Neptune Radio - History

History

KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country launched on 29 September 1997 as Neptune Radio, broadcasting on 96.4 and 106.8 FM after a month-long trial concluded earlier that same morning.

The station's roots extend to the 1970s, where it began as pirate radio station Channel Radio, which only broadcast in the Dover area. Run by Dover native Eddie Austin, who previously worked at Radio Caroline, the station was fined numerous times, but Austin maintained it until the town received its own radio license.

The station emerged as a combination of two stations broadcasting through the 1990s – "Shepway Sound" in Folkestone (broadcasting November–December 1993, and August 1994), and "White Cliffs Sound" in Dover (broadcasting May 1994 and August 1995). Austin and his group, South East Radio, applied for the licences for Shepway and White Cliffs Country in 1996 and were awarded the licence for both areas in January 1997. The new station was rebranded as Neptune Radio due to the station's proximity to the English Channel.

The station won the UK Radio Station of the Year award twice, in 1999 and 2000, and reached approximately 30,000 listeners each week (a 24% share of the audience). After being bought by Radio Investments Ltd, its successful format was applied to its sister stations Arrow FM in Hastings and Sovereign Radio in Eastbourne. A group, spearheaded by Neptune Radio disc jockey Mark Carter, also applied for the Ashford licence under the name Ashford FM, but they did not gain the licence.

The station was purchased by the KM Group in 2001 and started programme sharing at weekends with other KM-owned stations in Kent. It was subsequently re-branded to KMFM Shepway and White Cliffs Country in 2003. The KM Group relocated the station from premises on Church Street in Dover to their Folkestone offices for the Kentish Express in Sandgate Road.

The company was reawarded the licence for the station in July 2008. In April 2009, KMFM were granted permission by Ofcom to move the studios to their building in Ashford, although the sales team remains in Folkestone. Following the arrival of the county-wide breakfast, all KMFM programming is now broadcast from Medway.

In June 2010 the Breakfast Show was presented live from the Folkestone Multi-Cultural Festival with several guests and show crew.

Like the rest of the KMFM network, the station was relaunched in September 2010 with new jingles, schedule changes and more emphasis on music.

The KMFM network switched to a contemporary hit radio format in 2012 following the merging of KMFM Extra with KMFM. The music now focuses mainly on Top 40 hits, and contains a lot more dance and R&B than before.