Radio Victory

Last updated

Radio Victory
Broadcast area Portsmouth
& Isle of Wight
Frequency 95.0 MHz VHF & 1169/1170 kHz MW
Programming
Format Contemporary
Ownership
OwnerVarious
History
First air date
14 October 1975
Last air date
28 June 1986

Radio Victory was the Independent Local Radio (ILR) station for Portsmouth in southern England. It was launched on 14 October 1975 and served south Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight initially until 1986, with various later reincarnations. It took its name from the famous historic ship HMS Victory which is preserved at Portsmouth.

Contents

History

IBA franchise 1975-1986

Victory was one of the first 19 independent stations in the UK, all of which started broadcasting between 1973 and 1976. Its studios were based in Fratton, Portsmouth. Its FM transmitter, on 95.0 MHz, was at Fort Widley. Despite a power of only 0.2 kW, the signal reached Southampton and across the Isle of Wight quite well. The station also broadcast on Medium Wave 257m (1169 kHz, later moving to 1170 kHz) from Farlington Marshes with a power of 0.2 kW.

The official Radio Victory logo (1975) Radio Victory logo.jpg
The official Radio Victory logo (1975)

Victory had three managing directors throughout its life – Guy Paine, John Russell, and finally Bruce Jenkins. Housed in St Mary's Institute in Portsmouth's Fratton Road, its address was PO Box 257, Portsmouth PO1 5RT.

For most of its life, Victory transmitted from 6 am to 1 am Mondays–Fridays, 6 am to 2 am Saturdays and 7 am to midnight on Sundays. This increased to 24-hour broadcasting from the start of the Falklands Conflict. Newsreader Penny Guy broadcast news of the first UK warship casualty—the sinking of HMS Sheffield. Listeners were unaware her fiancé Derek was aboard the vessel and she had no idea if he was alive or dead. (He survived and they wed shortly afterwards.) [1]

In 1985, the Independent Broadcasting Authority failed to renew the station's licence and it ceased broadcasting on 28 June 1986 at 12 midday, after 10 years and around 257 days on air, despite a local campaign to save it. Fratton Road in Portsmouth was jammed solid with traffic, drivers blaring their horns in tribute as the airwaves fell silent for the last time. Victory was the first ILR station to lose its franchise (although two others, Centre Radio and Gwent Broadcasting, went off air after going bankrupt).

The station was replaced by Ocean Sound which was given a licence for a larger coverage area including Southampton.

Victory FM and Radio Victory 1994-1999

The name Victory, as a radio station for the Portsmouth area, was re-invented in 1994 to mark the city's 800th birthday and the 50th anniversary of D-Day (the city was the world's focus for this, hosting many events, including a dinner for world leaders in the Guildhall). Victory FM was set up by Mark Samways with the help of Kevin Huffer. Alex Bentley, the city's Lord Mayor during the set-up period, was most encouraging and helped by arranging for the council to provide space for the studios in the civic offices for a peppercorn rent. This first outing for the new service acquired a 28-day broadcast licence, called Restricted Service Licence (RSL), from the Radio Authority.

It returned to the air twice more as Victory FM – over the Christmas period of 1994 and again in 1995 to mark VE Day's 50th anniversary. The studios for this period were located in Anchor House, North End and were loaned by the owners Bradford and Bingley Building Society. The building had been empty since the Hampshire Building Society closed for business.

The name was kept alive predominantly by the same team, broadcasting from a studio in Twyford Avenue, Stamshaw, this time broadcasting as Radio Victory on cable TV and with occasional temporary FM licences for special occasions, such as their own launch on cable at Christmas 1995 and to cover the Special Olympics. A total of six 28-day RSL FM broadcasts were made from 1994 to 1998.

Victory FM, Victory 107.4 and 107.4 The Quay 1999 - 2010

When Greater Portsmouth was re-issued with its own ILR franchise, Radio Victory won the bid, returning to the airwaves on 19 September 1999 as Victory FM on 107.4 FM. The station was acquired by TLRC at the end of 1999, and 2000 saw a massive change of personnel. It would seem that, without the key members who took the station from 28-day RSL to full-time FM licence, it was unable to compete in the RAJAR ratings against now established local rivals like Ocean FM and Wave 105. The station later relaunched as Victory 107.4 and 107.4 The Quay, allying itself closely to Portsmouth Football Club who, from Autumn of 2009, became the sole owners. In 2010 the station was sold to Celador's radio arm and the frequency became part of a regional station called The Breeze on 4 July 2010. The local studio in Twyford Avenue used since 1999 was closed.

