Thomas Edward Lowe (born 21 August 1975 in Bexley, London) is a radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom. Tom currently presents on BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
Bexley is an area of south-east London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross and south of Bexleyheath.
London is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans. The City of London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits. The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
Tom started working for radio stations operating under a Restricted Service Licence, or RSL, including Thanet Local Radio (now KMFM Thanet), which was based in Ramsgate, Kent.
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.
KMFM Thanet is an Independent Local Radio serving the Isle of Thanet and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is the Thanet region of the KMFM radio network, containing local advertisements and sponsorships for the area amongst a countywide schedule of programming.
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. Ramsgate’s main attraction is its coastline, and its main industries are tourism and fishing. The town has one of the largest marinas on the English south coast, and the Port of Ramsgate provided cross-channel ferries for many years.
In 1998, Tom joined the team at European Klassik Rock, a Pan-European satellite radio station broadcasting via the Astra 1C satellite from The Maidstone Studios in Kent, and presented the Friday evening show. Tom then presented on Radio Caroline, also at the time on Astra 1C and from The Maidstone Studios, in 1999, with a Saturday evening show that was also simulcast on 88.4FM The Breeze to the French and Italian Rivieras. He also appeared on WBCQ in America under the Radio Caroline banner with a pre recorded programme in 2000.
Astra 1C was a geostationary communications satellites launched in 1993 by the Société Européenne des Satellites (SES), now SES Astra. The commsat remained in service until 2011 and is now derelict.
The Maidstone Studios, formerly called TVS Television Centre, is the UK's largest independent television studio complex based at Vinters Park in Maidstone, Kent, UK. It is home to a varied selection of independent British television programming including Later... with Jools Holland, Jools' Annual Hootenanny, Take Me Out, Catchphrase, as well as popular children's shows such as Mister Maker and Let's Play for CBeebies.
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. Unlicensed by any government for most of its early life, it was a pirate radio station that never actually became illegal, although after the Marine Offences Act (1967) it became illegal for a British subject to associate with it.
In the summer of 2001, Tom was heard presenting on 107.7 WFM in Weston-super-Mare (now Star 107.7).
Tom joined Star 107.5 in Cheltenham, in 2001 (broadcasting then as 107.5 Cat FM), presenting the weekday drivetime show. In addition, he also presented the Saturday breakfast show. In late 2003, Tom briefly took over the mid morning show for a year but, in late 2004, he returned to the drivetime show. During this time Tom also presented a weekday evening show on Star 107.7 and various shows on Star 107.9.
Cheltenham is a regency spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs in 1716 and has a number of internationally renowned and historic schools.
Star 107.9 was a UK Independent Local Radio station centred on the area of Stroud, in Gloucestershire, also broadcasting to other localities including Cirencester, Tetbury and Stonehouse, and Dursley on a 107.3 FM relay. The station was owned by the UKRD Group, and shared its programme controller, Brody Swain, and managing director Junie Lewis with Star 107.5 in Cheltenham.
Tom presented on BBC Radio Gloucestershire on Saturdays until December 2011.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Gloucestershire, which started on 3 October 1988. It broadcasts from its studios at Portland Court in London Road, Gloucester on DAB, 95 FM (Stroud), 95.8 FM (Cirencester), 104.7 FM, 1413 MW in the Cotswolds & Forest of Dean.
