Radio Aire

Radio Aire
Broadcast area Leeds
West Yorkshire
Slogan Your Music, Your Life
Frequency FM: 96.3 MHz
DAB: 12D
First air date 1 September 1981
Format CHR/Pop
Audience share 5.1% (June 2014, RAJAR)
Transmitter coordinates 53°44′08″N 1°34′42″W / 53.7356°N 1.5782°WCoordinates: 53°44′08″N 1°34′42″W / 53.7356°N 1.5782°W
Owner Bauer Radio
Sister stations Radio Aire 2
Radio Aire 3
Webcast whatsON
Website www.radioaire.co.uk

Radio Aire is the main Independent Local Radio station for Leeds and West Yorkshire. It is the sister station of Radio Aire 2. The station is owned & operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's City 1 network of stations.

History

Radio Aire's original logo
Radio Aire logo used from 2004 to 2015.
Radio Aire's studios, shared with Radio Aire 2 in Burley, Leeds

The station was launched on 1 September 1981 by presenter Graham Thornton and the first song played was Pilot of the Airwaves by Charlie Dore. Radio Aire originally broadcast on 362 metres medium wave (828 kHz AM) and 94.6 VHF but was moved to 96.3 FM (VHF) in 1986.

Radio Aire is situated on Burley Road (Kirkstall Road) next to Yorkshire Television's studios and was the first Independent Local Radio station to have studios specially built for the purpose of radio transmission. In the late 1980s, the studios were used for The James Whale Radio Show, which was a late night TV show, broadcast on ITV, Radio Aire and Red Rose Radio.

On 17 July 1990, Radio Aire split frequencies, forming Aire FM and Magic 828. In 1992, the name was changed to Radio Aire FM and then, 96.3 Aire FM in 1995. A change of format in 1996 saw another station name change to The New 96.3 Aire FM before The New was dropped in 1998. By March 2001, Radio Aire had reverted to its original name.

The station, together with Magic 828 was bought by EMAP in 1995 and it became part of their Big City Network of stations and has maintained a generic branding with sister stations across Northern England since about 2000. Following the acquisition of EMAP Radio, the station is now part of Bauer Radio.

Transmitter information

The station's FM transmission is radiated at the Tingley site in Morley, close to the A653 and junction 28 of the M62. The adjacent mast, known as Morley, is former home of the station's FM transmissions. It continues to broadcast sister station Radio Aire 2, on medium wave, and the Leeds DAB multiplex.

Programming

Alongside local output from its Leeds studios, Radio Aire also airs networked programming from sister stations Key 103 in Manchester, Metro Radio in Newcastle and Forth 1 in Edinburgh. The Vodafone Big Top 40 is syndicated from Global Radio at its Capital studios in London for broadcast on over 130 commercial radio stations across the UK.

Notable presenters

Networked presenters include James Barr, Dave Kelly, Kate Lawler and Paddy McGuinness, and syndicated, Marvin Humes and Kat Shoob.

Former presenters

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 JK and Lucy join Heart Solent Radio Today, 16 January 2012

External links