Hits Radio Lincolnshire

Background

Lincs FM commenced broadcasting from studios at Witham Park in Lincoln on 1 March 1992. It was part of the wider Lincs FM Group of eight radio stations.

In March 2019, it was announced that the radio station and its sister stations had been bought by Bauer Media for an undisclosed sum.

History

From February 2021, the station began to relay Bauer's networked Sunday afternoon programme The UK Chart Show (Now Hits UK Chart Show - Sam Thompson), replacing the local chart previously broadcast in the slot.

On Monday 23 October 2023, Lincs FM started broadcasting Hits Radio programming outside of breakfast, although The Farming Programme, which aired as part of the Sunday breakfast show, continued to air as normal.

It was announced on 10 January 2024 that from April 2024, the Lincs FM name was to be dropped along with 14 other heritage FM station names in the Hits Radio network, and would become Hits Radio Lincolnshire. The announcement marked the end of the Lincs FM brand after just over 30 years of broadcasting.

On 20 March 2025, Bauer announced it would end its local Hits Radio breakfast show for Lincolnshire. It was replaced by a new national breakfast show for England and Wales on 9 June 2025. Local news and traffic bulletins were retained but the station's Lincoln studios were closed.

The station's final local programme aired on 6 June 2025.

Programming

Hits Radio network programming is broadcast and produced from Bauer’s London headquarters or studios in Manchester & occasionally Newcastle.

Transmitters

The main transmitter 102.2 FM signal comes from the Belmont transmitting station. It also has lower-powered frequencies in Grantham, south of the town near the bypass, on 96.7 FM and Trent View Flats (near the John Leggott College) in Scunthorpe on 97.6 FM. Lincs FM can be clearly heard in northern Nottinghamshire and eastern South Yorkshire. The Belmont transmitter relays Digital One and in 2015 a local Lincolnshire multiplex was launched from the site. This operates on the old MXR frequency 12B. The Lincs FM Group broadcasting engineer is Andy Langford.

On 3 April 2023, Lincs FM's FM frequencies were replaced with a relay of Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire, with Lincs FM continuing on DAB.

References

References

1. (10 January 2024). "Hits Radio is coming!".
2. "RAJAR".
3. (11 February 2021). "Pirate FM and Lincs FM to take Bauer’s chart show".
4. (16 October 2023). "Lincs FM to take Hits Radio Network shows outside breakfast".
5. Martin, Roy. (10 January 2024). "Bauer to rebrand heritage FM stations in England and Wales to Hits Radio".
6. Mann, Sebastian. (11 January 2024). "Lincs FM radio station to change its name to Hits Radio Lincolnshire". LincolnshireLive.
7. (2025-03-20). "Hits Radio to launch national Breakfast Show across England and Wales".
8. (2025-06-06). "Bauer's local radio breakfast shows end in England and Wales".
9. Martin, Roy. (1 March 2023). "Lincs FM to lose its FM frequencies for Greatest Hits Radio". Radio Today.