Devon Air (horse)
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DevonAir Radio was the
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 2 ...
station serving
East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Honiton, although Exmouth is the largest town. The district also contains the towns of Axminster, Budleigh Salterton, Cranbrook, Ottery St M ...
,
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
and
Torbay Torbay is a unitary authority with a borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is governed by Torbay Council, based in the town of Torquay, and also includes the towns of Paignton and Brixham. The borough consists of ...
.


History

On 27 March 1978, the
Independent Broadcasting Authority The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Author ...
invited applicants for the licence to serve the Exeter and Torbay area. Three applicants came forward – Bay City Radio in
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
, Radio Haldon Limited in
Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...
and Riviera Radio in
Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority, borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the Engli ...
. The IBA awarded the licence to Radio Haldon Limited on 16 June 1979. The licensee name was changed to DevonAir Radio Limited on 4 October 1979. On 7 November 1980, DevonAir began broadcasting to Exeter and mid-Devon from its studios at St Davids Hill in the city. The first presenter on air was Bob Kingsley, who opened the station with its first song ''Here Comes the Sun'' by
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
. On 12 December 1980, the station opened new studios above a former ballroom and nightclub at Harbour Point in
Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...
. DevonAir became the first twin radio station in the UK, hence the on air branding of ''Double DevonAir''. In 1987, the station was acquired by London-based
Capital Radio Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...
. In 1989, the Home Office granted permission for broadcasting on a new relay transmitter at Stockland Hill, allowing DevonAir's signal to be heard in East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset. The relay broadcast on 103 FM from 4 July 1989, under the name of ''South West 103''. In 1991, the Bristol-based
GWR Group GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed on 9 May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Inde ...
bought a stake in DevonAir meaning it was now part-owned by two large radio groups. The station was relaunched on 9 November 1992 as the ''New DevonAir FM'' with the slogan "Devon's Better Music Station" – a change which coincided with the departure of several presenters as a result of a change in format. DevonAir's broadcast licence went up for renewal in 1993 with two further groups bidding to take over – Gemini Radio (owned by Somerset-based Orchard Media) and Wild West Radio. The Radio Authority requested more time to make a decision on the licence award – Wild West Radio was ruled out of the final shortlist before on 8 October 1993, the authority announced that Gemini would takeover DevonAir's licence from 1 January 1995. The winning franchise had proposed to broadcast two separate services on the FM and medium wave frequencies while DevonAir proposed to continue with a sole service, claiming it had maintained a listenership of around 80,000 listeners because of simultaneous broadcasting. The station ended broadcasting at 1pm on 31 December 1994 following an hour-long retrospective programme presented by Paul Saunders. The last song played on DevonAir was ''The Sun Ain't Going to Shine Anymore'' by
The Walker Brothers The Walker Brothers were an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1964 by John Walker (musician), John Walker (real name John Maus) and Scott Walker (singer), Scott Walker (real name Noel Scott Engel), with Gary Walker (musician), Gary Wal ...
. Up until midnight on 1 January 1995, the station aired pre-recorded music leading up to the handover of
Gemini FM Heart Exeter and Torbay were part of the Heart Network of commercial local radio stations operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. The stations were launched on 23 March 2009, and replaced Gemini FM, which was the previous commercial ra ...
. DevonAir's successor
Gemini FM Heart Exeter and Torbay were part of the Heart Network of commercial local radio stations operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. The stations were launched on 23 March 2009, and replaced Gemini FM, which was the previous commercial ra ...
(later rebranded as
Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay Heart Exeter and Torbay were part of the Heart Network of commercial local radio stations operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. The stations were launched on 23 March 2009, and replaced Gemini FM, which was the previous commercial ra ...
) continued to broadcast until 27 August 2010, when it was merged with four Heart Network stations in north & south Devon and the South Hams to form a single county-wide Heart station, broadcasting from Exeter and London. On 1 March 2024 East Devon Radio changed its name to DevonAir Radio and the heritage name returned to the airwaves after co-founder and station manager, Andy Green secured the “DevonAir Radio” brand.


Notable presenters

DevonAir Radio presenters included: Bob Kingsley, Paul Owens, Travis Baxter, John Pierce, Ian Waugh, John Reynolds, John Brocks, Gordon Sommerville, Tim Arnold, Mike Powell, Glen Richards, David Lowe, Stephen Ayres, James Lee, David FitzGerald, Kevin Kane & Keri Jones.


References


External links


DevonAir Radio

DevonAir unofficial tribute site

DevonAir Radio (1980–1994)Beacon Hill mast

Exeter St Thomas mast

Stockland Hill mast
{{DEFAULTSORT:DevonAir Defunct radio stations in the United Kingdom Companies based in Devon Radio stations in Devon Radio stations established in 1980 Radio stations disestablished in 1994 Mass media in Exeter Torbay