Radio Tay
 Radio Tay's former premises in Dundee | |
| |
Broadcast area | Tayside and north east Fife |
|---|---|
| Frequencies | Tay FM: 102.8/96.4 MHz (Dundee/Perth) GHR Tayside & Fife: DAB All services on DAB: 11B |
| Programming | |
| Format | Tay FM: CHR/Pop GHR Tayside & Fife: Classic Hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| History | |
First air date | 17 October 1980 (Dundee) 14 November 1980 (Perth) 9 January 1995 (Tay AM/Tay FM) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Yes |
| Website | Radio Tay |
Radio Tay is a group of two Independent Local Radio stations serving Tayside and northeast Fife in Scotland.
Formerly a station in its own right, in 1995 the original Radio Tay was split into Tay FM and Tay AM (the latter known today as Greatest Hits Radio Tayside & Fife).
Radio Tay is owned and operated by Bauer Radio and forms part of Bauer's Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio network of radio stations. Radio Tay was formerly based at 6 North Isla Street in Dundee, however due to the station vacating the premises, now their only dedicated local show for the Tayside area (weekday breakfast) is broadcast from Radio Forth's studio in Edinburgh.
History
Early years as Radio Tay
Tayside Sound Limited was incorporated on 27 April 1979 to set up a radio station in accordance with the then regulatory body, the Independent Broadcasting Authority.
Radio Tay commenced broadcasting on Friday 17 October 1980 from the Taybridge TV transmitter site at the southern end of the Tay Road Bridge on 95.8 MHz FM and an AM transmitter on 1161 kHz at Greenside Scalp close to the Taybridge site but located lower down, at the shoreline of the River Tay. Relay transmitters in Perth opened on 14 November 1980 – FM on 96.4 MHz from the existing Perth TV transmitter on Craigie Hill on the SE edge of the city and a new AM transmitter on 1584 kHz at Friarton Road, also on the southern perimeter.
The Taybridge FM transmitter changed frequency to 102.8 MHz as part of a European agreement to reallocate FM frequencies. The 95.8 MHz having been allocated to BBC Radio 4 in Scotland.
The 102.8 MHz transmissions from Taybridge were moved to the larger Angus TV transmitter site, near Tealing, on 10 February 1994. The Taybridge transmitter became a relay site and changed to the same frequency as the Perth relay transmitter (96.4 MHz)
Split into Tay FM and Tay FM
Originally launched as a simulcast station on AM and FM, Radio Tay split into two distinct radio services on 9 January 1995: Tay FM, playing contemporary hit music and Tay AM, carrying an older selection of classic hits.
These stations broadcast to the Tayside catchment area, with a potential target audience of 391,000 people.
Tay 3
On 19 January 2015, Bauer launched Tay 3 on DAB alongside similar "City 3" stations elsewhere. These were locally branded but with content itself (other than opt-outs) taken from the same UK-wide feed based on existing station The Hits.[1] They were pop services aimed at 15- to 25-year-olds.
Tay 3 ended in September 2017 when it and the other "City 3" stations reverted to "The Hits" branding.[2]
Recent years and current programming
As of Q1 2024, Tay FM has a weekly reach of 110,000 listeners (source: RAJAR).
Radio Tay's locally targeted programming for Tayside on Tay FM consists of 4 hours per day on weekdays (Breakfast 6-10am). Greatest Hits Radio (Tayside & Fife) (formerly Tay 2) produces no shows intended specifically for the Tayside area. Both stations carry local news, sport and traffic bulletins every day. Networked programming is carried on Tay FM from sister stations including Radio Clyde in Clydebank and Hits Radio in Manchester.
Educational content
In the 1980s, Radio Tay featured a number of educational radio programmes as part of their Campus Radio venture, in association with local colleges.[3][4]
Notable presenters
- David Robertson – former presenter of BBC Reporting Scotland
- Bill Torrance – previously presented The Beechgrove Garden and other television programmes
- Mark Goodier – previously worked for Radio Tay, prior to his career on BBC Radio 1
- Dave Bussey – later presented a weekend programme on BBC Radio 2, once at BBC Radio Lincolnshire
- Eddie Mair – former presenter of BBC Radio 4's PM
References
- ↑ "Bauer City Network 3 launches on local DAB". 19 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020.
A bunch of spin-off stations have launched today across the North of England and in Scotland, going under the internal name of City Network 3 from Bauer. [..] each area getting a local version of the national station The Hits [..] The new stations are:[..for Dundee..] Tay 3
- ↑ "The Hits to replace Bauer's City 3 Network". 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020.
Bauer brand extension "City 3 Network" is to cease broadcasting and be replaced with The Hits on local DAB multiplexes. [..] The full list of stations to stop broadcasting on September 1st [..include..] Tay 3 (Tayside)
- ↑ Rumble, Greville (Spring 1989). "Open Learning in Transition: An Agenda for Action". Journal of Distance Education / Revue de l'enseignement à distance (Review). 4 (1). Canadian Association for Distance Education: 80–85.
Defenders of open learning will protest; they may point to the example of the local Radio Tay which successfully retained its audience (and hence its advertising revenues) while providing educational program instead of "non-stop pop and prattle" (pg. 429).
- ↑ Paine, Nigel (1989). Open Learning in Transition: An Agenda for Action. Kogan Page. ISBN 978-1-85091-756-4.
External links
- Tay FM
- GHR Tayside & Fife
- Bauer Media – Tay
- Radio Tay website (archive copy) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-03-16)