Saga 106.6 FM
Encyclopedia
Saga 106.6FM was an independent radio station
for the East Midlands
, broadcasting to Derbyshire
, Leicestershire
, Lincolnshire
, Nottinghamshire
and Rutland
. Part of the Saga Radio Group, the regional station was broadcast from the Riverside Business Park in Nottingham
, close to the old Central
/Carlton
Television studio
s on Lenton Lane. It was a quality service aimed at an audience aged fifty plus, and played familiar, melodic music covering most genres "from the last six decades and today".
, Tony Lyman
, Tim Gough
, Steve Merike, Paul Robey, Jeff Cooper, Andy Marriott, Ian Chilvers
, Mark Burrows, Ron Coles, Steve Orchard, Tim Rogers, David Lloyd
, Ashley Franklin, Peter Quinn, Sheila Tracy
, 'Diddy' David Hamilton
, Mike Wyer and Erica Hughes. Paul Robey was also Saga's Group Programme Director.
, Big Band
music and Rock and Roll
. These included:
(near Melton Mowbray
), while the 101.4FM signal came from the Drum Hill transmitter near Little Eaton in Derbyshire
. The station was also available on DAB on the NOW Nottingham
ensemble
and online.
in December 2006, it was announced that Saga 106.6 would be rebranded as 106.6 Smooth Radio
from March 2007. This was in line with other Saga radio stations which would also be renamed. The station closed shortly after 6pm on Friday 23 March 2007, following which there was a preview weekend for the relaunch.
Smooth Radio began broadcasting on Monday 26 March 2007 at 6am. Many of the presenters from Saga, including John Peters, Amanda Bowman and Tony Lyman, went on to host shows for Smooth.
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:...
for the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
, broadcasting to Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
. Part of the Saga Radio Group, the regional station was broadcast from the Riverside Business Park in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, close to the old Central
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
/Carlton
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
Television studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
s on Lenton Lane. It was a quality service aimed at an audience aged fifty plus, and played familiar, melodic music covering most genres "from the last six decades and today".
Presenters
The array of presenters on the station included many who made their names on the region's commercial stations. These included John Peters, who launched Radio Trent (the East Midlands' first commercial radio station in 1975), Amanda BowmanAmanda Bowman
Amanda Bowman is a British disc jockey.Her broadcasting career began in the mid 1980s while she was working for Radio Trent. Initially one of the station's Careline presenters, she went on to host a show at Trent in her own right, before later taking a career break in order to bring up her children...
, Tony Lyman
Tony Lyman
Tony Lyman is a British disc jockey, who currently presents the drivetime show on Nottingham based radio station 106.6 Smooth Radio.- Career :...
, Tim Gough
Tim Gough
Tim Gough is a British disc jockey and current Programme Controller at 106.6 Smooth Radio in NottinghamHis broadcasting career began at Radio Orwell, a station based in Ipswich, Suffolk, where, after starting as a record librarian and tech-op, he was given the opportunity to present the Sunday...
, Steve Merike, Paul Robey, Jeff Cooper, Andy Marriott, Ian Chilvers
Ian Chilvers
Ian Chilvers is a British radio presenter and the current weekday overnight host on 106.6 Smooth Radio in Nottingham.His radio career began in 1989 at Radio Link , where he worked until 1997...
, Mark Burrows, Ron Coles, Steve Orchard, Tim Rogers, David Lloyd
David Lloyd (broadcaster)
David Lloyd is an English radio presenter and executive, currently working for the Midlands-based group Orion Media as director of programming & marketing and a presenter.-Biography:...
, Ashley Franklin, Peter Quinn, Sheila Tracy
Sheila Tracy
Sheila Tracy is a British musician, best known for her trombone playing, and as a broadcaster and journalist. She studied piano, violin and trombone at the Royal Academy of Music, then joined the Ivy Benson All Girls Band between 1956 and 1958...
, 'Diddy' David Hamilton
David Hamilton (Radio DJ)
David Hamilton is a British radio presenter. Since his broadcasting career began in 1959, Hamilton has hosted over 12,000 radio shows and more than 1,000 TV shows...
, Mike Wyer and Erica Hughes. Paul Robey was also Saga's Group Programme Director.
Programming
Programming was a quality service aimed at an audience over the age of 50, with familiar, melodic music covering most genres from the 1940s up to the present day. There were also special interest shows on genres such as Country and Western, JazzJazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
music and Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. These included:
- Swing Time with Sheila Tracy - featuring big band and dance band music;
- The Collection - hits from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s;
- 50s/60s Saturday - Saturday morning programme playing music from the 1950s and 1960s;
- 60s/70s Sunday - Sunday afternoon show featuring music from the 1960s and 1970s;
- Saga Country - the very best in country and western music;
- Saga Silver Screen - music from the movies;
- Soul Train - Soul and Motown hits.
- Smooth Jazz - jazz music
- Pure Nostalgia - music from the 1930s through to the early 1950s;
- David Hamilton's Million Sellers - the songs that sold a million;
- Jukebox Giants - music from the Rock'n'Roll era.
Broadcasting
The main 106.6FM signal came from the Waltham transmitterWaltham transmitting station
The Waltham transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facilityat Waltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles north-east of Melton Mowbray. It sits inside the Waltham civil parish near Stonesby, in the district of Melton, Leicestershire, UK. It has a guyed steel tubular mast...
(near Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
), while the 101.4FM signal came from the Drum Hill transmitter near Little Eaton in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. The station was also available on DAB on the NOW Nottingham
NOW Nottingham
NOW Nottingham is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Nottingham, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent and the surrounding area...
ensemble
DAB ensemble
DAB ensembles are groups of Digital audio broadcasting broadcasters transmitting multiple digital radio channels on a single radio transmission....
and online.
Rebranding
Following the purchase of the Saga Radio Group stations by GMG RadioGMG Radio
GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...
in December 2006, it was announced that Saga 106.6 would be rebranded as 106.6 Smooth Radio
106.6 Smooth Radio
106.6 Smooth Radio was an Independent Local Radio station for the East Midlands, which replaced Saga 106.6 FM at 6am on Monday 26 March 2007. In turn it replaced itself by the national Smooth Radio service which was launched on 4 October 2010...
from March 2007. This was in line with other Saga radio stations which would also be renamed. The station closed shortly after 6pm on Friday 23 March 2007, following which there was a preview weekend for the relaunch.
Smooth Radio began broadcasting on Monday 26 March 2007 at 6am. Many of the presenters from Saga, including John Peters, Amanda Bowman and Tony Lyman, went on to host shows for Smooth.