Local News

What happened to Gemini?

25/03/09 - 4 comments

Anyone who actually listens to local radio will probably be aware of this already, but for the rest of you out there, Gemini FM is defunct, kaput, no more. It's an ex-radio station.

The changeover happened on the 23rd of March with a majority of the radio output now being produced in London rather than locally, although the breakfast show and drive time shows are still being cobbled together in Exeter.

Turns out it's much cheaper to produce one massive radio station, that nobody tunes in to, than dozens of smaller stations that no-one listens to. That's economics for you.

This bastardisation of local radio does give us Toby Anstis on weekdays and Jason Donovan no the weekend, although how excited we should all be about this national, non-specific radio, with local jingles and ads shoehorned in between the inane ramblings of ex-children's TV presenters and Neighbours stars is beyond us.

Of course if you want true local radio, then Exeter FM are still broadcasting happily for the time being on 107.3 FM in proper Devonshire accents.

And if you think we've got it bad, spare a feeling for the listeners of poor old South Hams radio. A great little local station, not only renamed Heart but merged into "Heart South Devon" so the listeners no longer get any local content from Kingsbridge. Instead they get programmes and news from the former Gemini studios in Torbay.

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