Heart Somerset (formerly Somerset's Orchard FM) was 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 2 ...

station serving

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England. Originally owned by (and officially remains licensed to) Orchard Media Ltd, the company was purchased by

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 ...

in 1999, and subsequently became owned by

GCap Media 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 Index ...

in 2005. Somerset's Orchard FM (later Heart Somerset) broadcast from studios at Haygrove House (a converted farmhouse and grounds) at Shoreditch near Taunton Racecourse,

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

, adjacent to the M5.

History

In November 2005 it was announced that GCap's local radio stations in the South West, including Orchard FM, were to be sold. This is because they were outside of the company's primary target area. This sale was called off in Spring 2006 because the bids received were much lower than hoped. 2008 saw the takeover of GCap Media by Global Radio. On 20 January 2009, it was announced that Orchard FM, along with 11 other stations in Southern England, would be rebranded as Heart on 23 March 2009. Presenters on the station over the years included Bob McCreadie (later Pirate FM and Radio Plymouth), Phil Easton, Steve Bulley (now at

Wessex FM Wessex FM was an Independent Local Radio station for the Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport areas of Dorset, originating from studios in Dorchester. It broadcast on 97.2 MHz in Weymouth and Dorchester (from the Bincombe Hill transmitter), a ...

), Jennie Gow (now presenter of

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

for the BBC), Steve Carpenter (now Radio Ninesprings), Jon White (now The Breeze), Mike Harwood, Dave Hills, Dan Jennings, Alex James (Alex Breingan), Tim Ley, Gregory Steven's, Dave Gould, Robert D'Ovidio (now Capital 95.8), Jeremy Kyle, Ian Burrage, Laura James (now The Breeze), Matt Bown (later BBC Southwest) and Ben Clark. Newsreaders included Rachel Hart, Lindsey Ashwood, Dominic Cotter (now BBC Radio Oxford), Greg Bown (now Radio Ninesprings), Angus Walker, Nicola Maxey, Darren Bevan, Helen Martin and Lisa Hay (later BBC Southwest, Mike Marsh. Black Thunder was the name given to Orchard FM's promotional team and their heavily branded 4x4 vehicles based at the Taunton studios, staffed by presenters including Laura James and Matt Bown along with promotional staff Becci Balliston, Matt Burd, Jodi Peppin, Becky Rayfield, Jemma Crook and thunder biker Simon Clark.

Network restructuring

On 21 June 2010, Global Radio announced plans to close Heart Somerset and merge the station with

Heart Bristol Heart 96.3 (formerly GWR FM Bristol) was an Independent Local Radio station serving Bristol and surrounding areas and broadcasting on 96.3 MHz in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Launched in 1981 as Radio West, it was merged with neighbour ...

and Heart Bath as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16. The final local programme was broadcast on Friday 16 July 2010 by long-standing breakfast presenters Ian Burrage and Laura James. The new station, '' Heart West Country'', began broadcasting from Bristol on the same date.Heart slims but strengthens
, RadioToday, 21 June 2010

Transmitters

The main frequency is on 102.6 MHz FM from the Mendip TV Mast. This is at 4 kW, mixed polarisation. The signal is highly directional, with the maximum ERP only being radiated to the south and into Somerset in order to prevent a coverage and thus programming overlap with Heart from Bristol. Other frequencies are 97.1 MHz FM from Chedington (near

Crewkerne Crewkerne ( ) is a town and electoral ward in south Somerset, England, southwest of Yeovil and east of Chard. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Coombe, Woolminstone and Henley, and borders the county of Dorset to the s ...

), which is at 400 watts, but again directional in order to prevent interference with nearby Wessex FM from the Dorchester area, which broadcasts on 97.2 MHz FM. This transmitter exists to reinforce coverage in the Yeovil, North Dorset and South Somerset areas. 96.5 MHz FM radiates from a 60 watt transmitter located in the grounds of the converted farm at Shoreditch in

, from which Orchard FM and Heart Somerset were based. This transmitter reinforces signal in the Taunton area.

References

{{Global Radio Radio stations in Somerset Radio stations established in 1989 Radio stations disestablished in 2010

Defunct radio stations in the United Kingdom