| East Coast FM | |
| Airdate: | 25 October 1989 |
| Frequency: | 94.9 MHz, 96.2 MHz, 99.9 MHz, 102.9 MHz and 104.4 MHz (Arklow) |
| Area: | Wicklow and Environs |
| Format: | Contemporary |
| Owner: | East Coast Radio Limited |
| Website: | www.eastcoast.fm |
East Coast FM (formerly known as BLB, Horizon FM, then East Coast Radio) is an Irish local radio station broadcasting from Bray, County Wicklow under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
The station operates in County Wicklow and into the adjoining counties of Dublin, Kildare, Carlow and Wexford, broadcasting on the following frequencies: 94.9 FM, 96.2 FM, 99.9 FM, 102.9 FM and 104.4 FM in Arklow. To achieve coverage of all of its franchise area, it requires six transmitters including stations at Bray Head, Wicklow Head, Avoca, Arklow, Baltinglass and a transmitter located at Slieve Thoul in Saggart County Dublin where the Wicklow, Kildare and Dublin borders meet.
East Coast FM began as BLB (Bray Local Broadcasting) in 1984.[1] Originally an unlicensed operator, it was launched as "Horizon Radio" when it received a licence from The Independent Radio & Television Commission (now known as The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland) and later merged with South Wicklow's Ezy103 to become East Coast Radio.
In 2002, the station was renamed from "East Coast Radio" to "East Coast FM" and moved from its Victorian premises at Prince of Wales Terrace on Quinsboro Road, Bray (where it had been located since 1985) to a state-of-the-art radio centre complex in Ballywaltrim, Bray. The station is located on Killarney Road in Bray.[2] BLB has also operated out of a rooftop office on top of what is now Katie Gallagher's pub on Strand Road in the early 1980s.
East Coast FM is owned by East Coast Radio Limited. Denis O'Brien's Communicorp group was a shareholder in the station from 1998 to 2008. As of December 2007, Communicorp reportedly holds a 30% share in the station.[3]
| Year | Association | Award | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | PPI Radio Awards | Music Programme - General | East Coast Lunch | [4] |
| 2013 | Love Radio Awards | Entertainment & Leisure | Bray Wanderers "Fight For Survival" advert | [5] |
| 2019 | IMRO Radio Awards | News Story/News Event | The Grand Hotel news coverage | [6] |
| 2020 | Current Affairs Programme - Local/Regional | The Morning Show with Declan Meehan | [7] | |
| 2022 | Welcome to Wicklow | [8] | ||
| The Gay Byrne Award - Newcomer of the Year | Max Kane | |||
| 2023 | Current Affairs Programme - Local/Regional | The Morning Show with Declan Meehan |