City | Bath and Bristol |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Bath and Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and North East Somerset |
Frequency |
FM 94.9 MHz (Dundry), 103.6 MHz (Hutton), 104.6 MHz (Bath) DAB Freeview channel 719 |
First air date | September 1970 |
Format | Local news, talk and music |
Language(s) | English |
Audience share | 6.8% (December 2012, [1]) |
Owner |
BBC Local Radio, BBC West |
Website | BBC Radio Bristol |
BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC Local Radio service for the English cities of Bath and Bristol and the surrounding area, which includes South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and North East Somerset. Launched in September 1970, it broadcasts from Broadcasting House in Bristol on FM frequencies 94.9 MHz (Dundry), 104.6 MHz (Bath), 103.6 MHz (Weston-super-Mare), and on DAB. The AM transmitter at Mangotsfield on 1548 kHz was closed in February 2016.
The Mendip transmitter, near Wells, used to broadcast BBC Radio Bristol on 95.5 MHz over a very large area, but from 3 December 2007, this was transferred to the new BBC Somerset service. BBC Somerset and BBC Radio Bristol share many programmes, mainly during off-peak hours. Since the BBC relaunched BBC Somerset on FM, BBC Radio Bristol has been left free to concentrate editorially on Bristol, Bath and the rest of the former Avon area. On 11 December 2014, BBC Radio Bristol launched on Freeview channel 719, on the PSB 1 multiplex from the Mendip transmitter and its TV relays.
Radio Bristol's main commercial competitors in its broadcast area are Heart West Country on 96.3 and 103 FM, Sam FM and The Breeze on 107.2 and 107.9 MHz.
The majority of the station's programming is produced and broadcast from Bristol, including some regional programming for the BBC West and BBC South West regions. As with all BBC Local Radio stations, it also airs the networked weekday evening shows, originating from BBC Radio Leeds and produced independently by Wire Free Productions. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Bristol simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live overnight. It also airs 24-hour local programming from 5am on Friday until 1am on Monday.