Liberty Radio
Encyclopedia
Liberty Radio is a UK radio broadcaster and company based in London
, England that, , broadcasts on satellite and the Internet
, but not terrestrial radio or DAB
. The company started as Viva 963, broadcasting on terrestrial radio, predominantly for women, and was later renamed. It lost its terrestrial broadcasting licence in 2002 after being acquired by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
(UCKG); the broadcasting slot was taken over by Buzz Asia, with different content.
consultant Lynne Franks
. It broadcast on 963 kHz on medium wave from a transmitter at Lea Bridge Road, Leyton
. A second transmitter, broadcasting on 972 kHz, was later added at Glade Lane, Southall
, Middlesex
.
In May 1996 the station was sold to Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods
and chairman of Fulham Football Club, who renamed the station Liberty Radio. For a time it broadcast commentaries of Fulham FC's home and away football games.
, but did broadcast programmes linked to their UCKG Help Centres in the evenings. In February 2001 Ofcom
issued a "Yellow Card
" to Liberty Radio over religious content and giving undue prominence to its owners, the UCKG, breaching two rules of the Advertising and Sponsorship Code. Changes were made as a result.
At the time there were rules preventing stations owned by religious organisations from owning digital radio licences in the UK. Therefore Liberty could not move onto DAB, and did not get an automatic license renewal. Their broadcasting licence was readvertised, and was awarded on 12 November 2002 to Club Asia, who took over 963 and 972 MW at midnight on 3 July 2003. Club Asia went into administration in August 2009 and was taken over by Sunrise Radio Group
, itself owned by Litt Corporation, who branded it "Buzz Asia
".
, r'n'b, easy listening
and Christian music
, and a variety of talk shows on the Internet, Sky Digital
and the Eurobird
satellite. In addition to more general music and talk, the Liberty Radio website lists prayer and religious programmes, the VYG connection (the VYG is the Victory Youth Group, the "youth ministry of the UCKG HelpCentre"), Christian hits and gospel songs. The website carries links to various UCKG websites at the bottom of all pages.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England that, , broadcasts on satellite and the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, but not terrestrial radio or DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
. The company started as Viva 963, broadcasting on terrestrial radio, predominantly for women, and was later renamed. It lost its terrestrial broadcasting licence in 2002 after being acquired by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is a Pentecostal Christian organisation established in Brazil on July 9, 1977, with a presence in many countries...
(UCKG); the broadcasting slot was taken over by Buzz Asia, with different content.
History
The station started on 3 July 1995 as Viva 963, a service of talk and pop aimed at women devised by public relationsPublic relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
consultant Lynne Franks
Lynne Franks
Lynne Franks founded one of the UK’s best-known public relations consultancies in the early 1970s and is currently an advocate, communications strategist, writer and spokeswoman on women’s issues, sustainability and consumer lifestyles....
. It broadcast on 963 kHz on medium wave from a transmitter at Lea Bridge Road, Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
. A second transmitter, broadcasting on 972 kHz, was later added at Glade Lane, Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
.
In May 1996 the station was sold to Mohammed Al Fayed, owner of Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
and chairman of Fulham Football Club, who renamed the station Liberty Radio. For a time it broadcast commentaries of Fulham FC's home and away football games.
The broadcasting slot
In 2000 Al Fayed sold the station to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG); UCKG were not allowed to change the format to religious programmingReligious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
, but did broadcast programmes linked to their UCKG Help Centres in the evenings. In February 2001 Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
issued a "Yellow Card
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
" to Liberty Radio over religious content and giving undue prominence to its owners, the UCKG, breaching two rules of the Advertising and Sponsorship Code. Changes were made as a result.
At the time there were rules preventing stations owned by religious organisations from owning digital radio licences in the UK. Therefore Liberty could not move onto DAB, and did not get an automatic license renewal. Their broadcasting licence was readvertised, and was awarded on 12 November 2002 to Club Asia, who took over 963 and 972 MW at midnight on 3 July 2003. Club Asia went into administration in August 2009 and was taken over by Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group
Sunrise Radio Group Limited is a UK radio broadcaster. The group is owned by the Litt Corporation , and runs Sunrise Radio, Yarr Radio, Kismat Radio and Punjabi Radio...
