is an
Independent Local Radio station which broadcasts from
Nottingham in the
United Kingdom . Its frequencies are 96.2 (Nottingham) and 96.5 (Mansfield) megahertz in the
FM band - and the station is also available on
DAB .
Launched
July 3 1975 as Radio Trent, initially broadcasting on FM and
Medium Wave , the station began transmissions to neighbouring Derbyshire in
1987 . Renamed Trent FM in 1988, it launched a separate
Oldies -format service, GEM-AM, on its medium wave frequencies.
Taken over by the
GWR Group in 1993, the Nottingham and Mansfield FM services were branded 96 Trent FM, while the Derby service became known as
RAM FM . The medium wave GEM-AM service was then sold off, to become
Classic Gold GEM . By spring
2005 , Trent found itself owned by
GCap Media , after
GWR Group 's merger with
Capital Radio Group . It became part of GCap's
One Network brand, a network of FM and DAB music stations across southern England, the English Midlands and Wales.
After thirty-one years based at a converted
Hospital building in the historic street leading to
Nottingham Castle , the station began broadcasting from new studios at the Chapel Quarter development at Chapel Bar, at midday on January 9
2007 .
Trent lost its market leading position in RAJAR audience figures in early 2007, and lost the ''96'' prefix in its name in July that year, to become once again .
- Al Booth
- James Cook
- Rachael Craggs
- Mark Dennison
- Tim Disney
- Mark Hitchings
- Matt Marsden
- Joanna Russell
- Richard Thornton
- Andy Twigge
- Matt Wilkinson
Trent has local bulletins from 6am until 7pm. At 7am there is a five minute news programme - 'Newsday' with Lewis Scrimshaw, then there is another seven minute news programme at 5pm - 'Newsnight' with either
Charlie Girling or Stuart Bailey.
Lewis Scrimshaw - News Editor
Charlie Girling - Broadcast Journalist
Stuart Bailey - Broadcast Journalist
Kristina Newbery - Field Reporter
- Chris Ashley.
- Bill Bingham.
- Colin Bower.
- Amanda Bowman , an original Trent Careline presenter who after GEM-AM and then the Classic Gold Digital Network returned to Nottingham for Saga 106.6 FM 's morning show. She can now be heard presenting an Evening show for Saga's replacement, 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Alex Burnett, whose Trent debut in 1980 was presenting a Rock Chart during the children's show ''Roadrunners''. He remained involved in radio for some years but steadily gravitated toward his successful career as a Record Producer , using the name Sandy Burnett .
- Mark Burrows, later at GEM-AM , Saga 106.6 FM and now 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Gary Burton, who presented breakfast, mornings and afternoons on Trent, subsequently of BBC 6Music and Heart FM now at 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Luis Clark, former programme controller at Trent, now at Heart FM
- Jason King {Link without Title} , now at Key 103 in Manchester
- Richard Clarke and Lucy Horobin, now at Key 103 , broadcasting to Emap's other stations in the north of England .
- Jeff Cooper , former presenter with The Superstation , who later presenter a Saturday afternoon show on Saga 106.6 FM , and now does the same at 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- George Taylor, former producer 2005 - 2007, now producer for Pure Tonic Media.
- Jenny Costello, ex Radio 1 , now Radio Jackie .
- Danny Cox started at the Trent Derby afternoon show; he took over the Nottingham breakfast show and the weekly top 30 when John Peters moved over to GEM-AM .
- James Daniels, started as swing presenter at Trent FM Nottingham in 1993 , moved to Derby when RAM FM was launched in 1994 , returned to Trent FM to present the afternoon show from 2000 - 2003 , and then took up the position of Programme Controller at RAM FM in 2003, he is still presently there.
- Viv Evans.
- Tim Gough, who started his career at another 'Original ILR' station, Radio Orwell . He went on to present the weekday drivetime show on Saga 106.6 FM in the East Midlands , and now hosts a show on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Len Groat, former programme controller at Trent, responsible for music, jingles and renaming lots of presenters. Later, he was on GEM-AM . He now hosts ''70s Sunday'' on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Kenny Hague, later of Leicester Sound .
