BBC Radio Devon

BBC Radio Devon is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Devon.

BBC Radio Devon
Broadcast areaDevon
FrequencyFM: 94.8 MHz (Barnstaple)
FM: 95.7 MHz (Plymouth)
FM: 95.8 MHz (Exeter)
FM: 96.0 MHz (Okehampton)
FM: 103.4 MHz (Devon & East Cornwall)
FM: 104.3 MHz (Torbay, Torquay & the South Hams)
DAB: 10C (Central & North Devon)
DAB: 11C (East Devon, Exeter & Torbay)
DAB: 12D (Plymouth & South Devon)
Freeview: 720
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatLocal news, talk and music
Ownership
OwnerBBC Local Radio,
BBC South West
History
First air date
17 January 1983
Former frequencies
801 MW
855 MW
990 MW
1458 MW
Links
WebsiteBBC Radio Devon

It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios in the Mannamead area of Plymouth.

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 150,000 listeners and a 7.1% share as of December 2022.[1]

History

BBC Radio Devon started broadcasting on 17 January 1983, replacing the BBC Radio 4 regional breakfast show Morning Sou'West. On the same day, BBC Radio Cornwall started broadcasting, as did BBC Breakfast television.

When broadcasting started, the new studios in Exeter had not yet been finished, so BBC Radio Devon was broadcast from portable cabins for the first few weeks. The Exeter studios were officially opened by Alastair Milne, then Director-General of the BBC, on 30 September 1983.[2]

BBC Radio Devon has reporters based in Exeter, Plymouth, Paignton and Barnstaple, allowing it to cover news stories throughout Devon. The Plymouth newsroom is shared with the BBC's regional TV news programme Spotlight and also provides online news services. The station has won several Sony Awards for its programming.[2]

Technical

Radio Devon is broadcast on the following radio frequencies (transmitter location in brackets):

Radio Devon also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 720 in the BBC South West region and streams online via BBC Sounds.

Radio Devon previously broadcast on 855 kHz in Plymouth; these transmissions ceased in 2007 and the frequency was used for a trial of Digital Radio Mondiale services, though these trials ultimately did not lead to DRM going into permanent service in the UK.[3][4]

The station was broadcast on 1458 kHz in the Torbay area until the transmitter closed on 15 January 2018.[5]

The station's other AM transmissions, 801 kHz in North Devon (Barnstaple) and 990 kHz in Exeter, ceased after the 11am news bulletin on 3 August 2021.[6][7] They were originally slated to cease in June 2021, but this was postponed.[8][9]

Programming

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's Plymouth studios from 6am to 1am on Sundays to Fridays and from 6am to 6pm on Saturdays.

Some of the station's off-peak evening output is simulcast with sister stations in the BBC South West and BBC West regions.

During the station's downtime, BBC Radio Devon simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio London.

Presenters

Notable current presenters

References
  1. "RAJAR". RAJAR. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  2. "BBC Radio Devon celebrates 25 years". BBC News. 29 September 2005. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  3. "DRM arrives in Devon", DRM.org, 2007-04-10
  4. BBC Research and Development
  5. "BBC confirms local radio medium wave closures". Radio Today. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  6. Frequencyfinder.org.uk, June 2021
  7. "The 'AM death watch' thread..." Digital Spy Forums. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. RadioToday, April 2021
  9. BBC Reception

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