KMFM is a network of radio stations that was formed from the merger of seven

Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2003, ...

stations and one digital station (on the Kent Digital Multiplex) owned by the

KM Group KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquired KM ...

, broadcasting to the county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in the United Kingdom. Whilst the station broadcasts as one countywide station, it is officially eight separate licenses. KMFM offers its listeners local news and music. KMFM plays a mix of music, mainly covering the current Top 40 hits after adopting a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

format in 2012. The previous KMFM format had been aimed at an older audience. As of September 2022, the network broadcasts to a combined audience of 178,000, according to

RAJAR Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and RadioCentre. RAJAR's predecessor was calle ...

Original stations

When the original stations were rebranded, KMFM operated each of the seven stations locally on FM throughout Kent, with one county-wide station on

DAB DAB, dab, dabs, or dabbing may refer to: Dictionaries * ''Dictionary of American Biography'', published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies * ''Dictionary of Australian Biography'', published since 1949 Places * Dąb, ...

on the NOW Kent multiplex. Apart from KMFM Ashford, each station was previously independent before being bought by the KM Group and rebranded.

Programming

All KMFM stations adopted a common programming in March 2012. The previous local breakfast DJs had been made redundant following the close of their breakfast shows the previous Friday, and all other shows presented by them were also removed from the network. KMFM Extra, until then a separate station with a unique schedule, was closed down in June 2012 and replaced on DAB with the regular KMFM service. Each area however still offers local advertisements and sponsorships (in the case of the DAB and online services, countywide adverts are heard). Originally each station produced its own programming during daytime. Apart from Medway, from 2007 each station grouped with its neighbour (West Kent and Maidstone; Canterbury and Thanet; Ashford and Shepway and White Cliffs Country) to network programmes between 11am and 7pm. The programmes were merged in April 2009 to create two groups with their own networked programming – West (Maidstone, Medway and West Kent) and East (Ashford, Canterbury, Shepway and White Cliffs Country, and Thanet). At other times (evenings and weekends) programming was broadcast across all seven stations. In September 2009, KMFM was given permission to network all its programmes apart from Monday to Saturday breakfast, and Sunday afternoons. Saturday breakfast and Sunday afternoons were networked in 2010. Breakfast shows for KMFM Maidstone and KMFM West Kent were merged in January 2011.

Studios

Originally all seven stations broadcast from studios within their transmission area. KMFM Canterbury moved to the Ashford studio in 2008, and KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country joined it in April 2009. KMFM Thanet broadcast from

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay. The original Palm Bay estate was ...

near Margate (having been relocated from Margate harbour). All three stations in the west network broadcast from Medway. Each station has however retained its sales teams within the transmission area. Since the merger of all stations, all programmes are produced and broadcast from the Medway studios. The Ashford and Cliftonville studios have been closed.

News service

Initially, each station provided an independent service during peak hours from their respective newsrooms. Local bulletins have since been superseded by a county-wide bulletin. This system operates from 6am until 6pm on weekdays and 8am until 1pm on weekends; outside of those hours, KMFM's off-peak news service is provided by

Sky News Radio Sky News Radio is the radio arm of Sky News, owned by Sky UK. It has been operating since June 1999, providing a news bulletin service for UK commercial radio stations operators across the UK and for a number of English-speaking radio stations ar ...

. News bulletins are provided on the hour from the Medway studios; previously the Canterbury studio had been the news hub until this closed in 2009. Bulletins were also provided at 7.30am, 8.30am, 4.30pm and 5.30pm on weekdays. The half-past bulletins started in September 2006 to replace extended news bulletins at the top of the hour. This ended in autumn 2011 before being restarted in mid-2012.

References

External links

KMFM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kmfm (Radio Network) British radio networks Mass media in Kent KM Group