The Lincs FM Group was the parent company of several
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, ...
(ILR) stations. As of Q2 2019 the group had a combined audience of 524,000. It was based in
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, in the
UK.
History
The Lincs FM Group was formed in the early 1990s with the winning of the ILR licence for Lincolnshire. Lincs FM started broadcasting in 1992 and since then the Lincs FM Group has won and acquired licences to operate other local radio stations across the UK's Midlands and Yorkshire regions.
The Lincs FM Group also had a 33% share in
Ipswich 102
Nation Radio Suffolk is an Independent Local radio station owned and operated by Nation Broadcasting. It broadcasts from Ipswich in Suffolk.
As of December 2022, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 27,000, according to RAJAR.
Histo ...
and a 51% share in the digital radio multiplexes operating DAB services in Lincolnshire and Suffolk.
Lincs FM Group was purchased by
Bauer Radio
Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group.
History
In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
in February 2019; Bauer also purchased the stations of
Celador
CPL Productions (formerly Celador) is a British entertainment company originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as an independent television production company. It created and produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is ...
Radio at the same time. KCFM was sold to
Nation Broadcasting
Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom.
History
Originally known as Town and Country Broa ...
due to overlapping with existing Bauer asset
Viking FM
Viking FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Sheffield, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
As of September 2022, the s ...
; the other Lincs stations remained with Bauer. Due to further potential competition issues with Bauer's existing stations and their new purchases the group has been operating in 'hold separate' pending investigation of the sale by the
Competition and Markets Authority
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the competition regulator in United Kingdom. It is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for strengthening business competition and preventing and reducing anti-com ...
.
Radio Stations
*
Lincs FM
Lincs FM is an Independent Local Radio radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire. The station is owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio Network.
As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience o ...
(Lincolnshire & Newark)
*
Compass FM (North East Lincolnshire)
*
Trax FM
Trax FM was a local radio station serving Doncaster in South Yorkshire and the Bassetlaw District, Bassetlaw district of north Nottinghamshire. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020. ...
(Doncaster & Bassetlaw)
*
Dearne FM
Dearne FM was a local radio station serving Barnsley. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
History
The station was based at Zenith Park on Whaley Road, Barugh Green, in the north ...
(Barnsley, Penistone and the Dearne Valley)
*
Rutland Radio (Stamford & Rutland)
*
Ridings FM
Ridings FM was a local radio station serving the Wakefield District of West Yorkshire. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
Studios
The station was originally based at Thornes O ...
(the Wakefield district)
*
Rother FM
Rother FM was a local radio station serving Rotherham. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
Studios and coverage
Rother FM was originally based in Rotherham but later moved to Don ...
(Rotherham)
* Suffolk First (Suffolk)
Branding
Each station's logo is green and purple as these are the company colours; these logos feature heavily in each stations merchandise.
The group runs three music formats across its stations. "Hits & Memories" stations are the staple of the group, playing a wide variety of popular music from the 1960s to the present day. "Music You Love" stations lean older, with a greater percentage of songs released pre-1990 played. "Country music and more" is the format of the digital-only station Suffolk First, which plays a mixture of country music and pop music.
:Hits & Memories Brand
:*
Lincs FM
Lincs FM is an Independent Local Radio radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire. The station is owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio Network.
As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience o ...
for
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
and
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
:*
Dearne FM
Dearne FM was a local radio station serving Barnsley. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
History
The station was based at Zenith Park on Whaley Road, Barugh Green, in the north ...
for
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
,
Penistone
Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Barnsley, n ...
and the
Dearne Valley
The Dearne Valley is an area of South Yorkshire, England, along the River Dearne. It encompasses the towns of Wombwell, Wath-upon-Dearne, Swinton, Conisbrough and Mexborough, the large villages of Ardsley, Bolton on Dearne, Goldthorpe, T ...
:*
Rother FM
Rother FM was a local radio station serving Rotherham. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
Studios and coverage
Rother FM was originally based in Rotherham but later moved to Don ...
for
Rotherham
Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...
and the surrounding area
:*
Trax FM
Trax FM was a local radio station serving Doncaster in South Yorkshire and the Bassetlaw District, Bassetlaw district of north Nottinghamshire. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020. ...
for
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
,
Bassetlaw and
Worksop
Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from the nor ...
(2 licences)
:*
Rutland Radio for
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
and
Stamford
:The Music You Love Brand
:*
Compass FM for
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...
,
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...
and
Immingham
Immingham is a town, civil parish and ward in the North East Lincolnshire unitary authority of England. It is situated on the south-west bank of the Humber Estuary, and is north-west from Grimsby.
The region was relatively unpopulated and un ...
:*
Ridings FM
Ridings FM was a local radio station serving the Wakefield District of West Yorkshire. The station was folded into Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
Studios
The station was originally based at Thornes O ...
for the
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
district
Acquisitions
Until October 2007 the group was unique in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
in that it had grown organically through licence awards, rather than by acquisition of existing stations. As FM licences ceased advertising in the late 2000s, the group, with a desire to continue growing, made their first acquisition with
Oak 107 FM in October 2007 (previously owned by the
CN Group
CN Group Limited was formerly an independent local media business based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, operating in print and radio. It is now owned by Newsquest and their newspapers are printed in Glasgow.
The company was formerly known as t ...
). This station was sold on a few years later to rejoin its former network. This was followed by the acquisition of
KCFM in June 2009, previously owned by
Planet Broadcasting.
Disposals
*
Oak FM
The New 107 Oak FM was a local radio station broadcasting in West Leicestershire and Nuneaton North Warwickshire, in the English Midlands. It was owned and operated by Quidem.
History
Launching on Wednesday 26 March 2008, the station was ...
, comprising the Hinckley and Loughborough licences, was sold to Quidem in 2012. It was rebranded as
Fosse 107
Fosse a ditch or moat, may also refer to:
Places
* Fossé, Ardennes, a commune in France
* Fosse, Belgium, a district of the municipality of Trois-Ponts, Wallonia
* Fossé, Loir-et-Cher, a commune in central France
* Fosse, Pyrénées-Orienta ...
following the insolvency of the station
*
KCFM was sold to Nation Broadcasting in February 2019
Licence bid failure
In 2006, the group made a bid to win the Hull licence along with six other groups. The format for the Lincs bid was the same of that of Compass FM; this is thought to be because Lincs FM already overlaps the
North East Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire is a Unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
area. The station went under the working title of "White Rose Radio" to reflect the
white rose
The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...
of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. The group did not win the licence and lost out to
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...
-based
KCFM. However, KCFM became part of the Lincs FM Group in June 2009.
radiotoday.co.uk
See also
* List of companies in Lincolnshire
This is a list of notable companies that were founded in Lincolnshire, England or have a large presence in the county as a major employer. The official headquarters or registered office may be elsewhere.
The list is split into two main sections: c ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
lincsfmgroup.co.uk
- Group website.
Radio broadcasting companies of the United Kingdom
Companies based in Lincoln, England
Mass media in Lincolnshire
Lincoln, England
Mass media companies established in 1991
1991 establishments in England
2019 mergers and acquisitions
Mass media companies disestablished in 2019
2019 disestablishments in England