West Kent’s local FM community radio station has now been broadcasting for three years and is constantly refreshing its sound to draw in new listeners.
The West Kent Radio studios are now in London Road in Southborough (See below).
The station’s programming aims to reflect a wide range of people, events and issues in the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells area, mixing the speech content with music mainly from the 1970s to today.
West Kent Radio is a community station which has been given three FM frequencies by the media regulator OFCOM. It relies mainly on grant funding, sponsorship, some adverts and volunteer effort to generate programming.
Presenter Alex Tuckwell says she brings the enthusiasm from her lifelong passion for radio to her new show at breakfast time on Saturdays.
Alex Tuckwell (pictured below) said: “I always loved radio as a kid. It was the first place that you heard new songs. I have quite a few brothers and sisters, so there was always different music coming from different bedrooms in my house. It’s given me a love in particular of nineties music.”
Alex says she was often listening to Zoe Ball, Sara Cox and Chris Moyles on Radio 1, but has always been a fan of local stations too.
She says: “With local radio you know what is going on locally, what events are happening. You are building a relationship with the radio presenters. You feel like you know them.”
Alex always wanted to work in radio and studied for a degree in Broadcast Media. Alex says: “As a kid, when we first got a computer in the house, I would pretend I was doing my own radio station and record it on the computer. Radio has been a part of my life and a passion of mine for a very long time.”
Alex is on air every Saturday from 8am to 10am on FM 95.5 (from Tonbridge High Street), 106.7 (from central Tunbridge Wells) and 107.2 (from Bidborough Village Hall). The station is also available online and on its own app.
http://www.westkentradio.co.uk
Later on Saturday, former BBC Radio Solent presenter Simon Jupp has begun a new “Decades” programme, mixing music from the 1960s to the 1990s with local newspaper headlines from the time. That runs from Noon until the sports programme starts at 2pm.
On Friday drivetime (4-7pm), the author of the Southborough News blog, former BBC World Service presenter Martin Webber, (pictured below) is on air previewing all the varied weekend events going on in the area.
The aim is to get people “out and about” with event organisers sending him voice memos so they can explain for themselves what’s on offer.
West Kent Radio now broadcasts its daily Local News Feature at 7.30 and 8.30am, which is repeated at 12.30, 2.30, 4.30 and 6.30pm.
Other recent changes on the station include:
- Saturday Action – the sports show (2-6pm) now includes reports from local soccer and rugby matches
- West Kent Unsigned (Tuesdays 8-10pm) – is now presented by Phil Mills, who plays new tracks from local musicians
- Golden Greats (Sundays 2-4pm) – sees Vince Cox reviving some of the great music from the 1960s to the 1990s.
West Kent Radio is grateful for the renewed sponsorship of the Southborough Lions for the “Pure” shows from 7-8pm every weekday. Monday is Pure 60s, Tuesday Pure 70s, Wednesday is Pure 80s, Thursday is Pure 90s and Friday is Pure 00s.
