107.2 Wire FM
Encyclopedia
Wire FM is a British
Independent Local Radio
station that serves the Warrington
, Widnes
and Runcorn
areas of Cheshire
(the latter two towns belong to the area known as Halton
), with strong commitment to local news and information. Its sports coverage is heavily influenced by local rugby league
teams Warrington Wolves
and Widnes Vikings
. The transmitter is at High Warren reservoir, near the A49
and Warrington Golf Club south of Warrington.
station for Warrington
. Stephen had had previous experience of this having been involved with a Special Event Station Waves AM in Peterhead
. The station was duly organised and took to the air as Warrington Festival of Music Radio (WFMR) for two weeks in May 1991. The station broadcast from a borrowed portable cabin located behind the Warrington Town Hall Gates on 1602 kHz AM.
The station was successful in both audience response and commercial respects, and further broadcasts were made in the spring of 1992 and 1993. Stephen Armstrong-Smith and David Duffy
joined the management team for these broadcasts, and a 14' touring caravan was converted into a mobile studio.
During 1994, the attraction of the caravan had waned. Also, funding for the Warrington Festival of Music had decreased with its main supporter, the Warrington & Runcorn Development Corporation, having reached the end of its life. In the 1994 broadcast presenters were also heard to refer to WFMR as Warrington's Favourite Music Radio not Warrington's Festival of Music Radio anymore. The decision was made to move 'indoors', sever the link with the Festival, and move to FM. This had significant risks, as costs for FM licences were higher, and new transmitters and studio equipment had to be bought. However, the broadcast went ahead during June 1994 from a 'Community House' on Nora street in the Howley Area of Warrington, borrowed from Warrington Borough Council.
was added to the Radio Authority's list of locations where 'Sally' (Small Scale Alternative Location Licences) were to be advertised. This brought new impetuous and further RSLs were run in June and November 1995. Throughout this period, programming followed an unashamedly commercial format but with regular community features and with local news supplied by the Warrington Guardian.
During 1995, with the licence application pending, the Wire FM management team had initially formed an alliance with Marcher Group to bid for Warrington. However, Marcher were dropped in favour of the Independent Radio Group PLC
(IRG) following their formation and subsequent successful bid for Wigan and St. Helens as Wish FM
. By this point Stephen Cooper had left the team, and Stephen Armstrong-Smith had joined IRG as their Regional Engineer.
During 1996, Cheshire was advertised as the location for two potential radio stations. The remaining members of Wire FM's management team, Philip Houltby and David Duffy, assembled the bid in conjunction with IRG's licence bid team consisting of New Zealanders Kris Burford and Ande McPherson. Competition for the licence was expected to be strong and significant resources were allocated to the bid resulting in 250+ letters of support being received and comprehensive research being undertaken and analysed by the most respected research organisations.
Competing applications were :
Warrington - Warrington FM (Local Consortium with David Rodgers of Orchard FM
)
Warrington - Radio Warrington (Warrington Colligiate Institute lead bid backed by The Wireless Group)
Halton - Fun FM (backed by The Bay
)
Following the licence award, problems with securing an antenna site caused a six month delay in getting on-air. The original space secured on the High Warren tower operated by Mercury Communications
has been given to another user. By massive good fortune, Orange were in the process of securing planning permission for a new, higher tower on close by land owned by Warrington Golf Course. A deal was struck and Orange were able to offer the station the prime antenna location at the top of the tower.
and Sales Director Mark Collins. Phil Johnson was the first voice on the station presenting the Breakfast Show. Quite aptly the first track to be played on the station was Lisa Stansfield
's hit "The Real Thing
". Other launch presenters included Pete Pinnington, Lee McGrath, Bobby Prior and John Seddon.
or Newton Le Willows area of Merseyside
as part of a plan to house it in a single building with two other stations from the UTV Radio group: Wish FM
(Wigan
and St Helens
) and Tower FM
(Bolton
and Bury
).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station that serves the Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Widnes
Widnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
and Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
areas of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
(the latter two towns belong to the area known as Halton
Halton (borough)
Halton is a local government district in North West England, with borough status and administered by a unitary authority. It was created in 1974 as a district of Cheshire, and became a unitary authority area on 1 April 1998. It consists of the towns of Widnes and Runcorn and the civil parishes of...
), with strong commitment to local news and information. Its sports coverage is heavily influenced by local rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
teams Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
and Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings
Widnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
. The transmitter is at High Warren reservoir, near the A49
A49 road
The A49 is a major road in western England, which traverses the Welsh Marches region. It runs north from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire via Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury and Whitchurch, then continues through central Cheshire to Warrington and Wigan before terminating at its junction with...
and Warrington Golf Club south of Warrington.
Origins
The roots of Wire FM lie in 1990 when two presenters at Warrington's Hospital Radio Station, Stephen Cooper and Philip Houltby, decided to run an RSLRestricted Service Licence
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...
station for Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
. Stephen had had previous experience of this having been involved with a Special Event Station Waves AM in Peterhead
Peterhead
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....
. The station was duly organised and took to the air as Warrington Festival of Music Radio (WFMR) for two weeks in May 1991. The station broadcast from a borrowed portable cabin located behind the Warrington Town Hall Gates on 1602 kHz AM.
The station was successful in both audience response and commercial respects, and further broadcasts were made in the spring of 1992 and 1993. Stephen Armstrong-Smith and David Duffy
David Duffy
David Cameron Duffy is Professor of Botany and Zoology at the University of Hawai'i and Director of the Hawaiian Pacific Island Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit....
joined the management team for these broadcasts, and a 14' touring caravan was converted into a mobile studio.
