| Broadcast area | Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch |
|---|---|
| Slogan | The Most Hit Music |
| Frequency | 107.6 FM DAB Now South Hampshire 11C Now Bournemouth 11B |
| First air date | 26 June 1999 |
| Format | CHR |
| Audience share | 5.1% (Q2 2011, [1]) |
| Owner | The Triple Broadcast Co Ltd |
| Website | Fire Radio |
Fire Radio is a United Kingdom radio station based in Bournemouth, Dorset. The station was launched on 26 June 1999 by founding Directors James Bromley and David Harber as The NRG FM 107.6, but changed name a year later following a dispute with French radio station NRJ. The station is now part of The Triple Broadcast Co Ltd.
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The NRG (Nerve Radio Group) was born out of the Bournemouth student station Nerve* Radio. The launch team included David and Emily at Breakfast, Max Hailey, James "Lloydie" Lloyd and Dan Lodge on the schedule. A range of specialist DJs were included in the schedule, such as Jay Ratchett, Ross EB, Jon Langford, Michael Artwell and Jez Welham. Specialist programmes also included Club Versive hosted by Boy George, and the Ministry Of Sound Dance Party.
French broadcaster NRJ challenged "The NRG" over the use of the name as the pronunciation was the same.[1] In discussion with the station's solicitors (Stephens Innocent) the station management agreed that although there was a "chance" that the Bournemouth station could win the challenge - and even if not, they could go to Appeal and "almost certainly" win - the costs involved in challenging one of Europe's biggest radio brands would be too high for a small station on the South Coast of the UK. Despite the notion of 'borrowing station names', Managing Director David Harber renamed the station "The Fire" after a Chicago based station "WFYR" which had been 'off-air' for a number of years. The station changed name on Bonfire Night, 2000.
The station moved from the original studios in the Quadrant Shopping Centre, Bournemouth to purpose-built studios at the The Picture House on Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth in June 2007.
The station was sold by its original founders in October 2001 to Radio Investments Limited, which later became known as The Local Radio Company.
The Local Radio Company then sold Fire 107.6 to Westward Broadcasting in June 2009. Westward Broadcasting Limited, and are a wholly owned subsidiary of Triple Media Communications Group and this becomes their first analogue radio purchase.[2]
At time of sale the station announced plans to expand onto DAB. Fire Radio joined DAB in June 2010, and is due to report a new RAJAR ratings survey from Q4 2011 for the South coast area covered by DAB.
Some Fire Radio presenters such as Dave Taylor and Niall Moloney appear on shows for sister station Nova Radio based in Weston-super-Mare this is due to the same ownership. No programming is networked between the radio group stations.