Timeline_of_independent_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom

Timeline of independent radio in the United Kingdom

Timeline of independent radio in the United Kingdom

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This is a timeline of the development of independent radio in the UK.

1960s

1970s

  • 1970
    • Until the 1970 United Kingdom general election, despite the popularity of Radio Luxembourg and, for a period in the mid-1960s, the off-shore "pirate" broadcasters, it had remained the policy of both major political parties that radio was to remain under the BBC. Upon the election of Edward Heath's government this policy changed. The new Minister of Post and Telecommunications and former ITN newscaster, Christopher Chataway, announces a bill to allow for the introduction of commercial radio in the United Kingdom. This service would be planned and regulated and would compete with BBC Local Radio services.
    • 1 September – United Biscuits launches its own radio station United Biscuits Network which is broadcast round the clock to the company's four factories.[2]
  • 1971
    • No events.
  • 1977
    • No events.
  • 1978
    • No events.

1980s

  • 1983
    • 4 April – County Sound begins broadcasting to the Guildford area.
    • 13 June – Gwent Broadcasting becomes the first station in the UK to occupy the newly released 102.2 to 104.5Mhz part of the VHF/FM waveband.[5]
    • 29 August – Southern Sound begins broadcasting to the Brighton area.
    • 5 September – Signal Radio begins broadcasting to the Stoke-on-Trent area at 6am and Marcher Sound begins broadcasting to the Wrexham area at 6.30am.
    • 6 October – Centre Radio stops broadcasting after running into financial difficulties. A take-over bid was rejected by the IBA and the station went off air at 5.30pm.[6][7]
    • Plans for a station in the Derry region of Northern Ireland collapse.
  • 1985
    • 13 February – Financial difficulties force South Wales station Gwent Broadcasting to close down after less than two years on air.[8]
    • 1 May – Invicta Sound is rebranded as Invicta Radio.
    • 9 September – Radio West closes down after Wiltshire Radio buys struggling Radio West and on 1 October a merged station, GWR, launches to Bristol and Swindon / West Wiltshire with shared (networked) and split local programming.
    • 1 October – Radio Hallam's broadcast area is expanded when the Sheffield-based station starts broadcasting across all of South Yorkshire.
    • 14 October – CBC is relaunched as Red Dragon Radio. The station also covers the Newport area, offering a replacement service to Gwent Broadcasting and provides separate breakfast shows for Cardiff and Newport until the early 1990s.[9]
    • October – Plymouth Sound launches an opt-out service for Tavistock. The service operates on weekday breakfast and drive time and weekend mid-mornings.
    • Unknown – Due to general difficulties within the commercial radio industry, Hereward Radio withdraws from Northamptonshire and the Independent Broadcasting Authority assigns the Independent Local Radio franchise to a new company, Northants Radio Ltd, owned by Chiltern Radio Group.
  • 1986
    • The Home Office sanctions six experiments of split programming on Independent Local Radio. Up to ten hours a week of split programming was allowed. These include Welsh language programmes on Marcher Sound, Asian programming on Leicester Sound and rugby league commentary on Viking Radio.
    • A European-wide re-organisation of band 2 of the VHF band comes into effect in July 1987. In preparation for this, 1986 sees many local stations change their VHF/FM frequency.
    • 28 June – Portsmouth station Radio Victory goes off air. It was the first commercial radio station to lose its licence.
