DevonAir
Encyclopedia
DevonAir Radio was the independent local radio
station serving East Devon
, Exeter
and Torbay
.
invited applicants for the Exeter/Torbay local radio licenece. The three applicants were Bay City Radio, Exeter
, Radio Haldon Limited, Torquay
and Riviera Radio, Paignton
.
The winning bid was Radio Haldon Limited 16th June 1979. The name was changed to DevonAir Radio Limited on 4th October 1979.
On 7th November 1980, DevonAir began broadcasting across Exeter and mid-Devon from its studios in St Davids Hill Exeter. Presenter Bob Kingsley opened the day's broadcasting with the song 'Here comes The Sun' by The Beatles
.
On 12th December 1980, Devonair opened its Harbour Point Studios in Torquay
above a former ballroom and nightclub making DevonAir the UK's first twin radio station, hence the on air name of "Double DevonAir".
In 1987, the station was acquired by London based Capital Radio
.
In 1989, The Home Office approved a new relay transmitter on Stockland Hill, allowing DevonAir's signal to be heard in East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset. This new transmissions commenced on 103 FM on July 4th 1989.
In 1991, the Bristol based GWR Group bought a stake in DevonAir meaning it was now part-owned by two large groups.
The Station was relaunched on 9th November 1992 as the New DevonAir FM with the slogan - "Devon's Better Music Station". It was at this point that a number of presnters left due to the notable change in the direction of the station.
DevonAir's licence was up for renewal in 1993 and Gemini Radio, Bay City Radio and Wild West Radio all bid for the licence. In an unprecedented move, The Radio Authority asked for more time to make its decision. A shortlist of Gemini and DevonAir was named and in November 1993 a decision was finally made.
The new licence, which would start from 1st January 1995, was eventually awarded to Gemini Radio owned by Orchard Media. The main difference between the two bids was that Gemini Radio proposed to broadcast a separate output on its medium wave frequencies to its FM frequencies, whilst Devonair proposed to continue with its simultaneous output which it claimed was the reason behind its 80,000 listeners.
Paul Saunders presented DevonAir's final show which started at 12pm on 31st December 1994 and was an hour look back at the station's history. The programme featured some of the current presenters including Kevin Kane and Chris Dinnis and lots of nostalgia, old jingles and memories from listeners. The final song was "The Sun Ain't Going To Shine Anymore" by The Walker Brothers
and was very fitting considering the first song "Here Comes The Sun" by the Beatles and at 1:00 p.m the station went off air.
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 serving East Devon
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
.
History
On 27th March 1978, the Independent Broadcasting AuthorityIndependent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
invited applicants for the Exeter/Torbay local radio licenece. The three applicants were Bay City Radio, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Radio Haldon Limited, Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
and Riviera Radio, Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
.
The winning bid was Radio Haldon Limited 16th June 1979. The name was changed to DevonAir Radio Limited on 4th October 1979.
On 7th November 1980, DevonAir began broadcasting across Exeter and mid-Devon from its studios in St Davids Hill Exeter. Presenter Bob Kingsley opened the day's broadcasting with the song 'Here comes The Sun' by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
On 12th December 1980, Devonair opened its Harbour Point Studios in Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
above a former ballroom and nightclub making DevonAir the UK's first twin radio station, hence the on air name of "Double DevonAir".
In 1987, the station was acquired by London based Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
.
In 1989, The Home Office approved a new relay transmitter on Stockland Hill, allowing DevonAir's signal to be heard in East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset. This new transmissions commenced on 103 FM on July 4th 1989.
In 1991, the Bristol based GWR Group bought a stake in DevonAir meaning it was now part-owned by two large groups.
The Station was relaunched on 9th November 1992 as the New DevonAir FM with the slogan - "Devon's Better Music Station". It was at this point that a number of presnters left due to the notable change in the direction of the station.
DevonAir's licence was up for renewal in 1993 and Gemini Radio, Bay City Radio and Wild West Radio all bid for the licence. In an unprecedented move, The Radio Authority asked for more time to make its decision. A shortlist of Gemini and DevonAir was named and in November 1993 a decision was finally made.
The new licence, which would start from 1st January 1995, was eventually awarded to Gemini Radio owned by Orchard Media. The main difference between the two bids was that Gemini Radio proposed to broadcast a separate output on its medium wave frequencies to its FM frequencies, whilst Devonair proposed to continue with its simultaneous output which it claimed was the reason behind its 80,000 listeners.
Paul Saunders presented DevonAir's final show which started at 12pm on 31st December 1994 and was an hour look back at the station's history. The programme featured some of the current presenters including Kevin Kane and Chris Dinnis and lots of nostalgia, old jingles and memories from listeners. The final song was "The Sun Ain't Going To Shine Anymore" by The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
and was very fitting considering the first song "Here Comes The Sun" by the Beatles and at 1:00 p.m the station went off air.
Presenters
- Bob Kingsley
- John Brocks
- Paul Saunders
- CJ Munroe
- Johnny Haywood
- Keri JonesKeri JonesKeri Jones is a British radio executive.Keri Jones attended university from 1989 to study law and worked for a number of radio stations throughout the 80's and 90's including DevonAir, Radio Medica, Viking FM, BBC Radio Humberside, Fosseway Radio, Leicester Sound, Valleys Radio and various BBC...
- Travis Baxter
- Ian Waugh
- John Pierce
- Kevin Kane
- Dave England
- Chris Dinnis
- Tim Schofield
- Dave Mason
- Keith Oliver
- Jim Gibbons
- Tim Arnold
- Peter Gunn
- David Fitzgerald
- Mike Powell
- David Rodgers
- Gordon Somerville
- John Whitworth
- Pete Newman
- Stephen Ayres
- Steve Carpenter
- Dave Treharne
- Marshall Ritchie
- John Autton
- Jane Langton
- Alan Ross
- Su Skittrall