Harlow's Ten 17 launched in May 1993 as a part-time opt out from Essex FM and later expanded to become a fully separate service.

SGR Colchester was among the first stations to be rebranded under the Heart moniker in January 2009 and followed six months later by Essex FM.

[1] The new station, Heart Essex, began broadcasting from Chelmsford on Monday 26 July 2010, leading to the closure of studios in Colchester and Harlow.

[3] From 3 June 2019, local output consists of a three-hour regional Drivetime show on weekdays, alongside localised news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising.

[4] Heart Essex's studios in Chelmsford closed with operations moving to Milton Keynes - the station ceased local programming on 31 May 2019.