Heart 103.3
Encyclopedia
Heart Milton Keynes was an Independent Local Radio
station for Milton Keynes
and North Buckinghamshire
. Broadcasting on 103.3FM from the Bow Brickhill transmitter, the station was part of Global Radio
's Heart Network
. The station's flagship shows were Heart Breakfast with Wes Venn and Heart Drivetime with Lucy Ellis.
in October 1989 as sister station to neighbouring Chiltern Radio and part of The Chiltern Radio Network. It was subsequently rebranded as 'The Hotter Mix' and FM 103. The first song played was "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz and the Plastic Population. The station was later re-branded as FM 103 Horizon before changing to Horizon Radio in 2006 and finally, Heart in 2009.
The name, Horizon Radio, had no real significance. Although it was thought that its coverage area only extended out as far as Milton Keynes
' city limits; realistically Heart 103.3 could be heard as far north as Corby
.
. A similar incident occurred on Heart Ipswich, where Ipswich Town FC used a "get-out clause" and handed over commentary rights over to BBC Radio Suffolk
. A Heart spokesman said they were pleased with this because speech does not fit in with the Heart format.
and Heart Bedford
as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. The new station, Heart Home Counties
, began broadcasting from Dunstable at 10:00am on 16 July 2010 following the final edition of Heart Breakfast with Wes Venn.
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 for Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and North Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Broadcasting on 103.3FM from the Bow Brickhill transmitter, the station was part of Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
's Heart Network
Heart Network
Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
. The station's flagship shows were Heart Breakfast with Wes Venn and Heart Drivetime with Lucy Ellis.
History
The station was launched as Horizon Radio by Chris PearsonChris Pearson (radio)
Chris Pearson was born in Dartford, Kent and is a radio presenter on the worldwide BFBS radio network.His career started with the famous north-sea pirate station Radio Caroline...
in October 1989 as sister station to neighbouring Chiltern Radio and part of The Chiltern Radio Network. It was subsequently rebranded as 'The Hotter Mix' and FM 103. The first song played was "The Only Way Is Up" by Yazz and the Plastic Population. The station was later re-branded as FM 103 Horizon before changing to Horizon Radio in 2006 and finally, Heart in 2009.
The name, Horizon Radio, had no real significance. Although it was thought that its coverage area only extended out as far as Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
' city limits; realistically Heart 103.3 could be heard as far north as Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
.
Sports Coverage
During the 2008-09 football season, the station's predecessor Horizon Radio secured a deal with the MK Dons football club to broadcast live match commentary for both home and away matches which continued following the Heart rebrand; the Dons competing in the Coca-Cola League 1. Commentary was provided by Mike Burrows. This arrangement was not however continued into the 2009-10 season and is now broadcast on BBC Three Counties RadioBBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
. A similar incident occurred on Heart Ipswich, where Ipswich Town FC used a "get-out clause" and handed over commentary rights over to BBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Suffolk, commencing broadcasts on 12 April 1990. Its studios are at Broadcasting House in St Matthews Street, Ipswich on 95.5 , 95.9 , 103.9 and 104.6 FM...
. A Heart spokesman said they were pleased with this because speech does not fit in with the Heart format.
Closure
On 21 June 2010, Global Radio announced plans to merge Heart MK with Heart Northants, Heart DunstableHeart Dunstable
Heart Dunstable was an Independent Local Radio station based in Chiltern Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.-History:...
and Heart Bedford
Heart Bedford
Heart Bedford was an Independent Local Radio station based in the Priory Business Park in Bedford, Bedfordshire.-History:...
as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. The new station, Heart Home Counties
Heart Home Counties
Heart Four Counties is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. The station began broadcasting at 4pm on Friday 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Milton Keynes , Heart Northants , Heart Dunstable and...
, began broadcasting from Dunstable at 10:00am on 16 July 2010 following the final edition of Heart Breakfast with Wes Venn.