| Broadcast area | Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Slogan | The Music You Want, The News You Need Kent's Music Station |
| Frequency | 107.2 MHz RDS: KMFM_THN |
| First air date | 17 January 1998 |
| Format | Adult contemporary music |
| Audience share | 10%[1] (RAJAR Q1 2008, [1]) |
| Owner | KM Group |
| Website | www.kmfm.co.uk/thanet |
KMFM Thanet is an Independent Local Radio serving the Isle of Thanet and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is part of the KMFM group of radio stations in the county, which are part of the KM Group.
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KMFM Thanet began life as Thanet Local Radio (TLR 107.2), founded by Alan Mackay, Ken Wills and Pete Willson (now station manager at Academy FM (Thanet)), and launching in January 1998 from studios at Margate harbour. The launch was not without drama - four months prior, the Radio Authority gave the station the green light on the licence after some alleged internal legal wrangles between the company's directors.[2]
Pete Willson was the first voice on-air; the first song to be played was Take That's "Back For Good", with reggae star Pato Banton recording a special version of his duet with UB40, "Baby Come Back", for the station's launch. The station's line-up was largely unchanged for five years.
TLR was originally owned by a consortium of local investors, with local businessman Ken Wills being the majority shareholder. The KM Group took control of TLR in 1999, and subsequently bought out the other investors in March 2003; rebranding the station to KMFM Thanet[3] and relocating it to their own premises in Cliftonville. It was the first station to be fully owned by the KM Group.[2]
The licence was readvertised in September 2008,[4] with the KM Group reawarded it.
Like the rest of the KMFM network, the station was relaunched in September 2010 with new jingles, schedule changes and more emphasis on music.
The station currently broadcasts locally from Cliftonville during weekday breakfast. All other output is networked across the KMFM network.
Until 2007 KMFM Thanet produced its own programmes during daytimes, before it joined up with KMFM Canterbury to network all programmes other than breakfast. The stations joined together with KMFM Ashford and KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country to create an East Kent network in April 2009,[5] before all programmes apart from weekday/Saturday breakfast and Sunday afternoons were networked across all KMFM stations in September 2009.[6] In July 2010, Saturday breakfast and Sunday afternoons became networked.
News bulletins come from the KMFM News Centre during peak times, on the hour and every half-hour between 7am - 9am and 4pm - 6pm. Traffic and travel updates are broadcast just before the hour, and every 15 minutes between 7am - 9am and 4pm - 7pm.
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