BBC Radio Manchester is the BBC's local radio station serving

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tamesid ...

. It broadcasts on FM,

DAB DAB, dab, dabs, or dabbing may refer to: Dictionaries * ''Dictionary of American Biography'', published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies * ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'', published since 1949 Places * Dąb ...

, digital TV and via

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is a walled garden streaming media and audio download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide range of devices, including mobile phones and tablets, ...

from studios at

MediaCityUK MediaCityUK is a mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The project was developed by Peel Media; its principal tenants are media organisations and the Quayside MediaCi ...

Salford Quays Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it became one of the first and largest urban regeneration projects in the United Kingdom f ...

. 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 198,000 listeners and a 3.3% share as of September 2022.

History

BBC Radio Manchester (1970–1988)

BBC Piccadilly Studios - geograph-2182393-by-David-Dixon

BBC Radio Manchester launched at 6am on 10 September 1970 as the first local radio station in the city of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. Initially broadcasting from studios at 33 Piccadilly overlooking

Piccadilly Gardens Piccadilly Gardens is a green space in Manchester city centre, England, on the edge of the Northern Quarter. It takes its name from the adjacent street, Piccadilly, which runs across the city centre from Market Street to London Road. The ga ...

in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

, the station's long-standing home was New Broadcasting House on Oxford Road. Radio Manchester originally broadcast only on 95.1 VHF (FM); the frequency of 206 metres (1457 kHz), on the AM / medium wave band was added approximately 2 years after the station first went on air. The first voice on air was Alan Sykes. Other presenters included Roy Cross,

Sandra Chalmers Sandra Locke "Sandy" Chalmers (29 February 1940 – 2 February 2015) was a British radio producer and broadcaster, who was editor of ''Woman's Hour'' on BBC Radio 4 in the 1980s. Chalmers was also featured on "Welcome To White Hill" with her ...

, Mike Riddoch and Alex Greenhalgh. In the mid 1970s, Radio Manchester was notable for the "Midway through the Day" programme which introduced strip programming and ran from lunchtime until 7pm. Presenters changed throughout the day and it was the precursor of the now common chat and music format. At the same time Radio Manchester began an evening programme from 10 to midnight which often repeated interviews from "Midway through the Day". By the 1980s the late evening programming had ended, apart from on Sundays when local programming continued to be broadcast until midnight.

Opt-out stations

In 1983 and 1984 the radio station ran a series of experimental community stations jointly funded by the BBC and the

Greater Manchester County Council The Greater Manchester County Council (GMCC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilities for roads, public transport, planning, emergency services ...

, each of which used the 1296 kHz AM frequency in turn. The stations were BBC Radio Bury (late 1983/early 1984), BBC Radio Oldham, BBC Radio Rochdale (eight weeks from 14 May 1984), BBC Radio Trafford (which operated from a mobile studio in a school playground) and BBC Radio Wigan (summer 1984). The stations were part-time services which opted out from the main BBC Radio Manchester service. The experiments were never repeated.

BBC GMR (1988–2006)

From October 1988 until 3 April 2006, the station was named BBC GMR (Greater Manchester Radio) and, for a brief period in 1997, ''GMR Talk''. Programmes included a phone-in with

Allan Beswick Allan Beswick (born 8 October 1948 in Warrington, Lancashire) is a radio broadcaster who presents the late night phone-in on BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Lancashire. Before starting his late-night phone show, Beswick presented the breakf ...

(who remains at the station and has presented a variety of shows at differing times, currently presenting a late night talk show which is now only broadcast at weekends and simulcast with

BBC Radio Lancashire BBC Radio Lancashire is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Lancashire. It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on Darwen Street in Blackburn. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly au ...

and

BBC Radio Merseyside BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 203,000 ...

), late-night music and comedy show ''Michelle Mullane around Midnight'' and ''GMR Brass'', a brass band music programme. From 1991, GMR was part of the

BBC Night Network The BBC Night Network (sometimes referred to on-air as BBC North FM and originally Radio North East) was an all-evening radio network which linked up the North East England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and later the North West England regions of BB ...