    • 12 October – Ocean Sound begins broadcasting. Replacing Radio Victory in East Hampshire, it introducing commercial radio to Southampton, Winchester and the Isle of Wight. The station transmits with split frequencies; Ocean Sound West on 103.2FM and 1557AM and Ocean Sound East on 97.5FM (former 95FM transmitter for Radio Victory) and 1170AM, the former AM transmitter of the former ILR station.
    • 30 November – Following its purchase of Northants 96, Chiltern Radio launches a networked service called "The Hot FM". The service is broadcast on three ILR licenses including the newly launched Northants 96. Only the mid-morning show is broadcast locally.
  • 1987
    • 1 January – A new transmitter for Radio 210 is switched on, allowing the Reading-based station to broadcast across Berkshire and north Hampshire.
    • 3 March – Radio Trent's broadcast area expands when it starts broadcasting to the Derby area.
    • 18 May – The Yorkshire Radio Network launches. It is a networked service of evening and overnight programming, broadcast on three commercial radio stations in Yorkshire – Pennine Radio in Bradford, Viking Radio in Hull and Radio Hallam in Sheffield – providing programming every night between 8 pm, starting slightly earlier at weekends, and 6 am.
    • 22 May – GWR's broadcast area expands when it launches in Bath.
    • 14 July – Beacon Radio's broadcast area expands when it launches in Shropshire.
    • 6 December – Ocean Sound launches a third station Ocean Sound North. It covers Winchester and the north of its region. It shares much of its programming with Ocean Sound West, except for a local breakfast show.
  • 1989
    • 15 January – Wolverhampton station Beacon Radio is replaced on FM by Beacon FM and on MW by WABC.
    • 12 February – CNFM begins broadcasting to Cambridge and Newmarket.
    • 27 March – Kent station Invicta Radio is replaced on FM by Invicta FM and on MW by Coast AM.
    • 31 March –
    • 4 April – Xtra AM begins broadcasting on the MW frequencies of BRMB and Mercia Sound.
    • 8 April – Great North Radio begins broadcasting on MW to north east England.
    • 1 May – Classic Gold begins broadcasting on MW across west, south and east Yorkshire, replacing individual stations Pennine AM, Hallam AM and Viking Gold.
    • 4 July – A new transmitter for DevonAir is switched on allowing the station to expand its transmission area to East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset. The relay broadcasts under the name of South West 103.
    • 16 July – The Breeze begins broadcasting on MW across Essex and Surrey.
    • 15 September – Fox FM starts broadcasting to Oxford and Banbury. It becomes the first UK commercial station to be licensed to broadcast on a single waveband.
    • 2 October – LBC ends and is replaced on FM by news and comment station LBC Crown FM
    • 15 October – Horizon Radio starts broadcasting to Milton Keynes.
    • 22 October – The first of the Independent Broadcasting Authority's series of incremental radio stations launches when Sunset 102 begins broadcasting to Manchester. More than 20 licenses were issued, which allowed new stations to start broadcasting in areas already served by independent local radio. The stations came on air in 1989 and 1990.
    • 5 November – Sunrise Radio begins broadcasting to west London's Asian community on MW.
    • 13 November – London Greek Radio and WNK begin broadcasting. They are the first stations to share a frequency and they alternate every four hours.
    • 26 November – Orchard FM begins broadcasting to Yeovil, Taunton and the surrounding area.
    • 9 December – Asian radio station Sunrise Radio Yorkshire begins broadcasting in Bradford.
    • Unknown – Liverpool station City Talk 1548 AM becomes the UK's first all-talk radio station outside of London.This was unusual as most stations launched 'golden oldie' stations on their AM frequencies.
    • Unknown – Southern Sound's broadcast area is expanded when it begins broadcasting to East Sussex.

