Channel 103 is an
independent local radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2003, ...
station broadcasting to the island of
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...
on 103.7
FM and
DAB+ digital radio.
The station launched on 25 October 1992. Channel 103 is part of
Tindle Radio
Tindle Radio is a media company which owns commercial stations in the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland. It has its head office in Farnham, Surrey, shared with Tindle Newspapers.
History
Sir Ray Tindle acquired Island FM in Guern ...
, which also owns
Island FM
Island FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting across the Bailiwick of Guernsey on 104.7FM and 93.7FM in Alderney.
Launched in 1992, Island FM remains the sole commercial station in the island and continues to be extremely success ...
in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
and
Midlands 103
Midlands 103 (previously known as Midlands Radio 3) is an Irish local independent radio station broadcasting to counties Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath.
The station's offices and main broadcast studios are in Tullamore, County Offaly. It also ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
.
According to
RAJAR
Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and RadioCentre. RAJAR's predecessor was call ...
, the station has a weekly audience of 52,000 and a 29.1% market share as of December 2022 - the highest of any local radio station in the British Isles.
In late 2020, Channel 103 became a part of
Bauer's
Hits Radio Network
Hits Radio is a network of 25 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.
As of October 2022, the network has a combined reach of 6.6 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR.
Overvie ...
for commercial sales. It remains owned by Tindle with no shared programming.
Programming
Channel 103's core audience is the 25-44 age group, playing contemporary hits - predominantly from the early 1990s to the present day.
News bulletins are presented locally from 6:30am until 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The station's weekend news service broadcasts local content, presented either from Jersey or Guernsey from 8am until noon.
Sky News
Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the he ...
provides the service outside these times.
Transmission
From its launch in 1992 until 16 March 2021, Channel 103 broadcast from studios on Tunnell Street in
St Helier.
In 2021, the station vacated its original building and moved to a new studio complex in Britannia Place, St Helier.
It continues to transmit on FM from the Arqiva mast at Frémont Point, on the north coast of the island.
Channel 103 began
digital radio
Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services.
Types
In digital broadcasting s ...
transmissions, alongside those of
Island FM
Island FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting across the Bailiwick of Guernsey on 104.7FM and 93.7FM in Alderney.
Launched in 1992, Island FM remains the sole commercial station in the island and continues to be extremely success ...
, on 1 August 2021 with the launch of the local
Ofcom
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
-licensed DAB multiplex for the Channel Islands. This service is radiated from transmitters at Les Platons (Jersey) and Les Touillets (Guernsey) at launch, with a transmitter on Alderney to be added later in the summer.
External links
Official sitemedia.info
See also
*
BBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Jersey (Jèrriais: ''BBC Radio Jèrri'') is the BBC's local radio station serving the Bailiwick of Jersey. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB+, Freeview and via BBC Sounds from studios on Parade Road in Saint Helier. Like other BBC enter ...
*
Contact 94
Contact 94 was a radio station that broadcast from Lessay in Northern France to Normandy and the Channel Islands between September 1988 and November 1991. The station broadcast on various frequencies during its time on air, including 94.4 FM, 93 ...
References
Radio stations in Jersey
Radio stations established in 1992
1992 establishments in Jersey
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