GWR FM Bristol
 |
|
| City | Bristol |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Bristol and surrounding areas |
| Frequency |
96.3 MHz, RDS Name: HEART___ NOW Bristol DAB multiplex |
| First air date | (as Radio West) 27 October 1981 |
| Format | Hot AC |
| Audience share | 13.3% (December 2009, ) |
96.3 MHz,
Heart 96.3 (formerly GWR FM Bristol) is a radio station serving Bristol and surrounding areas and broadcasting on 96.3 MHz in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Launched in 1981 as Radio West, it was merged with neighbouring Wiltshire Radio and relaunched under the name GWR in 1985, retaining the name through several changes of ownership until rebranding in March 2009. Heart Bristol merged with sister stations in Somerset and Bath to form Heart West Country.
Radio West began broadcasting on Tuesday 27 October 1981, eleven years after the region's first local radio station BBC Radio Bristol launched. The station started a full service commercial radio station on 96.3 MHz FM and 1260 kHz AM (238 metres medium wave) – the culmination of a merger between two companies bidding for the Bristol and Bath radio licence (Radio Avonside and Bristol Channel) awarded by the then Independent Broadcasting Authority. The choice of on-air name proved to be simple when the BBC aired a series called Shoestring complete with the fictitious Radio West.
Headquartered in expensive studio premises in Bristol's Harbourside, by 1983 the station had suffered losses of £300,000. and Roger Day (ex Caroline, Piccadilly, and latterly BRMB) were brought in, but to no avail. By October 1983 the station was closing each evening at 7:30pm. The station became more mainstream and by late 1984 was able to broadcast evenings and late night too.
Although the station was broadcasting programmes of a high quality (including award-nominated computer show Datarama), listeners remained loyal to the BBC's Radio Bristol, already established as the radio station for the area.
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