Timeline of radio in Wales

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This is a timeline of the development of radio in Wales.

1970s[edit]

  • 1973
    • No events.
  • 1975
    • No events.
  • 1976
    • No events.
  • 1978
    • Autumn – Four experimental local radio stations broadcast in Wales for a single week: Radio Deeside, Radio Merthyr, Radio Rhondda and Radio Wrexham[1]
    • 13 November – Due to Radio 4's forthcoming transfer from medium wave to long wave, BBC Radio Wales launches as a full-time station on Radio 4's former Welsh medium wave opt-out wavelength of 340m (882 kHz), albeit initially with very limited broadcast hours due to very limited coverage of BBC Radio 4 on FM in Wales.
    • 23 November – All BBC national radio stations change their medium or long wave transmission wavelength as part of a plan for BBC AM broadcasting in order to improve national AM reception, and to conform with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.[2] Radio 1's transmission wavelength is moved from 247m (1214 kHz) to 275 & 285m (1053 & 1089 kHz) medium wave.[3] Radio 2's wavelength is moved from 1500m (200 kHz) long wave to 433 & 330m (693 & 909 kHz) medium wave. Radio 3 is moved from 464m (647 kHz) to 247m (1215 kHz) medium wave. Radio 4 is moved from various medium wavelengths to 1500m (200 kHz) long wave.
  • 1979
    • November – A weekday mid-morning programme launches on BBC Radio Cymru, thereby extending its broadcasting hours to 65 hours each week. Previously, apart from extended news bulletins at lunchtime and early evening, and some off-peak opt-outs, the station had only been on air at breakfast time.

1980s[edit]

  • 1981
    • October – BBC Radio Deeside is expanded to cover all of north east Wales and is renamed BBC Radio Clwyd.
  • 1982
    • No events.
  • 1983
    • 18 April – BBC Radio Gwent launches as an opt-out service from BBC Radio Wales.
    • 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.[4]
    • 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.[5][6]
  • 1984
    • No events.
  • 1985
    • 13 February – Financial difficulties force South Wales station Gwent Broadcasting to close down after less than two years on air.[7]
    • 14 October – At 6am, CBC is relaunched as Red Dragon Radio and broadcasts a 24-hour schedule - CBC had previously closed down between 1am and 6am. 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.[8]
  • 1986
    • The Home Office sanctions six experiments of split programming on Independent Local Radio. Up to ten hours a week of split programming is allowed. Marcher Sound is one of the stations to take advantage of this so that it can provide some programming in Welsh.
  • 1987
    • No events.
  • 1988
    • 29 September – BBC Radio 1 starts broadcasting on FM in South Wales.[9]

1990s[edit]

  • 1990
    • 15 July – Touch AM begins broadcasting in South Wales with the area's FM station being renamed Red Dragon FM.
  • 1991
    • March – BBC Radio Gwent stops broadcasting.
  • 1993
    • 1 July – Radio Maldwyn begins broadcasting on AM to the Montgomeryshire area of Wales.
    • 27 August – Marcher Coast begins broadcasting. The station covers the north Wales coastal area from Llandudno eastwards.
    • October – BBC Radio Clwyd closes, although news opt-outs continue until 2002.
  • 1994
    • 4 September – Galaxy 101 launches a dance music service to the Severn estuary area.
  • 1995
    • 30 September – Swansea Sound's FM frequency becomes a CHR (contemporary hit radio) station called 96.4 Sound Wave, while Swansea Sound continues to broadcast its full service format on 1170 AM.
  • 1996
    • 23 November – Valleys Radio begins broadcasting on MW to the South Wales valleys.
  • 1997
    • No events.
  • 1999
    • The BBC begins creating an FM network for BBC Radio Wales. Previously, apart from in Gwent, the station had only been available on MW.
    • 19 August – BBC Radio 1 broadcasts its first split programming when it introduces weekly national new music shows for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Session in Wales is presented by Bethan Elfyn and Huw Stephens.[10]

2000s[edit]

  • 2002
    • 24 May – Wales gets its first community radio station when GTFM begins broadcasting to Pontypridd and surrounding areas. The station is one of 15 trial stations participating in the under an Access Radio experiment and following full evaluation, GTFM was licensed as the first community radio station in Wales under OFCOM's changed rules in 2006[12]
    • 14 July – 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire begins broadcasting.
    • BBC Radio Wales' news bulletins in north east Wales end.
    • Galaxy 101 is rebranded as Vibe 101.
  • 2005
    • No events.
  • 2006
    • 6 September – Vibe 101 is rebranded as Kiss 101.
  • 2008
    • 16 June – Nation Radio Wales begins broadcasting on FM across South Wales. It replaces Xfm South Wales.[14] It gets the berth following the sale of Xfm South Wales to Town and Country (now Nation Broadcasting) on 30 May 2008.[15][16]
  • 2009
    • March – Following Global Radio's takeover of GCap Media, Champion 103 is rebranded as Heart Cymru as part of a rollout of the Heart network across 29 local radio stations owned by Global. By this point, local programming is now reduced to ten hours on weekdays and seven hours at weekends.
    • 30 April – Valleys Radio closes after thirteen years on air.