- Erica Hughes, part of the launch team at Saga 106.6 FM .
- Franklyn Hughes.
- Nick Jackson.
- Caren James.
- David Jensen .
- Marcus Langreiter former Producer 1994 - 2005, now programme controller at Severn Sound in Gloucestershire .
- David Lloyd. Lloyd won a Sony award for Trent, was General Manager and Programme Contoller of Leicester Sound , started Lincs FM , worked on Saga 106.6 FM and is now Managing Director of LBC in London, he is also a presenter on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Tony Lyman , later of Leicester Sound , GEM-AM and Saga 106.6 FM . He can now be heard on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Andy Marriott, later Trent 945 Derby and GEM-AM . He was also an announcer for Central Television . He worked on both Saga 106.6 FM in the East Midlands and Saga 105.7 FM in the West Midlands and is now a presenter on 105.7 Smooth Radio .
- Anne Marie Minhall, who started as a Careline presenter, later Rob Wagstaff's assistant on Nightlife and Talkback presenter, then GEM-AM and is now on Classic FM .
- Steve Merike, ex Radio Caroline and Radio 1, afternoon presenter on Trent, later GEM-AM and Saga 106.6 FM .
- Andy Miller, part of the launch team at Trent 945 Derby, now at RAM FM in Derby.
- Guy Morris , later of Leicester Sound
- Graham Neale (Deceased) presented "Castle Rock" on Trent, just after "Newsday", in the 80s .
- Lee Peck
- John Peters , presented the station's first show. He hosted breakfast shows on Trent, GEM-AM and Saga 106.6 FM . He now hosts the drivetime show on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Peter Quinn.
- Dean Roberts, former Evening Show Presenter (Nottingham Nights/Late Night Lounge), later Head of News at in Worcester / Severn Sound in Gloucester .
- Paul Robey, later GEM-AM and Saga 106.6 FM .
- David Ross, presented the late show in the mid nineties, also presented shows on GEM AM and the Classic Gold Network. David moved to Magic AM in Sheffield before presenting Drive on Oak FM and then Mid-Morning on Peak FM
- Bob Snyder. The station's first programme director was a former "pirate" who also worked at Piccadilly Radio in Manchester , and Beacon Radio in the West Midlands . Disgusted with British radio, Snyder left for Canada in 1980 . He worked with CKLG Vancouver, and then CJDC in Northern BC. He now operates a "show prep" service used by almost 1,000 DJ s across North America. (www.tomslake.com)
- Tim Rogers. Started broadcasting career on Radio Trent, went on to also broadcast on Xtra AM in Birmingham and eventually was to be found on Gem Am. He presented National Country Show on the Classic Gold Network which included numerous broadcasts from Nashville, Grand ole Opry etc, a show on Boundary Sound , and now ''Saga Country'' on Saga 106.6 FM East Midlands . In February 2007 Tim won the Country Music Association Of America International Broadcasters Award for outstanding contributions to Country Music . Quoted by Country Music contempories as "the Country Music Presenter who was the benchmark for us all from the 70's onwards..."
- John Shaw, whose ''Here Be Dragons'' late-night Trent show was later in the same Sunday night slot on Saga 106.6 FM wnd was entitled ''Here Be John Shaw''. He can now be heard on 106.6 Smooth Radio .
- Rob Smith, former producer and swing presenter. Went on to Severn Sound in Gloucester, then the GWR network in Bristol to present the evening show "Mel & Rob's Hot 30 Countdown" across 30 stations, now at 2CR FM in Bournemouth presenting the drive show.
- Mark Spivey.
- Dick Stone, former presenter of "Dick in the morning", later programme controller at Trent, and currently in charge of programming on a large number of GCap Media radio stations
- Craig Strong, winner of the Nottingham Evening Post's "After Dark" award for best local radio presenter while at Trent. He was later to be heard on a number of other stations, including GEM-AM , Leicester Sound , Mercia FM , Hereward FM and Lincs FM
- Peter Tait (Deceased)
- Brian Tansley, now at the BBC in Nottingham .