1990s

  • 1996
    • 5 February – Radio Wyvern becomes the last commercial station in England to end simulcasting on FM and AM.
    • 1 April – Network News closes.
    • 4 April – Guildford station 96.4 The Eagle replaces Mercury 96.4.
    • 21 April – Spirit FM begins broadcasting to the Sussex coastal towns of Chichester, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.
    • 24 May – FM102 The Bear begins broadcasting to Stratford-upon-Avon.
    • 3 June – Asian Sound Radio begins broadcasting on MW across East Lancashire.
    • 1 July – The LBC name returns to London's airwaves following a rebrand of London News Radio's MW station News Talk 1152.
    • July – The Radio Authority receives 25 bids for the final FM citywide London licence. XFM is chosen as the winner.
    • 15 July – Oban FM begins broadcasting to the Oban area of west Scotland.
    • 2 September – Supergold closes after eight years on air, replaced by Classic Gold at 7am. Classic Gold was based at Chiltern Radio studios in Dunstable from this point.
    • 9 September – Following a change in ownership, Manchester station Fortune 1458 is renamed Lite AM.
    • September – The Radio Authority awards a full-time commercial licence to a student radio station for the first time when it awards the Oxford licence to Oxygen FM.
    • 29 September – 103.4 The Beach begins broadcasting to the coastal towns of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
    • 23 November – Valleys Radio begins broadcasting on MW to the South Wales valleys.
    • Unknown – Hallam FM switches off its transmitter covering Rotherham as part of its licence agreement.
    • Unknown – Following its purchase of Bedford station Chiltern 96.9, new owners GWR Group rebrand the station as B97 FM.
    • Unknown – Delta FM returns after UKRD won the Guildford licence from Allied Radio the previous year.

2000s

2010s

  • 2012
    • 6 January – Following its sale to UKRD, Fresh Radio which broadcast on MW across the Yorkshire Dales, closes after fifteen years on air.[73] The more populous parts of the area are later served by Stray FM which is expanded to cover areas such as Skipton and Wharfedale and the Richmond area is served to Star Radio North East.
    • 21 January – Under new guidelines to come into force from 30 April clinics which charge for pregnancy services including abortions will be able to advertise on radio and television after the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice ruled there was no justification for barring such clinics from advertising their services.[74]
    • 23 January – GMG Radio announces it is conducting a "full review" of its news staff. Currently the broadcaster employs 39 journalists, nine of whom are based in Scotland.[75]
    • 26 January – The UK-based British Army radio station, Garrison FM switches on two more transmitters in Inverness, making the city the second in Scotland to receive the service after Edinburgh.[76][77]
    • 3 February – UTV Media acquires the licences for The Wyre and The Severn from MNA Broadcasting.[78]
    • 7 February – UTV Media unveils plans to merge The Wolf, The Wyre and The Sever and rebrand them as Signal 107.[79] The rebrand happens on 26 March.
    • 14 February – Poole community radio station The Bay 102.8 is re-branded as Hot Radio.[80]
    • 16 February – Ofcom gives the KMFM n e t w o r k permission to network the breakfast show, meaning programming will be identical across all seven stations at all times.[81]
    • 5 March – Community station Rossendale Radio closes after just two years on air.[82]
    • 7 March – Guildford based County Sound is given approval by Ofcom to change its classic hits format to a community-based information station under the name Eagle Extra.[83]
