MFR (radio station)

Last updated

MFR
Broadcast area Moray, Highland, north-west Aberdeenshire
Frequency FM: 96.6 MHz (Speyside)
96.7 MHz (Fraserburgh)
96.7 MHz (Wick)
97.4 MHz (Inverness)
102.5 MHz (Caithness)
102.8 MHz (Keith)
DAB: 11B
RDS MFR
BrandingAcross The North of Scotland
Programming
Format CHR/Pop
Network Hits Radio
Ownership
Owner Bauer Media Audio UK
Greatest Hits Radio The North of Scotland
History
First air date
23 February 1982 (1982-02-23) (42 years ago)
Former frequencies
1107 kHz
Technical information
Licensing authority
 Ofcom
Links
Webcast MFR Player
Website planetradio.co.uk/mfr/

MFR (Moray Firth Radio [1] ) is an Independent Local Radio station based in Inverness, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio Network. It broadcasts to Moray, Scottish Highlands and North West Aberdeenshire.

Contents

As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 91,000 listeners according to RAJAR. [2]

Station information

MFR/Moray Firth Radio logo used from 2001 to 2015. MFR Logo 2013.png
MFR/Moray Firth Radio logo used from 2001 to 2015.

MFR operates 97.4 FM (from the Mounteagle transmitter). The first voice heard on MFR, shortly after 6:30am on 23 February 1982, was Dave Cochrane. The longest serving presenter on MFR of 33 years was Tich McCooey, leaving on 29 May 2015.

MFR on FM largely broadcasts contemporary and chart music-led programming alongside hourly news bulletins and peak-time traffic updates. The majority of the station's output is produced and broadcast from its Inverness studios. In recent years, MFR opted out on Saturday evenings for a weekly bilingual music programme in English and Scots Gaelic, [3] which also aired on Argyll FM, Cuillin FM, Isles FM, Nevis Radio and Two Lochs Radio.

History

The station began broadcasting on 23 February 1982. [4] A year later, the station was making a profit. [5]

MFR 2 on AM and DAB aired specialist programming until August 2014[ timeframe? ] on Sunday - Friday evenings with automated music broadcast at all other times. In September 2014, the station axed its specialist output and began carrying programming from Bauer's 'Greatest Hits Network' of Scottish AM stations, switching to the Bauer City 2 network in January 2015. Since January 2019 it is part of the Greatest Hits Radio network and changed its name to the network name in April 2023.

MFR 3 launched on Monday 19 January 2015, broadcasting on DAB and online as a locally branded relay of The Hits aimed at 15-25-year-olds, with opt-outs for advertising. [6] MFR 3 ceased broadcasting on 31 August 2017 and was replaced with a single national feed of The Hits, which was replaced ten months later with Hits Radio.

In addition to the main services, there is a local community station which opts into MFR during the daytime, broadcasting local programming produced by a non-profit community group during the evenings.

There also used to be five other community stations taking MFR:

AM transmissions on 1107 kHz ceased on 11th December 2023, greatly reducing the broadcast coverage area, from the whole of the North of Scotland, including Orkney and Shetland, down to just the vicinity of Inverness.

Programming

Networked programming originates from Clyde 1 in Clydebank, Forth 1 in Edinburgh and Hits Radio in Manchester.

The station's last regular local programme - the weekday breakfast show with Jodie McCluskey - ended on Friday 29 November 2024. [10]

From 6 January 2025, MFR will simulcast Boogie in the Morning from Forth 1, along with Northsound 1 and Tay FM. Local news, travel updates and advertising are not affected. [11]

News

MFR broadcasts local news bulletins hourly from 6am to 7pm on weekdays and from 7am to 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Headlines are broadcast on the half hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside sport and traffic bulletins.

National bulletins from Sky News Radio are carried overnight with bespoke networked Scottish bulletins at weekends, produced from Radio Clyde's newsroom in Clydebank.

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References

  1. ↑ "Licensing: Moray Firth Radio FM". Ofcom. 2024.
  2. ↑ "RAJAR". www.rajar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  3. ↑ Moray Firth Radio takes Gaelic Chart Show, Radio Today, 20 September 2011
  4. ↑ "Highland radio station goes live". The Glasgow Herald . 22 February 1982. p. 5. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Profit in the air for local radio". The Glasgow Herald. 23 February 1983. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  6. ↑ Bauer City Network 3 launches on local DAB Radio Today, 19 January 2015
  7. ↑ "news archive (subscription required)". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
  8. ↑ "Oban FM - community Radio". Archived from the original on 8 May 1999.
  9. ↑ "newspaper archive (subscription required)". www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.
  10. ↑ "MFR legend Tich McCooey signs off with thanks to listeners and no bitterness over changes to station owner Bauer". Inverness Courier. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "MFR, Tay FM and Northsound 1 breakfast shows to end". BBC News. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.

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