| Broadcast area | East Devon, Exeter and Torbay |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.0/96.4/103 FM and 666/954 AM |
| First air date | 7th November 1980 |
| Website | N/A |
DevonAir Radio was the independent local radio station serving East Devon, Exeter and Torbay.[1]
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On 27th March 1978, the Independent Broadcasting Authority invited applicants for the Exeter/Torbay local radio licenece. The three applicants were Bay City Radio, Exeter, Radio Haldon Limited, Torquay and Riviera Radio, Paignton.
The winning bid was Radio Haldon Limited 16th June 1979.[2] The name was changed to DevonAir Radio Limited on 4th October 1979.[3]
On 7th November 1980, DevonAir began broadcasting across Exeter and mid-Devon from its studios in St Davids Hill Exeter.[4] Presenter Bob Kingsley opened the day's broadcasting with the song 'Here comes The Sun' by The Beatles.
On 12th December 1980, Devonair opened its Harbour Point Studios in Torquay above a former ballroom and nightclub making DevonAir the UK's first twin radio station, hence the on air name of "Double DevonAir".[5]
In 1987, the station was acquired by London based Capital Radio.
In 1989, The Home Office approved a new relay transmitter on Stockland Hill, allowing DevonAir's signal to be heard in East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset. This new transmissions commenced on 103 FM on 4 July 1989.[6]
In 1991, the Bristol based GWR Group bought a stake in DevonAir meaning it was now part-owned by two large groups.
The Station was relaunched on 9th November 1992 as the New DevonAir FM with the slogan - "Devon's Better Music Station". It was at this point that a number of presnters left due to the notable change in the direction of the station.
DevonAir's licence was up for renewal in 1993 and Gemini Radio, Bay City Radio and Wild West Radio all bid for the licence. In an unprecedented move, The Radio Authority asked for more time to make its decision. A shortlist of Gemini and DevonAir was named and in November 1993 a decision was finally made.
The new licence, which would start from 1st January 1995, was eventually awarded to Gemini Radio owned by Orchard Media. The main difference between the two bids was that Gemini Radio proposed to broadcast a separate output on its medium wave frequencies to its FM frequencies, whilst Devonair proposed to continue with its simultaneous output which it claimed was the reason behind its 80,000 listeners.
Paul Saunders presented DevonAir's final show which started at 12pm on 31st December 1994 and was an hour look back at the station's history. The programme featured some of the current presenters including Kevin Kane and Chris Dinnis and lots of nostalgia, old jingles and memories from listeners. The final song was "The Sun Ain't Going To Shine Anymore" by The Walker Brothers and was very fitting considering the first song "Here Comes The Sun" by the Beatles and at 1:00 p.m the station went off air.[7]
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