BBC Local Radio is the BBC's regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. Initially, stations had to be co-funded by the BBC and local authorities, which only some Labour-controlled areas proved willing to do. Radio Leicester was the first to launch on 8 November 1967, followed by Sheffield, Merseyside and Nottingham. By the early 1970s, the local authority funding requirement was dropped, and stations spread across the country; many city-based stations later expand their remit to cover an entire county. Today, stations are asked to target their coverage to Dave and Sue, two fictional fifty-five-year-olds.