The station serves an area of England with a high proportion of commuters to London and a higher-than-average disposable income from middle-class families and people over 45.

The station was disliked by the then regulator the Independent Broadcasting Authority, and when it re-advertised the Portsmouth licence to include Southampton and Winchester, Victory lost out to a new consortium called Ocean Sound Ltd.

Radio Victory ceased operations in June 1986, three months earlier than the expiry date of its franchise, with a test transmission informing listeners of the unprecedented situation.

Ocean Sound took over programme provision that October from a new purpose-built broadcast unit in a business park at Segensworth West on the western outskirts of Fareham, Hampshire.

The reason that two stations launched, rather than an expanded solo station is that then managing director David Lucas identified two potential audiences: one familiar with commercial radio (in the East area), and one largely acquainted with the BBC (the West area, of which the majority of local listening was to BBC Radio Solent).

Once the franchise was won, Ocean Sound needed brand-new state of the art studios in Segensworth West, a district outside Fareham, beside the M27 motorway in Hampshire.

Contribution studios have been established in both Portsmouth and Southampton to provide direct city-centre access to the airwaves for interviewees and guests."

Power FM was designed as a direct competitor to BBC Radio 1 in the area, with a heavy rotation of chart and Top 40 pop and mainstream dance, with quick hourly news and information.

There Capital Gold was launched in place of South Coast Radio, with four hours programming locally produced, usually either at breakfast or drivetime.

In 1998, Ocean FM was a key target for newly launched Wave 105, a similar-sounding commercial radio station also playing adult contemporary music.

In May 2006, Ocean dropped the 'FM' from its previous 'Ocean FM' name to become just 'Ocean', simultaneously introducing a new set of logos and the tagline Hampshire's Greatest Hits.

Around the same time, Ocean did not renew the contracts of long term Presenters Richard Williams, Pippa Head, James Macdonald and Australian import Warren Kay and more automation and networking was implemented.

It launched in 2003 with a commitment to helping local children and young people up to the age of 18, who experience the negative effects of poverty, abuse, neglect, homelessness, violence, crime, illness and disability in the area.