107 JACK fm Berkshire was an

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, ...

station in the English town of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. The station was based at studios in the

Madejski Stadium The Madejski Stadium (currently known as the Select Car Leasing Stadium for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Reading. It is the home of Reading Football Club, who play in the EFL Championship. It also provides the finish for the Rea ...

, home of

Reading F.C. Reading Football Club ( ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Reading, Berkshire, England. The team play in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is manag ...

and

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

. The station's transmitter is located on the

Tilehurst Water Tower Tilehurst Water Tower, is a distinctive water tower in Tilehurst, a suburb of the England, English town of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. People from Reading know they are near home when they are coming eastbound along the M4 and they can see the to ...

. In August 2017 it was rebranded as The Breeze (Reading). The DAB version of the station was then rebranded as SAM FM shortly afterwards.

On air

Like all other

Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs. Format c ...

stations in the United Kingdom, the radio station was mostly an automated service with

Paul Darrow Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7'' between 1978 and 1981. His many television rol ...

providing topical one-liners in between songs as the voice of Jack, plus there was a weekday breakfast show "Jack's Morning Glory" with

Robin Banks Robin Banks is a TV presenter, narrator and radio DJ originally from Kilkenny, Ireland. Career He was the narrator of the British/European version of the popular Discovery Channel show ''MythBusters'', from season 2 to the present day. He has ...

, and there's also the "Sunday Roast" on Sunday lunchtime with

Sir John Madejski Sir John Robert Madejski, (; born Robert John Hurst; 28 April 1941) is an English businessman, with commercial interests spanning property, broadcast media, hotels, restaurants, publishing and football. He changed his name when his stepfather, ...

who interviews notable local people.

History

The consortium behind Reading 107 FM submitted its bid for a local commercial radio station in September 2001 and the licence was awarded by

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

in March 2002. Reading 107 first broadcast at 8am on 22 October 2002. The first presenter was launch programme controller

Tim Grundy Timothy Grundy (4 July 1958 – 1 February 2009) was an English television and radio presenter. He was born in Manchester, Lancashire. Biography Grundy was born to a Scottish mother and Bill Grundy, the broadcaster remembered for his expletiv ...

and the first song was "Listen to the Music" by

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

. In August 2005

Guardian Media Group Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the financial and e ...

(GMG) increased its shareholding in Reading 107 FM from 37.8% to a controlling stake of 60.3% when Milestone Radio Group decided to sell; the remaining shareholding being owned by the Goodhead Group plc, a company controlled by Reading Football club chairman

. In December 2005 Reading 107 FM changed control again, this time from GMG to Madejski Communications Limited. Reading 107 flipped format to 107 JACK FM Berkshire on 2 March 2014.

References

External links

107 JACK FM Berkshire website

Listen Live

Listening figures
{{Authority control Radio stations in Berkshire Culture in Reading, Berkshire Radio stations established in 2002 2002 establishments in England