Signal 1
 | |
| City of license | Stoke-on-Trent |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | North and Mid Staffordshire & South, East and Central Cheshire |
| Slogan | I love this station |
| Frequency | 96.4 MHz, 96.9 MHz, 102.6 MHz, DAB |
| First air date | 5 September 1983 |
| Format | CHR |
| Audience share | 17.7% (March 2015, [1]) |
| Owner | UTV Radio (UTV Media) |
| Website | Signal 1 Website |
Signal 1 is a British Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent to Staffordshire and South, Central and East Cheshire. The station is owned by UTV Radio of which is ultimately owned by UTV Media. Signal 1 is home to Andy and Louise on Signal 1 Breakfast. It is also home to Chris Bovaird on Mid-Mornings, and Paris Munro on the Homerun. The station also broadcasts shows from Signal studios to other radio stations across the UTV radio group.
History
The station began as Signal Radio which first broadcast at 6am, 5 September 1983, with DJ John Evington selecting Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" as its first track.[2] The station initially broadcast on 104.3 MHz and 1170 kHz (a wavelength of 257 metres, with the phrase "2 5 7" becoming a distinctive leitmotif), changing to 102.6 MHz soon after. The station's name is derived from "Signal" the name of the newspaper in Arnold Bennett's local novels.
In 1989, Signal Radio started a six-hour output on the new 96.4 Cheshire frequency. In early 1990, Signal also launched the new Stafford transmitter broadcasting on 96.9 FM. For a time this was a simple pick up relay for Signal Radio, however, in October 1990, a new service called Echo 96 started on the 96.4 and 96.9 frequencies. This operated as an alternative AOR station. In 1991 both KFM and Echo 96 Cheshire were rebranded as Signal Cheshire, broadcasting on 96.4 FM and 104.9 FM. This meant Echo 96 was only running on the 96.9 Stafford transmitter. However, by the end of 1991, Echo 96 had become Signal Stafford which later morphed into an opt out service of Signal 1. In 2000 the 96.4 transmitter also returned to Signal 1 from Imagine FM, previously Signal Cheshire. Nowadays, apart from split ads, all transmitters carry the same programming.
Since the early 1990s, the Stafford area has had a range of split programming on 96.9 and the alternative older targeted Signal 2 service has evolved from what was initially a "Golden Breakfast Show" only, on the original accompanying 1170 AM frequency, from back in 1992.
The Wireless Group bought the station in 1999 and were subsequently bought themselves by UTV Radio.
Signal 1 celebrated its 30th Birthday on 10 August 2013 with a special concert at Betley Court Farm in Crewe.
Technical
Signal 1's main transmitter is at Alsagers Bank, which broadcasts on 102.6 FM. As well as covering North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, the transmitter can be received well into the North West and down into the West Midlands, due to the height of the transmitter. Signal 1 also has filler transmitters at Pye Green, which covers Stafford and the surrounding area, and at Sutton Common, which covers Congleton, Macclesfield and the surrounding area. All of Signal 1's transmitters have specific ads for the local transmission area, and both Sutton Common and Pye Green are BT backbone link towers.
Signal 1 also broadcasts on the local Stoke and Stafford DAB multiplex 12D.
Station information
Signal 1's studios are located on Stoke Road in the Shelton area of Stoke-on-Trent in a building that was previously occupied as a warehouse. There are seven dedicated studios as well as a studio used for live music recordings, shared with sister station Signal 2 and UTV Radio's networked programming service.
Occasional outside broadcasts are made in a specially built outside broadcast studio on a converted bus. Signal Radio hosts events for local children's charities every year under the "Help a Signal Child" banner.
Technical
Signal 1's main transmitter is at Alsagers Bank, which broadcasts on 102.6 FM. As well as covering North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, the transmitter can be received well into the North West and down into the West Midlands, due to the height of the transmitter. Signal 1 also has filler transmitters at Pye Green, which covers Stafford and the surrounding area, and at Sutton Common, which covers Congleton, Macclesfield and the surrounding area. All of Signal 1's transmitters carry specific advertising for the local transmission area, and both Sutton Common and Pye Green are BT backbone link towers.
Signal 1 also broadcasts on the local Stoke and Stafford DAB multiplex 12D.
Signal Radio Media Academy
In 2012, Signal 1 lent its name to the Signal Radio Media Academy, a course run and taught by Stoke on Trent College with Signal 1 as a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Radio Production. For two days a week, the course is based at the Burslem Campus of Stoke on Trent College where the students also run their own radio station Heatwave Radio. Teaching takes places both at the college in Burslem as well at Signal's studios in Shelton, with specialist input from Signal staff.
Programming
The majority of Signal 1's programming is produced and presented from its Stoke-on-Trent studios, including both local and networked output. The Vodafone Big Top 40 is produced by Global Radio at its Capital studios in London for broadcast on 145 commercial radio stations in the UK.
The station's main presenters include Andy Cook and Louise Stones (Signal 1 Breakfast) and Rick Houghton (The Home Run).[3]
News
Signal 1 broadcasts local news bulletins hourly from 6am to 6pm on weekdays and from 8am to 12pm on weekends.
Headlines are broadcast at 6.30am, 7.30am and 8.30am during the weekday breakfast show, as well as at 5.30pm and 6.30pm during Paris Munro's Home Run.
In the evenings, during networked Total Access (Monday to Friday), Saeed Atcha's Saturday Night Playlist (Saturday) and following late show (Saturday) Sky News Radio is not simulcast, and no other news is broadcast, except on the top of the hour at the commencement of those shows.
The station simulcasts hourly Sky News Radio bulletins at all other times.[4]
References
External links
- Official page
- Signal Radio Jingles
- Listening Room – first 25 years of Signal Radio
- History of local radio in Staffordshire
- Alsagers Bank transmitter, near to Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Sutton Common transmitter, near Macclesfield
- Pye Green transmitter, near Stafford
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