Heart West Midlands
Encyclopedia
Heart West Midlands is a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 based in Birmingham, England, as part of the Heart Network
Heart Network
Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...

, with a regional license to broadcast to the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...

. It is aimed primarily at people aged 25 – 44, which makes the station just about enter the Hot AC format.

History

Heart began broadcasting on the 6 September 1994, as 100.7 Heart FM being the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's third Independent Regional Radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...

 station, five days after Century Radio
100-102 Century FM
Real Radio North East is a radio station in north east England owned by GMG Radio. It is based in Team Valley, Gateshead, and broadcasts to north east England....

 and Jazz FM North West. The first song to be played on 100.7 Heart fm was "Something Got Me Started
Something Got Me Started
"Something Got Me Started" was the first single released from what would become Simply Red's biggest selling album, Stars; at the time, the group had not released a record for almost two years, so anticipation was high for the new song.- History :...

", by Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...

. Its original format of "soft adult contemporary" music included artists such as Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...

, Simply Red
Simply Red
Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...

 and Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...

. Reflecting this, its early slogan described the station as being "100.7 degrees cooler".

Its programming format was modified in 1996, a year after Chrysalis launched Heart 106.2 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The new format saw the "soft" AC music replaced with a generally more neutral music playlist, with more upbeat music from the same big-name artists like Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....

. This saw radio audience listening figures grow to equal that of local rival BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...

, which was for a long time undisputed number one commercial radio in the West Midlands. New disc-jockeys were brought in from other stations; Daryl Denham
Daryl Denham
Daryl Denham is a British radio DJ, and songwriter, currently presenting the drive-time show at Real Radio in Yorkshire.-Early career:Denham's career started at school, where he was active in producing pop music productions in school concerts, organizing pop quizzes and writing and performing...

 arrived in 2000 from Hallam FM
Hallam FM
Hallam FM is an independent local radio station serving South Yorkshire and the North Midlands from studios in Sheffield. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's Place Network of stations.-History:...

's breakfast show in a high-profile move. Ian Danter and Carlos
Carlos
Carlos is a masculine given name. It is a Portuguese and Spanish form of Charles. It may refer to:- Royalty :* Carlos I of Portugal , second to last King of Portugal* Carlos V , Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain...

 also arrived from BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...

.

One of Heart's most popular DJs, Tushar Makwana
Tushar Makwana
Tushar Makwana was an award winning British radio personality, killed in a hit-and-run incident during a botched robbery attempt at his home in Birmingham, England.-Early life:...

, was killed in 2004 following a burglary at his home which left him injured on his doorstep. The station's staff paid tribute to the presenter on-air, and campaigned for the person(s) responsible to be brought to justice. The station's reception area now includes a photographic tribute and plaque.

Following a corporate re-brand of the station, including a change of logo, the more contemporary look was soon reflected in the station's sound. The format is now described as more Hot AC and features more music from the likes of Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...

, James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...

 and Keane as well as soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 from the 1970s, branded as Club Classics. During this relaunch long-time DJs departed the station, such as Ian Danter, Carlos
Carlos (DJ)
Carl Emms , known as Carlos, is a long established British disc jockey. He can currently be heard presenting a teatime show on Smooth Radio.-Early career:...

, Paul Bryant and Nick Piercey
Nick Piercey
-Early career:Nick Piercey started his broadcasting career on University Radio Stations in Bath in 1979 and 1980, and University of Kent from 1981 - 1984, before becoming a trainee at Invicta FM in late 1984...

, to be replaced by younger DJs such as Steve Denyer and Dave Clarke.

2005 saw the evacuation of its studios after West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...

 alerted staff and other civilians following a bomb alert in Birmingham's Broad Street complex station. The station continued to operate initially relaying sister station LBC News 1152
LBC News 1152
LBC News 1152 is London's only rolling news radio station broadcasting in Greater London on AM, DAB, Sky, Virgin Media and online. The station's aim is to provide more in depth coverage of the day's news stories...

 before transmission switched to the studios of Century 106 (now Heart 106
Heart 106
Gem 106, previously known as Heart East Midlands, is a regional radio station broadcasting to the East Midlands, owned and operated by Orion Media.-History:...

