Marcher Radio Group
Encyclopedia
Marcher Radio Group Ltd, previously Marcher Sound Ltd, was a former British
media organisation which operated several radio stations in north Wales
and north west England
. The company, now owned by Global Radio
(but legally still existent), founded the independent local radio
stations Marcher Sound, Coast 96.3
, Buzz 97.1
, Champion FM 103
and Wrexham and Chester Gold
, part of the Gold Network.
licence to broadcast Marcher Sound to Wrexham
, Deeside
and Chester
on 95.4 MHz FM
/VHF (from the Wrexham-Rhos Relay
) and 1260 kHz AM
/Mediumwave
. The station launched on 5 September 1983. After a review, the frequency changed to the more familiar 103.4 MHz.
In 1989 the station opened an FM relay to cover the coastal areas of north east Wales
and The Wirral
on 97.1 MHz from the Moel-y-Parc transmitting station.
Due to IBA
rulings, the company ceased simulcasting and started broadcasting different services on each frequency. The newer 103.4 FM frequency became MFM 103.4, the 97.1 FM frequency became MFM 97.1, and the 1260 AM frequency became Marcher Gold
.
In 1993, the company acquired the rights to broadcast to the north Wales coast on 96.3FM, including Llandudno
, Holywell
and eastern Anglesey
, and named the service Marcher Coast FM
.
In 1998, Marcher launched Champion 103 broadcasting to Anglesey and Gwynedd
from the Arfon transmitting station
.
In 1999, MFM 97.1 was re-branded Buzz 97.1
, and it moved from Moel-y-Parc to the Storeton transmitter, to specifically target listeners in The Wirral
. At the same time, Marcher Coast FM was re-branded "Coast 96.3".
Recent re-brands have seen Buzz 97.1 become branded as "Wirral's Buzz", Champion FM 103 becoming simply "Champion", Coast 96.3 again becoming simply "Coast" and MFM 103.4 becoming Marcher Sound. In August 2007, 18 stations of the former Classic Gold Digital Network
including Classic Gold Marcher were sold back to GCap Media, merging it with its own Capital Gold
network. At this point Classic Gold Marcher was re-branded to simply "Wrexham and Chester Gold".
, which was later secured by Dune FM
. In 2005, GWR Group and Capital Radio merged to form GCap Media
.
Upon purchase, Marcher's four FM
licences became part of The One Network
, a nationwide network of independent local radio stations operated by GCap Media which syndicated much of its programming from GWR FM
, Bristol
. The practice of programme simulcasting has been extensively used by Marcher in the past across its FM stations, and still continues this to an extent in its local programming opt-outs.
In 2005 GCap announced it was to sell many of its radio businesses, including those of Marcher Radio Group. However, in March 2006 the company called off the sale .
Following acquisition by Global Radio
, the Marcher Radio stations broadcasting on FM were rebranded as Heart
in June 2009. In 2010 three of the stations were merged into a new station, Heart North West and Wales
.
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...
media organisation which operated several radio stations in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and north west England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The company, now owned by Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
(but legally still existent), founded the independent local radio
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
stations Marcher Sound, Coast 96.3
Coast 96.3
Heart North Wales Coast was an independent local radio station broadcast along the North Wales coast, and owned & operated by Global Radio....
, Buzz 97.1
Buzz 97.1
Heart Wirral was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the Wirral Peninsula, sharing its facilities with Heart Wrexham and Gold, in Gwersyllt, Wrexham.-History:...
, Champion FM 103
Champion FM 103
Heart Cymru is an independent local radio station broadcasting to Gwynedd and Anglesey from the Arfon transmitting station...
and Wrexham and Chester Gold
Wrexham and Chester Gold
Gold North Wales and Cheshire is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Wrexham, Chester, Flintshire and some of the Wirral, and is part of the Gold radio network. It is the "sister" station to local FM station, Marcher Sound, launched by Marcher Radio Group in 1989...
, part of the Gold Network.
History
The company was established in 1983 after successfully acquiring a local radioIndependent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
licence to broadcast Marcher Sound to Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, Deeside
Deeside
For Strathdee in Scotland see River Dee, AberdeenshireDeeside is the name given to the predominantly industrial conurbation of towns and villages that lie on, or near the River Dee in Chester. These include, Connah's Quay, Mancot, Pentre, Shotton, Queensferry, Sealand, Broughton, Hawarden,...
and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
on 95.4 MHz FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
/VHF (from the Wrexham-Rhos Relay
Wrexham-Rhos Relay
The Wrexham-Rhos transmitting station is a digital television relay of Moel-y-Parc. Despite its name, the station is situated in Moss Village and serves Wrexham and its surrounding villages...