During 1994, the attraction of the caravan had waned. Also, funding for the Warrington Festival of Music had decreased with its main supporter, the Warrington & Runcorn Development Corporation, having reached the end of its life. In the 1994 broadcast presenters were also heard to refer to WFMR as Warrington's Favourite Music Radio not Warrington's Festival of Music Radio anymore. The decision was made to move 'indoors', sever the link with the Festival, and move to FM. This had significant risks, as costs for FM licences were higher, and new transmitters and studio equipment had to be bought. However, the broadcast went ahead during June 1994 from a 'Community House' on Nora street in the Howley Area of Warrington, borrowed from Warrington Borough Council.
Birth of Wire FM
The move to FM saw a step change in the popularity of the station with the audience and advertisers. It was decided to repeat the broadcast during November 1994, and the decision was made to change the station name from WFMR to Wire FM, to reflect Warrington's wire manufacturing heritage. At the beginning of 1995, CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
was added to the Radio Authority's list of locations where 'Sally' (Small Scale Alternative Location Licences) were to be advertised. This brought new impetuous and further RSLs were run in June and November 1995. Throughout this period, programming followed an unashamedly commercial format but with regular community features and with local news supplied by the Warrington Guardian.
During 1995, with the licence application pending, the Wire FM management team had initially formed an alliance with Marcher Group to bid for Warrington. However, Marcher were dropped in favour of the Independent Radio Group PLC
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
(IRG) following their formation and subsequent successful bid for Wigan and St. Helens as Wish FM
Wish FM
Wish FM is a British Independent Local Radio that serves the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
. By this point Stephen Cooper had left the team, and Stephen Armstrong-Smith had joined IRG as their Regional Engineer.
During 1996, Cheshire was advertised as the location for two potential radio stations. The remaining members of Wire FM's management team, Philip Houltby and David Duffy, assembled the bid in conjunction with IRG's licence bid team consisting of New Zealanders Kris Burford and Ande McPherson. Competition for the licence was expected to be strong and significant resources were allocated to the bid resulting in 250+ letters of support being received and comprehensive research being undertaken and analysed by the most respected research organisations.
Widened coverage area
Following review of the coverage pattern predicted for the High Warren Reservoir transmitter site, the strategic decision was made to include the Borough of Halton (Widnes and Runcorn) in the intended coverage area. To strengthen the bid in Halton, John Grindley (known on air as Phil Johnson) was invited to join the bid and bring his experience of the Halton FM RSL's to the team.Licence bid
There was much discussion on Widnes and Runcorn's acceptance of the name 'Wire', however the Radio Authority later indicated this was a key factor in awarding the licence. Application documents were submitted during May 1997 and the Radio Authority awarded the licence to Wire FM during November 1997.Competing applications were :
Warrington - Warrington FM (Local Consortium with David Rodgers of Orchard FM
Orchard FM
Heart Somerset was an Independent Local Radio station serving Somerset, England. Originally owned by Orchard Media Ltd, the company was purchased by GWR Group in 1999, and who subsequently became GCap Media in 2005...
)
Warrington - Radio Warrington (Warrington Colligiate Institute lead bid backed by The Wireless Group)
Halton - Fun FM (backed by The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
)
Following the licence award, problems with securing an antenna site caused a six month delay in getting on-air. The original space secured on the High Warren tower operated by Mercury Communications
Mercury Communications
Mercury Communications was a national telephone company in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in 1981 as a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless to challenge the monopoly of British Telecom which was privatised in 1984...
has been given to another user. By massive good fortune, Orange were in the process of securing planning permission for a new, higher tower on close by land owned by Warrington Golf Course. A deal was struck and Orange were able to offer the station the prime antenna location at the top of the tower.
Station launch
The station launched under Programme Director Simon Wynne, who at the time was also PD of 1458 Lite AM in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Sales Director Mark Collins. Phil Johnson was the first voice on the station presenting the Breakfast Show. Quite aptly the first track to be played on the station was Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
's hit "The Real Thing
The Real Thing (Lisa Stansfield song)
"The Real Thing" is a song written by Ian Devaney and Lisa Stansfield. It was the first release from Stansfield's 1997 album Lisa Stansfield, and reached number 9 on the UK singles chart.-Peak positions:...
". Other launch presenters included Pete Pinnington, Lee McGrath, Bobby Prior and John Seddon.
Ownership changes
Although Wire FM was started by the Independent Radio Group, it is currently part of UTV Media after IRG was bought by The Wireless Group in 1999, with TWG then taken over in 2005 by Ulster Television plc.Relocation
In early 2007, the station's owners approached UK media regulator OFCOM to ask permission to move the station's base from Warrington to the HaydockHaydock
Haydock is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. It contains all of the Haydock electoral ward and a section of the Blackbrook electoral ward. The village is located roughly mid-way between Liverpool and Manchester, close to the junction of the M6 motorway...
or Newton Le Willows area of Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
as part of a plan to house it in a single building with two other stations from the UTV Radio group: Wish FM
Wish FM
Wish FM is a British Independent Local Radio that serves the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester and the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
(Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
and St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
) and Tower FM
Tower FM
Tower FM is a British Independent Local Radio station which broadcasts across the towns of Bolton and Bury and parts of north Manchester from its studios in Wigan....
(Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
).
External links
- http://www.wirefm.com Wire FM, Official Website
- http://www.northwestradio.info North West Radio
- http://www.mds975.co.uk/txmaps/cheshire.html MDS975's coverage map