Months after the purchase of Revolution 96.2 FM from Credible Media, Like Media Group’s Imagine Radio was swallowed up by Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio juggernaut. The sale of its flagship station, alongside sister stations, Ashbourne Radio and High Peak Radio was confirmed on the Radio Today website.
Continue reading “Imagine There’s No Choice… Greatest Hits Radio Swallows Up Cheshire Radio Station”
The 1950s was a pivotal decade in British 20th Century history. We began the fifties in austerity with rationing still in place till 1954, and ended that decade with a consumer boom. New Towns emerged with publicly funded housing fit for our daily needs. Away from the backdrop, many of us lived in tenement blocks or terraced houses. Instead of gardens, it was backyards and ginnels.
Continue reading “A Beginners’ Guide to The Bradshaws”
“In the North West, you know what’s best…”
“We thank you for sharing your days with us/For The Best Hit Music with a smile/Whatever the time of day or night, your music and your friend…”
If you are older than 30 years old, there’s every chance you’ll remember listening to the latest chart sounds on Medium Wave. Forty years ago, a lot of our radio listening came from medium wave (or AM) radio stations. BBC Radio One used to be on 275m and 285m (now occupied by Talk Radio). BBC Radio Manchester used to be on 206m, a little close for comfort on the dial beside Radio Luxembourg.
Continue reading “Greatest Hits Radio Ditches MW Frequencies”
If you like listening to local radio stations on a bog-standard analogue radio receiver, Bauer’s latest acquisition should fill you with dread. After 21 years of serving Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, Revolution 96.2 will be consigned to radio heaven. Alongside Piccadilly Radio’s immediate successors, and ultra local radio stations like Yorkshire Coast Radio and Wish FM, it will be one of many local stations snapped up by Bauer.
Continue reading “Revolution 96.2 to Become Greatest Hits Radio”
If you mention the UK singles chart, the first thing that springs to mind in the Official Charts Company’s countdown. This goes out every Friday on BBC Radio One. Before then, it used to go out on Sunday afternoons and, prior to October 1987, Tuesday lunchtimes.
Continue reading “The Other UK Singles Chart: 1. Independent Local Radio Music Charts”
If you have a few records, CDs and cassettes in your collection, you may have come across this notice:
“Unauthorised public performance or broadcasting of this record is strictly prohibited.”
Today, this notice or the like refers to the public performance of any recorded music in a public place. If your employer or local hairdressers has BBC Radio Two on in the background, they need to get a licence from the Performing Rights’ Society (PRS). From PRS licences, some part of the money goes towards musicians’ royalties.
Continue reading “(Do You Remember) Needle Time?”
Contrary to popular belief, radio is a more popular medium than ever. Today, the listener has more ways of tuning in to their favourite station than ever before. Not only on LW, MW or FM wavelengths and DAB channels. Other mediums include Internet radio, digital satellite and cable channels, and dedicated apps.
Continue reading “Taking Back Control of Independent Local Radio”
In the last month, we have seen Key 103 change into The Hits Radio. Its transmission area has been extended from Greater Manchester and parts of Cheshire and Lancashire to become a national station. A national station with its headquarters in Manchester rather than London.
On 103.0 FM it is a ‘local’ station with Manchester-centric news, weather, and travel reports. The same music which can be heard in Stalybridge on the FM band, could also be heard in Stevenage on your DAB receiver. With nationwide adverts. A bit like London’s opt-out with LBC, a national station since 2014 (please note that LBC stood for London Broadcasting Company).
Continue reading “Must-Listen Alternative Radio Stations: The Not So Perfect Ten”
On this day in history, Piccadilly Radio began broadcasting 44 years ago. The first voice on Piccadilly Radio was Roger Day. As for the first record, that was The Beach Boys’ Good Vibrations. What company may you ask had the first advert on Piccadilly Radio? It was the North Western Regional Gas Board. With the tagline “The North Loves Gas Best”.
The 1990s was a seminal decade for Piccadilly’s two radio stations. It opened with an upsurge in Key 103’s fortunes and the transformation of its AM service as a golden oldies station. By the end of the decade, Key 103 was top dog among Greater Manchester’s radio listeners. Piccadilly Gold became Piccadilly Magic 1152 – later Magic 1152 and Key 2 in the 21st Century.
Continue reading “A History of Piccadilly Radio Jingles (Part Two): The Nineties”
East of the M60 