. In 1996, BBC GMR began broadcasting from a second transmitter from Saddleworth on 104.6 FM, (which had and continues to serve as a transmitter for

Key 103 ''For the Network, see Hits Radio. For the National DAB station, see Hits Radio UK.'' Hits Radio Manchester is an Independent local radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Greater Manchester ...

for over 20 years). This meant areas of the Upper Tame Valley including

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Delp ...

and

Tameside The Metropolitan Borough of Tameside is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after the River Tame, which flows through the borough, and includes the towns of Ashton-under-Lyne, Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Duk ...

, down to Hyde saw improved coverage, which was poor at times from Holme Moss especially indoors.

BBC Radio Manchester relaunch (2006–present)

Media City Footbridge and BBC Offices (geograph 2685261)

After 18 years the station reverted to its original name, Radio Manchester along with a new jingle package composed by IQ Beats. The first voice on the relaunched station was that of

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder ...

followed by long-time local personality and breakfast presenter

Terry Christian Terence Christian (born 8 May 1960) is a British broadcaster, journalist and author. He has presented several national television series in the UK including Channel 4's late night entertainment show '' The Word'' (1990–1995) and six series o ...

, the first song was ''

'' by

the Beautiful South The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Hull group The Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band's exi ...

. At 6am on Saturday 8 October 2011, the station ended its transmissions from its Oxford Road studios and began broadcasting from

. The final show from Oxford Road was presented by Darryl Morris and the first from the new studios by

Andy Crane Howard Andrew Crane (born 24 February 1964) is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting Children's BBC between 1987 and 1990 and for his current work as a presenter on the Greatest Hits Radio network. Career Crane ...

Programming

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Salford studios from 6am - 1am on Saturday - Fridays. The

phone-in, airing from 10pm - 1am on Saturday and Sunday nights, is simulcast with

and

. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Manchester simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and

BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM frequency, DAB, Virgin Media channel 937, Sky channel 0152 (in the London ...

Presenters

Notable current presenters include: *

(Saturday - Sunday nights) *

Stacey Copeland Stacey Copeland (born 19 August 1981) is an English professional boxer and former football player who has held the Commonwealth female super-welterweight title since 2018. As an amateur she won a silver medal at the 2014 European Championships ...

(Wednesday - Friday late-nights & Sunday afternoons, cover) * Mark Crossley (Breakfast sport) * Jsky (''Dead Good Show''. Wednesday 7pm-10pm) * Natalie Pike (''Talking Balls'') *

Mike Sweeney Michael John Sweeney (born July 22, 1973) is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter and first baseman. Sweeney played his first 13 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, first as a catcher, then at first base and designate ...

(Monday - Thursday daytime) * Phil Trow (Monday - Tuesday late-nights) *

Becky Want Rebecca Elizabeth Want (born 13 June 1964, Hyde, Cheshire) is a radio and television broadcaster, based in Manchester. Radio career Want has worked for the Manchester radio stations Piccadilly Radio and Key 103, where she co-presented the launch ...

(Monday - Thursday Drivetime)

Notable former presenters

* Gordon Burns *

Jeff Cooper John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine, the creator of a " modern technique" of handgun shooting, and an expert on the use and history of small arms. Early life and education Cooper was ...

Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has also presented ''News ...

* Stephanie Hirst *

Susie Mathis Susie Mathis (born Susan Mathis; 29 April 1947) is a former singer, actress and radio presenter who, in later years, became a fundraiser for Francis House Children's Hospice, and many other charities in North West England. Music and television ...

* Darryl Morris * Dianne Oxberry *

Mike Shaft Mike Shaft is a UK based radio presenter, who has been active in British broadcasting for over forty years. During his career Shaft has presented programmes for Piccadilly Radio, Jazz FM, BBC Radio Manchester and Mike Shaft's Music and Radio Off ...

Petroc Trelawny James Edward Petroc Trelawny (born 27 May 1971) is a British classical music radio and television broadcaster. Since 1998 he has been a presenter on BBC Radio 3. Career James Edward Petroc Trelawny was born in Worcester and grew up in the Menea ...

References

External links

*
BBC Radio Manchester marks 40 years on the air
{{DEFAULTSORT:BBC Radio Manchester Radio stations established in 1970

Radio stations in Manchester 1970 establishments in England