The Revolution (radio station)

96.2 The Revolution
Broadcast area Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside and Manchester
Slogan All Your Favourite Songs/Independent and Proud
Frequency 96.2 MHz
First air date August 30 1999
Format Adult Contemporary
Owner Steve Penk

The Revolution is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the areas of Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside in Greater Manchester, England.

Contents

History

The radio station was previously owned by the Oldham Evening Chronicle and UKRD (both were 50% shareholders), and takes its name from the Industrial Revolution, in which the region took a major role, and the initial letters of its three main target areas – Revolution.

When bidding for a full time broadcasting licence in the mid 90s, the station would broadcast temporarily for one month per year under the name Oldham FM. When the station was granted the full time licence, it was launched with the new name 96.2 The Revolution and went live on 30 August 1999.

The station initially launched with a general pop and rock format and remained as such from 1999–2005, being recognised as one of the fastest growing radio stations in the North West of England in radio history.

In 2005, the station changed to a more specialist music format. Playing a wide variety of alternative/soul & rock and roll music, mixing brand new artists with gems from the last 40 years. Inspiral Carpets keyboard player Clint Boon took over as head of music. Boon left the station after a short period of time for its then rival, Xfm Manchester.

Sadly, in 2008 the station's audience went into decline due to several factors and the business was put on the market. The station's format was changed by its then owner, who physically changed the music policy during one afternoon in late August of that year. Now the output was a repeat of mainly repetitive mainstream hits. This radical change lead to a walk-out by most of the DJ's, and not long after, the station played back to back music with only a few mainly pre-recorded links in between. This was to remain the situation for a short time.

A fortnight after the walk-out, it was announced that The Revolution had been purchased by broadcaster Steve Penk, formerly of Key 103 and Capital FM. The format was soon changed back to an Adult Contemporary sound, with a broader sound than most of it's kind. As well as playing a selection of current chart hits and new artists, some of the station’s key artists today include Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Chic, to name but a few.

To date, the release of radio audience figures from RAJAR show the station is on a steady climb, entertaining a wider audience.

Present day

The station broadcasts on 96.2FM and online via www.therevolution962.com

The signal comes from the Civic Centre, and extensive broadcast can be heard throughout Tameside, Rochdale, Manchester and Oldham.

Current Presenters

Past Presenters (under current owner)

External links