- Gary Terzza , who moved to Trent 96.2 after working at Trent In Derby , and now voice-overs on Channel 4 .
- Rob Wagstaff, Trent Nightlife and Morning Show presenter, now at Trax FM .
- Pete Wagstaff.
- Dave West (Deceased).
- Dale Winton , now a television entertainment show host.
- Colin Woolley.
- Kevin Wright (Deceased), Early Breakfast presenter circa 1983.
- Sean Goldsmith, came to Trent from Leicester Sound, did the evening show 94-96, then moved to Mercia, Hallam, Century and now at Peak FM
Many of these presenters started out at NHR-Nottingham Hospital Radio or the United Biscuits station!
Until the mid-
1990s , Trent pioneered personality-led
Independent Local Radio with a distinctive on-air style. Sister stations were spawned with the same jingle packages -
Leicester Sound in Leicester and
Radio Trent 945 in
Derby . Early experimentation with networking between these stations was a sign of things to come, including a period when evening presenters could refer only to "the radio station".
With the frequency splits of the late
1980s the
Mediumwave service became part of
GEM-AM . Trent presenters were redeployed and jingles commissioned based on the sounds of the 1960s. They were joined by new presenters such as Steve Voce and Krissi Carpenter. Most of the on air line up of
Saga 's new East Midlands station are former Trent presenters, as are many of the management team.
The 96 Trent FM building also houses the majority of the production studios for GCap Ideas, the commercial arm of GCap Media. GCap Ideas Studio produces the commercial output of GCap Media's regional radio stations, through 8 dedicated studios. 96 Trent FM's Castle Gate building housed 6 of these studios, and the facility remained with 96 Trent FM when it moved to its new home at Chapel Quarter Nottingham in January 2007.
GCap Ideas Studio's current production staff include Phill Danks (Head of Production) and Neil Hocking (Studio Manager/Commercial Producer).
Some of the more well-known slogans used on air were/are:
- Sounds Like You Wanna Hear
- Magic Trent
- Your 24 Hour Friend
- 96 Trent FM
- Today's best mix, today's best variety
- More music, less talk
- Playing the best mix of the 80's, 90's and today.
- Today's best mix.
- Trent FM <
- Latest, since the One-Network changed.
- Today's best mix Trent FM.
- 6.00am to 9.00am - Jo & Twiggy
- 9.00am to 12.00pm - Mark Dennison
- 12.00pm to 4.00pm - Matt Wilkinson
- 4.00pm to 7.00pm - James Cook On Drive
- 7.00pm to 10.00pm - Music Control
- 10.00pm to 12.00am - Late Night Love
- 6.00am to 9.00am - Jo & Twiggy
- 9.00am to 12.00pm - Mark Dennison
- 12.00pm to 4.00pm - Matt Wilkinson
- 4.00pm to 7.00pm - James Cook On Drive
- 7.00pm to 9.00pm - Music Control
- 9.00pm to 11.00pm - Party Friday
- 11.00pm to 1.00am - Non Stop Party Friday
- 7.00am to 11.00am - Saturday Breakfast With Rachel Craggs
- 11.00am to 2.00pm - The Hit List
- 2.00pm to 3.00pm - Matt Marsden
- 3.00pm to 7.00pm - Decades
- 7.00pm to 11.00pm - Saturday Night Bam Bam
- 11.00pm to 1.00am - Toni Phillips
- 8.00am to 11.00am - Tim Disney
- 11.00am to 3.00pm - Anything Goes With Matt Marsden
- 3.00pm to 4.00pm - Non Stop 96 Trent FM
- 4.00pm to 7.00pm - Hit 40 UK
- 7.00pm to 8.00pm - Nokia Select
- 8.00pm to 10.00pm - Myleene Klass Show
- 10.00pm to 12.00am - Late Night Love
