references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . april 2008 learn how and when to remove this template message downtown radio city newtownards broadcast area northern ireland frequency fm 96.4 96.6 97.1 102.3 102.4 103.1 103.4 mhz mw 1026 khz dab 12d first air date 16 march 1976 format hot ac audience share 10.5 % 7 june 2015 1 owner bauer radio sister stations cool fm website www.downtown.co.uk downtown radio is an adult contemporary music radio station based in newtownards county down that serves all of northern ireland using a network of fm and am transmitters . contents 1 history 2 frequencies 3 notable past presenters 4 references 5 external links history edit the station also known as dtr or simply downtown began broadcasting on 16 march 1976 the same day as prime minister harold wilson resigned . the station had a mini coup breaking the news over an hour before bbc radio ulster . downtown radio has very much become part of the broadcasting landscape of northern ireland . many of its presenters such as trevor big t campbell and candy devine are household names campbell and devine have been with downtown since it began broadcasting . downtown was initially only contracted to broadcast to the greater belfast area on 1026 khz am and 96fm later 97.4 fm . however following the collapse of plans for a station in the londonderry region northern sound in 1983 downtown applied to the former independent broadcasting authority to extend its coverage . transmitters covering the north west the causeway coast and fermanagh south tyrone were opened between 1985 and 1987 and the station briefly rebranded itself as dtrfm to reflect its new audience reach . the station reverted to downtown radio again in 1990 following the introduction of its sister station cool fm although the latter only broadcast on the 97.4 frequency in the greater belfast area . other transmitters remained with downtown . new fm transmitters in south down armagh and mid and east antrim opened in the 1990s to improve reception in those areas . the station has been very highly regarded in the past for its news output and has been a regular stop off point for radio journalists covering northern ireland s troubles over 30 years . it was the first radio station in ireland to offer news bulletins hourly on the hour . changes in management made in 2007 as well as the success of the peace process have led to downtown reducing its news output somewhat . it is notable for being one of the few independent local radio stations to still cater for minority tastes such as gospel and jazz . the country music programmes broadcast several times a week are among downtown s highest listenership ratings . in december 2012 downtown opened a small studio in londonderry ahead of the uk city of culture year situated in the food quarter within foyleside shopping centre . it remains open in use mainly at the weekend with presenters kevin mcnally on a saturday afternoon and paul francis each sunday covering a wide range of events in the region . frequencies edit 1026 khz antrim armagh ballyclare ballymena banbridge bangor belfast carrickfergus comber cookstown downpatrick dungannon lisburn lurgan maghera magherafelt newcastle newtownards portadown portaferry 96.4 mhz ballycastle ballymoney coleraine dungiven limavady portrush portstewart 96.6 mhz dungannon enniskillen omagh 97.1 mhz larne east antrim 102.3 mhz antrim ballymena clough mills magherafelt randalstown rasharkin templepatrick 102.4 mhz derry strabane 103.1 mhz armagh newry 103.4 mhz newcastle mourne notable past presenters edit past presenters include eamonn holmes and frank mitchell . citation needed references edit external links edit official website v t e bauer media group publishing consumer titles australia apc australian geographic the australian women s weekly cleo cosmopolitan dolly empire fhm grazia harper s bazaar motor nw ok people the picture qantas the australian way rolling stone rugby league week street machine take 5 techlife top gear tv week wheels woman s day zoo weekly consumer titles germany auf einen blick autozeitung bravo joy das neue blatt neue post volksstimme consumer titles new zealand metro north & south consumer titles united kingdom angling times bella bike bird watching car classic bike closer empire fhm first golf world grazia heat kerrang match model rail mojo more motor cycle news mcn parker s performance bikes pop practical classics practical fishkeeping practical photography pregnancy & birth q rail take a break that s life today s golfer tv choice tv quick zoo consumer titles united states astrogirl first for women in touch weekly ideas and discoveries j 14 life & style weekly m quizfest soap opera update defunct soaps in depth twist woman s world bauer radio bauer city 1 cfm clyde 1 forth 1 hallam fm key 103 metro radio mfr northsound 1 radio aire radio borders radio city rock fm tay fm tfm viking fm west fm bauer city 2 clyde 2 forth 2 hallam 2 key 2 metro 2 radio mfr 2 northsound 2 radio aire 2 radio city 2 rock fm 2 tay 2 tfm 2 viking 2 west sound ayrshire west sound dumfries and galloway bauer city 3 clyde 3 forth 3 hallam 3 key 3 metro 3 radio mfr 3 radio aire 3 radio city 3 rock fm 3 tay 3 tfm 3 viking 3 free radio free radio 80s free radio birmingham free radio coventry & warwickshire free radio herefordshire & worcestershire free radio shropshire & black country bauer national absolute radio absolute classic rock absolute radio extra absolute radio 60s absolute radio 70s absolute radio 80s absolute radio 90s absolute radio 00s kiss network kiss 100 kiss 101 kiss 105 108 kissfresh kisstory digital radio heat the hits kerrang radio other magic regional fm in london & national dab planet rock national dab cool fm downtown radio gem 106 radio city talk wave 105 the box plus network 50 % 4music run by channel 4 box upfront the box box hits kerrang tv kiss tv magic category v t e radio stations in northern ireland mediumwave am stations 720 792 909 1026 1341 fm stations 92 95 93.1 96.7 97.2 97.4 100.5 101.2 102.9 105.8 106.0 107.0 dab multiplexes score northern ireland local united kingdom radio markets aberdeen glasgow london liverpool manchester northern ireland south west england west midlands west yorkshire worcester see also list of radio stations in the united kingdom retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title downtown radio & oldid 733096417 categories bauer radioradio stations in northern irelandmedia in county downradio stations established in 1976newtownardsbauer city networkhidden categories use dmy dates from february 2016use british english from february 2016articles lacking reliable references from april 2008all articles lacking reliable referencesall articles with unsourced statementsarticles with unsourced statements from february 2015county down articles missing geocoordinate dataall articles needing coordinates navigation menu personal tools not 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