| Broadcast area | Norfolk |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.1 MHz FM (East Norfolk) 95.6 MHz FM (North Norfolk) 104.4 MHz FM (West Norfolk) 855 kHz AM (East Norfolk) 873 kHz AM (West Norfolk) DAB Digital Radio RDS: BBC NRFK |
| First air date | 11 September 1980 |
| Format | Mainly local news and talk |
| Language | English |
| Owner | BBC Local Radio, BBC East |
| Website | BBC Radio Norfolk |
BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Norfolk, broadcasting since 11 September 1980. It broadcasts from the studios of BBC East in The Forum, Norwich on 95.1 FM (Stoke Holy Cross), 104.4 FM (Great Massingham), 95.6 FM (West Runton, near Cromer), 855 kHz AM/MW (Postwick, east Norwich near the A47), 873 kHz AM/MW (West Lynn, near the A47 and River Great Ouse), DAB and through the internet using BBC iPlayer.
The station should not be confused with the fictional Radio Norwich in the television comedy series I'm Alan Partridge, or the commercial station 99.9 Radio Norwich.
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BBC Radio Norfolk was launched at 5:55 pm on 11 September 1980 – the first BBC local radio station to launch in East Anglia and the first station to be launched after a gap of several years in the corporation's local radio development programme, due to the Government's review of local radio (both BBC and independent services) in the late 1970s. Up until the station's opening, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a daily news magazine show, Roundabout East Anglia, on the local VHF frequencies for two hours each morning.
Radio Norfolk was one of the first BBC local stations to be based around a county, rather than a town or city; it was also the first to broadcast in stereo (though only to East Norfolk; the remainder of the county had to wait until 2005 for stereo broadcasts).
The station's first presenter on-air was John Mountford and the launch was broadcast live on the regional news programme, Look East. Originally, Radio Norfolk was based at a former carpet showroom in Norfolk Tower on Surrey Street, Norwich and was the first BBC local station to broadcast in stereo and to cover a whole county.
Due to the policy of launching only one local radio service at a time in a particular area, when it came to choosing whether Norfolk or Devon would receive a BBC or commercial station first, there was contention between the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) as to who would get which area. This was settled by the toss of a coin, with the BBC winning and choosing Norfolk. The IBA therefore got Devon, who appointed DevonAir Radio.[1]
The 95.1 FM signal covers the Norwich area, 104.4 FM covers the West and King's Lynn area, while 95.6 FM (which came on-air on 12 September 2005) serves north Norfolk. The Great Massingham transmission site also has the commercial radio station KL.FM 96.7, although they use separate towers. The Postwick transmission site also broadcasts Five Live on 693 AM/MW, talkSPORT and Absolute Radio. The Stoke Holy Cross transmission site also broadcasts Heart East Anglia on 102.4 FM, Kiss 105-108 East on 106.1 FM and 99.9 Radio Norwich. The 95.1 FM signal used to come from Tacolneston. The West Runton transmission tower also has a TV relay on it. Since 31 March 2003, DAB signals have come from the NOW Digital Norfolk 11B multiplex, with transmitters at Great Yarmouth, Oulton (Lowestoft in Suffolk), Stoke Holy Cross, Thetford, and West Runton. Heart East Anglia and The Beach are also on this multiplex. Of all the DAB transmitters, Stoke Holy Cross is the most powerful, at 1.1 kW.
Weekdays
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Friday variations
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Saturday
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Sunday
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