City | Preston |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Lancashire |
Frequency |
FM: 97.4 MHz DAB: 12A |
First air date | 5 October 1982 |
Format | Contemporary hits |
Power | 1.4 kW |
Owner | Bauer Radio |
Sister stations |
Rock FM 2 Rock FM 3 |
Webcast | Radio Player |
Website | planetradio.co.uk/rock-fm/ |
Rock FM is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Lancashire, North West England and some parts of North Wales. Its output is mainly contemporary pop and current chart hits. The station is owned & operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's City 1 network of stations. The total survey area of the station for RAJAR is broadly defined as western, southern and central Lancashire including parts of Greater Manchester and Merseyside. But the station is audible on FM from Cumbria down into Wales and towards The West Midlands.
Rock FM and its sister stations Rock FM 2 and Rock FM 3 are based at studios in a converted church (St. Paul's) in Preston. The station can be received across most of north west England and North Wales. Rock FM consistently rates as the number one commercial radio station in its target service area by reach, share and hours. Over a quarter of all adults in its market listen every week.
In 1990, Red Rose Radio, which was transmitted on 97.4 MHz and 999 kHz, was split into two stations - Red Rose Rock FM using the FM frequency and Red Rose Gold on the medium wave frequency. The managing director was Dave Lincoln, with Mark Matthews as programme director, and at that time the station was owned by the Miss World Group, later known as TransWorld Communications (owned by Owen Oyston) and which subsequently became part of Bauer Radio (previously EMAP Radio).