Mercia FM

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Mercia FM

Broadcast area	Coventry
First air date	May 23, 1980
Frequency	97.0 MHz, 102.9 MHz
Format	Contemporary
Owner	GCap Media
Website	www.merciafm.co.uk

Mercia FM is an Independent Local Radio broadcasting from Coventry. There are two frequencies: 97.0 and 102.9.

The 97.0 FM signal is by far the strongest, from the transmitter at Shilton, near the M6/M69 junction, and is for Coventry, and the much weaker signal 102.9FM for Leamington Spa. However, in some parts of the Midlands, the 97.0 signal is blotted out by 96.9 Chiltern FM from Bedfordshire.

It began as Mercia Sound on 23rd May 1980. The station launched at 0700 BST by Gordon Astley and a news bulletin read by Mike Henfield.

The station broadcast on 95.9 FM and 1359 KHz (220 m MW)from studios in Hertford Place, just outside Coventry City Centre.

In 1987, the station moved FM frequencies, along with most ILR stations at the time to 97.0 FM. Shortly after this a new transmitter on 102.9 FM was created to serve South Warwickshire.

In 1989, along with BRMB in Birmingham, the AM frquency was split from the FM transmissions to create a new radio station called Xtra AM which played music from the 60's and 70's.

In 1993, the station's owners, Midlands Radio plc, sold the station to GWR, who rebranded it to their "Today's Best Mix" slogan from 1994 onwards. From 2002 onwards, the slogan was "Playing the best mix of the 80's, 90's and today". In 2007, it reverted back to the old slogan of "Today's Best Mix".