BBC Three Counties Radio

**BBC Three Counties Radio** is British local public radio station owned by British Broadcasting Corporation. The station broadcasts local news, talk-shows and music programmings.

## History

The station launched as **Radio Bedfordshire** on 24 June 1985, serving the whole of Bedfordshire plus (despite the name) North Bucks and the northern parts of Hertfordshire. Therefore, as well as Luton and Bedford (and the rest of Bedfordshire), Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Harpenden, Aylesbury, St Albans, Welwyn Garden City, Letchworth, Stevenage and Hitchin were served by the new station. In 1992 the station became known as **BBC Radio Bedfordshire with Herts and Bucks**.

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.

The radio station changed to a new freephone number in March 2018 - the new number is 08081 008800

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

The station's satellite studio at Willen in Milton Keynes produced separate breakfast show for the Milton Keynes area from October 2001 until September 2012. With the opening of new transmitters in Buckinghamshire, the Milton Keynes opt-outs were extended across the whole county, with a separate drivetime show from November 2004 until October 2005, before producing the separate lunchtime programme which ended in February 2007 with a revamp of the schedule. The Buckinghamshire opt-out was scaled back to a breakfast show for Milton Keynes only, ***Morning MK with Helen Legh***. The studio at Willen was also host to Phil Lack's early breakfast until late 2009. In September 2012, ***Morning MK*** was axed and replaced with a breakfast show for Beds, Herts and Bucks from **BBC 3CR** in Luton.

**BBC Three Counties Radio** became available on DAB radio on 14 February 2013.

**BBC Three Counties Radio** moved to brand new studios in Dunstable in June 2015.

## Programmings

The station's local presenters include Andy Collins (weekday breakfast), Jonathan Vernon-Smith (weekday mornings, saturday mornings), Nick Coffer (weekday afternoons) and Roberto Perrone (weekday drivetime).

## External links

* Official website

* National stations
* Regional stations
* Local stations

Bailiwick of Guernsey •
Bath •
**Bedfordshire** •
Berkshire •
Bristol •
**Buckinghamshire** •
Cambridgeshire •
Coventry •
Dorset •
County Durham •
Cornwall •
Cumbria •
Derbyshire •
Devon •
East Chesire •
East Riding of Yorkshire •
East Staffordshire •
Essex •
Gloucestershire •
Greater Manchester •
Hampshire •
Herefordshire •
**Herfordshire** •
Isle of Wight •
Jersey •
Kent •
Lancashire •
Leicester •
Lincolnshire •
London •
Merseyside •
Norfolk •
Oxfordshire •
North and Mid Staffordshire •
North East Shropshire •
North East Somerset •
North Hampshire •
North Nottinghamshire •
North Somerset •
North Yorkshire •
Northamptonshire •
Northern County Durham •
Northern Lincolnshire •
Northumberland •
Nottingham •
Solihull •
Somerset •
South Chesire •
South Gloucestershire •
South Staffordshire •
South Yorkshire •
Shropshire •
Suffolk •
Surrey •
Sussex •
Teesside •
Tyne and Wear •
Warwickshire •
West Midlands •
West Yorkshire •
Western Lancashire •
Wiltshire •
Worcestershire