Pirate FM102's programming style and content is the result of research carried out before the radio station began broadcasting and virtually continuous research conducted ever since.

In terms of music and presentation, Pirate FM102 is primarily targeting listeners aged over 2 who want to hear music which is melodic and familiar, liberally spiced with news and information, and presented in a style which is intelligent and sometimes amusing.

Localness is a key requirement and Pirate FM's presenters are either local or have a first class local knowledge.

Pirate FM102 plays around 11 songs each hour with the music rotation managed by Selector, the computerised music management system used by most UK and American music radio stations. Presenters normally identify the radio station in EVERY link between songs and identify themselves at least every other link. Pirate FM102 presenters always use their full name and that of any colleague in news or presentation that they mention.

Pirate FM102 presenters keep the listener informed about what is coming up in the next 20/30 minutes of their show and always refer to the listener in the singular. 'The listener' is the person who ultimately pays the presenter's salary. A udience research by the half hour is now published 4 times per year.

Pirate FM102 listener competitions are carefully chosen to ensure the listener is never excluded. A trivia quiz should be as much fun for the listener who cannot actively participate by calling the studio number as for the listener desperate to go live on air with his/her answer. (On one occasion BT rang Pirate FM102 to confirm that in one 20 minute period after 4.00 p.m. 50,000 call attempts were made on the studio number). The listener can potentially be excluded by the type of prize offered, so in many instances Pirate FM102 offers the prize everyone is happy with: cash!

While Pirate FM102 rarely has a talk-style phone-in, it regularly offers the listener a chance to seek advice off air. Pirate FM102 has a fortnightly legal and vet off-air phone- in and every year after the GCSE and A Level results, students and/or parents have the chance to seek specialist advice off-air.

Above all, Pirate FM102 tries hard to listen to its listener. In the run up to the new Millennium the listener had the chance to choose his/her three all time favorite songs. The result was Pirate FM's All Time Top 500 Chart to be found elsewhere on this Website.

 

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