JACKfm is an adult hits format radio station that broadcasts on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and on DAB in Oxfordshire. Between 2016 and 2017 it also broadcast in Surrey and parts of Hampshire. The station shares premises in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, with its sister stations JACK 2 and Jack 3, as well as its national DAB stations Union JACK and JACK Radio.
Information
The station is owned by Jack Media Oxfordshire Ltd. The radio station is the most awarded Local Radio Station in the United Kingdom, having secured 23 industry award wins in just 5 years on air. The breadth of awards won by the station range from Imaging right through to news, programming and the most coveted Station of the Year awards. Based on an American model, JACKfm runs with a strapline of "Playing What We Want" and mostly has no DJs across daytimes. The music is played out on an automated system interspersed with witty soundbites voiced by former Blake's 7 actor Paul Darrow, referred to on the station only as The Voice of JACK.. Following Darrow's death in June 2019, Oxford born Jim Rosenthal has been introduced as an additional voice to commentate on current affairs while Darrow's more generic announcements continue to be used. In 2010, JACKfm became the first radio station in the United Kingdom to broadcast live from Afghanistan for a week-long series of breakfast broadcasts in conjunction with the M.O.D from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. The station returned to Bastion and Kandahar again in 2012 for another series of broadcasts and Father's Day special. The only live show on the station is JACK's Morning Glory, hosted by Trevor Marshall and Rich Smith. Past shows include The Sunday Roast and The Big Banana, a live sports show centred on live commentary from Oxford United matches. It was hosted by the station's sports guru Andrew 'Selfy' Self who also commentated live along with Andy Roberts with punditry and opinion from Kev Jordan. The radio station runs live local news every hour from 6am till 7pm weekdays, and from 9am till 1pm on weekends with live traffic reports from 6am till 7pm.
Awards for Jack FM
2016 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Gold Presenter of the Year Winner Gold Station Imaging Winner Bronze Unsung hero
2015 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Gold Presenter of the Year Winner Silver Breakfast show of the year
2014: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Specialist Programme of the Year - The Sunday Roast with Caroline
Winner Station Imaging Winner Station of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Winner Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Finalist Breakfast Show of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA
Winner Gold 2 Strangers and a Wedding Best Competition Winner Bronze News Journalist of The Year Winner Bronze The Sunday Roast Best News and Current Affairs Programme Finalist Best Station Imaging
2012: IRN News Awards
Winner Newcomer of the year Jessica Parker Finalist Best Newsteam/Newsroom <750,000
2011: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Station of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Winner Social Action Initiative of the Year JACK in Afghanistan Winner Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year 300,000 to 1 Million TSA Finalist Feature of the Year JACK in Afghanistan Finalist Station Imaging
2011: Oxfordshire Business Awards
Winner Bottle PR Social Media Award
2011: New York Radio Festival Awards
Winner Gold Jack in Afghanistan Social Issues / Current Events
Finalist Breakfast Show of the Year Finalist Community Programming JACK in Afghanistan Finalist Programmer Award Ian Walker
2010: New York Radio Festival Awards
Winner Silver Social Issues/Current Events Ali’s Cancer Diaries
2010: Sony Awards
Winner Gold Station Imaging Winner Silver Best Community Programming Ali’s Cancer Diaries Finalist Station of the Year
2010: Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards
Winner Best Special Programme Ali’s Cancer Diaries Winner Best Imaging Finalist Station of the Year Finalist Best Promotional / Advertising Campaign Save JACK Finalist Trevor Marshall Presenter of the Year
In 2009, JACKfm News presenter Ali Booker, who previously worked for BBC Radio Oxford, began documenting her life with cancer via audio diaries which were broadcast on Jack FM. In May 2010 Ali was awarded the Silver Sony award. A few weeks later the diaries also won Ali commercial radio’s top award – a Radio Academy Gold Arqiva. Ali's diaries were featured in The Sunday Times on 27.6.2010 and The Independent on 1.7.2010. MP Ed Vaizey also paid tribute to Ali in the House of Commons. Ali died on July 1, 2010 from breast cancer.
Sister Stations
Jack FM has developed a number of sister stations.
Jack 2, branded as Jack 2 Hits, was launched in 2013 and was previously known under a variety of names since its original launch in 1997. It broadcasts on DAB in Oxfordshire and previously on DAB in Surrey and Hampshire.
Jack 3, branded as Jack 3 & Chill, is an easy listening station which launched on DAB in Oxfordshire in May 2017. A national variant launched on DAB+ on the Sound Digital multiplex in April 2018 and was replaced by JACK Radio in October. The national and Oxford versions of JACK 3 were two separate streams, and the Oxfordshire version remains available. In April 2020 it replaced Jack 2 on 107.9MHz in Oxfordshire following a request to Ofcom.
Union JACK is a national station, broadcasting on DAB+ on the Sound Digital multiplex, playing music from British artists. It launched on 9 September 2016. Union JACK is a music-heavy station with British-only songs and artists completely chosen by listeners in a JACK 2-like format and interspersed with classic and commissioned comedy clips, mainly impressions done by Josh Berry. The station also features a weekly programme dedicated to new music titled 'Underdogs', presented by 'Lucy Leeds'.. The station, along with Jack 3 and Union Jack, features voiceovers from Paul Darrow and Jim Rosenthal.
JACK Radio launched on 23 October 2018 on the Sound Digital national multiplex, taking the place of the national version of JACK 3. JACK Radio plays music performed by female and female-fronted acts, including classic and contemporary hits, and female artists' covers of tracks originally recorded by male performers.