    • 14 March – The owners of Jack FM announce the launch of a new consultancy firm, OXIS Media, which will represent the brand throughout the UK and Europe.[84]
    • 16 March – Quidem, owners of the Touch FM brand agrees a deal with the Lincs FM Group to buy Oak FM in Loughborough and Hinckley, thus increasing its number of stations to eight.[85]
    • 26 March – Orion Media rebrands BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Wyvern as Free Radio.[86]
    • 2 April – From today, Talksport dedicates its entire programming schedule to sport output, having previously offered a variety of sport and general news-related topics.[87]
    • April –
      • Celador rebrands Andover Sound and Newbury Sound as The Breeze, bringing to nine the number of stations with that name.[88]
      • The weekend breakfast show on the north of England Magic stops being a local show in favour of a networked programme. Only the weekday breakfast show remains locally produced.
    • 1 May – Ofcom approves a co-location request from Touch Radio Staffordshire to move from Tamworth to Oak FM's headquarters in Coalville. Touch will share some of Oak's programming, but must retain its local Staffordshire-based breakfast show.[89]
    • 7 May – Launch of Heart Cornwall, replacing Atlantic FM.[90]
    • 15 May – Amazing Radio leaves the DAB multiplex after a contractual dispute with Digital One owners Arqiva, but continues to broadcast online.[91]
    • 1 June – Swansea's 102.1 Bay Radio is relaunched as Nation 80s, becoming the first FM station in the UK to play nothing but 80s music.[92]
    • 12 June – It is reported that GMG has received multiple offers for its radio business which value it at £50 million, as the company seeks to reshape itself to stem losses being made by The Guardian and The Observer.[93]
    • 25 June –
      • GMG Radio is sold to Global Radio for an undisclosed amount, thought to be around £50m. However, no structural changes will be made to either organisations until the deal has been investigated by Ofcom.[94] Several rival radio groups express their concerns over the takeover and the effect it could have on commercial radio in the UK.[95]
      • KMFM Extra closes and is replaced on DAB by the new-countywide KMFM.
    • 3 July – Global Radio announces plans to branch into television with the launch of two non-stop music channels; Heart TV and Capital TV, which will go on air from September.[96]
    • 24 August – An Ofcom survey of radio listeners reveals many believe there are too many adverts on commercial radio.[97]
    • 30 August – West Midlands based Sanjhi Awaz Radio ceases broadcasting after two years on air due to financial problems.[98]
    • 4 September – Gold is replaced by Free Radio 80s in the West Midlands on MW and DAB.[99]
    • 8 August – Southport station Dune FM closes after fifteen years on air.
    • 11 October – The Office of Fair Trading agrees to fast-track the investigation into Global Radio's purchase of GMG Radio after Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Maria Miller says the deal will not be investigated for media plurality. The matter is also forwarded onto the Competition Commission, which oversees business mergers and takeovers.[100] The Competition Commission later announces 27 March 2013 as the date on which it will publish its findings into the takeover.[101]
    • 30 October – Smooth Radio confirms that Smooth Christmas will return, airing on the Digital One multiplex in the lead up to the festive season, giving the brand three stations on the platform.[102] It launches two days later.
    • 5 November –
    • 15 December – Celador rebrands its recently acquired Kestrel FM stations as The Breeze.[105]


