Fire Radio

Fire Radio is a British radio station broadcasting to Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch, Dorset, based in Southampton, Hampshire.

Fire Radio
Broadcast areaBournemouth, Poole and Christchurch
SloganThe Most Hit Music
Frequency107.6 MHz
DAB: 11B
First air date26 June 1999
FormatCHR
OwnerBauer Radio
WebsiteFire Radio

The station was launched on 26 June 1999 by founding Directors James Bromley and David Harber as The NRG FM 107.6, but changed name a year later following a dispute with French radio station NRJ. The station is now owned by Bauer Radio and will form part of the Hits Radio network from September 2020. [1]

History
The NRG FM 107.6 Logo 1999 - 2000

The NRG (Nerve Radio Group) was born out of the Bournemouth student station Nerve* Radio. The launch team included David and Emily at Breakfast, Max Hailey, James "Lloydie" Lloyd and Dan Lodge on the schedule. A range of specialist DJs were included in the schedule, such as Jay Ratchett, Ross EB, Jon Langford, Michael Artwell and Jez Welham. Specialist programmes also included Club Versive hosted by Boy George, and the Ministry Of Sound Dance Party.

Name change

French broadcaster NRJ challenged "The NRG" over the use of the name as the pronunciation was the same.[2] In discussion with the station's solicitors (Stephens Innocent) the station management agreed that although there was a "chance" that the Bournemouth station could win the challenge - and even if not, they could go to Appeal and "almost certainly" win - the costs involved in challenging one of Europe's biggest radio brands would be too high for a small station on the South Coast of the UK. Despite the notion of 'borrowing station names', Managing Director David Harber renamed the station "The Fire" after a Chicago-based station "WFYR" which had been 'off-air' for a number of years. The station changed name on Bonfire Night, 2000.

Studios

The station moved from the original studios in the Quadrant Shopping Centre, to purpose-built studios at the Picture House on Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth in June 2007. The station now broadcasts from the Celador studios in Southampton.

Ownership

The station was sold by its original founders in October 2001 to Radio Investments Limited, which later became known as The Local Radio Company.

The Local Radio Company then sold Fire 107.6 to Westward Broadcasting in June 2009.

Celador Radio purchased Fire in July 2014. In February 2019, Fire was then sold to Bauer Radio


Transmitters

Analogue (FM)
Transmitter SiteFrequencyPowerRDS NamePI CodeArea
West Howe107.6 MHz1000W__FIRE__C49FBournemouth, Poole & Christchurch

Digital (DAB)
MultiplexBlockArea
Now Digital Bournemouth11BBournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, West Dorset, North Dorset, South Dorset

Slogans
  • 'Today's Music'
  • 'Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch'
  • 'Playing the very best Non-Stop 90s and now'
  • 'Set your Radio on FIRE'
  • 'You're on FIRE'
  • 'Love the new FIRE 107.6'
  • 'Only FIRE news is all local, all day'
  • 'The hit music station for Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch'
  • 'The Most Hit Music'
  • 'This is FIRE Radio'
  • 'Bigger variety of hits'

References
  1. https://radiotoday.co.uk/2020/05/most-of-acquired-bauer-stations-to-become-greatest-hits-radio/
  2. radiotoday.co.uk Archived 8 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
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