In 1984 Radio Aire introduced a new logo and jingle package, produced by David Reilly, with the main theme only being specific to that year ("news and music and more in '84"). The format was similar to before, however by now the original line-up had completely changed.
Presenters such as Peter Tait, Ray Stroud, Ross Dickinson and James Whale had begun to be part of a team that was familiar to Radio Aire throughout the rest of the 1980's.
The schedule from 1984 was...
05:00 Gerry Raynor
06:00 Peter Tait
09:00 Peter Levy
12:00 Tony Blewitt
15:00 Ross Dickinson
18:00 Paul Fairburn
19:00 Ray Stroud
22:00 James Whale
01:00 Closedown
Radio Aire 1984 Jingles
Weekend & extra presenters included Bob Preedy and Maggie Mash (who were also continuity announcers for Yorkshire Television - now ITV Yorkshire), Gerry Raynor (with his Fabulous Fifties programme) and Dave Burland.
Carol Vorderman made regular appearances on the Peter Levy Show, where she would read stories for pre-school children.
Radio Aire 1985 / 1986
By 1985, Radio Aire reverted to using the original 1981 jingle package, however it continued to use the Bill Mitchell voice-overs and the 1984 logo. The station had also started to broadcast 24 hours a day.
Christa Ackroyd became programme controller, as well as being a regular newsreader. Around this time, Radio Aire was struggling financially and was on the verge of closure. Christa quickly needed to ensure the station was running at a profit, so introduced sponsorship as part of the advertising revenue. This resulted in the station being successful financially, as well as attracting hundreds of thousands of listeners.
The schedule in March 1985 was...
05:00 Gerry Raynor
06:00 Peter Tait
09:00 Peter Levy
12:00 Ray Stroud
14:00 Gareth O'Callaghan
17:00 Focus, with Dave Burland
18:00 Carl Kingston
22:00 James Whale
02:00 Mark Abson
In 1985, Ross Dickinson left the station to join Pennine Radio, Ray Stroud moved to his new Lunchtme show and Carl Kingston joined to present Evenings.
Weekend presenters included Bill Naylor, Mike Hurley, Dave Burland, John Boyd (with Sportstime) and Jon Hammond.
James Whale on Radio Aire - March 1985
Carl Kingston on Radio Aire - September 1985
Jon Hammond on Radio Aire - October 1985
Pictured below: Gerry Raynor, Dave Burland, Peter Levy, Ray Stroud, Maggie Mash, Carl Kingston, Mikey Dreadlocks, Paul Stead, Linda Larder, Christa Ackroyd and Jon Hammond.
Ray Stroud (with Peter Tait in the background)
Radio Aire Branded Bus (used in regular service)
On 16th September 1986, the station's FM frequency moved from 94.6 VHF to 96.3.
Also in 1986, Paul Stead had joined the weekday schedule and Mikey Dreadlocks presented a weekly Reggae Show on Monday evenings.
Carl Kingston on Radio Aire - October 1986
Radio Aire Classic Ad Break 1986 - 1987
In 1986, James Whale moved to the Breakfast Show, although this was short-lived and only lasted for 3 months.
The line-up from 1986 was....
Weekend and extra presenters included Jon Hammond, Jay Jackson, Bob Preedy, Gerry Raynor and Maggie Mash.
