Launched as 'Kick FM' in 2000 and broadcasting to 86,000 people across Newbury, Thatcham and Hungerford, the station has been owned and operated by Tindle Radio since 2006.
West Berkshire Radio Limited has been purchased by Andover Sound Limited, a company controlled by Ian Axton (http://www.ianaxton.com/)and in which Tindle Radio has a 20% holding.
Ian Axton, 39, is a former Managing Director of the Sony awarding winning Spire FM in Salisbury. He then went on to lead the radio group 'TLRC' which operated several stations in the South of England until 2001. Ian then joined ITV as a producer, reporter and presenter and has also anchored national news bulletins for ITN. Last year he decided to get back to his roots in radio and launched Andover Sound, the independent station for North West Hampshire. Last month Andover Sound won a 'New York Radio Festival Award' for its local news coverage.
Ian said "West Berkshire is a special place and it deserves a special radio station. I'm looking forward to building on what's already been achieved and taking the station to an exciting new level. "
Brian Doel, Chairman of the Tindle Radio Group, said "I'm delighted that West Berkshire Radio Limited is now part of Andover Sound. I know that listeners and advertisers will benefit hugely from the expertise that Ian Axton and his team will bring to the airwaves of West Berkshire."
If West Berkshire has so much to offer, why's the station not named after it?
With an existing Radio Berkshire, naming it after West Berkshire wouldn't be a good idea. If it was called West Berkshire Sound you would ask why it wasn't named after Newbury. I like Newbury Sound and, if Ian Axton's track record is anything to go by, it has every chance of being a huge success.
Probably because it's also controlled by Ian Axton. Andover Sound is broadcast in Andover. If you looked at their website you would have seen how much they relate well to the local community of North West Hampshire . Newbury Sound will be broadcast from Newbury and will relate to the local community of West Berkshire.
With an existing Radio Berkshire, naming it after West Berkshire wouldn't be a good idea. If it was called West Berkshire Sound you would ask why it wasn't named after Newbury. I like Newbury Sound and, if Ian Axton's track record is anything to go by, it has every chance of being a huge success.
Calling it Newbury Sound doesn't make any sense given they've got a separate transmitter for Hungerford too.
Leicester used to have both Radio Leicester and Leicester Sound, many other areas and towns have had two stations with the same name in the title. The name Newbury Sound is two fingers two the rural communities of West Berkshire and also to Thatcham and given the station's licence isn't just to serve Newbury you couldn't blame them for being angry at the re-branding.
The name Newbury Sound is two fingers two the rural communities of West Berkshire and also to Thatcham and given the station's licence isn't just to serve Newbury you couldn't blame them for being angry at the re-branding.
Cheers, User. A very fair comment for which I thank you.
After all, most of West Berkshire have been fuming ever since it was 'branded' the Parliamentary Constituency of Newbury.
I suspect it wasn't called West Berkshire when some of it was allocated to the Parliamentary Constituency of Newbury. Those parts not in Newbury Constituency are probably feeling a bit peeved at your comment.
I suspect it wasn't called West Berkshire when some of it was allocated to the Parliamentary Constituency of Newbury. Those parts not in Newbury Constituency are probably feeling a bit peeved at your comment.
West Berkshire has always been west Berkshire, it is the west of Berkshire, but why would people feel peeved about not being in the Newbury constituency? I'm, lost on that.
West Berkshire in title has no real history and therefore possibly less marketable, where as Newbury is historic and more recognisable than West Berkshire, from a marketing point of view. I 'feel' more Newbury, than I do West Berkshire.
West Berkshire has always been west Berkshire, it is the west of Berkshire, but why would people feel peeved about not being in the Newbury constituency? I'm, lost on that.
Geographically I would suggest that Tilehurst and a number of other West Berkshire parishes are in central Berkshire. However, re-reading I see I missed the 'most' in your comment and read it as all of West Berkshire being upset at being branded as Newbury Constituency - which I felt would peeve those in West Reading or Wokingham constituencies.
West Berkshire in title has no real history and therefore possibly less marketable, where as Newbury is historic and more recognisable than West Berkshire, from a marketing point of view. I 'feel' more Newbury, than I do West Berkshire.
I agree totally, but I suspect those in the east of West Berkshire probably feel more Reading than West Berkshire and might resent being branded as part of Newbury. After all we had the choice in the 1990s and opted for West Berkshire.
I think they'll loose a lot of listeners not only in the East, who identify more with Reading as their local town and will re-tune to Reading 107 but those in up Lambourn way who identify more with Swindon as their local town and will re-rune to Swindon 105.5.
