Connect 97.2 & 107.4
Encyclopedia
Connect Radio 97.2 and 107.4 is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom
broadcasting to Northamptonshire
. It is owned by Adventure Radio
and based in Peterborough
.
. 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. 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
. 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 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 Just Great Songs For Northamptonshire 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.
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.
The station broadcasts the networked The Big Top 40 Show on Sunday afternoons at 4pm.
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...
broadcasting to Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. It is owned by Adventure Radio
Adventure Radio
Adventure Radio is a UK based media company based in Southend-on-Sea which operates radio stations in Essex, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.*Chelmsford Radio 107.7 serves Chelmsford and mid-Essex....
and based in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
.
History
The station launched as KCBC on 6 April 1990 on 1530 kHz AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. 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. In 1992, the station switched frequency to 1584 kHz.
In 1996, KCBC was purchased by The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company
The Local Radio Company is a British media company, originally based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, that owns ten independent local radio stations in the UK...
. The station transferred to FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
in March 1998, broadcasting on 107.4 MHz in Kettering and Corby, with a sister station, Connect FM, in Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
, 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
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
. The station changed hands again in May 2000, when it was bought by Forward Media
Forward Media
Forward Media is a media company based in Stockport, Merseyside which operated radio stations.-History:Forward Media Ltd was established in 1998 primarily to acquire and operate Lite FM in Peterborough and Connect FM in Kettering. Forward Media also previously owned Dune FM in Southport, which it...
. In 2007, Connect was granted permission by OFCOM to relocate to Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
at the headquarters of Lite FM
Connect Radio 106.8
Connect Radio 106.8 is a United Kingdom radio station based in Northamptonshire. Serving Peterborough, Chatteris, March, Wisbech & Stamford.-Temporary broadcasts:...
, another station operated by Forward Media.
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 Just Great Songs For Northamptonshire 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.
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.
On-air team
- Mark Jeeves (Breakfast presenter & Managing Director)
- Tracie YoungTracie YoungTracie Young was a pop singer in the 1980s. She achieved success after becoming a protégée of Paul Weller.-Career:...
(Morning presenter) - Gregg Nunney (Afternoon presenter)
- Murray J (The Wind Down presenter)
- Carlo Fiorentino (News editor and breakfast newsreader)
- Jagger and Woody (Saturday morning presenters)
- Heather Canham (Saturday afternoon presenter)
The station broadcasts the networked The Big Top 40 Show on Sunday afternoons at 4pm.