All change for Kingdom FM

Messages have been plentiful this week with comments, commiserations, and memories of the radio station I helped set up in 1998 as independent radio for Fife, Kingdom FM.

One of three, and the only surviving founder, it was pioneering in radio terms as the whole of Fife licence with multi frequencies was offered by the (then) regulator the Radio Authority and especially after a failed attempt by a local group (called Eastsound) had an award but failed to broadcast as a Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes station.

Being Chair of the award-winning and highly respected Kirkcaldy hospital radio, I had Fife radio knowledge and co-founder George Mackintosh had professional radio experience being part of Radio Clyde news team then Chair of Radio Tay.

I had also hosted a legal restricted licence for Deep Sea World in North Queensferry calledPirate Radio to publicise their Pirate Exhibition. Our main contender to beat was Radio Fife with more hospital radio volunteers led by the late Danny Burke.

A word about those frequencies though. We did ask to house our arial in Leith and hit all of Fife direct across the Forth but the Authority ruled that transmitters had to be in your proposed area and so to cover the hills of Fife we ha to fund and construct on Purin Hill (96.1 FM), West Fife on 95.2, St Andrews from a silo on 105.4, East Neuk on 106.3 and to cover Kirkcaldy High Street a low power transmitter on 96.6 FM. Costly and difficult to maintain.

Through the years we had former pirate Kenny Page, former BBC John Collins, former Real Radio & Forth 2 Drivetime presenter Micky Gavin, STV and Scot FM jock Donny Hughes, former Radio Forth Steppin’ Out dance hero Tom Wilson and in the newsroom the future leader of Scottish Conservatives, Baroness Ruth Davidson.

When we were awarded the licence we celebrated with champagne in the studios of Glenrothes College with our directors (pictured) radio consultant Norman Quirk, formally from Radio Clyde, college principal Tom Burness, Dunfermline District Councilor Margaret Miller, John Murray, chairman John Purvis MEP (Member of European Parliament), Finance Director Ian Condie, and George Mackintosh in front.

Glenrothes College broadcast radio course was a great source of presenters as was the aforementioned Victoria (hospital) Radio Network giving first employment opportunities to Barry Snedden along with (pictured) Mike Richardson and Dave Connor.

Dave is still there of course with a huge loyal audience on the Breakfast Show with co-host Vanessa Motion while Mike went on to be Programme Controller at Wave 102 (Dundee), Q96 in Paisley and is now an Engagement Manager (Enterprise) with the giant Bauer Group with a portfolio that includes Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Absolute Radio and Clyde 1.

The launch party was at Rothes Halls with Fife soul band Lights Out By Nine playing live, but they rarely got played on their local station as music content was more a ‘greatest hits’ policy and lots of it.

Roadshows were fun with in-store promotions, sold out Christmas Party nights at Rothes Halls and festive lights on celebrations like Dunfermline Glen Gates or Kingsgate Glenrothes with Rylan Clark.

With a more music format celebrity interviews were rare, but the station was involved as Girls Aloud opened HMV in the Mercat in Kirkcaldy, in December 2005.

Huge crowds too were surrounding the studio building at Haig House Markinch in June 2001 just three months after Hear'Say topped the charts with Pure And Simple when winning Pop Idol, which was massive at the time. Members Kym Marsh, Noel Sullivan, Suzanne Shaw, Myleene Klass, and Danny Foster took time to pose and sign autographs with fans outside on their promotional tour.

The proudest addition was when we set up Kingdom Kids as a charity to help young people exclusively in Fife. Independent from the radio, I was chair, and funds were awarded to many small groups and in particular the Children’s Ward at Victoria Hospital. Soon after the station was sold to a publishing group the charity was sadly disbanded.

Time will tell how the new set up will fare across Fife, Tayside and Aberdeen while still identifying as local to all. Expect new jingles and promotions and as the new logo will claim ‘always your favourite music’.