The Breeze (Andover)


The Breeze is an independent local radio station serving Andover & North West Hampshire and parts of East Wiltshire. The station is owned & operated by Bauer Radio and is part of The Breeze network of stations. It broadcasts from studios at Eastgate House in Andover.

History

Originally launched in May 2008 as Andover Sound by ITV regional news presenter Ian Axton, who owned a majority 80% stake in the station with the remaining 20% owned by Tindle Radio. Andover Sound bought out Kick FM, a station serving Newbury & West Berkshire, in June 2009 - it was rebranded as Newbury Sound a month later.
Both Andover and Newbury stations were sold to Celador in August 2011. On 12 March 2012, Celador announced Newbury Sound and Andover Sound would be rebranded as The Breeze, falling in line with an existing network of stations serving South Hampshire and the West of England. The rebrand took place on Monday 2 April 2012.
In January 2012, the Newbury station was co-located to Andover Sound's studios. However, Breakfast and weekday drivetime programming is now presented from Basingstoke with networked output from Southampton broadcast during off-peak hours.

Awards

As Andover Sound, the station won various radio industry awards, including a New York Festivals News/Documentary Special accolade in July 2009 for Remembering Jamie, a half-hour programme on the sudden death of a local teenager. Andover Sound was also named as the Radio Academy South Station of the Year in December 2009.
At the 2010 Sony Radio Academy Awards, Andover Sound won silver in the News Journalist of the Year category and was nominated in the Station of the Year category. In June 2010, the station was named as the Arqiva Commercial Radio Station of the Year.