Pictures: BBC Three Counties Radio's new home
By James Cridland for media.info
Posted 22 June 2015, 8.29pm bst
BBC Three Counties Radio, home to Iain Lee's Breakfast Show, has moved building - and town.
The station is now broadcasting from brand new studios at Grove Park in Dunstable.
Planning permission for the new studios was requested in February 2014. The lease in Luton was due to expire.
3CR presenter Iain Lee and producer Katherine Boyle were recently announced as speakers at the annual Next Radio radio ideas conference.
Laura Moss, above, the station's Managing Editor, said: “With the Grove Theatre, Central Bedfordshire College and a thriving high street on our doorstep, it felt like the right place to be. Not only are we located in the centre of our transmission area, but we also fulfil our aim of being more accessible to our audience.”
“It’s the start of an exciting new era for BBC Three Counties Radio. The move will mark the beginning of our 31st year on air and we couldn’t be happier with all the support we’ve received from the local community so far.”
The first voice from the new complex was Nick Coffer, above, who said: "Finding myself [as the first voice] is a memory I will always treasure. We now have a building we are proud of. We love welcoming guests to our new home, we love seeing listeners walk past intrigued, we enjoy them popping in for a chat."
The building is close to a Wetherspoon pub called The Gary Cooper, named after the American actor who starred in High Noon, who started going to school in Dunstable when he was eight years old. It's also opposite an Asda, and is less than ten minutes' walk to Heart 97.6's offices, though no broadcasting actually happens from there any more.
BBC Three Counties Radio employs 40 people, and was launched in June 1985. The station has shown relatively stable audience figures since 2008, though its market share is the second-lowest in the history of the station.
In other news, Edward Adoo has been signed to the station with a weekly programme on Sunday nights. He is shown on the BBC website in a hat and t-shirt combination that are apparently made out of the same material. This website salutes his sartorial style.