Phoenix Radio

Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM

File:Phoenix FM Logo.png
Broadcast area	Calderdale
Slogan	Life In Calderdale
Frequency	96.7 FM MHz
First air date	10 December 2007
Format	Community-based
Transmitter coordinates
Owner	Phoenix Radio Limited
Website	www.phoenixfm.co.uk

Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM is a local radio station based in Halifax, in West Yorkshire, England. It broadcasts on the FM frequency, 24 hours a day to the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, and the surrounding areas and around the world online. It is owned and run by Phoenix Radio Ltd, which has also previously held six Restricted Service Licences (RSLs) in the past. It was awarded its full-time licence by OFCOM, thus becoming, on 10 December 2007, Calderdale's first and only local radio station.

Given the full name of the station, Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM, various interchangeable names are also used, Phoenix FM, Phoenix Radio, Phoenix 96.7 FM and 96.7 Phoenix FM.
Phoenix Radio 96.7FM has more than one slogan, slogans include: 'Life In Calderdale' , 'The Sound Of Calderdale' , 'Brewed To Local Taste' and 'Your Music, Your Talk, Your Life' . The station also broadcasts RDS text. The RDS name is PHOENIX.

History

Since its conception in 1998, Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM has had six broadcasts over the years on restricted service licences. Over that period of time of RSLs it had been broadcasting on two differing frequencies 106.2 FM and 107.2 FM.

In 2005, Phoenix Radio Limited was awarded a full-time license to broadcast on the 96.7 FM frequency, as a local radio station with a format that is community-based. Phoenix Radio is a member of the Community Radio Association whose code of practice is to take positive action to ensure that the needs of the listening audience is met through selective programme scheduling and by listening and acting on what the audience tells the station what they want from the local medium .

The station was launched on Monday 10 December 2007 [2], and officially opened by the Mayor of Calderdale. The first programme being Breakfast at 7am.

Technical and broadcast

The studios are based in the Dean Clough complex in Halifax, Calderdale. The transmitter that Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM uses is sited at the local TV relay on Beacon Hill, Bank Top, West Yorkshire. The station broadcasts to Calderdale and the FM signal can be reached in the surrounding areas of Halifax, south Bradford, north Kirklees and south-western Leeds.

Programming

Programming on the station includes a wide variety of music genres from the 1950s to current chart and new music from local, national and international artists, studio-based chat involving the local community, interviews with local people, local organisations to politicians and well-known personalities, as well as highlighting issues which affect the local community such as housing, education, sport, disabilities and local recruitment availability.

Weekday daytime programmes carry mainly 1950s through to contemporary & new music and studio-based chat. The two prime time programmes on Phoenix Radio 96.7 FM are 'The Bigger Breakfast' and 'Drivetime' . These programmes also include local traffic and travel reports.

Specialist programmes are usually broadcast on weekday evenings and at weekends. These programmes include local bands music, brass bands, jazz, soul, dance, children's & teenagers, blues, heavy metal, Irish, multi-cultural programmes, punk and local sport

Throughout the night Sunday/Monday to Friday/Saturday, hits from across the decades are played. However, on Saturday nights through to Sunday morning, specialist dance music programmes are broadcast under Phoenix FM's dance music brand 'Saturday Essential' Saturday Essential Presenters are Claire Hunter, Graeme Park, Rob Bray.

'Saturday Essential' replaced the Specialist Dance show which was broadcast between 8pm until 10pm Saturday nights by Local Halifax DJ Marc Smith. In which local DJs were given the chance to play a DJ set on his show. This became tremendously popular, and soon led to local retailers offering products to give out free on air during their show. All Marc Smith's shows were broadcast live, which led to some listeners trying to get Marc to give them fake shout outs (mentions on air) for novelty purposes, which gave the show more character and a touch of humour.

Presenters

This is a list of presenters who currently present on Phoenix.