This really is a major marketing mistake and as Blackdog says, the people of the West of Berkshire chose for their local authority to be called West Berkshire in 1998, rather than Newbury; I'm sure they would choose the same for their local radio station.
I agree totally, but I suspect those in the east of West Berkshire probably feel more Reading than West Berkshire and might resent being branded as part of Newbury. After all we had the choice in the 1990s and opted for West Berkshire.
Yes, I'd say Tilehurst, Theale, Pangbourne are more Reading than Newbury. As for the change in name, it seems the wrong way round. I would have expected Newbury Sound to have been the original name and then would have changed the name to Kick FM to help market the station further afield. So that is to say, calling it Newbury Sound seems to suggest an expectation for a more selective audience - albeit it makes for a more recognisable geographical location.
I think they'll loose a lot of listeners not only in the East, who identify more with Reading as their local town and will re-tune to Reading 107 but those in up Lambourn way who identify more with Swindon as their local town and will re-rune to Swindon 105.5. This really is a major marketing mistake and as Blackdog says, the people of the West of Berkshire chose for their local authority to be called West Berkshire in 1998, rather than Newbury; I'm sure they would choose the same for their local radio station.
I can't really see that happening, I would expect the programming will decide that. After all, I understand that the alternative stations listed are no-longer 'local'.
I can't really see that happening, I would expect the programming will decide that. After all, I understand that the alternative stations listed are no-longer 'local'.
http://www.swindon1055.com/ are very "local" and even more community lead than KICK. Reading 107 also have locally based programming.
Are you confusing them with the re-branding of 2-Ten and GWR as Heart?
http://www.swindon1055.com/ are very "local" and even more community lead than KICK. Reading 107 also have locally based programming. Are you confusing them with the re-branding of 2-Ten and GWR as Heart?
Yes you are correct, I didn't do my homework! But I still stand that I wouldn't expect people to change due only to the name change.
Well the good thing about this is the RAJAR figures in a year or so will tell us who's right.
Maybe, but I don't know anyone who will tune into a station based only on its name. What they play would determine that. Where you might have a point is potential new listeners; people near Reading might not be attracted to a 'Newbury' station.
I tuned into Newbury Sound on the way home and, although there's recorded music in the interim period before the launch on Monday morning, I thought the music selection was very good
I agree totally, but I suspect those in the east of West Berkshire probably feel more Reading than West Berkshire and might resent being branded as part of Newbury. After all we had the choice in the 1990s and opted for West Berkshire.
As far as the "new" radio station is concerned, I'm not too sure that the radio transmission is powerful enough to get that far (Theale and Tilehurst for example). That may not be the case on digital DAB or the internet (but then who listens on the internet) so calling it Newbury Sound has to be preferable to West Berks sound as the inference there is that it covers the same area for listeners as the WBC. I suspect that a lot of their audience just see it as an extension of KickFM which as far as I know covers, or should that be covered, the same physical area.
By the way, are the Kick FM headquarters in Bone Lane remaining.?
As far as the "new" radio station is concerned, I'm not too sure that the radio transmission is powerful enough to get that far (Theale and Tilehurst for example). That may not be the case on digital DAB or the internet (but then who listens on the internet) so calling it Newbury Sound has to be preferable to West Berks sound as the inference there is that it covers the same area for listeners as the WBC.
KICK FM wasn't on DAB, I doubt the new station will be either. These community based stations rarely make it on to a DAB multiplex.
As for their FM signal, it can be clearly heard in Theale and I suspect one could hear it in Tilehurst too, though I've never tried.
You're also forgetting they have a separate transmitter in Hungerford, perhaps they should switch this off if they don't intend to cover this area any more.
I wouldn't be surprised if some programs are "networked" from Andover to save money. I don't know how Global Radio have managed to turn much of this country's local radio into effectively another national network with Heart without the government intervening but I can see many of the community based stations going the same way as a president has now been set.
KICK FM wasn't on DAB, I doubt the new station will be either. These community based stations rarely make it on to a DAB multiplex.
As for their FM signal, it can be clearly heard in Theale and I suspect one could hear it in Tilehurst too, though I've never tried.
You're also forgetting they have a separate transmitter in Hungerford, perhaps they should switch this off if they don't intend to cover this area any more.
I wouldn't be surprised if some programs are "networked" from Andover to save money. I don't know how Global Radio have managed to turn much of this country's local radio into effectively another national network with Heart without the government intervening but I can see many of the community based stations going the same way as a president has now been set.
What makes you think they aren't covering Hungerford?
If some of the programmes were networked what would be the problem with that? If you ran two radio stations, you wouldn't find ways of saving money?
