Amber Radio
Encyclopedia
Amber Radio was a golden oldies
radio station operating from Norwich
, part of East Anglia
in the United Kingdom
.
It was the AM sister station of SGR and Radio Broadland
and served Norfolk
and north Suffolk
and Ipswich
and Bury St Edmunds.
Following a take over of the East Anglian Radio Group by GWR, Amber Radio was renamed Classic Gold Amber and it joined their Classic Gold Digital Network
of stations in 1998.
During 1998 GWR began to pressure the Radio Authority to allow them to 'network' Classic Gold for up to 20 hours a day. This meant that all of the stations in the Classic Gold network, as far apart as Classic Gold GEM
in the East Midlands
and Classic Gold 1152 in Devon
, would receive the same programmes. GWR's argument was that the use of higher profile presenters would allow listeners a better quality of service. The Radio Authority agreed, and so all the stations began sharing the same programmes which were produced in Dunstable
in Bedfordshire
, which was over 100 miles away from the Norwich studios.
At this stage the only programme on Classic Gold Amber which remained local was the Breakfast Show, this was later changed to be Drivetime, to allow Mike Read
and later Dave Lee Travis
to present a networked breakfast show.
Due to GWR going over the limits of the amount of stations a group can own, the entire group of Classic Gold stations was sold to UBC Media
, although GWR did keep a 20% stake. Then, on August 3, 2007, the stations were rebranded as Gold. This followed the GCap Media
purchase of the Classic Gold network, and the merging of the Capital Gold
and Classic Gold stations
in Dallas, Texas
.
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
radio station operating from Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, part of East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It was the AM sister station of SGR and Radio Broadland
Radio Broadland
Heart Norwich was an Independent Local Radio station for Norfolk and North Suffolk, including Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, until early 2009...
and served Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and north Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Bury St Edmunds.
History
The station came about when the owners of SGR and Radio Broadland, the East Anglian Radio Group, decided to make better use of the medium wave frequencies. On 24 September 1995, the AM frequencies of these stations became Amber Radio, which was launched to play 60's and 70's music, leaving the FM stations to focus more on current and recent chart hits.Following a take over of the East Anglian Radio Group by GWR, Amber Radio was renamed Classic Gold Amber and it joined their Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
of stations in 1998.
During 1998 GWR began to pressure the Radio Authority to allow them to 'network' Classic Gold for up to 20 hours a day. This meant that all of the stations in the Classic Gold network, as far apart as Classic Gold GEM
Classic Gold GEM
Classic Gold GEM was a United Kingdom radio station, broadcasting to much of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and East Staffordshire from studios in Dunstable, Bedfordshire...
in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
and Classic Gold 1152 in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, would receive the same programmes. GWR's argument was that the use of higher profile presenters would allow listeners a better quality of service. The Radio Authority agreed, and so all the stations began sharing the same programmes which were produced in Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, which was over 100 miles away from the Norwich studios.
At this stage the only programme on Classic Gold Amber which remained local was the Breakfast Show, this was later changed to be Drivetime, to allow Mike Read
Mike Read
Michael David Kenneth Read is an English radio disc jockey, writer, journalist and television presenter.-Early life:...
and later Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis
Dave Lee Travis , also known professionally as DLT and the Hairy Cornflake, is a British radio presenter, best known for his career on BBC Radio 1.-Early life:...
to present a networked breakfast show.
Due to GWR going over the limits of the amount of stations a group can own, the entire group of Classic Gold stations was sold to UBC Media
UBC Media Group
UBC Media Group is an independent supplier of services to the radio industry. It provides content to BBC and commercial stations, as well as private clients...
, although GWR did keep a 20% stake. Then, on August 3, 2007, the stations were rebranded as Gold. This followed the GCap Media
GCap Media
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. On 31 March 2008 the company agreed a takeover by...
purchase of the Classic Gold network, and the merging of the Capital Gold
Capital Gold
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold Network in August 2007...
and Classic Gold stations
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
Branding
Prior to being taken over by GWR, Amber Radio's jingles were made by Thompson CreativeThompson Creative
Thompson Creative is an American radio jingle production company formerly based in Dallas, Texas.-History:In 1986, broadcasters Larry and Susan Thompson set up Thompson Creative with the idea of updating the "traditional" jingle sound...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.