) and 1260 kHz AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
/Mediumwave
Mediumwave
Medium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
. The station launched on 5 September 1983. After a review, the frequency changed to the more familiar 103.4 MHz.
In 1989 the station opened an FM relay to cover the coastal areas of north east Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and The Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
on 97.1 MHz from the Moel-y-Parc transmitting station.
Due to IBA
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
rulings, the company ceased simulcasting and started broadcasting different services on each frequency. The newer 103.4 FM frequency became MFM 103.4, the 97.1 FM frequency became MFM 97.1, and the 1260 AM frequency became Marcher Gold
Wrexham and Chester Gold
Gold North Wales and Cheshire is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Wrexham, Chester, Flintshire and some of the Wirral, and is part of the Gold radio network. It is the "sister" station to local FM station, Marcher Sound, launched by Marcher Radio Group in 1989...
.
In 1993, the company acquired the rights to broadcast to the north Wales coast on 96.3FM, including Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, Holywell
Holywell
Holywell is the fifth largest town in Flintshire, North Wales, lying to the west of the estuary of the River Dee.-History:The market town of Holywell takes its name from the St Winefride's Well, a holy well surrounded by a chapel...
and eastern Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, and named the service Marcher Coast FM
Coast 96.3
Heart North Wales Coast was an independent local radio station broadcast along the North Wales coast, and owned & operated by Global Radio....
.
In 1998, Marcher launched Champion 103 broadcasting to Anglesey and Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
from the Arfon transmitting station
Arfon transmitting station
The Arfon transmitting station is a facility for FM radio and television transmission at Nasareth, Caernarfon, Gwynedd in northwestern Wales . It includes a guyed mast with antennas attached at various heights. The mast is surmounted by a television transmitting antenna, which brings the total...
.
In 1999, MFM 97.1 was re-branded Buzz 97.1
Buzz 97.1
Heart Wirral was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the Wirral Peninsula, sharing its facilities with Heart Wrexham and Gold, in Gwersyllt, Wrexham.-History:...
, and it moved from Moel-y-Parc to the Storeton transmitter, to specifically target listeners in The Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
. At the same time, Marcher Coast FM was re-branded "Coast 96.3".
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:...
including Classic Gold Marcher were sold back to GCap Media, merging it with its own 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...
network. At this point Classic Gold Marcher was re-branded to simply "Wrexham and Chester Gold".
Takeover
In 2000, the company was purchased by GWR Group, which included all of its radio assets. This followed an attempt to expand the Group further, including bidding for another licence on MerseysideMerseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, which was later secured by Dune FM
Dune FM
Dune 107.9 is a radio channel which broadcasts from Southport, covering the town and the surrounding borough of Sefton as well as a large part of neighbouring West Lancashire.- Origins :...
. In 2005, GWR Group and Capital Radio merged to form 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...
.
Upon purchase, Marcher's four FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
licences became part of The One Network
The One Network
The One Network was the collective name for thirty-eight regional Independent Local Radio licences operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. It was formed from the combination of GWR Group's The Mix Network and Capital Radio Group's The Capital Radio Network when the companies merged in 2005...
, a nationwide network of independent local radio stations operated by GCap Media which syndicated much of its programming from GWR FM
GWR FM
GWR FM was a network of three radio stations in the south west of England. All three stations were rebranded and joined the Heart Network on 23 March 2009.*GWR FM Bristol - now Heart Bristol - was launched in 1981 as Radio West, it relaunched as GWR in 1985....
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The practice of programme simulcasting has been extensively used by Marcher in the past across its FM stations, and still continues this to an extent in its local programming opt-outs.
In 2005 GCap announced it was to sell many of its radio businesses, including those of Marcher Radio Group. However, in March 2006 the company called off the sale .
Following acquisition by Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
, the Marcher Radio stations broadcasting on FM were rebranded as Heart
Heart Network
Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
in June 2009. In 2010 three of the stations were merged into a new station, Heart North West and Wales
Heart North West and Wales
Heart North West and Wales is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Cheshire and North East Wales , Heart Wirral and Heart North Wales Coast...
.
See also
- Buzz 97.1 - became Heart Wirral, now merged into Heart North West and WalesHeart North West and WalesHeart North West and Wales is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Cheshire and North East Wales , Heart Wirral and Heart North Wales Coast...
- Champion 103 - now Heart Cymru
- Marcher Sound - became Heart Wrexham, now merged into Heart North West and WalesHeart North West and WalesHeart North West and Wales is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Cheshire and North East Wales , Heart Wirral and Heart North Wales Coast...
- Coast 96.3 - became Heart North Wales Coast, now merged into Heart North West and WalesHeart North West and WalesHeart North West and Wales is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Cheshire and North East Wales , Heart Wirral and Heart North Wales Coast...