BBC Radio Merseyside

BBC Radio Merseyside
City of license Liverpool
Broadcast area Merseyside and north western Cheshire
Frequency 95.8 MHz, 1485 kHz, DAB
First air date 22 November 1967
Format Local news, sport, talk and music
Language(s) English
Audience share 20% (July 2014, )
Owner BBC Local Radio,
BBC North West
Website BBC Radio Merseyside

BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC Local Radio service for the English metropolitan county of Merseyside, and Halton in north Cheshire. It was the third BBC local radio station, launching on 22 November 1967, initially serving the south west of historic Lancashire. According to RAJAR the station has a listenership figure of 339,000 which represents a reach audience of 20%, implying that one in five persons in Merseyside listens to the station.[1]

Technical

BBC Radio Merseyside studios on Hanover Street, Liverpool.

BBC Radio Merseyside broadcasts from its studios in Hanover St, Liverpool on 95.8 MHz (Allerton Park), 1485 kHz (Wallasey) and DAB.

The Allerton Park transmitter also transmits Radio City on 96.7 MHz. Both have the same coverage. DAB signals come from the EMAP Digital EMAP Liverpool 11B multiplex] from Billinge Hill (between St Helens and Wigan), Hope Mountain (between Buckley and Wrexham) and Radio City Tower (on top of Radio City's studios).

On 15 July 2006, BBC Radio Merseyside moved from its former home in Paradise Street, Liverpool, to a new purpose-built studio building on the corner of Hanover Street and College Lane in Liverpool. This building has three ground-floor studios next to a public performance space. An open learning centre is on the first floor and the main office is on the second floor. It's the third building Radio Merseyside has occupied since it was launched in 1967 from studios on the sixth floor of a council-owned building, Commerce House, in Sir Thomas Street. The station moved to Paradise Street in 1981.

In October 2006, the studio building was nominated and made the Building Design shortlist for the inaugural Carbuncle Cup, which was ultimately awarded to Drake Circus Shopping Centre in Plymouth.[2]

Notable presenters

Sports presenters

Other

Station jingles, trailers and promos are voiced by former North West Tonight presenter John Mundy.

Former presenters

Controversy

During a breakfast show on 25 June 2007, presenter Simon O'Brien accidentally broadcast an unedited interview in which he said, "fuck the government, fuck the planners". O'Brien resigned from the station later in the day. He later went onto present a short-lived Saturday breakfast show on talk radio station City Talk 105.9 in Liverpool. City Talk later used the now infamous phrase that led to his resignation as part of their launch marketing for the station.

References

External links

Coordinates: 53°23′57″N 2°59′32″W / 53.399097°N 2.992277°W