Registration of trade mark 2014

In November 2014 Independent Local Radio Limited, a company with no previous connection to the name, registered the trademark Radio Victory [2] along with a number of other names of former UK local radio stations. [3]

In early 2015 Independent Local Radio Limited launched a crowdfunding bid "to raise £25,000 to cover the cost of licences" [4] to launch Radio Victory again; this campaign closed having only raised £571. [5]

Victory Online 2021

A number of former Radio Victory presenters from the 3 eras of the station launched Victory Online at 13:00 on 18 February 2021, the opening programme was hosted by Neil Crespin. [6]

This service is not connected with the trademark owner, but uses much of the historic station on-air branding.

On Air

One of Victory's longest running shows was the Victory Roll, its own top-40 chart show aired on Saturday evenings until all ILR stations started simulcasting the Network Chart from Capital Radio. The Victory Roll (presented by Tony Power) was initially based on the station's playlist [7] but later was compiled from record sales at the Co-op record department in Fratton Road. The stations's first catchphrase was "everything that touches you". Presenters included Nino Firetto. The initial Victory FM catchphrases were "enjoy the moment", "from the heart of the city", and sometimes "to greater Portsmouth." Broadcasters on the relaunched Radio Victory 107.4 in 1999 included Boy George, who also presented on the cable service.

See also

Related Research Articles

Licensed radio broadcasting in Ireland is one element of the wider media of Ireland, with 85% of the population listening to a licensed radio broadcasting service on any given day.

Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West (Warrington) is an Independent Local Radio station serving the Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn areas of Cheshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Local Radio</span> Commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom

Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom.

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

Heart Hampshire was a British Independent Local Radio station serving South Hampshire, West Sussex and Isle of Wight primarily for Portsmouth, Southampton, Winchester and Chichester. The station served an area of England with a high proportion of commuters to London and a higher-than-average disposable income from middle-class families and people over 45. Its target age range was 25–45.

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

Heart Northants was an Independent Local Radio station serving Northamptonshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dune FM</span> Radio station

Dune FM was an Independent Local Radio station serving Southport, Sefton and surrounding areas between 1997 and 2012.

MFR 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.

A UK Restricted Service Licence is typically granted to radio stations and television stations broadcasting within the UK to serve a local community or a special event. Licences are granted by the broadcasting authority Ofcom.

FreshAir is an alternative music student radio station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. Launched on 3 October 1992, FreshAir is one of the oldest surviving student radio stations in the UK. The station won the "Student Radio Station of the Year" award at the Student Radio Association awards in 2004 & was Scottish Station of the year 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire</span> Independent local radio station that broadcasts to Pembrokeshire

Radio Pembrokeshire is an Independent Local Radio station that broadcasts to Pembrokeshire. It is owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting and broadcasts on 102.5 and 107.5 FM and DAB from studios near the St Hilary transmitter in the Vale of Glamorgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy Radio South Coast</span> Radio station in Southampton

Easy Radio South Coast is an Independent Local Radio station based in Southampton, England, owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting. It broadcasts to the South Coast of England.

Future Radio is a local community radio station serving the city of Norwich, Norfolk. The station is part of local charity Future Projects

This is a list of events in British radio during 1994.

This is a list of events in British radio during 1991.

DevonAir Radio is a community radio station, based in Exmouth, Devon, United Kingdom.

The Breeze was a network of Independent Local Radio stations broadcasting to Bristol, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Somerset, North Dorset, North Gloucestershire, North Somerset, South Devon, South West Surrey, West Berkshire and West Wiltshire, as well as in East Anglia as Radio Norwich 99.9, The Beach, North Norfolk Radio, Town 102 and Dream 100. The stations broadcast a 'contemporary easy listening' format, playing classic and recent melodic popular music aimed principally at listeners over the age of 40.

The Breeze formerly Quay West and Total Star Somerset was an Independent Local Radio station serving the Sedgemoor District, Bridgwater and West Somerset.

Vibe 1, formerly known as Stafford FM, is a local community radio station serving Mid Stafford, Staffordshire, England, operated by Stafford Radio Broadcasting Limited under licence from Ofcom. It broadcasts on 107.3 FM to a 5mile radius of Stafford, encompassing Stone, Eccleshall, Penkridge and online. The station was one of two to apply in 2014 for an FM community radio licence to cover Stafford, and on the 3 October 2014 they were awarded the licence to broadcast from 24 April 2015.

This is a timeline of the development of independent radio in the UK.

<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, South East Wales, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. from studios in Bristol.

References

  1. ↑ World Radio TV Handbook. Billboard Publications. 1984.
  2. ↑ Intellectual Property Office : Trade mark number UK00003082908
  3. ↑ Intellectual Property Office : Search for Trade Mark by Owner
  4. ↑ The News: Could Portsmouth's Radio Victory make a comeback?, 11th March 2016
  5. ↑ Indiegogo: Unique local radio station for Portsmouth
  6. ↑ "VIctory Online - Countdown to launch". Facebook. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Capital Countdown".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.