What makes you think they aren't covering Hungerford?
If some of the programmes were networked what would be the problem with that? If you ran two radio stations, you wouldn't find ways of saving money?
It's called Newbury Sound, not Newbury & Hungerford Sound.
The licence for Berkshire & North Hampshire in Global Media's case is for a local station, not a national one with local op-outs. I'm surprised they've been allowed to do what they've done.
I can see many community stations going the same way. Saving money by networking programs should not be the primary motivation for these stations; providing the best service to their local community should be. If you want a good example of this look at Swindon 105.5 who should be commended as an example of how to run a community station.
It's called Newbury Sound, not Newbury & Hungerford Sound.
The licence for Berkshire & North Hampshire in Global Media's case is for a local station, not a national one with local op-outs. I'm surprised they've been allowed to do what they've done.
I can see many community stations going the same way. Saving money by networking programs should not be the primary motivation for these stations; providing the best service to their local community should be. If you want a good example of this look at Swindon 105.5 who should be commended as an example of how to run a community station.
It might be better to reserve your judgement after you have found out for yourself what your personal view is once you've given Newbury Sound a chance to prove itself
It might be better to reserve your judgement after you have found out for yourself what your personal view is once you've given Newbury Sound a chance to prove itself
Perhaps, I'm willing to bet you that some programs will be broadcast across both stations within a year though.
I'm also willing to bet that listenership outside Newbury will be down on Kick FM within a year.
There has been a lot of debate recently in commercial circles about what West Berkshire actually means to an outsider. The hotel trade in particular have been very concerned that West Berkshire means nothing to a potential visitor to the area.
West Berkshire didn't even exist until 1998 when the fledgeling authority decided to spend vast sums of money on one of their public consultations asking the questions should we remain as Newbury District Council, West Berkshire District Council or Newbury and West Berkshire District Council.
Ultimately the choice was for West Berkshire District Council, which involved vast expense of new stationary, new road signs, new vehicle livery etc. etc.
Ask the reception staff at Newbury Town Council, they handle hundreds of calls and visitors who want the District Council rather than the Town Council. IMHO we should have remained as Newbury District Council and given places like Calcot and Tilehurst to Reading
But Newbury Sound is NOT a community station - it is a small scale commercial radio station which exists primarily to make a profit for its shareholders. Go look at the varied programme schedule of Swindon 105.5, its community involvement - you won't find that on our 'new' local radio station.
I'm not convinced that a commercial radio is viable in West Berkshire, but I think we could make a really good job of a proper community radio station.
And will someone PLEASE tell me how Kick FM got its name?
But Newbury Sound is NOT a community station - it is a small scale commercial radio station which exists primarily to make a profit for its shareholders. Go look at the varied programme schedule of Swindon 105.5, its community involvement - you won't find that on our 'new' local radio station.
I'm not convinced that a commercial radio is viable in West Berkshire, but I think we could make a really good job of a proper community radio station.
And will someone PLEASE tell me how Kick FM got its name?
What is wrong with it being a small scale commercial radio station, how would a 'proper community radio station' survive without some commercialism? Andover Sound interacts a lot with the local area. On their website just about everything is local. Local news, local forum, local sports, local photo gallery, local music, local messages, what more would you expect?
As far as I can remember the name Kick didn't relate to anything, it was just a trendy name.
I should have thought it was pretty self-explanatory. It's the western part of the county of Berkshire. Duh.
It's pretty obvious isn't it. West Berkshire existed long before 1998 as an area, just as East Berkshire exists now even though there is no body of that name.
Quoted from 133
What is wrong with it being a small scale commercial radio station, how would a 'proper community radio station' survive without some commercialism? Andover Sound interacts a lot with the local area. On their website just about everything is local. Local news, local forum, local sports, local photo gallery, local music, local messages, what more would you expect?
A small scale commercial radio station has to put profit first, a community radio station puts the people first. There's nothing to stop a community selling advertising space or program sponsorship to raise capital but the difference is it's unlikely to axe local programming to save cash, as Global Media have with Heart and as Andover Sound will no doubt do with Newbury Sound.
I wasn't aware of that. We could do with that round here, proper community radio.
Quoted from 133
Dear oh, dear oh, dear, get over yourselves. Start up your own radio station if it bothers you so much
First of all it is our own radio station, or it's supposed to be.
Secondly there's only one licence for this area at that level so that's a bit like me complaining about the Council and you telling me to start my own if I don't like it.
