Editing BBC Three Counties Radio

{{Short description|Local radio for Beds, Herts & Bucks}}
{{For|the national radio station|BBC Radio 3}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name                = BBC Three Counties Radio
| logo                = BBC Three Counties Radio 2022.svg
| city                = [[Dunstable]]
| area                = [[Bedfordshire]], [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Buckinghamshire]]
| airdate             = {{start date|1985|06|24|df=yes}}
| frequency           = [[FM broadcasting|FM]]: 90.4 MHz ([[Welwyn Garden City]], [[Hertford]] and [[Stevenage]])<br>FM: 92.1 MHz ([[Hemel Hempstead]], [[Watford]] and [[St Albans]]) <br>FM: 94.7 MHz ([[Aylesbury]])<br>FM: 95.5 MHz ([[Bedford]] and [[Hitchin]])<br>FM: 98.0 MHz ([[High Wycombe]])<br>FM: 103.8 MHz ([[Luton]] and [[Dunstable]])<br>FM: 104.5 MHz ([[Milton Keynes]] and [[Buckingham]])<br>[[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]]: 10D<br>[[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]]: 712
| rds                 = BBC 3CR
| former_names        = BBC Radio Bedfordshire (1985–1993)
| format              = Local news, talk and music
| language            = [[English language|English]]
| owner               = [[BBC Local Radio]],<br>[[BBC East]],<br>[[BBC London]],<br>[[BBC South]]
| licensing_authority = [[Ofcom]]
| website             = [https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio/ BBC Three Counties Radio]
}}
'''BBC Three Counties Radio''' is the [[Local BBC Radio|BBC's local radio station]] serving the counties of [[Bedfordshire]], [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Buckinghamshire]].

It broadcasts on [[frequency modulation|FM]], [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]], digital TV and via [[BBC Sounds]] from studios at Grove Park in [[Dunstable]].

According to [[RAJAR]], the station has a weekly audience of 125,000 listeners and a 5.8% share as of December 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php|title=RAJAR|publisher=RAJAR|access-date=2015-09-27}}</ref>

==History==
===BBC Radio Bedfordshire (1985–1993)===
[[File:BBC Radio Bedfordshire.jpg|frame|left|Radio Bedfordshire logo]]

The station launched as "Radio Bedfordshire" on 24 June 1985, serving the whole of [[Bedfordshire]] plus (despite the name) North [[Buckinghamshire]] and the northern parts of [[Hertfordshire]]. Therefore [[Bedford]], [[Luton]], [[Dunstable]], [[Milton Keynes]], [[Knebworth]], [[Berkhamsted]], [[Tring]], [[Harpenden]], [[Leighton Buzzard]], [[Aylesbury]], [[Hemel Hempstead]], [[St Albans]], [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]], [[Welwyn Garden City]], [[Letchworth|Letchworth Garden City]], [[Stevenage]] and [[Hitchin]] were served by the new station. In 1992, the station became known as "BBC Radio Bedfordshire with Herts and Bucks".

===BBC Three Counties Radio (1993–present)===
The station changed to its present name on 5 April 1993. The new name was intended to reflect the wider reach across the three counties and to give equal service to all. The editorial area was not, at that point, expanded but enhanced studio facilities and staff were devoted to Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

New transmitters at Epping Green and [[Bedmond]] extended the coverage area to Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield and west Hertfordshire in late 2005.

BBC Three Counties Radio became available on [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]] radio on 14 February 2013. In June 2015, the station moved from its Luton base to new studios in Dunstable.

