| Hits Radio Lincolnshire | |
| City: | Lincoln |
| Area: | Lincolnshire and east Nottinghamshire |
| Former Names: | Lincs FM |
| Frequency: | DAB 12A |
| Branding: | The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks Across Lincolnshire & Newark |
| Former Frequencies: | 96.7 FM 97.6 FM 102.2 FM |
| Format: | CHR/Pop |
| Network: | Hits Radio |
| Owner: | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| Sister Stations: | Greatest Hits Radio Grimsby Greatest Hits Radio Peterborough, Stamford and Rutland Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire |
| Website: | Lincs FM |
Hits Radio Lincolnshire is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio Network. The station has rebranded from its original name Lincs FM on 17 April 2024.[1]
As of March 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 151,000 listeners according to RAJAR.[2]
Lincs FM commenced broadcasting from studios at Witham Park in Lincoln on 1 March 1992. It was part of the wider Lincs FM Group of eight radio stations.
In March 2019, it was announced that the radio station and its sister stations had been bought by Bauer Media for an undisclosed sum.
Most output is produced locally at the station's Lincoln studios.
From February 2021, the station began to relay Bauer's networked Sunday afternoon programme The UK Chart Show (Now Hits UK Chart Show - Sam Thompson), replacing the local chart previously broadcast in the slot.[3]
On Monday 23rd October 2023, Lincs FM started broadcasting Hits Radio programming outside of breakfast, although The Farming Programme, which airs as part of the Sunday breakfast show, continues to air as normal.[4]
It was announced on 10 January 2024 that from April 2024, the Lincs FM name is to be dropped along with 14 other heritage FM station names in the Hits Radio network, and will become Hits Radio Lincolnshire. The announcement marked the end of the Lincs FM brand after just over 30 years of broadcasting.[5] [6]
The main transmitter 102.2 FM signal comes from the Belmont transmitting station. It also has lower-powered frequencies in Grantham, south of the town near the bypass, on 96.7 FM and Trent View Flats (near the John Leggott College) in Scunthorpe on 97.6 FM. Lincs FM can be clearly heard in northern Nottinghamshire and eastern South Yorkshire. The Belmont transmitter relays Digital One and in 2015 a local Lincolnshire multiplex was launched from the site. This operates on the old MXR frequency 12B. The Lincs FM Group broadcasting engineer is Andy Langford.
On 3 April 2023, Lincs FM's FM frequencies were replaced with a relay of Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire, with Lincs FM continuing on DAB.[7]