Heart Thames Valley
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = Heart Thames Valley
| logo = The Heart Network logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| city = Reading
| area = Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire
| branding = This is Heart
| airdate = 9 July 2010
| last_airdate = 3 June 2019
| frequency = FM:
- 97.0 (Reading)
- 97.4 (Banbury and Brackley)
- 102.6 (Oxford, Bicester, Didcot, Abingdon, Finstock, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Radley, Bicester, Islip, Charlbury, Tackley, Ascott-under-Wychwood, Combe, Appleford-on-Thames, Kingham, Culham, Heyford, Hanborough, Cholsey, Wallington, Goring-on-Thames, Shiplake, Streatley, King's Sutton, Pangbourne, Tilehurst, Faringdon, Stonesfield, Chipping Norton, Eynsham, Winnersh. Mortimer, Saunderton, Wokingham, Princes Risborough, Sheepwash Channel, Burford, Woodstock, Wallingford, Thame, Bampton, Wantage, Minster Lovell, and Witney)
- 102.9 (Basingstoke, Streatley and Whitchurch)
- 103.4 (Henley-on-Thames)
DAB: 10B (Oxfordshire)
12D (Reading and Basingstoke)
| format = Adult Contemporary
| power =
| erp =
| class =
| callsign_meaning =
| owner = Global
| website = [http://www.heart.co.uk/thamesvalley Heart Thames Valley]
}}
Heart Thames Valley was a local radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcast to Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire from studios in Reading, southern England.
The station was formed as a result of a merger between Heart Oxfordshire (formerly Fox FM) and Heart Berkshire (formerly 2-Ten FM).
History
{{further|Heart Berkshire|Heart Oxfordshire}}
The station originally broadcast as two separate stations. Fox FM served Oxfordshire and West Buckinghamshire and was latterly owned by Capital Radio. Radio 210, later 2-Ten FM, served Berkshire and North Hampshire and was eventually acquired by the GWR Group forming part of GWR's Mix Network. This later merged with Capital's equivalent Capital FM network (comprising the former Invicta FM, the former Southern FM, BRMB, Red Dragon FM and the former Power FM) to form The One Network, after the GWR Group plc and Capital Radio Group plc merged in May 2005. Global Radio acquired GCap Media in 2008 and rebranded most of the One Network stations to Heart, in phases by area, from January 2009.
On 21 June 2010, Global Radio announced it would merge the Oxford and Reading stations as part of plans to reduce the Heart network of stations from 33 to 16.[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jun/21/global-radio-restructure Global Radio to halve number of local Heart stations], The Guardian, 21 June 2010. {{Cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/21/global-radio-restructure |title=Global Radio to halve number of local Heart stations |newspaper=The Guardian |date=21 June 2010 |access-date=16 July 2010 |archive-date=27 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627011159/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/21/global-radio-restructure |url-status=bot: unknown |last1=Plunkett |first1=John }} The new station began broadcasting from Reading on Friday 9 July 2010, leading to the closure of studios in Oxford.[http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6025 Heart slims but strengthens], RadioToday, 21 June 2010 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626043822/http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6025 |date=26 June 2010 }}
The stations still carried local advertising and travel bulletins, and accordingly were sub-branded as "Heart Thames Valley for Oxfordshire" and "Heart Thames Valley for Berkshire and NW Hampshire".[http://www.heart.co.uk/localise/regions/ Find your local Heart station], [http://www.heart.co.uk/ Heart], UK. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223141525/http://www.heart.co.uk/localise/regions/ |date=23 December 2010 }}
=Station merger=
On 26 February 2019, Global announced Heart Thames Valley would be merged with three sister stations in Hampshire and Dorset, Kent and Sussex and Surrey.[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/02/global-to-network-capital-heart-and-smooth-breakfast-shows/ Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows], RadioToday, 26 February 2019
From 3 June 2019, local output will consist of a three-hour regional Drivetime show on weekdays, alongside localised news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising.[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/04/amanda-holden-to-join-jamie-theakston-for-heart-uk-breakfast/ Amanda Holden to join Jamie Theakston for Heart UK Breakfast], Radio Today, 29 April 2019
Heart Thames Valley ceased local programming on 31 May 2019, although the station's Reading studios were retained as offices for newsgathering and sales. Local breakfast and weekend shows were replaced with network programming from London.
Heart South began broadcasting regional programming on 3 June 2019.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.heart.co.uk/thamesvalley/ Heart Thames Valley]
- [http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/radio/statement/maps/Thames_Valley.pdf Map of the coverage area of Heart Thames Valley]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} as approved by Ofcom{{dead link|date=January 2013}}
{{Heart (radio network)}}
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Category:Radio stations in Berkshire
Category:Radio stations in Hampshire
Category:Radio stations in Oxfordshire
Category:Radio stations established in 2010
Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2019