Dean Wilkinson, Rob Bray, Mike Bryson, Simon & Ellen, Gary Seed, Tom & Andy, Sara Hinchliffe, Steve & Luke, Mike Cunningham, Elaine & Gez, Chris Helme, Graeme Park, Mike Brown, Stephanie Blythe, Viv and Dave, Steve Wilson, Wayne Illingworth, Tony Fitton, James McPhillips, Martin Green, Chantelle, Rudi Holmes, Ronnie Small, Richard & Paul, Nathan Hoyle, Keiron, Kevin, Ken Hudson, James 'Bar' Bowen, Kaitlyn Rose, Alex and Pat, Howard Priestley, Phill Gott, Dave Smith, Gemma, Nick Starwind, Gaia Holmes, Dave Wyman, Tim Hunter, Franki, Chris Horner, Craig Sey, Tee Liburd, Megan Longworth, Josh Norcliffe, Jason Bellemy, Mark Scott Haides.

Training

With support from the European Social Fund and the Learning and Skills Council, Phoenix Radio Ltd were able to set up a radio-based training scheme for young people aged 16–25, the Phoenix Radio Empower Project, offering the Youth Achievement Award. This was originally taught by local and national music producers Alan Hinton and Marc Smith.

Through this training Phoenix went from being an unknown quantity to gaining much support and interest both locally and nationally. Phoenix Radio then became recognised as the first in the country to develop CD-ROM based portfolios for the Youth Achievement Award.

The Phoenix Radio Empower Project was the result of a long-term plan to support the community of Calderdale, in particular the younger people, when the station was off-air (outside RSLs). The Phoenix Radio Empower Project was designed to bring together inclusion and empower young people. Phoenix Radio Limited is now contracted with Entry 2 Employment (e2e) to continue this programme [3].

Phoenix Radio also provides training for people in community groups who are not familiar with technical skills on radio equipment as well as developing their IT skills. The station aims to build bridges and bridge gaps throughout Calderdale.

Schedule

Monday To Friday

0700 - The Bigger Breakfast, 0900 - Coffee Culture (Fridays - The Friday Feeling), 1200 - Lunchtime Live, 1400 - Tea For Two, 1600 - Drivetime (Friday - 5pm Five O'Clock Takeover)

After 6pm specialist shows are aired, each day belows indicates those shows.

Monday: 1800 - Non-Stop Electronic Cabaret, 2000 - Let There Be Rock / Interference, 2200 - Prog Rock / Prog Yes

Tuesday: 1800 - Local Sport, 2000 - Seventies Show, 2200 - Nothing But The Nineties with Mike Brown

Wednesday: 1800 - Cultural Mix, 2000 - Sound of the 80's, 2200 - This Is Graeme Park (repeat from Saturday)

Thursday: 1800 - Dr Nighmare's Medication Time, 2000 - Soul City, 2200 - Hart N Soul, 0000 - Soul & Reggae

Friday: 1800 - Starwind Hour, 1900 - Get Ready For The Weekend, 2000 - Metal Ashes Of Phoenix, 2200 Nite Trax.

Weekends -

Saturday: 0800 - Saturday Breakfast, 1000 - Saturday Alternative, 1200 - Country Collections, 1400 - The Whovian Princess Showcase, 1500 - Matthew Wyman, 1600 - Weeks Review, 1800 - Jason Elliot's Blues and Soul, 2000 - Floorfillers with Jack Hewitt, 2200 - This Is Graeme Park.

Sunday: 0800 - Sunday Breakfast, 1000 - Nowt So Queer As Folk / Wild West Yorkshire / Roving Folk, 1200 - Lazy Sunday, 1400 - Sunday Bandstand, 1500 - Dream Living (Once a month),1600 - Themes For Dreamers / Phoenix Jazz / Jazz Connections, 1800 - YUBS / Crow vs Crow, 2000 - Reggae & Dub, 2200 - Blues In The Nite.