Heart Hertfordshire
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
Hot Adult Contemporary | |
| Network | Heart |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Communicorp UK |
| Operator | Global |
| History | |
First air date | 22 October 1994 (29 years ago) |
| Links | |
| Website | Heart Watford & Hemel Heart North Hertfordshire |
Heart Hertfordshire (previously known as Hertfordshire's Mercury 96.6) is an
.In 2005, it was sold by
In 2019, the station merged with BOB fm in north Hertfordshire and began broadcasting to the entire county.
History
The
In 1996, the GWR Group acquired the Chiltern Radio Network along with Oasis Radio, which was relaunched as The New 96.6FM – "Classic Hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s". The station took on the same sound as the rest of its 'Mix Network' group of stations, albeit with more 1970s tracks.
In 1997, the station was sold to
In 1999, the station changed again. The Daily Mail and General Trust bought Essex Radio plc under its sub-division DMG Radio Ltd. This meant another name change to Mercury FM 96.6 – a name shared by other stations in the company's portfolio, which were:
- Mercury FM 96.2 & 101.6 – West Kent and North Surrey
- Mercury FM 101.7 – Harlow
- Medway Towns, Kent
and paired off with the flagship station
In 2003, Mercury 96.6 moved from St Albans to an industrial estate on the outskirts of
In 2005, the St Albans and Watford Broadcasting Company was divested to a new company,
In July 2016, the station owners Adventure Island signed a management contract with
In February 2019,
On 31 May 2019, BOB fm ceased broadcasting and became a relay of Heart Hertfordshire. The merger coincided with the end of Heart's local breakfast and weekend programming.[1]
Programming
All networked programming originates from Global's London headquarters, including Heart Breakfast, presented on weekdays by Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden.
Local programming is produced and broadcast from Communicorp's Watford studios from 4-7pm on weekdays, presented by John Darin.[2][3]
News
Heart Hertfordshire broadcasts hourly local news bulletins from 6am to 7pm on weekdays and 6am to 12pm on weekends, produced by Global's Heart East newsroom in Milton Keynes.[3]
National news updates air hourly from Global's London headquarters at all other times.
References
- Radio Authority Pocket Book 1993–2005
- Commercial Radio Companies Association Pocket Book 2005–2006
- Notes
- ^ Heart is Coming message now on-air at Bob FM Hertfordshire, Radio Today, 29 May 2019
- ^ Heart Drivetime show presenters announced by Global, Radio Today, 20 May 2019
- ^ a b Public File – Watford & Hemel, heart.co.uk, 1 June 2019