Q96
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| Broadcast area | Renfrewshire |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.3 MHz |
| First air date | 1 September 1992 |
| Last air date | 22 December 2006 |
| Format | Classic Hits and Current Hits |
| Owner | GMG Radio |
Q96 was an independent local radio station, which broadcast for 14 years to the Scottish county of Renfrewshire. Q96 broadcast as an FM station on the 96.3 MHz frequency after a local licence for the Paisley area was offered. The station was latterly based outside its dedicated broadcast region, in the Baillieston area of neighbouring Glasgow, at the headquarters it shared with sister station Real Radio after Ofcom approval.
The station was replaced by 96.3 Rock Radio test transmissions on 22 December 2006 and officially from Monday 8 January 2007.
Q96 began life on 1 September 1992, broadcasting from Paisley as a local radio station for Paisley, and Renfrewshire. Despite being centralised on Paisley, Scotland's largest town, the many commuters from Renfrewshire into Glasgow, as well as Glasgow and Dunbartonshire's proximity allowed the signal to be easily received in those areas and as such it received listeners from these areas.
During the station's early years, it used the Supergold sustaining service after midnight until the resumption of normal programming in the morning.
It broadcast on both DAB and FM to West Central Scotland, from its mast on Paisley's Gleniffer Braes and over the internet to the world on its website. It initially proved successful in breaking into the market with its music which includes songs from the 60's through to present day hits. Audiences peaked at around 12% on the Rajar scale, a highly respectable figure for a local radio station.
After good initial audience figures, the audiences started dropping. Mainly this could be attributed to the increasing competition from the then dominant Radio Clyde stations as well as other local stations. After outgrowing its base in Lady Lane in the West End of Paisley, it relocated to an industrial unit in Kinning Park in neighbouring Glasgow, a move outside the broadcasting area, which was seen by locals of Paisley as a snub, a claim management denied and stated that it was due to a lack of affordable suitable property in Renfrewshire. A management change at this time saw the station rebranding itself as 96.3 QFM. The move to Glasgow and rebranding were announced on air as welcoming people to a 'new station' and 'Glasgow's QFM'. With sensitivities about the move from Paisley still high, this, as well as a lack of Renfrewshire material, saw complaints to Ofcom which duly warned the station about ignoring its licence requirements for that stated it broadcast to Renfrewshire and must include Renfrewshire material. The move to Glasgow was accompanied in an attempt to capture the falling audience by taking on rival stations with a move to a format of mainly pop and chart music from the present day. This saw limited success due to the saturation of the area from similar stations.
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