BBC Radio York

A sign on their studios

BBC Radio York logo 2020–2022

In May 1982, just over a year before the station was due to launch, a temporary service was provided to cover Pope John Paul II's visit to York. The service, which ran for just over 24 hours, operated on what was to be the station's primary medium wave frequency and was also broadcast on the other local stations in the Yorkshire region.[2]

The station was launched at 6:30 am on 4 July 1983, and featured on the cover of the Radio Times.

The first station manager was John Jefferson with the late Tony Fish as Programme Organiser. The original team included David Farwig, Derm Tanner, Andy Joynson, David Thomas, Will Hanrahan, Graham Pass, Nik Wood (Scarborough Producer), Diane Myers (Harrogate Producer), Andy Hitchcock, Chris Loveder, Chris Choi, Charlotte Counsel, Shirley Lewis and Sandy Barton.

Initially, the station was only on air for a few hours a day (6:30 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm during the week with weekend programming restricted to 8 am until 2 pm) and carried BBC Radio 2 the rest of the time. Local sports coverage was broadcast, but Radio York took BBC Radio Leeds' sports programmes until the second half of the 1980s, by which time broadcast hours had slowly expanded. Afternoon broadcasting was introduced and programming began to start earlier in the day – 6 am during the week and 7 am over the weekend. Eventually, Radio York began to produce its own sports programme on Saturday afternoons but did not introduce its own Sunday afternoon programming until 1989.

Evening programming started in August 1986, when Radio York joined with the other BBC local stations in Yorkshire in broadcasting an early evening service of specialist music programmes. This was expanded on 29 May 1989 when programming expanded to midnight with the launch of the BBC Night Network – an all-evening networked service which broadcast nightly from 6.05 pm (6 pm at the weekend). Local programming was reintroduced between 6 pm and 7 pm in May 1991 when Night Network began to incorporate the BBC's north-west stations and the following year, Night Network programming was extended on weeknights until 12:30 am, and to 1 am by the end of that decade. Initially, BBC Radio York did not provide any programming for the network but later on, Late Night North with David Dunning often aired from the York studios and in 2002 the BBC's Yorkshire stations, including Radio York, parted from the network to bring back a phone-in with Alex Hall, who had presented a similar show on Pulse. Other programming included Martin Kelner's Late Thing. The Early Show from BBC Radio Humberside (within the BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire region) was also carried.

BBC Radio York was not the first radio station broadcasting in York. University Radio York, the oldest independent legal radio station, is the University of York's student radio station and before the BBC, URY was named Radio York. The independent commercial rival, Minster FM, began broadcasting on 4 July 1992. Stray FM, the independent station covering the Harrogate and Ripon areas, made its first transmission exactly two years to the day after Minster's launch and eleven years to the day after Radio York's launch.

BBC Radio York broadcasts from its studios in York and uses three FM transmitters. The station broadcasts on 95.5 (Oliver's Mount, Scarborough), 103.7 (Acklam Wold transmitter near Leavening, midway between York and Malton) and 104.3 FM (Woolmoor, near Upsall four miles north of Thirsk close to the A19 – for Harrogate, Northallerton and the Yorkshire Dales).

The 140 ft Acklam Wold transmitter broadcasts the strongest frequency on 103.7 which is for Ryedale and the Vale of York. The 103.7 signal can be heard as far south as Mansfield on the M1, and can be received in West and South Yorkshire. In the early days, Radio York's FM frequencies were 90.2 and 97.2.

The station also broadcasts on Freeview TV channel 720 in the BBC Yorkshire and BBC North East and Cumbria regions and streams online via BBC Sounds.

Until 24 February 2020, BBC Radio York was also broadcast on medium wave – 666 (Fulford) and 1260 (Row Brow, Scarborough) AM. The transmitters were closed as a cost-cutting measure.[3]

Much of BBC York's studio infrastructure was the original Mk3 installation, dating from the station's inception in 1983. This ageing equipment had become unreliable, causing the station to "fall off air" regularly. Because the refurbishment required was significant, it would not be possible to continue to broadcast from the existing premises during the refurbishment, and no suitable alternative premises could be identified. Therefore, plans were drawn up for BBC York to move in with BBC Leeds temporarily[4] and to retain a presence in North Yorkshire through the BBC Bus, and through increased contributions from district studios in Harrogate and Scarborough. BBC York has since completed refurbishment of studio equipment and news room.

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's York studios from 6 am to 10 pm each day. The station's Sunday evening output also airs on BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

The current weekday daytime presenters are Georgey Spanswick from 6 am to 10 am, Joanita Musisi (Jenkinson) from 10 am to 2 pm and various stand in presenters from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Off-peak programming, including the regional late show (10 pm to 1 am), originates from BBC Radio Leeds.

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

Former presenters at the station include ITV Sport commentator Jon Champion and Sky Sports commentator Rob Hawthorne and Will Hanrahan, who went on to present Look North and report for Good Morning with Anne and Nick. Victor Lewis-Smith started his BBC career here, presenting his chat and music programme, Snooze Button, on Sunday mornings in 1984. Countdown host Richard Whiteley made several guest appearances in the early 2000s. The Grand Tour front-man Richard Hammond was also once a presenter.[5]

In 2001, BBC Radio York won the Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Community Service for "Floodwatch News" – its coverage of the floods that hit the county of North Yorkshire in November 2000.

In 2002, BBC Radio York was awarded Silver in the News Programme category for The Great Heck Rail Crash: Countdown To A Tragedy.[6]

In 2011, BBC Radio York's news team won the Gillard award for Original Journalism. The awards are given out each year and are open to the entire BBC local radio network.

In 2012, the flagship breakfast show, Adam Tomlinson at Breakfast, was nominated for a Sony award for Breakfast Show of the Year.[7]

In 2013, presenter Jonathan Cowap won Gold at the annual Frank Gillard Awards for Best Hotseat interview.

In 2014, the station won the Gillard Gold Award for Faith-based programming.

In 2016, Georgey at Breakfast won Best Breakfast Show at the Local Radio Awards.

• BBC Radio York
• History of local radio in Yorkshire
• David's Transmitter World
• Acklam Wold transmitter
• Fulford transmitter
• Oliver's Mount transmitter
• Row Brow transmitter
• Woolmoor transmitter

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