2010s[edit]

  • 2013
    • 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.[19]
    • 29 July – The regional multiplex covering south Wales, MXR Severn Estuary, closes.[20]
    • Nation Radio Wales increases its coverage area across Wales via DAB when it began broadcasting to north-east Wales and parts of Cheshire and Merseyside in March, via MuxCo's Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool multiplex.[21] and in August, the station launches on DAB in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire via the Muxco Mid and West Wales multiplex.
  • 2016
    • 29 February – The UK's second national commercial multiplex starts broadcasting. However, only 73% of the UK's population is able to receive it.
    • 19 September – BBC Cymru launches a pop-up radio station, Radio Cymru Mwy (Radio Cymru More), broadcasting for three months in the run-up to BBC Radio Cymru's 40th anniversary. Consisting of five hours of music-led entertainment programming each weekday, Radio Cymru Mwy is available on DAB in south east Wales and online.[25]
  • 2017
    • 19 September – Nation Radio Wales begins broadcasting on FM in Carmarthenshire (102.9 FM) and Pembrokeshire (107.1 FM)[26]
  • 2018
    • 29 January – BBC Radio Cymru 2 begins broadcasting at 6.30am on 29 January 2018.[27] It airs as an opt-out service from 7-9am on Mondays – Saturdays and from 7-10 am on Sundays.
    • 15 May – Sound Digital announces that it will add 19 transmitters to its network, including in parts of Wales.[28]
    • 24 October – BBC Radio Wales' FM coverage in North East and Mid Wales by taking over 32 transmitters previously used by BBC Radio 3. The changeover allowed an estimated 400,000 listeners to receive Radio Wales on FM, extending its reach to a potential 91% of households in Wales.[29]

2020s[edit]

