Sam FM (South Coast)
 | |
| Broadcast area | Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex |
|---|---|
| Slogan | "We're In Charge" |
| Frequency | 106.0 MHz and 106.6 MHz FM |
| First air date |
1 October 2006 (Original 106) |
| Format | Classic and Contemporary Hits |
| Owner | Celador Radio Broadcasting |
| Website | Sam FM |
Sam FM South Coast is an adult hits format radio station broadcasting to a stretch of the English South Coast on 106 MHz & 106.6 MHz FM and on DAB Digital (across a limited area on the Portsmouth small scale trial multiplex). It broadcasts from its Roman Landing studios in Kingsway, Southampton alongside its sister station The Breeze which is also housed in the same building.
History
Original 106 & The Coast
The station was originally launched in 2006 as Original 106 (Solent), owned by Canwest, which then sold the station to Celador in August 2008.[1] It was replaced by The Coast 106 in October 2008, and while initial RAJAR results were encouraging with a healthy increase over those posted by Original, the weekly reach stagnated at around 115,000 by early 2011.
Jack FM
Celador then rebranded the station as Jack FM,[2] to bring it in line with its sister station in Bristol, from 4 July 2011. All prior presenters except Robin Caddy were removed from the station, which switched to a format also used by Celador's other Jack stations - a presenter-led breakfast show (hosted by Bam Bam),[3] a Saturday morning "World Of Sport" show presented by Robin Caddy and automated music interspersed with topical one-liners in between songs voiced by actor Paul Darrow at other times.
Sam FM
On 1 April 2015, the station was rebranded again as Sam FM, which runs with a strapline of "We're In Charge" - the station controls the music and doesn't play requests - interspersed with topical one-liners in between songs by Gareth Hale who is referred to as The Voice of Sam FM.[4]
Transmitters
Analogue (FM)
| Transmitter Site | Frequency | Power | RDS Name | PI Code | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillerton Down | 106 MHz | 4000W | Sam FM | C385 (C485 Switched) | Isle of Wight, South Hampshire, West Sussex and Dorset |
| Crabwood Farm | 106.6 MHz | 20W | Sam FM | C385 (C485 Switched) | Winchester |
| Mannings Heath | 106.6 MHz | 310W | Sam FM | C385 (C585 Switched) | Bournemouth & Poole |
Following the station's previous launch, Coast 106 made use of a restricted service licence from Ofcom to re-broadcast the station to Guernsey. This was done to promote the station to Guernsey residents for when they travelled to England.
Digital (DAB)
| Multiplex Name | Bitrate | Short Label | Long Label | SID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial Portsmouth | 112kbit/s | Sam FM | Sam FM | C485 | Joint Stereo |
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 50°54′20″N 1°23′50″W / 50.90556°N 1.39722°W