Radio Thamesmead
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Time 106.8 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 located in the south-east
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and north-west
Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
area of
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, which broadcast to
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
and
Bexleyheath Bexleyheath is a town in southeast London, England, in the London Borough of Bexley. It had a population of approximately 15,600 in 2021 and is southeast of Charing Cross. It is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in London ...
in London and
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
and
Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...
in Kent on 106.8 FM, and ceased transmission in April 2009.


Background

The radio station originally broadcast as Radio Thamesmead using the local
Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV (TV network ...
cable television system (channel L). It was financed originally by the Home Office, due to a fear of flooding before the Thames Barrier was finished and featured weekly alarm 'rehearsals. The first studio was in the Ecumenical Centre and run by the Rev Patrick Forbes who presented a mainly classical music breakfast show. Nick Hennegan, broadcasting as Nick Mobbs, was a volunteer who took over the breakfast show after the Rev Forbes moved to another parish. Australian Frank Warren arrived back at his home in Thamesmead and worked with the voluntary sector to develop the station, turn it into a youth project and move to studios in Tavy Bridge. It was also broadcast in Greenwich for a time on a cable television service there. Towards the end of the 1980s, new management were brought in by the stations backers (the Community Service Volunteers NGO and Thamesmead Town company) with a view to campaigning and applying for a permanent broadcast (FM) license. The station was managed by Bob Smith (deceased) and David Stanley headed the engineering/technical side. An Incremental Radio license was applied for in 1989. One other applicant, Greenwich Community Radio Meridian applied, but Radio Thamesmead won the license which it had long campaigned for. The volunteers of the radio station were given the opportunity to vote on a new name for the station. It was felt that the Thamesmead name should be dropped to reflect the much wider service area which covered a large part of south east London. RTM Radio was the name chosen by the majority. Following upgrading of the station's facilities to meet the IBA engineering code, the station commenced broadcasts from its existing studios at Tavy Bridge, Thamesmead, as RTM Radio transmitting on 103.8 F.M. Transmission was from Shooters Hill, — Information about the transmission tower and a gallery of pictures one of the highest points in London. The station was the first broadcaster in the UK to use an independent company ( Sound Broadcast Services) to provide its FM transmission systems. The station negotiated a change in frequency from 103.8 to 106.8 MHz following persistent interference from BBC local radio transmissions from Bedfordshire. The station also changed from vertical polarisation to circular using a custom designed antenna from SBS. RTM stayed at Tavy Bridge until moving to the Thamesmead Town offices in Harrow Manor Way during April 1994. The new studios and production facilities were designed and built in house by Frank de Pellette and Jon Lucas. The station then moved to Basildon Road on the outskirts of
Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Plumstead has been settled since ancient times, and London's earliest timber structure has been found here. ...
, sharing its premises with sister station South London Radio 107.3. By then, Time 106.8 was in the final five years of its life and was owned by the Sunrise Radio Group.


History

The station launched on the FM radio band as RTM Radio on 18 March 1990, having previously broadcast on the area's local cable television service as Radio Thamesmead, and intended to fulfil a community-style remit, with any profits generated being invested in local regeneration projects. Prior to its full time license, the station operated the first FM Restricted Service License in the UK from 23 to 24 July 1988 on 104.3 MHz. RTM changed its name to Millennium 106.8 in 1997, to link in with the upcoming celebrations at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, having successfully amended its minority-orientated programming obligations with the Radio Authority. The station was put up for sale in June 1999, and was purchased by the
Milestone Group Catenae Innovation (formerly Milestone Group) is a British digital media and technology company. Originally a cross media proprietor with holdings in radio, publishing and television, the company progressed into the digital media and technology s ...
in 2000. Fusion Radio Holdings later took reins of the station. Millennium was rebranded as Time 106.8 at the beginning of 2003, in a move to associate the station with local town
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
's connection with the
Greenwich Meridian The Greenwich meridian is a prime meridian, a geographical reference line that passes through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in London, England. From 1884 to 1974, the Greenwich meridian was the international standard prime meridian, ...
. Avtar Lit's Sunrise Radio Group purchased the station in March 2004. A later decision was taken to rebrand other stations in the group under the same banner - of which only Time 107.5 in Romford continues to use the moniker.


Performance and subsequent closure

The station consistently struggled to perform in a highly competitive London market in terms of audience figures, with its market share steadily declining in RAJAR performance since the middle of 2005. In its final survey at the end of 2008, Time recorded an audience of 13,000 listeners, representing a market share of 1%. In an unusual move, the Sunrise Radio Group put the station up for sale via a message on its website in mid-October 2008, and following disputed claims a buyer had been found, Time 106.8 ceased broadcasting at midnight on Saturday 4 April 2009.


Past Notable Presenters

*
John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
(Moved to XFM, now Radio X) *
Keir Simmons Keir Hardie Brennan-Simmons (born 1972) is an English journalist. He has been the chief international correspondent for the NBC morning show ''Today'' since December 2018. He also appears regularly on the evening broadcast ''NBC Nightly News'', ...
(
ITV News ITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British news television channel of ITV (TV network), ITV. ITV has a long tradition of television news. ITN, Independent Television News (ITN) was founded to provide news bulletins for the netwo ...
) * Roger Day (
Boom Radio Boom Radio (also Boom Radio UK) is an independent, commercial, national radio station in the United Kingdom. Owned by Boom Radio Ltd, the station is aimed at baby boomers, the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964. Launched on 14 Febr ...
) * Simon Beale (
Heart UK Heart UK (formerly Heart Extra) is a digital radio station owned and operated by Global as a national version of Heart, and broadcast from studios at Leicester Square in London. On 2 February 2016, Global announced that the station would launch ...
)


References

{{reflist


External links


Time FM Group website

Archive of station website


Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
Radio stations in Kent Media and communications in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Radio stations established in 1990 Radio stations disestablished in 2009 Defunct radio stations in the United Kingdom 1990 establishments in England 2009 disestablishments in England