BBC Radio Stoke

Last updated

BBC Radio Stoke
Broadcast areaNorth and mid Staffordshire and south Cheshire.
Frequency FM: 94.6 (Crewe, Nantwich, and Stoke-upon-Trent)
FM: 104.1 (Stafford and Stone)
DAB: 12D
Freeview: 715
RDS BBCSTOKE
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Local news, talk and music
Ownership
Owner BBC Local Radio,
BBC West Midlands,
BBC North West
History
First air date
14 March 1968
Former names
BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent
Former frequencies
1503 MW
Technical information
Licensing authority
Ofcom
Links
Website BBC Radio Stoke

BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire.

Contents

It broadcasts on FM, DAB, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent.

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 118,000 listeners and an 8.9% share as of December 2023. [1]

Overview

The station began broadcasting on 14 March 1968 as BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent.

Both of the English counties the station covers have no BBC local radio station for their whole area. In Staffordshire, the south is covered by BBC Radio WM, and the east by BBC Radio Derby. In Cheshire, north-western areas are served by BBC Radio Merseyside and the north-east by BBC Radio Manchester. The BBC has mooted at the possibility of launching a stand-alone station for Cheshire, but they have never been taken forward.

The station broadcasts from its studios on Cheapside in Hanley, the biggest of the six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. There are also studios and offices in Crewe, Leek and Stafford.

The current Managing Editors are Alistair Miskin and Tim Beech.

Technical

Radio Stoke transmits on 94.6 MHz FM from the 140 feet (43 m) Alsagers Bank transmitter, which is two miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, close to the M6. The signal is clear in most of the area, except in some parts of the Staffordshire Moorlands (Cheadle in particular) and Stafford (which has its own relay).

The 104.1 MHz FM frequency is heard in Stafford and the transmitter is on the roof of the County Education building in the town.

DAB signals come from the Stoke & Stafford 12D multiplex from Alsagers Bank, Pye Green (near Hednesford), Sutton Common (between Congleton and Macclesfield in Cheshire), and Tick Hill (strongest power, south-east of the junction of the A520 and A52 near the Foxfield Steam Railway between Cookshill and Godleybrook). The Sideway transmitter is right next to the A500 D Road, just south of the A50 junction.

The station also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 715 in the BBC West Midlands and BBC North West regions and streams online via BBC Sounds.

FM tuning details

TransmitterFrequency (MHz)PolarizationPower (watts)
Alsagers Bank94.6Mixed6,100
Stafford104.1Vertical70

Programming

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Stoke-on-Trent studios from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

The station's late show, airing from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., originates from BBC Radio WM in Birmingham.

During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Stoke simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph</span> Town in Staffordshire, England

Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, 8.5 miles (14 km) north of Stoke-on-Trent and 4.5 miles (7 km) south-east of Congleton, Cheshire.

BBC Radio Northampton is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Northamptonshire.

BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Berkshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds. It has studios at Thames Valley Park near Reading.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Lincolnshire.

BBC Radio Nottingham is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Nottinghamshire.

BBC Radio Humberside is the BBC's local radio station serving the former county of Humberside which includes the unitary authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, Kingston upon Hull, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Leeds</span> Radio station in Leeds

BBC Radio Leeds is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Sheffield</span> Radio station in Sheffield

BBC Radio Sheffield is the BBC's local radio station serving South Yorkshire, north Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Tees</span> Radio station in Middlesbrough

BBC Radio Tees is the BBC's local radio station serving the Tees Valley,The southern parts of County Durham including Hartlepool and Darlington and the northern parts of North Yorkshire, including Whitby. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Newport Road in Middlesbrough.

BBC Radio Newcastle is the BBC's local radio station serving Newcastle upon Tyne, the neighbouring metropolitan boroughs, Northumberland and north east County Durham.

BBC Radio Lancashire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Lancashire.

BBC Radio Gloucestershire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Gloucestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Hereford & Worcester</span> BBC Local Radio service for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, England

BBC Hereford & Worcester is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, which were one county from 1974 to 1998.

BBC Radio Shropshire is the BBC's local radio station serving Shropshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio WM</span> Radio station in Birmingham

BBC Radio WM is the BBC's local radio station serving the West Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC CWR</span> Radio station in Coventry, England

BBC CWR is the BBC's local radio station serving Coventry and Warwickshire.

Signal 2 was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, to Staffordshire and Cheshire. The station was owned by Wireless Group and ran a "gold format" playlist. It was the sister station of Signal 1 and was based in the same studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire</span> Radio station in Stoke-on-Trent

Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, formerly Signal 1, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Staffordshire and South Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Sussex</span> BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Sussex

BBC Radio Sussex is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of East and West Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Surrey</span> BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Surrey

BBC Radio Surrey is the BBC's local radio station serving Surrey and north-east Hampshire.

References

  1. "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.