History
BBC Radio Norfolk was launched at 5:55 pm on 11 September 1980. It was the first BBC local radio station to launch in East Anglia and the first station to be launched after a gap of several years in the corporation's local radio development programme, due to the Government's review of local radio (both BBC and independent services) in the late 1970s. Due to the policy of launching only one local radio service at a time in a particular area, when it came to choosing whether Norfolk or Devon would receive a BBC or commercial station first, there was contention between the BBC and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) as to who would get which area. This was settled by the toss of a coin, with the BBC winning and choosing Norfolk. The IBA therefore got Devon, who appointed DevonAir Radio.
For several years up until the launch of Radio Norfolk, BBC East had broadcast a daily morning radio programme, Roundabout East Anglia, a regional opt-out from the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. However, this had covered a much larger editorial area than any BBC Local Radio station, being heard across the same region as the BBC's Look East regional television news programme. Like Look East, Roundabout East Anglia was also broadcast from BBC East's regional headquarters at All Saint's Green in Norwich.
Radio Norfolk was one of the first BBC local stations to be based around a county, rather than a town or city; it was also the first to broadcast in stereo (though only to East Norfolk; the remainder of the county had to wait until 2005 for stereo broadcasts). Initially, there was insufficient budget for a full schedule of programmes; the station started with a breakfast show, a two-hour show at midday and then an extended five o'clock news and sports bulletin, while using BBC Radio 2 as a sustaining service outside of these times. There was, however, a full local service at weekends, when it was assumed that more listeners would be available due to them not being at work. After Keith Salmon took over as the station's Managing Editor in 1982, a full slate of local programmes was introduced on weekdays.
Originally, Radio Norfolk was based at a former carpet showroom in Norfolk Tower on Surrey Street in Norwich. The station's first presenter on-air was John Mountford and the launch was simulcast live on Look East. Mountford was one of several former Roundabout East Anglia personnel who had transferred across to work for the new station following that programme's demise.
The station moved to its current studios at The Forum in Norwich in June 2003.
Read more about this topic: BBC Radio Norfolk
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