Dear oh, dear oh, dear, get over yourselves. Start up your own radio station if it bothers you so much
Like you, it's a bit of a mountain out of a molehill. It's KickFM with a different name, I'll reserve judgement on how much more local it will be compared with Kick but no doubt they will continue to play the same sort of low cost royalty music and have the same sort of adverts and jingles. I don't really want to listen to an interview with the local lad who sweeps up the Kennet Shopping floor so play the music and tell me what's going on in the area and I'll be happy.
Why anyone would want it to be West Berks FM just because it transmits in Hungerford, I don't know and I doubt the Hungerford listeners will care much either. As somebody else said it may be able to be heard in Theale but it is not in their audience list so Newbury sound sounds good to me.
It's a bit spooky looking down at the car radio and seeing "Newbury" in the display
We've got a while to go before you claim your win "I'm also willing to bet that listenership outside Newbury will be down on Kick FM within a year" according to you.
It doesn't really bother me that much, what bothers me is the usual, putting things down before they even got off the ground. I wish every success to Newbury Sound
We've got a while to go before you claim your win "I'm also willing to bet that listenership outside Newbury will be down on Kick FM within a year" according to you.
That's quite obviously a separate bet. I'm quite confident on this one though, seeing as my first one came in as predicted.
Quoted from 133
It doesn't really bother me that much, what bothers me is the usual, putting things down before they even got off the ground. I wish every success to Newbury Sound
I'm quite "bothered" by our community, if you're not so that's up to you. We see Newbury differently, you as a place to make money, me as a place to live.
OK then folks...I actually think there is room for both. Small 'local area' stations commercially oriented and where appropriate - using networked output at times. That means we get a professional radio station, attuned to our everyday needs and supporting the local economy.
PLUS, we could also support a fairly tight bounded 'community radio station' which would be operated and served by several distinct niche groups. I'd envisage this utilising community skills initially from the following community segments; young people, at home mums, senior citizens. This would be designed to answer several pressing community needs. If you'd be willing to join in and help; or simply want a few more details - send a PM! So, we could have two stations; actually complimenting each other.
We see Newbury differently, you as a place to make money, me as a place to live.
So, any money you make as a result of living in Newbury you will donate to some charity or another (Newbury Sound perhaps). You obviously didn't think this post through. You seem to have a belief that anybody in business should not show a profit but you are allowed to earn a living as an employee with little risk and no ambition to improve your lot.
If you make a profit on the sale of your house, that to me also counts towards the money you make.
So, any money you make as a result of living in Newbury you will donate to some charity or another (Newbury Sound perhaps). You obviously didn't think this post through. You seem to have a belief that anybody in business should not show a profit but you are allowed to earn a living as an employee with little risk and no ambition to improve your lot.
That's clearly not what I'm saying, perhaps you've missed the point deliberately to be antagonistic.
As an employee I have an ambition to improve everyone's lot, not just my own. That seems to be the difference here, the promotion of self at the expense of others versus the betterment of everyone. You go for the former, I go for the latter.
Back on topic, I'm saying that making money should not be the primary concern of a community radio station, and ideally this rule should to extend everyone else too.
That's quite obviously a separate bet. I'm quite confident on this one though, seeing as my first one came in as predicted.I'm quite "bothered" by our community, if you're not so that's up to you. We see Newbury differently, you as a place to make money, me as a place to live.
This is one example of many where you try to twist what people say in order to strengthen your point of view. I guess you use this http://www.searchlores.org/schopeng.htm as a guide.
All this 'community'stuff makes me wonder if you are a social worker
Your post was off topic and very negative. You added the "social worker" jibe and the sneer at "community stuff" in the manner of an insult.
Now which one .... 9 Use your opponent's answers to your question to reach different or even opposite conclusions.
24 State a false syllogism. Your opponent makes a proposition, and by false inference and distortion of his ideas you force from the proposition other propositions that are not intended and that appear absurd. It then appears that opponent's proposition gave rise to these inconsistencies, and so appears to be indirectly refuted.
Now which one .... 9 Use your opponent's answers to your question to reach different or even opposite conclusions.
24 State a false syllogism. Your opponent makes a proposition, and by false inference and distortion of his ideas you force from the proposition other propositions that are not intended and that appear absurd. It then appears that opponent's proposition gave rise to these inconsistencies, and so appears to be indirectly refuted.
This is just off topic antagonist trolling now. Grow up and keep it on topic or I won't be replying to you again.
Well, here's on topic. The only difference that I heard today between Kick and Newbury was thepromo track. The voices are different with the same content but the adverts and music are just the same. The news seemed to have more of a national theme. The traffic reports are the same. So, what was all the fuss about.
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But I still stand that I wouldn't expect people to change due only to the name change.
