BBC Radio Cumbria
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| City | Carlisle |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Cumbria |
| Frequency |
FM: 95.2, 95.6, 96.1, 104.1, 104.2 MHz MW: 756, 837, 1458 KHz RDS: BBC CMBR Freeview: 721 |
| First air date | 24 November 1973 |
| Format | Mainly local news and talk |
| Language(s) | English |
| Audience share | 12.2% (March 2015, [1]) |
| Owner |
BBC Local Radio, BBC North East and Cumbria (North and Mid), BBC North West (South) |
| Website | BBC Radio Cumbria |
BBC Radio Cumbria is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Cumbria and broadcasts from studios in Carlisle.
The county of Cumbria, from which the station takes its current name, was not created until 1974. Radio Cumbria began service on 24 November 1973 as BBC Radio Carlisle and could be received across most of the former county of Cumberland.
The station adopted its current name shortly before its tenth anniversary in May 1982, when its service was expanded to cover the whole of the administrative county of Cumbria, namely:
From the launch of the renamed station, between 25 May 1982 and 1991, an opt-out service, BBC Radio Furness operated in the south of the county at peak times - originally breakfast and lunchtimes on weekdays, and Saturday mornings. Programmes were produced in Barrow-in-Furness and used 96.1 MHz and 837 kHz. This meant that, in addition to the Furness area, Radio Furness could be received along the south coast of Cumbria, in parts of the Lake District, and the west coast as far as Millom. "Radio Furness" lost its separate branding in 1991 but programme opts for the south lakes and Furness at Breakfast and during the afternoon continued until 1994. As a result of BBC cutbacks in the 90's programme opts were curtailed although the Barrow studios have remained staffed.
Radio Cumbria claims to be listened to by one third of the county's population despite having to face the challenge of an area which is sparsely populated and predominantly rural, with the biggest urban areas around its perimeter. Most programming has a similar format to that of other BBC local radio stations, although one unique feature is the seasonal Lamb Bank - a short daily segments which carries announcements from farmers wishing to exchange .
Radio Cumbria is unusual among BBC local radio stations in that its area does not correspond exactly with a single BBC television region. Due mainly to terrain, northern parts of Cumbria receive BBC television from Caldbeck, which broadcasts regional news from studios in Newcastle upon Tyne, directed at the "North East and Cumbria" region (the transmitter also broadcasts ITV signals from ITV Tyne Tees & Border in Gateshead). The rest of Cumbria receives regional news (the BBC's North West Tonight and ITV's Granada Reports) from Manchester via Winter Hill.
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