BBC Radio Derby

BBC Radio Derbyis theBBC's local radio stationservingDerbyshireandEast Staffordshire.

BBC Radio Derby

Derby
Broadcast area	DerbyshireandEast Staffordshire
Frequency	FM:95.3 MHz (Peak District) FM: 96.0 MHz (Buxton) FM: 104.5 MHz (Derby,Burton upon TrentandUttoxeter) AM:1116 kHz (Burnaston) DAB:10B Freeview:717
RDS	BBCDERBY
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Local news, talk and music
Ownership
Owner	BBC Local Radio, BBC East Midlands, BBC West Midlands, BBC Yorkshire
History
First air date	29 April 1971
Technical information
Licensing authority	Ofcom
Links
Website	BBC Radio Derby

It broadcasts onFM,AM,DAB,digital TV and viaBBC Soundsfrom studios on St Helens Street inDerby.

According toRAJAR,the station has a weekly audience of 127,000 listeners and a 8.3% share as of December 2023.

Overview

BBC Radio Derby's satellite van pictured inOsnabrück- Derby's twin city

BBC Radio Derby began broadcasting officially on 29 April 1971, though it went on air two months earlier than planned to cover the bankruptcy of the local aero-engine manufacturerRolls-Royce.The station's logo was a Rams head in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Much of the station's output is speech based, featuring news, sport, weather, travel, interviews, and discussions, mixed in with music and competitions. The station's primary audience is aimed at listeners aged over 45, though the sports and weekend shows attract a greater age range.

BBC Radio Derby Sport broadcasts live match commentaries from local football teams, especiallyDerby CountyandBurton Albion.There is also extensive coverage ofDerbyshire cricketduring the summer.

The station won the prestigious "Station of the Year" award in the category for radio stations that serve between 300,000 and 1 million listeners at the SonyRadio Academy Awardsin 2007, 2010 and 2011, becoming the firstBBC local radiostation to win it three times.Also, in both 2017and 2009, Radio Derby was named Station of the Year in the BBC local radio station Gillard awards.

Technical

BBC Radio Derby'smedium wavetransmitter atBurnaston.

104.5FMis the primary frequency for BBC Radio Derby, and comes from a 200 ft transmitting mast on Drum Hill, four miles north of the Derby City Centre, the other side of theA38fromLittle Eaton,next to aScout camp.This service used to come from theSutton Coldfield transmitter.There is a transmitter for theBakewellandMatlockareas based atStanton Mooron 95.3 FM, and a relay of that frequency for theBuxtonarea on 96 FM.

Chesterfield,although located inDerbyshire,is served byBBC Radio Sheffieldwhich has a dedicated relay transmitter in the town. Likewise, the north-western portion of the county taking inGlossop,Chapel-en-le-Frith,andWhaley Bridge,is served byBBC Radio Manchester.

In addition, all of BBC Radio Derby's area is served via itsmedium waveservice on 1116 kHz, which comes from its transmitting mast atBurnaston,just south of the city, close to theToyotacar plant.

The station broadcasts onDABvia themultiplexknown asNOW Derbyshire.A local Derbyshire DAB licence was advertised by OFCOM in January 2007, and was awarded to "Now Digital" with an "on air" date originally planned for July 2008, which was delayed until July 2014.The multiplex is transmitted from five transmitter sites; Chesterfield, Drum Hill,Tibshelf,Stanton Moor, andLichfield.There are also long-term plans for further transmitters at Buxton,Ashbourne,and Glossop.

The station also broadcasts onFreeviewTV channel 717 in theBBC East Midlands,BBC West MidlandsandBBC Yorkshireregions.

Other output

BBC Radio Derby also streams online, to internet radios and viaBBC Soundswhere programmes from the past 28 days are available to listen.

A short news bulletin is available onsmart speakers.

The football focused evening programme is available as a podcast called 'Rams Daily'.

News items, videos, audio clips and photos are posted onTwitterto the general @BBCDerby account, and on theFacebookpage with the same handle. Sports related updates are posted on Twitter to the @BBCDerbySport account.

Programming

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC'sDerbystudios from 6 am to 2 pm on Mondays to Fridays with all other programming since 2023, apart from sports coverage, being regional or national, and during the overnight downtime, BBC Radio Derby simulcastsBBC Radio 5 Live.

Presenters

Blue plaqueon Radio Derby's building.

Notable former presenters

• Colin Bloomfield
• Mike Carey
• Terry Christian
• Ross Fletcher
• James Whale(now atTalkradio)
• Alastair Yates

Branding

The station'sjingleshave varied greatly over the years as trends in music and technology have changed; indeed, the jingle that plays prior to every hourly news bulletin (one of a new batch of tunes introduced in January 2017), features the slogan,On Radio, TV and Mobile - this is BBC Radio Derby;a reflection of the different ways in which the station's output can be heard these days. In the mid-1980s, the station's slogan was"Rise and shine on 269!";the '269' referring to the 269 metreswavelengthof the 1116kHzmedium wavefrequency. This slogan formed the basis of many jingles in this era, but was phased out in the 1990s asFMlistening increased. Nowadays, only the actual frequency of the medium wave signal (1116 MW) is mentioned on the station.

From the commencement of the 96 FM frequency for the Buxton area until April 2007, the jingles were provided by Bespoke Music ofPenryn,Cornwall(being exactly the same asBBC Radio Wiltshire). From 2007 to 2011, jingles were provided byWise Buddah ProductionsofLondon.Then there were Mcasso jingles from 2011 until 2020. Currently, jingles are provided by Reelworld.

Colin Bloomfield Sun Meter

Colin BloomfieldSun Meter

On 3 June 2016, Radio Derby unveiled the UK's first public UV meter inMarkeaton Park.It was a joint venture with the charity Skcin and was paid for with proceeds from theColin BloomfieldMelanomaAppeal. Later in the year, a second meter was unveiled inLong Eaton's West Park.

Money Mountain appeals

From 1983 until 2008, BBC Radio Derby held its annual 'Money Mountain' event. In later years this took place on the second Sunday of October; however it was originally held over the course of the entire weekend, and was presented from a marquee in the station's car park. This idea was abandoned a few years prior to the event's demise and all presenting took place inside the station building itself.

The idea of the event was to support local charities with donations from listeners. The day commenced with 'Dial aHymn'; where listeners dedicated hymns to loved ones in exchange for a donation. This was followed at 9 am by an on-airauctionwhich lasted until late in the evening. Lots typically consisted services by local companies (such as car valeting) and unique items (such as signed celebrity photographs, behind-the-scenes tours and home-made products).

In 2004, the amount of money raised over the years passed the one million pound mark. The person who pledged the bid to surpass this figure was rewarded with acut glasstrophy.

The 2008 auction was to be the last. Twenty-five years had passed since the first auction, and it was decided for the event to "go out on a high" in the anniversary year. The final lot was to win the actualgavelused during the auction over the years. This raised £350; the final total for the 2008 auction was £20,951.31, bringing the grand total over the twenty-five years to £1,121,010.31.

External links

• BBC Radio Derby