  • 2013
    • 3 January – It is reported that Gaydar Radio owner QSoft Consulting will leave the radio business and hand its DAB licences to Manchester community station Gaydio.[106]
    • 10 January – Radio Today reports that test transmissions for DAB+ are under way in the Brighton area.[107]
    • 11 January – Radio Today reports that Ofcom is inviting applications for community radio licences to operate on medium wave, a move that will keep the waveband in use until at least 2020.[108]
    • 21 January – Radio Today reports the name change of Nation 80s to Nation Hits, a move allowing the station to air a broader range of music. It is the station's third rebranding since 2009.[109]
    • 6 February – Bauer Media buys the digital station Planet Rock for a sum estimated to be between £1m and £2m.[110]
    • 14 February – The Competition Commission publish their preliminary findings into the Global Radio takeover of GMG Radio, recommending a full or partial sale of the now renamed Real and Smooth Radio Ltd.[111]
    • 25 March – NME Radio closes after five years on air.[112]
    • 31 March – Garrison FM is merged with BFBS, resulting in BFBS taking over the six Garrison stations currently on air.
    • 23 April – The Radio Today website reports that Absolute Radio 60s and Absolute Classic Rock have been removed from several DAB platforms in England and Wales, but the stations continue to broadcast in London and online.[113]
    • 27 April – Country music station Chris Country launches.[114]
    • 7 May – Kisstory and KissFresh begin broadcasting and sister station Q Radio closes down after five years on air.
    • 14 June – Kerrang! 105.2's final day of broadcasting on FM in the West Midlands. The 105.2 frequency is taken over by Planet Rock simulcasting from London. Kerrang! continues on DAB, but with content aired from London from 17 June.[115]
    • 26 July – Digital radio is switched on in Northern Ireland allowing a further 1.4 million listeners to hear stations such as Smooth 70s, Absolute Radio 90s and Jazz FM.[116]
    • 30 July – Yorkshire Radio closes after seven years on air.
    • August – Smash Hits Radio closes after eleven years on air.
    • 27 August – The MXR regional digital radio multiplex for the West Midlands is switched off after 12 years on air.[117]
    • 3 October – Global Radio announces that Smooth 70s will close in three days time after 21 months on air.[118]
    • 6 October – Smooth 70s stops broadcasting to make way for the launch on Digital One of Capital Xtra.
    • 7 October – Choice FM is rebranded as Capital Xtra.[119]
  • 2014
    • 1 January – Jazz FM stops broadcasting on the national Digital One multiplex, but continues to be available on DAB in London, online and through satellite television.[120] Its Digital One slot is temporarily taken over by the return of Birdsong Radio, with plans for a permanent replacement in February.[121]
    • 6 January – It had been reported on 30 December 2013 that Hot Radio would close at 18:00,[122] but the station remains on air after the deadline had passed.[123]
    • 20 January – Global Radio is found to be in breach of their license remit for Heart Cornwall after a listener complained to Ofcom that there was not enough local news and speech to make it a fully local station.[124]
    • 4 February – The Radio Today website reports that Ofcom have given Global Radio permission to remove Smooth Radio from the Digital One platform, and replace it with a new national station. Under the agreement, Smooth will continue to air on its regional FM frequencies, but with a greater local output.[125]
    • 6 February – Global Radio sells eight of its regional stations to Irish media holdings firm Communicorp.[126]
    • 11 February – LBC 97.3 launches nationally on the Digital One platform, taking over the slot formerly occupied by Jazz FM. The station also secures a sponsorship deal with the Financial Times.[127][128]
    • 14 March – Global Radio announces that Gold will become a non-stop music service, with the exception of the breakfast show and Saturday's Vinyl Heaven.[129]
