Wey Valley Radio
play_arrow
Alton Food Bank 15th anniversary 13 June 2026 Julie Cottrell
play_arrow
Alton Food Bank 15th anniversary 13 June 2026 Julie Cottrell
Enjoy a lively mix of local news, useful information, and a wide variety of great music with David Way throughout the morning.
David Way is a well known and much loved broadcaster in Alton, and has been for many years.
He has been one of the key figures in Wey Valley Radio’s history over more than three decades – so much so that it is a common mistake for listeners to assume the radio station is named after him!
Of course it isn’t, it’s named after the river that flows through the heart of Alton, as the radio station is also at the heart of the community.
David fell in love with radio thanks to the offshore (pirate) radio stations in the 1970’s and has been involved in music presentation and radio ever since.
After moving to Alton in the mid 80’s he realised there was no radio station serving the area.. and decided he would try and do something about it. In the late 80’s he created a campaigning group for a local radio station for Alton and the surrounding areas.
The Wey Valley Radio team first broadcast from the Herald office in Alton as part of the Radio Cracker RSL (Restricted Service Licence, basically a short term licence) in 1991.  It was granted a full licence and launched on 102 FM in November 1992 — at the time the smallest commercial radio station in the country, covering just 25,000 people in the Alton area of North East Hampshire.
The station soon became a part of the community with thousands of loyal listeners.
The station broadcast from Alton until 2003 when, due in part to its success and the commercial environment at the time, it merged with Delta Radio in Haslemere. Delta Radio broadcast from  Haslemere and then Bordon until 2010, when its new owners decided to move production away from the local area.
David left Delta Radio in 2008 to pursue other opportunities, but still had the same yearning to bring back Wey Valley Radio. It took a few years but eventually Ofcom granted a new community radio station licence for Alton and the surrounding area.. to broadcast on 101.1FM.
The  original founders worked hard  to return truly local radio to the area, with the intention to run the station with the same mindset that prevailed at the beginning — programming made by the community for the community. WVR (Alton) Ltd was set up as a not-for-profit company run principally by volunteers, with membership open to all members of the target community.
Spearheaded by David Way and an experienced team, the aim was to be on air before the 25th anniversary of the launch of the original station.
It returned in June 2017 almost a quarter of a century after the original station first broadcast.
Today, David is still very much involved with Wey Valley Radio. After stepping down as MD and Chairman in 2023 Â he now hosts a mid-morning show on Wey Valley Radio, offering music and conversation for the workday, with guests from in and Alton. He offers help and advice for the new younger team now running the station.
After more than 30 years he is delighted still to be involved with something that was started as his idea and is still going with the same ethos all these years later.
Text: 07565 244101Â
Studio: 01420 260001
E-Mail: [email protected]
Wey Valley Radio is run entirely by volunteers and stays on air thanks to donations, grants and local advertising. Every gift helps keep Alton’s voice broadcasting.
Proud members & fully licensed
