Neptune Radio
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| Broadcast area | Folkestone, Hythe, Dover, Deal |
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| Slogan | Kent's Biggest Hits |
| Frequency | 96.4 MHz (Shepway) 106.8 MHz (Dover) RDS: __KMFM__ |
| First air date | 29 September 1997 |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Owner | KM Group |
| Website | www.kmfm.co.uk |
KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country is an Independent Local Radio serving the districts of Dover and Shepway and the surrounding areas in Kent, South East England. It is the South Kent region of the KMFM radio network (owned by the KM Group), containing local advertisements and sponsorships for the area amongst a countywide schedule of programming.
The station has been referred to by many names. Its official name is "KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country", however the website previously described it as "KMFM Dover and Folkestone", and on air it was referred to as "Shepway's KMFM".
KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country launched on 29 September 1997 as Neptune Radio, broadcasting on 96.4 and 106.8 FM after a month-long trial concluded earlier that same morning.
The station's roots extend to the 1970s, where it began as pirate radio station Channel Radio, which only broadcast in the Dover area. Run by Dover native Eddie Austin, who previously worked at Radio Caroline, the station was fined numerous times, but Austin maintained it until the town received its own radio licence.
The station emerged as a combination of two stations broadcasting through the 1990s – "Shepway Sound" in Folkestone (broadcasting November–December 1993, and August 1994), and "White Cliffs Sound" in Dover (broadcasting May 1994 and August 1995). Austin and his group, South East Radio, applied for the licences for Shepway and White Cliffs Country in 1996 and were awarded the licence for both areas in January 1997. The new station was rebranded as Neptune Radio due to the station's proximity to the English Channel.
The station won the UK Radio Station of the Year award twice, in 1999 and 2000, and reached approximately 30,000 listeners each week (a 24% share of the audience). After being bought by Radio Investments Ltd, its successful format was applied to its sister stations Arrow FM in Hastings and Sovereign Radio in Eastbourne. A group, spearheaded by Neptune Radio disc jockey Mark Carter, also applied for the Ashford licence under the name Ashford FM, but they did not gain the licence.
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