==Technical==
{{original research|section|date=October 2024}}

BBC Three Counties Radio broadcasts on [[FM broadcasting|FM]] on these frequencies (transmitter location in brackets):
* 90.4 FM (Epping Green, near [[Hertford]])
* 92.1 FM ([[Bedmond]], near [[Hemel Hempstead]])
* 94.7 FM ([[Quainton]] Hill, near [[Aylesbury]])
* 95.5 FM ([[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]])
* 98.0 FM ([[High Wycombe]])
* 103.8 FM ([[Zouches Farm]], near [[Luton]])
* 104.5 FM ([[Bow Brickhill]], near [[Milton Keynes]])

The station broadcasts on [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]] digital radio on the Herts, Beds and Bucks digital radio multiplex, transmitted from Sandy Heath, Aylesbury, Epping Green, Hemel Hempstead, [[Chepping Wycombe]], [[Letchworth]], Zouches Farm and Bow Brickhill.

The station also broadcasts on [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] TV channel 712 in the [[BBC East]], [[BBC London]] and [[BBC South]] regions and streams online via [[BBC Sounds]].

[[Marlow, Buckinghamshire|Marlow]] is officially covered by [[BBC Radio Berkshire]] on 94.6 FM, [[Royston, Hertfordshire|Royston]] is covered by [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]] on 96.0 FM and [[Princes Risborough]] is served by [[BBC Radio Oxford]] on 95.2 FM. Those towns can still receive BBC Three Counties Radio through [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]] and [[Freeview (UK)|Freeview]] TV.

==Programming==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2025}}
Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's [[Dunstable]] studios from 6 am to 2 pm weekdays. Weekdays from 2pm to 10pm are now BBC East regional programming. Saturday 6 am to 10 pm BBC East shared programming. Sundays 6am to 6pm BBC East regional shared programming. Many of the regional shows are broadcast from the studios of Three Counties Radio. All other times such as late and overnight programming is England-wide shared programming.

On football matchdays Three Counties allocates commentators to many of the football teams in the residual counties, including [[Watford F.C.|Watford]], [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]], [[Stevenage F.C.|Stevenage]], [[Wycombe Wanderers F.C.|Wycombe Wanderers]] and [[Milton Keynes Dons F.C.|MK Dons]].

The former Saturday regional late show, broadcast across the eastern counties from 9 pm to 1 am was from Cambridge for nearly 30 years hosted by Richard Spendlove MBE. [[Keith Skues]] was the Weekday Late Show host 1995–2005 10 pm to 1 am; he also presented PRS Pirate Radio Skues for 2 years Mondays 10 pm to 1 am and then carried on Sundays 9 pm to 1 am with PRS, The Skues Collection and Skues Me.

During the station's overnight downtime, programming is simulcast from [[BBC Radio 5 Live]].

==Presenters==
<!--Any non-notable presenters (those without Wikipedia articles) added here are liable to be removed – if someone is considered notable (red linking is not enough), write a Wikipedia article on them first, or provide multiple reputable independent sources to show they deserve an article and are associated with the station-->

===Notable current presenters===
*[[Andy Collins (TV presenter)|Andy Collins]] (weekday breakfast)
*Jonathan Vernon-Smith (weekday consumer programme)
* Babs Michel (weekend early morning)
* Justin Dealey (weekend morning/early afternoon)

===Notable past presenters===
*[[Nana Akua]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Nana Akua|url=http://nanaakua.com/biography.html|website=nanaakua.com|access-date=19 June 2021}}</ref>
*[[Tony Blackburn]]
*[[Mo Dutta]]
*[[Jon Gaunt]]
*[[Simon Groom]]
*[[Tony Hadley]]
*[[Nick Lawrence]] (former Breakfast Show presenter, ex-[[Chiltern FM]])
*[[John Radford (wine)|John Radford]]
*[[Stephen Rhodes (radio presenter)|Stephen Rhodes]] (former breakfast / consumer show presenter)
*[[Dave Lee Travis]] (former Sunday morning presenter)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio}}

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{{BBC Radio}}
{{BBC Local Radio}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:BBC Local Radio|Three Counties]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Buckinghamshire]]
[[Category:Luton]]
[[Category:Hitchin]]
[[Category:Flitwick]]
[[Category:1985 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1985]]