The Breeze (radio network)

The Breeze

Broadcast area	South Hampshire, Basingstoke & Thames Valley, Bristol, Bath, Somerset, North Dorset, West Wiltshire, Frome and Cheltenham.
Slogan	"Tune in Feel Good"
Frequency	All Frequencies FM: Andover 106.4 MHz Basingstoke 107.6 MHz Bath 107.9 MHz Bridgwater/West Somerset 100.8, 102.4 & 107.4 MHz Bristol 107.2 MHz Cheltenham & north Gloucestershire 107.5 East Hampshire & Haslemere 97.1, 101.6, 101.8 & 102 MHz Frome/West Wiltshire 107.5 MHz Newbury 105.6 & 107.4 MHz North Dorset 96.6 & 97.4 MHz Portsmouth 107.4 MHz North Somerset 107.7 MHz Southampton 107.8 MHz Winchester 107.2 MHz Yeovil/South Somerset 105.6 & 106.6 MHz
First air date	1998–1999 (as individual stations) 4 July 2010 (current format)
Format	Hot AC
Audience share	4.3% (June 2011, )
Owner	Celador Radio
Website	http://www.thebreeze.com

The Breeze is a network of Independent Local Radio stations broadcasting to South West Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire, Cheltenham, West Berkshire, Bristol, Somerset, Dorset and West Wiltshire. The stations, owned & operated by Celador Radio, broadcast a 'contemporary easy listening' format, playing classic and recent melodic popular music aimed principally at listeners over the age of 40.

The Breeze network operates on various FM frequencies and is also online at thebreeze.com.^[1] All frequencies were previously separate stations centred on each of the broadcast areas, which have been acquired and combined into one network, carrying separate breakfast and drivetime programming for the south and the west of England.

History

The network launched when Play Radio (a combination of two stations in Hampshire) was acquired by Celador along with an additional station in Portsmouth and rebranded as The Breeze on 4 July 2010. The individual stations have all operated under various owners, formats and identities, with the stations having launched between 1998 and 1999 as a series of local stations focused on a specified broadcast area.

In 2011, Celador acquired two Total Star stations in Bristol & Bridgwater, and successfully applied for an FM licence serving the Bath area,^[2] and relaunched all stations as The Breeze. All local programming is now identical across all licence areas.

The Breeze is currently based in Southampton, Bristol and Basingstoke.

Stations

The Breeze originally launched as a number of stations in the South and the West of England.

• The Breeze (South West) was created on 29 March 2013 by the merging of four stations in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, Frome & West Wiltshire
• The Breeze (South Hampshire) was originally three individual stations all launched in 1999 – SouthCity FM (Southampton), Win 107.2 (Winchester) and Radio Victory (Portsmouth). Following subsequent mergers and acquisitions the stations were acquired by Celador in 2010 and rebranded into one station.^[3] Kestrel FM Haslemere joined the south network on 16 December 2012.
• The Breeze (Basingstoke) was launched on 16 December 2012 by the merging of three stations in Andover, Newbury and Basingstoke.
• The Breeze (Bridgwater & West Somerset) launched in 1998 as Quaywest 102.4. It later acquired a station called BCRfm before being taken over by One Gold Radio and relaunched as Total Star Somerset until August 2011.^[4]
• The Breeze (Yeovil & South Somerset) (as of 25 June 2012) started in October 2003 as Ivel FM and relaunched as Midwest Radio in August 2010.
• The Breeze (North Dorset) (as of 25 June 2012) started on 25 June 1995 as 97.4 Gold Radio before becoming Vale FM. It was rebranded as Midwest Radio in August 2010.

Presenters

Networked proramming

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 50°48′19.04″N 1°4′57.62″W / 50.8052889°N 1.0826722°W / 50.8052889; -1.0826722