  • 2020
    • September – Swansea Sound joins the Greatest Hits Radio network and is rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio South Wales.[33] Most of the station's local output - including Breakfast, daytime and Welsh language shows - was retained due to conditions placed on the station's AM broadcast licence by OFCOM.
    • 16 October – Global switches off its mediumwave frequencies in Cardiff and Newport [34] The frequencies had most recently been used to relay Smooth Radio.
  • 2021
    • May – Môn FM's broadcast area expands when two new transmitters are switched on. They cover Penmynydd, which covers eastern Anglesey and north Gwynedd, and Nebo, near Amlwch, serving north Anglesey.[35] The station began broadcasting on 96.8 FM from the Penmynydd transmitter, targeting eastern Anglesey and north Gwynedd, on 6 May 2021.[36]
  • 2023
    • April – Bauer removes almost all of its local programming from Greatest Hits Radio South Wales.[38] Bauer management told the industry news website, RadioToday, that the separate content was no longer viable going forwards. The station retains its late-night Welsh-language programme.
  • 2024
    • 4 March – BBC Radio Cymru 2's hours expand after Ofcom gave approval for Radio Cymru 2 to become a fully fledged radio station.[39][40] The station's hours increase from four to nine hours on Mondays to Thursdays, four to six hours on Fridays and from three to 14 hours on Sundays.[41]
    • April – The Wave 96.4 FM will be rebranded as Hits Radio South West Wales as part of a network-wide relaunch of 15 local radio stations in England and Wales which will see them losing the heritage names in favour of Hits Radio branding. Local content, consisting of the weekday breakfast show plus news, travel information and commercials, will continue as before.[42][43]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ BBC Handbook 1978. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1977. p. 123. ISBN 9780563174769.
  2. ^ "History of Radio Transmission in the UK" (PDF). Frequency Finder.
  3. ^ "Radio 1 History – Transmitters". Radio Rewind. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  4. ^ "IBA Engineering Announcements – 24 May 1983 'First show on C4 & S4C' – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 Dec 2020.
  5. ^ "A Guide to stations off the air – Why do commercial radio stations stop broadcasting?". Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  6. ^ Parry, Simon. "Off Centre". Transdiffusion. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  7. ^ "IBA Engineering Announcements – 19 February 1985 'Experimental C-MAC Tests' – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 Dec 2020.
  8. ^ A Guide to Stations Off the Air, RadioNow.
  9. ^ "BBC Radio 1 England – 29 September 1988 – BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  10. ^ Allen, Gavin (12 September 2009). "Music man Huw Stephens". WalesOnline. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  11. ^ Radiocentre Commercial Radio Pocket Booklet 2007
  12. ^ Hand, RJ; Traynor, M (15 November 2012). Radio in Small Nations: Production, Programmes, Audiences. University of Wales Press. pp. 18–. ISBN 978-0-7083-2544-5.
  13. ^ "DAB 2004". Radio-now.co.uk. 31 January 2004. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  14. ^ "Xfm south Wales: GCap sells station to Town and Country Broadcasting". The Guardian. Retrieved on 31 December 2011.
  15. ^ Shepherd, Rob (30 May 2008). "GCap sells Xfm South Wales". Broadcast. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  16. ^ "XFM South Wales sold". Radio Today. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  17. ^ Maldwyn replaced by Hafren Archived 2012-05-03 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Clarkson, Stuart (1 June 2012). "Swansea's Bay Radio changes to Nation 80s". Radio Today. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  19. ^ "Nation 80s changes name to Nation Hits". Radio Today. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  20. ^ "Regional DAB signals commence shut-down". Radio Today. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
  21. ^ "Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool". MuxCo. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Heart arrives in former Real Radio areas". Radio Today. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  23. ^ Global confirms Heart expansion details, RadioToday, 14 April 2014
  24. ^ "Montgomeryshire station Radio Hafren closes". 11 February 2015.
  25. ^ "BBC Radio Cymru Mwy takes to the digital airwaves". BBC Media Centre (Press release). BBC. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2020-05-24. For the first time in its history, BBC Radio Cymru will offer a choice of listening with a lively breakfast show on BBC Radio Cymru Mwy. The daily news programme, Post Cyntaf followed by the Aled Hughes programme will continue on BBC Radio Cymru. The pop-up's schedule will continue until midday, with an option to experiment occasionally with lunch-time programmes.
  26. ^ Listen to Nation in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Nation Radio Wales/
  27. ^ "The countdown begins – BBC Radio Cymru 2 takes to the airwaves in January 2018". BBC Media Centre (Press release). BBC. 2017-11-27. A brand-new breakfast show will take to the airwaves every morning of the week – including Saturday and Sunday – offering a choice for Welsh speakers across the country on DAB, website, BBC iPlayer Radio and TV.
  28. ^ "SDL to extend coverage of national DAB mux". 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 Dec 2020.
  29. ^ "Major FM boost for BBC Radio Wales". BBC Media Centre (Press release). BBC. 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2020-05-24. From Wednesday 24 October, BBC Radio Wales will be available across 91% of Wales, thanks to a major boost to its FM signal. Wales's national radio station – which currently reaches 79% of households in Wales – will be available to more listeners than ever before on FM. Listeners in North East and Mid Wales are set to benefit most from the expansion. The changes will be achieved by using a small number of existing FM frequencies currently allocated to BBC Radio 3.
  30. ^ "Extra Welsh programmes and presenters for Capital Cymru". Radio Today. 22 May 2019. Capital Cymru is dropping networked programmes in favour of providing more Welsh programmes and presenters.
  31. ^ Thomas, Huw (12 December 2018). "Radio Ceredigion to close after changes". BBC News. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  32. ^ "Radio Ceredigion withdraws format change request". 31 May 2019. Retrieved 28 Dec 2020.
  33. ^ Most of acquired Bauer stations to become Greatest Hits Radio Stuart Clarkson, Radio Today, 27 May 2020
  34. ^ "Smooth Radio transmitters turned off in Wales". 16 Oct 2020. Retrieved 21 Oct 2020.
  35. ^ MônFM to expand FM coverage, monfm.net, 6 August 2019
  36. ^ MônFM - now on 96.8!, monfm.net, 9 May 2021
  37. ^ "Covid: No progress on NHS early cancer diagnosis and more flight cancellations". 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  38. ^ "Greatest Hits Radio South Wales to lose breakfast and daytime shows". 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  39. ^ "BBC Radio Cymru 2 officially approved by Ofcom as a UK Public Service". Radio Today. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  40. ^ Music throughout the day on Radio Cymru 2 from 4 March
  41. ^ Collins, Steve (15 February 2024). "BBC Radio Cymru 2 to broadcast more original hours". Radio Today. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  42. ^ "Fifteen local stations get set for Hits Radio rebrand". Bauer. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
  43. ^ "Bauer to rebrand heritage FM stations in England and Wales to Hits Radio". RadioToday. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
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