Radio 106 (East Midlands) - Launch

Radio 106 FM was the first regional radio station for the East Midlands, an area which enjoys comparatively few stations owing to the lack of available frequencies, largely given its proximity to other big cities. At launch, Investors in Radio owned the outfit, a CLT and Border Television joint venture.

Radio 106 FM, ‘Radio for Grown Ups’, was a fairly traditional and older-targeted offering, headed by Chief Executive Ron Coles (BBC Local Radio & Radio Trent/Midlands Radio). Ron holds the record as one of the most successful radio licence application writers. He was joined at 106 by Ken Warburton (BBC Local Radio & Centre Radio) in charge of programmes.

Border Television later acquired the proportion of the Company it did not own; and changed its on-air identity to Century in 1998 for the sensible reasons of marketing and sales simplicity. Whilst becoming a more upbeat offering, it still broadcast much speech in terms of late night, lunchtimes and evening phone-ins.

As the Century stations were then acquired by Capital Radio in May 2000, the format moved more male with ‘fun and football’ before moving back to a more AC/Classic Hits position ‘Songs you can sing along to’.

Chrysalis bought the station for £29.5m, changing it to the Heart brand in August 2005. In this guise, it shed its speech commitments inch by inch. It remained as Heart, under a brand franchise licence, after its 2009 purchase by Orion Media until changing to Gem 106 at the end of 2010. Strangely, the management team which Sellotaped on all the Heart logos, was largely the same one which peeled them off again. It is because the area has so few stations, and thus 106's commensurate market share, that this tug-of-love station was required to be disposed of, under order, by GCap and again by Global.

It achieved its best ever audience reach (RAJAR Gem 106 TSA) under the Gem 106 banner in Spring 2011; and its best ever audience share in Autumn 2010 as Heart 106 (under brand licence). Interestingly, owing to the considerable Century listening loyalty (rather than reach), seven years elapsed from the Century audience share peak of June 2003 until it was beaten in June 2010 as Heart.

From figures back to fun: here, enjoy the first moments on air from the original Radio 106 from September 1997, with a little help from Coronation Street.