UK

Lincolnshire is to get more commercial radio services in 2026 as plans are announced by Magna Radio.

It launches alongside a sister service, Magna Mix, which plays music from the sixties to the eighties.
The stations will be available on DAB and online, supported by the message Love Music, Love Lincolnshire.
They’ve been created by former Lincs FM broadcaster Tom Priestley and is based at the University of Lincoln with support from Dom McOmish.
Magna opens with a presenter team featuring several well known names in the area. John Marshall, who spent decades on Lincs FM, returns to Lincolnshire radio.
Mark Dennison will present breakfast and said launching the show is a huge honour and that he has missed the interaction of live broadcasting.
Gemma Hill rejoins former colleagues after nine years with Global, bringing experience from Heart West Midlands.
Jo and Sparky host weekends after broadcasting together since 2010, while Chris Marsden joins as Content Manager with a background across BBC and commercial stations. Andy Goulding, Adam Weighall and Jayne Knowles complete the initial line-up with a range of local and national experience.
Programming will include features familiar to long-time local radio listeners along with new ideas for today’s audience. One of the early promotions will be Cash Tracks, offering listeners the chance to win money by texting the station.
Magna is also working with local businesses through its Founding Advertisers Membership, led by senior commercial specialists Sally and Fiona and supported by Commercial Manager Nic Pennock.
Discussions are under way with charities including the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance as the station develops its community partnerships.
Tom said the station is built on local values and aims to sound like the area it represents. John added that returning to speak to listeners in Lincolnshire feels fantastic and that he looks forward to reuniting with Tom and Gemma on air.
The launch comes six months after another new commercial radio service for the area, Lincs Sound, launched on DAB with a host of local presenters, in reaction to long-established Lincs FM becoming part of the Hits Radio Network in April 2024.

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Voice FM is shining a spotlight on Southampton’s heritage with a new on-air series sharing one hundred locally researched facts about the city.
The year-long campaign is supported by Nested Southampton and narrated by local historian Martin Brisland.
Each fact airs every hour and features stories from across Southampton’s past, including the city’s connection to Charles Miller, the man credited with introducing football to Brazil. The aim is to give listeners regular insights into the people and events that have shaped the area.
Xan Phillips from Voice FM said the series helps the city recognise its own strengths, adding that “this campaign feels like a way of helping Southampton celebrate itself.”
Chris Schutrups, who founded Nested Southampton and moved to the city when he was four, said he was pleased to support the project because “the city has something for everyone, and I’m exceptionally proud to be here.”
Chris added that the idea aligned strongly with the company’s community values, while Xan welcomed the partnership and said it was a positive step for the station and its audience.
The series is available on Voice FM throughout the day, with updates also shared across the station’s social media platforms.

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KISS has confirmed that Tyler West and Chloe Burrows will take over the KISS Breakfast Show early next year.

They replace Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely, who leave the programme at the end of January.
The station says listeners will hear Tyler and Chloe together for the first time during an interview on The Home Straight from 4pm today.
Tyler said the new role means a great deal to him, adding that mornings on KISS will be filled with energy and that he is ready to follow Jordan and Perri’s long-running partnership. He said the programme will offer “big laughs and bigger tunes” as he settles into a breakfast routine he has called a real home.
Chloe, who is known for her podcast work and television appearances, said joining the station feels like stepping into her dream job. She described herself as a long-time listener and said that working with Tyler and the production team will give her the ideal start on the show.
She added that she is prepared to bring her enthusiasm and humour to breakfast audiences.
KISS Content Director Paul Gerrard said there is strong anticipation as Tyler and Chloe prepare to launch their new show in February, calling it an important moment for the station as it heads into the new year.
KISS will confirm a new presenter for its afternoon show early next year.

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This year’s Jersey Christmas Appeal charity auction has raised £75,557 to support families across the island.

The total was announced at the end of a six-hour radiothon hosted by Channel 103 Breakfast presenter Peter Mac, Jersey broadcaster Fiona Walker and BBC Radio Jersey’s Darcy Kelly.
The auction closed a month of fundraising that featured a wide range of donated lots, including a week at a ski chalet in Chamonix, lunch with Jersey’s Chief Minister and a trolley dash at Coop Grand Marché.
The appeal will now help more than one thousand five hundred families with food vouchers, festive hampers and gift vouchers distributed ahead of Christmas.
Peter said the result was “a wonderful early gift for the appeal” and thanked islanders for their generosity.
Appeal treasurer David Pirouet also expressed his gratitude to supporters, saying the response from businesses and listeners had been “truly heart-warming” and that the money raised would allow the team to help many more households, including those seeking assistance for the first time.
The Jersey Christmas Appeal has been running for decades and continues to bring together volunteers, local organisations and broadcasters to provide support for families who need extra help during the festive season.
The latest total reflects another strong effort by the community during what has been a challenging year for many.
Photo: Peter Mac and Fiona Walker

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The Commercial Radio News Awards 2026 in association with IRN and Sky News are now welcoming submissions from newsrooms across the UK.

The awards celebrate journalism, production and presentation at a time when millions continue to rely on commercial radio for trusted news and sport.
This year introduces two new entry opportunities. Teams operating within a wider news hub but serving stations with a combined TSA below 1.5 million can now enter the smaller team category. Students not enrolled on a BJTC course are also eligible to enter the student category for the first time.
Entries are open at irnawards.co.uk, where full details and criteria for all thirteen categories are available. Categories include News Team of the Year for hubs or stations above and below 1.5 million TSA, Best News Story or Coverage, Best News Special, three Reporter of the Year awards, two Newsreader of the Year awards, Best Interview, Best Sports Coverage, Newcomer of the Year and Student Journalist of the Year.
The deadline for entries is Thursday 15 January 2026 at 5pm. The ceremony will take place on Thursday 26 March 2026 at Sky.
As in previous years, the IRN Gold Award will also be presented to recognise an individual’s outstanding contribution to news or sport in UK commercial radio. This category is not open for entry, but suggestions can be emailed to irnawards@me.com.
IRN Editor and Chair of Judges Dave Terris said the awards highlight the standard of reporting heard throughout the sector and encouraged journalists to review their best work from the past year.

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Four decades after first sharing a studio, the original “Wotnotters” from Essex Radio’s Saturday Wotnot programme have reunited for the first time since 1985.
The Saturday morning children’s show, presented by Tim Lloyd – known on air as Timbo – and his presenter wife Lindsey King, ran in the early 1980s and featured four young co-hosts keen to break into broadcasting: Pete Sipple, Shelley Coleman, Chris Farrell and Mike Toolan.
The group became a familiar part of the station’s output during a period when Essex Radio held a significant presence in the county.
Timbo’s profile at the time extended well beyond the studio. His roadshows regularly drew large crowds, his late-night programme enjoyed strong youth listenership, and a Chinese restaurant named after him continues to operate today. The Wotnotters were also widely recognised, appearing at local events including talent competitions and community fetes.
For Chris Farrell and Pete Sipple, the experience proved career-shaping and led both into long-term broadcasting roles.
The four had not been together since leaving the show in 1985, but that changed yesterday when they met for a reunion organised largely by Chris. The group gathered for an extended lunch in Covent Garden, spending much of the afternoon recalling early studio equipment, station libraries and the production methods of the era, including tape, carts and the high cost of jingle packages in the 1980s.
The reunion marked a milestone for a team whose first steps in radio created lasting careers and strong memories of a notable period in Essex broadcasting history.

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