) in Nottingham which broadcast reports from DNN
DNN
DNN may refer to:*Digital News Network, a rolling news service on Digital Radio in the United Kingdom.*Dalton Municipal Airport, a city-owned public-use airport in Dalton, Georgia .*DotNetNuke, an open source website based on ASP.NET....

 Journalists John Collins and Dave Richards, who had to broadcast from a phone booth due to restrictions on the use of mobile phones.

On 11 September 2006, new station idents and jingles were used for the first time, and saw the station referred to purely as 'Heart' rather than '100.7 Heart fm'.

On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart
Heart Digital
Heart Digital was a digital radio network of stations that broadcast on DAB Digital Radio in the North East of England , the North West of England , Yorkshire , South Wales and the West of England and in Central Scotland , as part of the Heart Network...

 along with its sister stations The Arrow
The Arrow (radio)
The Arrow is a British digital radio station playing pop and the softer end of rock music. It broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio . It is also broadcast on TalkTalk TV and streamed online...

, LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...

 and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...

 from Chrysalis Radio.

From 28 April 2008 Heart began simulcasting some of its programmes from Heart 106.2
Heart 106.2
Heart 106.2 is an Independent Local Radio station based in London and is owned by Global Radio as part of the Heart Network.On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, Sky News Radio, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from...

 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. There are now only ten hours of local programming from Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

 during weekdays and four hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Station Information

The station is housed in 111 Broad Street
Broad Street, Birmingham
Broad Street is a major thoroughfare and popular nightspot in Birmingham City Centre, United Kingdom. Traditionally, Broad Street was considered to be outside Birmingham City Centre, but as the city centre expanded with the removal of the Inner Ring Road, Broad Street has been incorporated into...

 - the same building as Global Radio-owned sister stations 102.2 Capital FM Birmingham and The Arrow
The Arrow (radio)
The Arrow is a British digital radio station playing pop and the softer end of rock music. It broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio . It is also broadcast on TalkTalk TV and streamed online...

. The Digital News Network (DNN
DNN
DNN may refer to:*Digital News Network, a rolling news service on Digital Radio in the United Kingdom.*Dalton Municipal Airport, a city-owned public-use airport in Dalton, Georgia .*DotNetNuke, an open source website based on ASP.NET....

) also broadcast from the building until it ceased transmission in August 2006, to be replaced by LBC
LBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...

, whose regional DAB service was fully rolled out on September 1. Regional news bulletins continues to be broadcast from the building on Heart and Capital.

The FM signal comes from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter
Sutton Coldfield television transmitter
The Sutton Coldfield transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility located in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. It has broadcast terrestrial television signals every day since 1949 and is thus the oldest working television transmitting station in the world.-History:On...

, and is audible throughout a large part of the Midlands, including the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...

 towns of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...

 and parts of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

. It can be heard with fairly decent audible quality in Kingswood Bristol. This is because Kingswood is very high up meaning there is a clear line of sight between the north and Kingswood. The station is available on DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....

, thanks to eight transmitters throughout the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...

 on the MXR 12A multiplex, with strong signals from The Wrekin
The Wrekin
The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising to a height of above the Shropshire Plain, it is a prominent and well-known landmark, marking the entrance to Shropshire...

 and Ilmington in south Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

.

Monday–Friday

Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location
0100 – 0400 All 80s, All Night (automated) Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

0400 - 0600 Nicola Bonn
0600 – 1000 Ed James & Rachel New: Heart Breakfast Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

1000 – 1300 Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis
Toby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....

Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

1300 – 1600 Nick Snaith
1600 – 1900 Steve Denyer: Heart Drivetime (Local) Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

1900 – 2200 Simon Dale Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

2200 – 0100 Simon Beale
Simon Beale
Simon Beale is a radio presenter on the Heart Network which includes London's Heart 106.2.He presents The Late Show Sundays to Thursdays between 10pm and 1am....