    • 24 March –
      • Smooth Radio returns to airing local output on its regional frequencies, with local programming for Breakfast and Drivetime, and a raft of new presenters joining the network.[130]
      • Smooth Radio replaces Gold on MW across southern England.[131]
    • 31 March – Radio Caroline North returns for a month to celebrate its 50th birthday, broadcasting from a lightship in Liverpool's Albert Dock.[132]
    • 1 April – Insight Radio launches on Freeview channel 730.[133]
    • 4 April – Real XS Glasgow closes at midnight, and is rebranded as Xfm Scotland from 7 April.[134]
    • 6 May –
    • 29 September – Sky Sports News Radio stops broadcasting, it is reported, its content having been subsumed into Sky Sports.[137]
    • 15 November – Smooth Christmas returns to DAB in preparation for the launch of a new station with the Smooth brand.[138]
    • 16 November – The Superstation Orkney closes due to a lack of public funding and dwindling advertising revenue.[139]
    • 30 November – The online classic hits station Solid Gold Gem ceases broadcasting after two years on air.[140]
    • 15 December – Solid Gold Gem is relaunched with Len Groat as its new manager. No reason is given for the hiatus.[141]
    • 27 December – Launch of Smooth Extra on DAB.[142]
    • Unknown – London One Radio is launched as the UK's first Italian radio station, catering for London's Italian community.[143]
  • 2019
    • 7 January –
    • 26 February – Global Radio announces plans to replace the regional breakfast shows on Capital, Heart and Smooth with a single national breakfast show for each network. Also, the number of drivetime shows will be reduced with local shows replaced by regional programmes.[186]
    • 4 March – Launch of classical music station Scala Radio.[187]
    • 5 April – Country Hits Radio launches.
    • 8 April –
      • Lancashire station 2BR stops broadcasting and is replaced by a relay of Capital Manchester.[188] This comes nine months after Global had bought 2BR from UKRD.[189]
      • Capital London's breakfast show goes national, resulting in the scrapping of all other local breakfast shows apart from on Capital Cymru. The only 'local' output is at drivetime and the new regulations mean that Global is able to replace local shows with 10 regional programmes which will be networked across all stations in that region.[190]
    • 31 May – Radio Ceredigion ceases broadcasting after its owners, Nation Broadcasting, decided to close the station and replace it with a relay of Nation Radio Wales.[191][192]
    • 3 June – The local Heart breakfast shows are axed to make way for a single Heart breakfast show from London. Also, the number of drivetime shows are reduced with regional shows replacing local programmes.[193]
    • 21 June – Global launches another Heart spin-off station, Heart Dance.
    • 1 August – London stations Panjab Radio and Love Sport Radio swap frequencies.[194]
    • 28 August-3 September – Global launches five more stations on DAB – Heart 90s (28 Aug),[195] Heart 70s (30 Aug),[196] Capital XTRA Reloaded (2 September),[197] Smooth Country[198] and Smooth Chill.[199] At the same time, Global closes two long-standing DAB stations, Arrow and Chill, after more than a decade on air.
    • 2 September –
      • Bauer begins to network its Hits Radio Manchester weekday Drivetime show on all but one of its Hits Radio stations in England, leaving only the weekday breakfast show as a local show[200] following the removal in July of the one remaining local weekend programme.[201]
      • Smooth Radio's networked Drivetime show launches.[202] At the same time, the number of breakfast shows drops to seven.
    • 28 October – Global relaunches LBC London News as a national 24-hour rolling news channel called LBC News.[203]
    • 2 December – Quidem's six local stations in the south east Midlands become part of the Capital network. They operate as Capital Mid-Counties, sharing all programmes with the Capital network apart from a local weekday drivetime show.[204]

