About Us

The History of the DevonAir Name

On 7 November 1980, DevonAir began broadcasting to Exeter and mid-Devon from its studios at St Davids Hill in the city. The first song played was Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles. On 12 December 1980, the station opened new studios at Harbour Point in Torquay. DevonAir became the first twin radio station in the UK, hence the on-air branding of Double DevonAir.

DevonAir's broadcast licence went up for renewal in 1993 with two new groups bidding to take over – Gemini Radio (owned by Somerset-based Orchard Media) and Wild West Radio. On 8 October 1993, the Radio Authority announced that Gemini would take over DevonAir's licence from 1 January 1995. 

The station ended broadcasting at 1 pm on 31 December 1994. The last song played on DevonAir was The Sun Ain't Going to Shine Anymore by The Walker Brothers. Until midnight on 1 January 1995, the station aired pre-recorded music leading up to the handover of Gemini FM.

DevonAiR Gold

On Saturday 31 December 2022 at 1 pm exactly, 28 years since DevonAir ceased broadcasting, East Devon Radio revived the much-loved DevonAir name as a sister station, under the new name of DevonAiR Gold.

The first song was You Are The Sunshine of My Life, by Stevie Wonder.

The station plays hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s, furnished with some of the original DevonAir presenters.

Trade Mark

The trade mark (tm) DEVONAIR GOLD is the registered intellectual property of East Devon Radio Limited, registration number UK00003846186