96.5 Bolton FM is a

community radio station Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...

based in

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, United Kingdom. Their studios are located above Bolton's Ashburner Street Market. The station launched at 11am on 20 June 2009 at the One Bolton Festival event. They were awarded the title of 'Best Loved Local Radio Station in the UK' during the 2011 nationwide "Thebestof" campaign called '14 Days of Love' as well as winning numerous other awards. Featuring regular shows such as This is Bolton with Kevan Williams, Weekend Breakfast with Andy Haslam, Hits and Headlines with Big H and Club Tropicana with Kevin Gurney, the station appeals to a wide audience. They can also be regularly seen out in the Bolton Community hosting roadshows and broadcasting live from several locations. The station also provided technical staff for two Bolton Hospice events: Strictly Learn to Dance, and the Midnight Memories walk. The station has several high-profile connections including former Labour Whip

Frank White Frank White may refer to: Politics * Frank White (Australian politician) (1830–1875), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Frank White (Alabama politician) (1847–1922), U.S. Senator from Alabama * Frank White (North Dakota p ...

as the station's former chairman, and radio professional Darryl Morris as a former director. Former

Big Brother UK ''Big Brother'' is the British version of the international reality television franchise '' Big Brother'' created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997. Broadcast yearly from 18 July 2000 to 5 November 2018, and again from 8 October 2023, the ...

housemate

Luke Marsden ''Big Brother 2008'', also known as ''Big Brother 9'', was the ninth series of the British reality television series '' Big Brother''. The show followed twenty-one contestants, known as housemates, who were isolated from the outside world for an ...

is also well known for having presented his own show on the station. The station broadcasts a live sports programme on Saturday afternoons, including live match commentaries on

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

league and cup matches during the football season.

Transmission

In January 2020, a new aerial of the station expanded coverage to numerous other places in the borough of Bolton that previously were unable to receive the station. The current Ofcom license for Bolton FM runs until June 2029.

References

External links

Bolton FM official website
{{Coord, 53.578474, -2.429915, format=dms, display=title Mass media in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton Radio stations in Greater Manchester Radio stations established in 2009 Community radio stations in the United Kingdom