Heart Thames Valley

Last updated

Heart Thames Valley
The Heart Network logo.svg
Broadcast area Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire
Frequency FM:
BrandingThis is Heart
Programming
Format Adult Contemporary
Ownership
Owner Global
History
First air date
9 July 2010
Last air date
3 June 2019
Links
Website Heart Thames Valley

Heart Thames Valley was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire from studios in Reading, southern England.

Contents

The station was formed as a result of a merger between Heart Oxfordshire (formerly Fox FM) and Heart Berkshire (formerly 2-Ten FM).

History

The station originally broadcast as two separate stations. Fox FM served Oxfordshire and West Buckinghamshire and was latterly owned by Capital Radio. Radio 210, later 2-Ten FM, served Berkshire and North Hampshire and was eventually acquired by the GWR Group forming part of GWR's Mix Network. This later merged with Capital's equivalent Capital FM network (comprising the former Invicta FM, the former Southern FM, BRMB, Red Dragon FM and the former Power FM) to form The One Network, after the GWR Group plc and Capital Radio Group plc merged in May 2005. Global Radio acquired GCap Media in 2008 and rebranded most of the One Network stations to Heart, in phases by area, from January 2009.

On 21 June 2010, Global Radio announced it would merge the Oxford and Reading stations as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. [1] The new station began broadcasting from Reading on Friday 9 July 2010, leading to the closure of studios in Oxford. [2]

The stations still carried local advertising and travel bulletins, and accordingly were sub-branded as "Heart Thames Valley for Oxfordshire" and "Heart Thames Valley for Berkshire and NW Hampshire". [3]

Station merger

On 26 February 2019, Global announced Heart Thames Valley would be merged with three sister stations in Hampshire and Dorset, Kent and Sussex and Surrey. [4]

From 3 June 2019, local output will consist of a three-hour regional Drivetime show on weekdays, alongside localised news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising. [5]

Heart Thames Valley ceased local programming on 31 May 2019, although the station's Reading studios were retained as offices for newsgathering and sales. Local breakfast and weekend shows were replaced with network programming from London.

Heart South began broadcasting regional programming on 3 June 2019. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Berkshire</span> Radio station in Reading

Heart Berkshire was an Independent Local Radio station, serving Berkshire and North Hampshire from studios in Reading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Hertfordshire</span> Radio station in Watford

Heart Hertfordshire is an Independent Local Radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts across Hertfordshire from studios in Watford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Bristol</span> Radio station in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Heart 96.3 was an Independent Local Radio station serving Bristol and surrounding areas and broadcasting on 96.3 MHz in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Launched in 1981 as Radio West, it was merged with neighbouring Wiltshire Radio and relaunched under the name GWR in 1985, retaining the name through several changes of ownership until rebranding in March 2009. Heart Bristol merged with sister stations in Somerset and Bath to form Heart West Country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Wiltshire</span> Radio station in Swindon

Heart Wiltshire was an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to north and west Wiltshire. The station was rebranded to Heart in March 2009 in line with Global Radio's rebranding of most of the One Network, which the station was part of. Its local competitors were Sam FM, BBC Wiltshire and community radio station, Swindon 105.5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Oxfordshire</span> Radio station in Oxford

Heart Oxfordshire was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Oxfordshire on 102.6 MHz FM from the Oxford transmitting station and 97.4 MHz FM from a relay station at Farthinghoe, near Banbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold (British radio network)</span> United Kingdom oldies radio network

Gold is a network of oldies radio stations in the United Kingdom, which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold network in August 2007. The station relaunched in March 2014 as a partly-automated service, broadcasting in fewer areas, after many of Gold's local AM/DAB frequencies were transferred to Smooth Radio. Most programming is broadcast from the Global Radio studios in Leicester Square, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart (radio network)</span> British radio network

Heart is a British radio network and brand of 13 adult contemporary local stations operated by Global throughout the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local and networked programming. Ten of the Heart stations are owned by Global, while the other three are operated under franchise agreements. The national version of the network is widely available on Global Player, Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media and Digital One DAB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Cambridge</span> Radio station in Cambridge

Heart 103 was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cambridge on 103.0 MHz and DAB Digital Radio. Heart also broadcast in Newmarket and Haverhill on 97.4 MHz.

Capital North West and Wales is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula & North Wales. The station broadcasts from its studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, the former headquarters of Marcher Radio Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Cambridgeshire</span> Radio station in Peterborough

Heart Cambridgeshire was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and eastern Northamptonshire and parts of surrounding counties from studios in Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart West Country</span> Radio station in Bristol

Heart West Country was a regional radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network, broadcasting to Bristol and Somerset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Four Counties</span> Radio station in Dunstable

Heart Four Counties was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Essex (regional)</span> Radio station in Chelmsford

Heart Essex was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Essex and East Hertfordshire from studios in Chelmsford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Sussex and Surrey</span> Radio station in Brighton

Heart Sussex and Surrey was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Solent</span> Radio station in Fareham

Heart Solent was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to southern and western parts of Hampshire, West Sussex, Dorset and Isle of Wight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart South West</span> Radio station in Exeter

Heart South West was a regional radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Devon and Cornwall from studios in Exeter.

A timeline of notable events relating to Heart, a 22-strong network of hot adult contemporary commercial radio stations operated by Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart East</span> Regional radio station in Milton Keynes, England

Heart East is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to the East of England from studios in Milton Keynes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart South</span> British radio station

Heart South is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to the south and south east of England from studios in Fareham, Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart West</span> British radio station

Heart West is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts in South West England and South Wales from studios in Bristol.

References

  1. Global Radio to halve number of local Heart stations, The Guardian , 21 June 2010. Plunkett, John (21 June 2010). "Global Radio to halve number of local Heart stations". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 June 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Heart slims but strengthens, RadioToday, 21 June 2010 Archived 26 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Find your local Heart station, Heart, UK. Archived 23 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows, RadioToday, 26 February 2019
  5. Amanda Holden to join Jamie Theakston for Heart UK Breakfast, Radio Today, 29 April 2019
  6. Amanda Holden to join Jamie Theakston for Heart UK Breakfast, Radio Today, 29 April 2019

51°26′32″N1°02′14″W / 51.4422°N 1.0372°W / 51.4422; -1.0372