Sam FM (Bristol)
 | |
| Broadcast area | Bristol and Bath, Somerset |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106.5 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Modern AC |
| Network | Hits Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bauer Radio |
| History | |
First air date | 20 May 2007 |
| Links | |
| Website | Sam FM |
Sam FM (Soon to be Hits Radio) is an English language adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.5 MHz FM in Bristol, United Kingdom and is owned by Bauer Radio. The station forms part of the Hits Radio network, although its entire output and playlist is locally produced and takes no network programming.
History
Original 106.5
The station was awarded its original broadcast licence in September 2006 as Original 106.5, and commenced broadcasting on 20 May 2007. It was owned by a group of investors under the name Tomahawk Radio. The station originally broadcast an Adult Oriented format, with 40% of its music coming from past or present Top 20 charts.
Jack FM
106 Jack FM replaced Original, which had previously broadcast using the same frequency, on 2 December 2009 following a staged on-air argument and station hijacking the previous day.[1]
The station was acquired by Celador Radio on 7 September 2010.[2]
Rebrand to Sam FM and merger
From 1 April 2015, the Jack FM name was dropped in favour of Sam FM by the station owner Celador Radio, who decided on changing the name six months beforehand.[3] The station's topical imaging are voiced by actor and comedian Gareth Hale (of Hale and Pace).
On 25 May 2016, OFCOM announced it had granted Celador permission to merge the station with its sister station in Swindon. The company said the Swindon station was not financially viable as a stand-alone service, having made a £50,000 loss in 2015.[4] The station continued to broadcast its weekday breakfast show from Bristol - shared with the Swindon station - and retained local news bulletins, traffic updates and what's on information.
Following the purchase of Celador Radio by Bauer Radio in 2019, Sam FM Swindon became part of the Greatest Hits Radio network in September 2020, leaving the Bristol Sam FM as a standalone operation again.
On Friday 3rd September Downey did his final link on Sam FM just before 7pm.
Hits Radio Bristol & The South West
On Friday 3rd September, it's the countdown to Hits Radio Bristol & The South West.
From September 6th, Sam FM will relaunch as Hits Radio, with the majority of the programming shared with the Hits Radio Network. The sole local programme will be weekdays 4-7pm.
Max & Jason will start Hits Radio Drivetime on September 6th from 4pm-7pm.
DAB
Sam FM was removed from DAB in 2015, but three years later was re-added to Bristol's DAB Mux in a bid to increase listener reach.[5]
See also
- Greatest Hits Radio Bristol & The South West
- Hits Radio South Coast
- Greatest Hits Radio South Coast
- Greatest Hits Radio Swindon
References
- ^ "Mike Ford 'row' with Bristol DJ launches new radio station". Bristol Evening Post. 2 December 2009. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ "Details of acquisition by Celador". Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ Radio Today: Celador's JACK Stations to become Sam FM: 1 April 2015
- ^ Sam FM Swindon to merge with Sam FM Bristol, Radio Today, 25 May 2016
- ^ "Sam Fm Joining Bristol DAB Mux". Retrieved 7 August 2018.