Happy birthday Radio Exe!

10 years old today

Radio Exe is celebrating its tenth birthday!

The station went on air on Thursday 12 January 2012, replacing Exeter FM, which had been established four years earlier by a London-based  company specialising in stations for Asian listeners.

When Exeter FM failed to build an audience well enough to attract advertisers, local company Exe Broadcasting, set up specifically to launch a radio service focused on Devon, took control.

Now, a decade on, Radio Exe is the only commercial station broadcasting from the county and one of just a few independent stations remaining in the UK.

The landmark anniversary coincides with Radio Exe's largest-ever quarterly audience of 75,000 adults.

Since its launch in 2012, the station has moved onto DAB digital radio to extend its coverage across most of the county, bought out a minority stake in the company that was in the hands of a national broadcaster to become wholly locally owned, and taken on a major contract from the BBC to provide a reporting service to other media organisations in Devon about public services.

It hasn't all been plain sailing. The early years were fraught with financial issues because Exeter FM was insolvent and it took some time to get the company back on an even keel. Technical problems with the transmitter couldn't be easily fixed. And a bid to take over the commercial radio service in Torbay in 2017 was turned down by the regulator Ofcom who preferred a London-based company that folded not long after.

Radio Exe's managing director Paul Nero with chairman Rex Rozario OBE

Another hurdle came in 2020, when the pandemic caused the Radio Exe's income, entirely reliant on advertising, to drop 80 per cent. A Crowdfunder campaign was well-supported by listeners and clients and saw the station through those extremely difficult times.

Now the future is bright. A new breakfast show with former Heart presenter Matt Rogers has brought new listeners. The station is leading a partnership with community stations Phonic FM and Riviera FM to launch a new digital radio network for the Exeter area later in the year. And Radio Exe will extend its brand into other services too.

Managing director Paul Nero said: “We've created a strong local brand on air and online, are delivering a meaningful audience to advertisers so their campaigns work, and, as always, we celebrate all that’s good about Devon.

"I couldn't be prouder of our people - from impressive and promising young on-air talent, such as Jamie Taylor and Brad Hardware, to our magnificent and slightly older chairman Rex Rozario, and everyone in between  - who share a driving ambition to deliver a quality station for Devon.

Radio Exe presenter Jamie Taylor (left) and reporter Brad Hardware are among the station's emerging talent

"Our magnificent advertising team has been stoic during the hardest of times through the pandemic and are now helping Devon businesses reach large audiences, not just on air but through our digital services that often engage with millions of people each month. If you want people who understand how to communicate with Devon audiences, there's no finer group - and I find it a privilege that they're with us."

Programme Manager Ashley Jeary, pictured below in 2012, has been with Radio Exe from day one. He started by heading up the station's promotions team as well as presenting a one-hour evening show. Along the way, he's picked up two national broadcasting awards and now presents the key Drivetime show.

He says: "I'm Devon born and bred, and every time I go on air, I still feel a buzz I'm able to broadcast to my home county from my home city. Not enough people these days in commercial radio have that opportunity - but we do"

Programme manager Ashley Jeary in the early days of Radio Exe

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Radio Exe is looking for ten children who will also have their tenth birthdays in 2022. The successful ten, who will be randomly chosen from children completing an online entry form within the next ten days, will get to take ten friends to an exclusive after-hours Radio Exe party at Crealy Theme Park and Resort near Exeter

Find out more here.