2020s

  • 2020
    • 1 April – Your Radio closes and the frequency begins transmitting Nation Radio Scotland.
    • April – Jack 3, branded as Jack 3 & Chill, replaces Jack 2 on 107.9 MHz in Oxfordshire.[205] an easy listening station which launched on DAB in Oxfordshire in May 2017.
    • 31 May – Liverpool speech station Radio City Talk closes.[206]
    • 29 June – Times Radio is launched as a radio station accompaniment to The Times newspaper.[207]
    • 30 June – Bauer switches off the MW transmitters which had been carrying Absolute Classic Rock since the start of 2019. Consequently, Bauer is no longer broadcasting on MW in the West Midlands.
    • 20 July – Pulse 1, Signal 1, The Wave 96.4 and Fire Radio become part of the Hits Radio network with all programming, apart from weekday breakfast, networked.[208] All four stations retain their station name.
    • 28 August – Bauer launches Hits Radio Pride, aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.[209] This is the first time that a major radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom has launched a station that is targeted to the LGBTQ+ community.
    • 31 August –
      • Bauer closes Leeds station Radio Aire after 39 years on air. Its frequency is transferred to Greatest Hits Radio.[210]
      • Hits Radio South Coast launches, thereby becoming the second FM station to be known on air as Hits Radio. The station had previously broadcast as The Breeze South Coast and the change is made following the purchase in 2019 of The Breeze network from Celador Radio.
    • 1 September – The majority of the stations that Bauer Media acquired the previous year from UKRD,[211] Lincs FM Group,[212] Wireless Group[213] and Celador Radio.[214] join Greatest Hits Radio, clustered to provide regional programming outside of network hours, consisting of three hours each weekday teatime.[215] All of the affected stations lose their individual station names.
    • 1 October – Capital Dance launches.[216]
    • 16 October – Global switches off its mediumwave frequencies in Cardiff and Newport [217] and on 3 November Global switches off its MW frequencies in Luton and Bedford.[218] Both sets of frequencies had been used to broadcast Smooth Radio and in both areas Smooth is available on DAB.
    • 16 November – Following the purchase of The Revolution by Bauer Media, the east Manchester station is closed and its frequency transferred to Greatest Hits Radio, thereby giving Greatest Hits Radio Manchester its first berth on FM.[219]
    • 11 December – Union JACK Rock and Union JACK Dance launch on Sound Digital. They replace JACK Radio on the multiplex.[220]
    • 25 December – Radio Caroline broadcasts the Queen's Christmas Message for the first time, 66 years after its request to air the address was turned down by the BBC for being an unauthorised broadcaster.[221]
    • 31 December – Love Sport Radio closes.
  • 2021
    • 14 February – Launch of Boom Radio, a station aimed at the baby boomer generation.[222]
    • 12 March – Boom Radio becomes available nationally on the Sound Digital multiplex, having initially launched on some local DAB platforms and online.[223]
    • 26 April – Bauer switches off its mediumwave frequencies in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Leeds and Humberside. They are being switched off following the launch of Greatest Hits Radio on FM in those areas.[224]
    • 17 May –
    • 17 June – Bauer purchases Stockport-based Imagine FM and announces it will join the Greatest Hits Radio network.[226]
    • 1 August – The first DAB multiplex for the Channel Islands begins broadcasting.[227]
    • 9 August – Global Radio confirms its purchase of Quidem Media, allowing it to take full control of six Midlands stations that are running under the Capital brand.[228]
    • 10 August – FM radio stations in North Yorkshire are forced off the air following a fire at Bilsdale transmitting station.[229]
    • 1 September – Imagine FM rebrands as Greatest Hits Radio.[230]
    • 6 September – Bournemouth's Fire Radio and Bristol's Sam FM rebrand as Hits Radio.[231]
    • 1 November – Argyll FM launches its Internet radio service, the last radio station operating on a commercial licence in the UK to do so. Consequently, all commercial radio stations in the country are now available online.[232]
  • 2022
    • 24 February – Union JACK Radio, Union JACK Dance and Union JACK Rock disappear from the national SDL multiplex. The stations continue to be available online.[233]
    • 21 April – Nation Broadcasting launches Breezy Radio, a station replacing Swansea Bay Radio on 102.1FM in Swansea, and available throughout Wales on DAB.[234] Later in 2022, the station is relaunched as Easy Radio.
    • 3 May – Fix Radio begins broadcasting nationwide after launching on the SDL Mutliplex.[235]
    • 1 September – Launch of Virgin Radio 80s Plus on DAB in London and Central Scotland, as well as online.[236]
    • 2 September – University Radio York is awarded a five-year licence by Ofcom to broadcast on 88.3FM to the University of York after taking part in a one-year broadcasting trial on FM of stations broadcasting on FM with a maximum radius of 1 kilometre. It was the only student radio station to do so.[237]
    • 4 October – Radio Wyvern is relaunched in Worcester on 106.7FM, replacing Youthcomm Radio, which has used the frequency since 2008. This incarnation of Wyvern is a joint venture between Muff Muffin, Sammy Southall and former Wyvern presenter Paul Ellery.[238]
  • 2023
    • 20 January – Absolute Radio stops broadcasting on AM.[239][240] Consequently, Absolute Radio becomes a digital-only station.[241] A retune loop is active from midnight on this day. Ofcom revokes the mediumwave licence on 14 February.[242]
    • 13 and 16 February – Global launches to more spin-off stations – Capital Chill[243] and Radio X Classic Rock.[244] Both stations are carried on the Sound Digital multiplex.
    • 3 April – Lincs FM stops broadcasting on FM when it is replaced by a relay of Greatest Hits Radio Lincolnshire. However the station continues to broadcast on DAB.[245]
    • 25 June – University Radio York switches off its AM frequency after 55 years on air, having made the decision to move to FM.[246]
    • 30 June – Global Radio switches off more of its AM frequencies. It turns off all but two of the AM transmitters which carry Gold network, leaving the station as a digital only service apart from in London and Manchester,[247] and Global switched off Smooth Radio's AM frequencies in Dorset, Essex, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Plymouth.[248]
    • 4 September – BRMB is relaunched in Birmingham when community station Big City Radio rebrands its DAB output. Big City Radio continues online.[249]
    • 29 September – Global switches off of its 1548KHz London frequency used by Gold.[250]

See also

References

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Timeline_of_independent_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.