Heart Gloucestershire

{{Short description|Former British radio station}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox radio station | country = England | name = Heart Gloucestershire | logo = The Heart Network logo.svg | logo_size = 200px | city = [[Gloucester]] | area = [[Gloucestershire]] | branding = ''This is Heart'' | airdate = 23 October 1980 | last_airdate = 3 June 2019 | frequency = [[FM broadcasting|FM]]: *[[Quedgeley]] *102.4 [[Stroud]] *103.0 [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]]: 10C [[Arqiva]] [[Churchdown#Churchdown Hill|Gloucestershire]] | format = [[Hot AC]] | power = 1.2 kW | coordinates = {{coord|51.8684|-2.1736|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}} | erp = | class = | callsign_meaning = | owner = [[Global Group|Global]] | website = {{URL|www.heart.co.uk/gloucestershire/}} }}

'''Heart Gloucestershire''' (formerly '''Severn Sound''') was a British [[Independent Local Radio]] station owned and operated by [[Global Group|Global Radio]] as part of the [[Heart (radio network)|Heart]] network. It broadcast to [[Gloucestershire]] from studios in [[Gloucester]].

The transmitter, shared with [[BBC Radio Gloucestershire|Radio Gloucestershire]], is at Churchdown Hill, just west of the [[M5 motorway|M5]].

==History==  Severn Sound started transmissions on 23 October 1980, from its first [[studio]] at the "Old Talbot" [[public house|pub]] in Southgate Street, [[Gloucester]]. The pub had been bought by local businessmen including Clive Lindley, chairman of the Roadchef motorway service stations and of Severn Sound. The station's first employee was Chief Engineer Quentin Howard, who converted the pub into the radio station.

The original presenters were [[Alan Roberts (broadcaster)|Alan Roberts]], Head of Music, on Breakfast, Christopher Musk on mid-mornings, Eddie Vickers, Programme Controller, on the Lunchtime News and Topical programme, Laura de Vere on the Afternoon Show and Steve Ellis on Drivetime. There was a Sunday lunchtime show in which the presenter would go to various areas of Gloucester and share Sunday lunch with the residents of a house.

One notable director was the writer [[Dennis Potter]], who played an active role in the station's early years and lived in [[Ross on Wye]]. Potter's ''[[Pennies from Heaven (TV series)|Pennies from Heaven]]'' producer, [[Kenith Trodd]], presented a Sunday programme of 78 records featuring singers including [[Al Bowlly]], which Todd and Potter had used in ''Pennies from Heaven''. Another director was England rugby player Mike Burton, who also started sports travel agency Gulliver's Travels.

On 1 July 1984 two of the station's engineers, Nigel Lane and Tony Cooper, were killed on an outside broadcast<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-06-23|title=Central News: 02.07.1984: Severn Sound Radio|url=https://www.macearchive.org/films/central-news-02071984-severn-sound-radio|access-date=2022-01-29|website=MACE Archive|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Tales from the Tannoy: Series 2, Episode 5: Not Checking Out on Apple Podcasts|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/series-2-episode-5-not-checking-out/id1507189945?i=1000516924672|access-date=2022-01-29|website=Apple Podcasts|language=en-GB}}</ref> when the telescopic mast of their radio car touched an overhead 11 kV power line while they were preparing for a live broadcast from Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe. The inquiry into the accident found Severn Sound guilty of health and safety offences and fined the company £2,500. Many new safety procedures for radio cars were introduced across the industry as a result of the accident.

The station was sold to the ''[[Chiltern Radio Group]]'', after some resistance, in 1989, and was later taken over by the GWR Group in 1995, which merged into [[GCap Media]] in 2005, and was sold to [[Global Radio]] in 2008.

During the Gloucester/Tewkesbury flood crisis of Summer 2007, Severn Sound was forced to move temporarily to the GWR FM Bristol Studios, due to a loss of electricity and running water.<ref>[http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=38334&sectioncode=1 Floods force Severn Sound to move] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212221901/http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=38334&sectioncode=1 |date=2012-02-12 }}, Press Gazette, 29 July 2007</ref>

===Split frequencies===

In 1990, '''Severn Sound''' split frequencies, with its 774 kHz AM frequency being renamed '''Three Counties Radio''', expanding to cover [[Hereford]] & [[Worcester, England|Worcester]]. This was an "oldies" station and was a mix of local programmes and networking from [[Chiltern Radio Network]]'s '''[[Supergold]]''' service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Supergold |url=http://www.diamondmedia.co.uk/supergold.htm |publisher=Diamond Media Productions |accessdate=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821131200/http://www.diamondmedia.co.uk/supergold.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Presenters who moved from '''Severn Sound''' to '''Three Counties''' included ''Tony Peters & Sally Low Hurry''. John Hellings was brought in as breakfast presenter. In 1992, '''Three Counties Radio''' was re-branded as '''Severn Sound Supergold''' (and no longer promoted in Hereford & Worcester), and was re-branded again, in 1996, by new owners GWR as '''Severn Sound Classic Gold'''. Ownership rules required GWR to sell all their '''Classic Gold''' licences, to [[UBC Media]], and another re-brand to '''Classic Gold 774''' followed. The heritage name "Severn" is no longer mentioned on 774 AM after it was re-branded again, in 2007, to '''[[Gold (British radio network)|Gold]]''', and again on 24 March 2014 to Smooth Radio. All programming on 774 AM now comes from London.

===Rebrand===

In September 2008 Severn Sound became [[Heart Network|Heart]] Gloucestershire as part of a national re-branding of 29 stations by owners [[Global Radio]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Heart Radio pulls the plug in Gloucester |url=https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/heart-radio-formerly-severn-sound-will-stop-broadcasting-from-gloucester-in-2019 |publisher=Punchline |accessdate=21 August 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821131201/https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/heart-radio-formerly-severn-sound-will-stop-broadcasting-from-gloucester-in-2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ''Heart Gloucestershire'' branding was launched at 6am on Monday 23 March 2009, with local programming broadcast from the above-the-street ''Bridge Studios'', part of the [[Eastgate Shopping Centre, Gloucester|Eastgate Shopping Centre]] (The Mall) in Gloucester. Local news bulletins on the station are produced by [[Heart West]] in Bristol, following the closure of the station's Gloucester newsroom in summer 2010.

===Station merger=== In 2019 Heart Gloucestershire merged with three sister stations in [[Heart West Country|Bristol and Somerset]], [[Heart South West|Devon and Cornwall]] and [[Heart Wiltshire|Wiltshire]].<ref>[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/02/global-to-network-capital-heart-and-smooth-breakfast-shows/ Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227060209/https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/02/global-to-network-capital-heart-and-smooth-breakfast-shows/ |date=2019-02-27 }}, RadioToday, 26 February 2019</ref> From 3 June 2019, local output will became a three-hour regional Drivetime show on weekdays, with local news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising.<ref name="auto">[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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430131737/https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/04/amanda-holden-to-join-jamie-theakston-for-heart-uk-breakfast/ |date=2019-04-30 }}, Radio Today, 29 April 2019</ref>

Heart Gloucestershire's studios in Gloucester closed, with operations moving to [[Bristol]]. The station ceased local programming on 31 May 2019. Local breakfast and weekend shows were replaced with network programming from London.

[[Heart West]] began broadcasting regional programming on 3 June 2019.<ref name="auto"/>

==See also== * [[Heart (radio network)]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Official website|www.heart.co.uk/gloucestershire}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Gloucestershire]] [[Category:Radio stations established in 1980]] [[Category:Radio stations disestablished in 2019]] [[Category:Defunct Heart (radio network) stations|Gloucestershire]]