Friday variation

Time Main presenter(s) Location
1900 - 0000 Club Classics with Simon Dale Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...


Saturday

Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location
0000 - 0200 Club Classics (automated) Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

0200 – 0600 Vanessa Elms
0600 - 0800 Matt Wilkinson
0800 – 1200 Julian Jones: Heart Breakfast (Local) Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

1200 – 1600 Nick Snaith Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

1600 – 1900 Emma Bunton
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...

1900 – 0000 Club Classics with Steve Denyer

Sunday

Time Main presenter(s)/programme Location
0000 - 0200 Club Classics (automated) Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

0200 – 0600 Vanessa Elms
0600 - 0800 Matt Wilkinson
0800 – 1200 Julian Jones: Heart Breakfast (Local) Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

1200 – 1600 Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...

Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

1600 – 1900 Rich Clarke
Richard Clarke (radio personality)
Richard "Rich" Clarke is a British radio presenter and DJ from Worcester, England currently employed by Global Radio as a presenter on Capital FM and The Vodafone Big Top 40.-Student radio:...

 & Kat Shoob
Kat Shoob
Katherine 'Kat' Shoob is a British radio presenter on The Vodafone Big Top 40.Shoob modelled for Maxim in September 2006.Shoob presented The Mint, a phone-in quiz that was shown on ITV1 and ITV2...

: The Vodafone Freebees Big Top 40
1900 – 2200 Chris Skinner
2200 - 0100 Simon Beale
Simon Beale
Simon Beale is a radio presenter on the Heart Network which includes London's Heart 106.2.He presents The Late Show Sundays to Thursdays between 10pm and 1am....


Past presenters

Presenters who have hosted shows on Heart in the past include many who have either been or gone on to become well known personalities within the Birmingham and West Midlands region, as well as at national level. Former presenters on the station include Carlos
Carlos (DJ)
Carl Emms , known as Carlos, is a long established British disc jockey. He can currently be heard presenting a teatime show on Smooth Radio.-Early career:...

, Paul Bryant, Ben Foster, Daryl Denham
Daryl Denham
Daryl Denham is a British radio DJ, and songwriter, currently presenting the drive-time show at Real Radio in Yorkshire.-Early career:Denham's career started at school, where he was active in producing pop music productions in school concerts, organizing pop quizzes and writing and performing...

, Phil Upton
Phil Upton
Phil Upton is a British radio presenter in the West Midlands region.-Early life:Born the same day as David Cameron, he attended King's Norton Boys' School in Cotteridge from 1978-85....

, Nick Piercey
Nick Piercey
-Early career:Nick Piercey started his broadcasting career on University Radio Stations in Bath in 1979 and 1980, and University of Kent from 1981 - 1984, before becoming a trainee at Invicta FM in late 1984...

, Sarah Jane Mee
Sarah Jane Mee
Sarah-Jane Mee is a British sports presenter for Sky News and is also part of Sky Sports' UEFA Champions League broadcasting team on Wednesday evening....

, Hellon Wheels
Hellon Wheels
Hellon Wheels also known as Helen Kennedy is currently the co-host of the Breakfast show on Worcester based radio station Wyvern along with former Quay Radio presenter Rich 'Hursty' Hurst...

, Charlie Jordan
Charlie Jordan (DJ)
Charlie Jordan is a British radio presenter, who has presented on stations such as BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BRMB and LBC. She made her radio debut on Buzz FM in 1990....

, Warren Moore and Dave Clarke.

See also

  • Heart Network
    Heart Network
    Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...

  • Heart Gloucestershire
  • Heart West Country
    Heart West Country
    Heart West Country is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bristol and Somerset. The station began broadcasting on 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Bristol , Heart Bath and Heart Somerset .-History:The regional station originally broadcast as three separate stations...

  • Heart Home Counties
    Heart Home Counties
    Heart Four Counties is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. The station began broadcasting at 4pm on Friday 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Milton Keynes , Heart Northants , Heart Dunstable and...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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