BBC Radio Stoke

BBC Radio Stoke is a BBC Local Radio station in England, for the area of Mid and North Staffordshire, north east Shropshire and South Cheshire.

BBC Radio Stoke
CityStoke-on-Trent
Broadcast areaNorth & Mid Staffordshire, north east Shropshire & south Cheshire
FrequencyRDS: BBCStoke, 94.6MHz, 104.1MHz, 1503kHz, DAB digital radio, online
SloganThe sound of where we live, and all the music you love
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatLocal news, talk and music
Ownership
OwnerBBC Local Radio,
BBC Midlands
BBC North West
History
First air date14 March 1968 (1968-03-14)
Links
WebsiteBBC Radio Stoke

Overview

The station began broadcasting programmes on 14 March 1968 as BBC Radio Stoke-on-Trent.

Both of the English counties the station covers have no BBC local radio station for their whole area. In Staffordshire, the south is covered by BBC WM, east by BBC Radio Derby and the west by BBC Radio Shropshire. In Cheshire, north-western areas are served by BBC Radio Merseyside and the north-east by BBC Radio Manchester.

The station broadcasts from its studios on Cheapside in Hanley, the biggest of the six towns the make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. There are also studios and offices in Crewe, Leek and Stafford. The station uses the frequencies of 94.6 MHz and 104.1 MHz FM, 1503 kHz medium wave, and is also available on the Stoke & Stafford DAB digital radio multiplex, and online.

The current Managing Editors are Alistair Miskin and Tim Beech.

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 121,000 listeners and a reach of 19.4% as of Q3 2019.[1]

Tuning details

FM

Transmitter Frequency (MHz) Polarization Power (Kilowatts)
Alsagers Bank94.6Mixed6.100
Stafford104.1Vertical0.075

MW

Transmitter Frequency (kHz) Power (Kilowatts)
Sideway15031.000

Transmitters

The 140 feet (43 m) Alsagers Bank transmitter is two miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, close to the M6. Stations broadcast from it can be clearly heard in most parts of northern Birmingham, and along the M6 from the M54 junction to Skelmersdale. The transmitter also carries Signal 1 (a commercial station owned by UTV), BBC National DAB and Digital One.

The 104.1 MHz frequency is heard in Stafford and the transmitter is on the roof of the County Education building in the town.

DAB signals come from the Stoke & Stafford 12D multiplex from Alsagers Bank, Pye Green (near Hednesford), Sutton Common (between Congleton and Macclesfield in Cheshire), and Tick Hill (strongest power, south-east of the junction of the A520 and A52 near the Foxfield Steam Railway between Cookshill and Godleybrook). The Sideway transmitter is right next to the A500 D Road, just south of the A50 junction.

Signal 1 (102.6 MHz) and Radio Stoke (94.6 MHz) are clear in most of the area except in some parts of the Staffordshire Moorlands (Cheadle in particular) and Stafford (which has its own relays). The Stoke digital multiplex has half the number of stations compared to other areas (BBC Radio Stoke, Signal 1, Signal 2 and Kiss). Wireless Group own 100% of the multiplex.

The station can also be heard on the Internet via streaming audio.

Programming

The majority of BBC Radio Stoke's programming is produced and broadcast from its Stoke-on-Trent studios. The studios in Hanley transmit programmes from 0500 - 2200.

On weekday nights (post 10pm) and weekend evenings, BBC Radio Stoke also carries some regional programming for the Midlands, produced from sister stations BBC WM and BBC Radio Shropshire. During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Stoke simulcasts BBC Radio 5 Live overnight.

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gollark: Anyway, further testing shows that it is actually quite glitchy standing on roofs on the moon.
gollark: No idea.
gollark: Seems to use lunar gravity strength.
gollark: Okay, Up and Down and All Around works okay on the moon.

References
  1. "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

Audio clips

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