Faraday, Rik Scott, Tony Dibbin, Russ Lowe, Tim Stewart, Emma Leigh, Vanessa Elms, James Dean and Oli Kemp. Past presenters include Paul Deacon.