Connect Radio 97.2 & 107.4
Coordinates: 52°24′27″N 0°44′25″W / 52.407456°N 0.740263°W
| Broadcast area | Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough Northampton and Rushden |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Today's Best Mix |
| Frequency |
107.4 MHz, 97.2 MHz DABOnline |
| First air date | 6 April 1990 |
| Format | Contemporary |
| Audience share | 6.20% (October 2010, ) |
| Owner | Adventure Radio |
| Website | connectfm.com |
Connect FM Northants is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom broadcasting to Northamptonshire. It is owned by Adventure Radio and based in Kettering. Playing songs from the 1970s to the present day.
History
The station launched as KCBC on 6 April 1990 on 1530 kHz AM.[1] The original daytime line-up consisted of Howard Rose at breakfast time, followed by Tony Harrison, Terry Doyle, Mark Jeeves and Andy Jackson. It originally broadcast a Golden Oldies format, playing hits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, in addition to local news bulletins and sports coverage.[2] In 1992, the station switched frequency to 1584 kHz.
In 1996, KCBC was purchased by The Local Radio Company. The station transferred to FM in March 1998, broadcasting on 107.4 MHz in Kettering and Corby, with a sister station, Connect FM, in Wellingborough, on 97.2 MHz.
In August 1999, the station's new owners, Jersey-based Hub Trans Communications, merged KCBC and Connect FM, rebranding them as Connect 97.2 and 107.4, and co-locating both stations at Telford Way Industrial Estate in Kettering. The station changed hands again in May 2000, when it was bought by Forward Media.[3] In 2007, Connect was granted permission by OFCOM to relocate to Peterborough at the headquarters of Lite FM, another station operated by Forward Media. In 2010 Connect FM moved back to Kettering after acquiring the old Tollers solicitors building in the Headlands.
In 2009, Connect was acquired by Adventure Radio. The station currently draws its playlist from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, under the banner of Today's Best Mix For Northamptonshire and Peterborough and in 2011, Connect FM launched a "No Repeat Nine To Five" format that guarantees listeners won't hear the same song twice during the working day. It provides hourly local news bulletins between 6am and 7pm on weekdays, 7am and 1pm on Saturdays and 8am and 1pm on Sundays.[4]
In July 2016 the station owners Adventure Island signed a management contract with Communicorp which would see them offer extra support to both Connect FM and Heart Hertfordshire.
The station's longest serving on-air team members are Carlo Fiorentino who has been there since 1990 and Gregg Nunney who joined the team in 1996. Mark Jeeves, who returned in 2009, was part of the early line-up too.
References
- ↑ Media UK station page
- ↑ History of KCBC
- ↑ Forward Media buys Connect, MediaWeek, 17 May 2000
- ↑ Connect FM official website