Broadcast area | Hastings & Bexhill |
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Slogan | Hastings' feel good station |
Frequency | 107.8 MHz |
First air date | 10 April 1998 |
Format | Adult Contemporary |
ERP | 100w |
Class | omni polarisation |
Owner | Media Sound Holdings |
Sister stations | Bright FM, Sovereign FM and Splash FM |
Website | arrowfm.co.uk |
Arrow FM is a United Kingdom radio station, based in Hastings, East Sussex, and operated by Media Sound Holdings Ltd. The station plays a selection of hit songs from the last forty years, and offers regular updates on local news, sport, travel and events. The station also works with a number of local charities and organisations, and can regularly be seen broadcasting from events in their transmission area.
The station serves the towns of Hastings, Bexhill, Battle - plus the many surrounding villages.
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The history of the station dates back to 1992 when two local radio entrepreneurs, Mark Briggs and Matthew Wheeler, conducted several highly successful pilot broadcasts in Hastings (HLR) using Restricted Service Licences, as well as two in Eastbourne 'ELR' and 'Sovereign' which broadcast from the bridge of the "Earl OF Zetland" a floating restaurant at Sovereign Harbour. A third trial broadcast to Hastings "Splash FM" took place in June 1993; the licence holder was local DJ Terry James and the station manager was Terry Kane.
The group disbanded a year before the Radio Authority advertised a licence for one or more services in East Sussex, leaving well respected local businessman Bill Uttley-Moore CBE to assemble a consortium of local investors and existing radio operators.
His company, Conqueror Broadcasting Ltd, was awarded the licence for Hastings in the summer of 1997. Founder Mark Briggs joined as Managing Director and successfully launched the station on Good Friday, April 10, 1998.
By 2000 the station became part of a larger radio company, Radio Investments Ltd, which also had interests in nearby stations. This group went on to become The Local Radio Company which then sold Arrow FM along with sister station Sovereign FM to Media Sound Holdings in 2009.
The station is now branded as a "feel good" station, like the other three stations owned by Media Sound Holdings
In November 2010, Ofcom approved Media Sound Holdings's application to share all programmes across their four stations Arrow FM, Bright FM, Sovereign FM and Splash FM, given that the stations "already share all programming outside of breakfast, so these changes will not substantially alter the character of the service."[1]
PAST PRESENTERS
Some of the presenters who were with Arrow FM in the early days of launch included Mike Buxton (news and mid-morning), Peter Quinn (Breakfast), Clive Garrard (Breakfast), Tony Pankhurst(Saturday Sport and Sunday Night Live), Gavin Lawrence (news and features), Bob James (mornings), Rob Wilson, Leon Jackson (Afternoons).
On 11 January 2011, breakfast show host Chris Copsey died suddenly. It is believed he collapsed in a Sainsbury's store, just hours after presenting his breakfast show.
Chris (also known as Coppo) had been on the airwaves across Sussex for over 25 years. He was a former presenter for the breakfast show on Southern Sound, soon to become Southern FM.[2]
In 2009, shortly after the Heart brand took over Southern FM, Chris moved to Media Sound Holdings to present the mid-morning show and revive his 'Retro Show' on Sunday afternoons. He moved to do the breakfast show shortly after that. As well as Arrow FM, Chris could also be heard on the other three stations owned by Media Sound Holdings.[3]
Chris leaves behind his wife Yvonne and two children.[4]
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