BBC Essex was launched on Bonfire Night and was officially opened by the Marchesa Marconi on 11th November 1986.

The Marchesa Marconi opens BBC Essex

The radio station covers a county population of one and a half million over a large and diverse area.

It includes Colchester, Britain's oldest recorded town, Southend - the seaside resort with the World's longest pleasure pier, two major ports - at Harwich and Tilbury and an international airport at Stansted.

The Marchesa Marconi and her daughter plant a commemorative tree

The station's main studios are in the county town of Chelmsford with regularly staffed studios at Colchester, Southend and Thurrock with a network of contribution booths around the county. The BBC Essex mobile studio is out regularly out on the road covering news stories or special events.

The Helpline is 10-years-old in May 2003, and deals with some 25,000 - 30,000 calls a year, solves a daily challenge on behalf of listeners and local organisations and runs a weekly Searchline which re-unites friends and families.

BBC Essex broadcasts local and regional programmes for 20 hours every day aimed at a mature audience.

The original BBC Essex

The programmes are a mix of news, interviews, expert contributors, phone-ins, sport, special interest like gardening plus music and competitions.

More than a third of a million listeners in and around Essex tune in each week.

BBC Essex frequently visit Essex towns and villages for Outside Broadcasts.

The original BBC Essex news team.

We've met many of our listeners at various locations throughout the county, such as the Essex Show, Southend Airshow, the Chelmsford Spectacular, the Tendring Show and the Clacton Airshow.

Many people have had the opportunity of meeting BBC Essex presenters at our 10th birthday celebration 'Ten Town Tour' in 1996. In 2001 we celebrated our 15th birthday with a 'Fifteen Town Tour' reaching even more of our listeners.