, itself owned by Litt Corporation, who branded it "Buzz Asia
Buzz Asia
Buzz Asia is a rhythmic contemporary Asian music radio service, broadcasting to London on 963 and 972 medium wave. It is the fourth station to occupy that position, following Viva, Liberty Radio and Club Asia.-History:See also: Liberty Radio...
".
Under UCKG
Since the loss of the terrestrial broadcasting licence Liberty Radio has been broadcasting a mixture of popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, r'n'b, easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
, and a variety of talk shows on the Internet, Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
and the Eurobird
Eurobird
Eurobird is the name for a set of satellites owned by Eutelsat. The Eurobird satellites provide broadcasting and telecommunication services primarily to the Western and Central European region from orbital positions of 28.5, 25.5 and 33 degrees East....
satellite. In addition to more general music and talk, the Liberty Radio website lists prayer and religious programmes, the VYG connection (the VYG is the Victory Youth Group, the "youth ministry of the UCKG HelpCentre"), Christian hits and gospel songs. The website carries links to various UCKG websites at the bottom of all pages.
Pre-UCKG presenters
- Adrian AllenAdrian AllenAdrian Allen is a radio presenter, who is well-known for his previous work at talk based radio station LBC 97.3. He was born in Sunderland on 27 January 1962 in the North-East region of England and has broadcast on various stations in Great Britain, including LBC, Century 106 and Real...
- Toby AnstisToby AnstisToby Anstis is a radio presenter on Global Radio's Heart Network of stations. He presents his morning show weekdays from 10.00am - 1.00pm across the Heart branded network....
- Nicholas PandolfiNicholas PandolfiNicholas Pandolfi, also known as Nick Pandolfi, is an English actor, voice artist & radio presenter, who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation and Global Radio . He was named BBC Local Radio "Presenter of the Year" at the 2004 Frank Gillard Awards and won the bronze in the category...
(actor) - Zoe BallZoë BallZoë Louise Ball is an English television and radio personality, most famous for becoming the first female host of the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show and for her earlier work presenting the 1990s children's show, Live & Kicking.-TV career:The daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his...
- Simon BatesSimon BatesSimon Bates is a UK disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular presenter on Classic FM...
- Sean Bolger
- Dave CashDave CashDave Cash may refer to:* Dave Cash * Dave Cash * Dave Cash , Yiddish comedian- See also :* David Cash, birth name of American wrestler performing as "Kid Kash"...
- Nino FirettoNino FirettoNino Firetto is a radio presenter, TV host and actor, currently based in Exeter, England.-Biography:Nino Firetto shot to fame first as a DJ in the 1970s, then as a television personality in the 1980s...
- David Hamilton
- Charlie JordanCharlie Jordan (DJ)Charlie Jordan is a British radio presenter, who has presented on stations such as BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BRMB and LBC. She made her radio debut on Buzz FM in 1990....
- Diana LukeDiana LukeDiana Luke is a Canadian-born radio presenter and hynotherapist who grew up in Toronto, Ontario and works in the UK.-Radio:Luke has worked for many radio stations across the country. Her radio career started on Viking Radio in Kingston-upon-Hull in 1987, where she was their first female presenter....
- Carol McGiffinCarol McGiffinCarol Deirdre McGiffin is an English broadcaster of radio and television, best known for her regular appearances on daytime talk show Loose Women. She married Chris Evans in 1991; the couple separated in 1994 and divorced in 1998....
- Richard SkinnerRichard Skinner (broadcaster)Richard Skinner is a British radio and television broadcaster.He is the only presenter to have fronted the three BBC 'flagship' pop music programmes Whistle Test, Top of the Pops and Top 40 show. -Early career:...
Current presenters
- Richard Andersone (Breakfast Show) from 2003
- Sumaya Anwar (Breakfast Show)
- Deenie – Love Songs Presenter