BBC Thames Valley FM began on 9 April 1996 following the merger of
BBC Radio Oxford and
BBC Radio Berkshire. At launch the new station broadcast its own output from 5 am to 1 am seven days a week, although this was later cut back with the introduction of regional programming in the evenings. The initial presenter line-up included
Andrew Peach and
Phil Kennedy,
Bob Harris on Sunday afternoons and
Martin Kelner on Friday nights. There were separate news bulletins for the two counties. In September 1998, a new jingle package composed by David Arnold was introduced and the 'FM' suffix was dropped from the station name. Shortly afterwards separate breakfast and drivetime programmes for
Oxfordshire and
Berkshire were introduced. The merged station was not popular with listeners, and in August 1999, as part of the BBC South East Review, it was announced that BBC Radio Oxford and BBC Radio Berkshire would regain their own identities. The two stations relaunched on 14 February 2000, although most output continued to be shared and their programme schedules remained unchanged. However, by 2004 the two stations' schedules had become fully separated. ==See also==