Supergold
Encyclopedia
Supergold was a oldies radio sustaining service operated by Chiltern Radio Group in the United Kingdom
.
It was broadcast from Studio 1 at the Studio HQ in Dunstable
, Bedfordshire
and was first heard on Chiltern Radio
's 792 kHz AM, 828 kHz AM transmitters and Northants Radio's 1557 kHz AM transmitter.
Later, Chiltern acquired Gloucestershire
's Severn Sound
in 1989 and this led to the rebranding of their 774 kHz AM service as Severn Sound Supergold in 1992.
Elsewhere, Coast AM, Invicta FM's medium wave AOR/soft rock station, was renamed Coast Classics and began playing more 'oldies'. By 1990 it became a fully fledged 'Golden Oldies' station and in 1991 it started taking the SuperGold service on its 1242 kHz and 603 kHz AM frequencies. As a result, the station was renamed Invicta Supergold. However, just before this change took place, and for most of Summer 1991, presenters referred to the station Coast Classics Invicta Supergold on air, to allow listeners to get used to the change. It achieved a 17% reach in a JICRAR survey; some say much to the disgust of its Southern Radio Group
bosses who, it has been said, preferred their AM stations to hover around the 9% mark!
Radio Maldwyn
in Mid Wales
, western Shropshire
, north western Herefordshire
also took Supergold as a sustaining service overnight.
. The takeover also enabled GWR to base Classic Gold at Chiltern's HQ in Dunstable, where Chiltern's own Supergold service had previously been based.
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...
.
History
The Supergold service was launched at 10am on Sunday 24 June 1990, following requests from the Radio Authority for radio stations to split frequencies into separate AM and FM services or lose them. The first presenters heard were Tony Lloyd and Colin Wiltshire.It was broadcast from Studio 1 at the Studio HQ 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...
, 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....
and was first heard on Chiltern Radio
Chiltern Radio
Heart Dunstable was an Independent Local Radio station based in Chiltern Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.-History:...
's 792 kHz AM, 828 kHz AM transmitters and Northants Radio's 1557 kHz AM transmitter.
Later, Chiltern acquired Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
's Severn Sound
Severn Sound
Heart Gloucestershire is an Independent Local Radio station that broadcasts to Gloucestershire, England. The station now has just two programmes a day broadcasting live from Gloucestershire with the majority of its output being the same as most other stations in the Heart network, owned by Global...
in 1989 and this led to the rebranding of their 774 kHz AM service as Severn Sound Supergold in 1992.
Elsewhere, Coast AM, Invicta FM's medium wave AOR/soft rock station, was renamed Coast Classics and began playing more 'oldies'. By 1990 it became a fully fledged 'Golden Oldies' station and in 1991 it started taking the SuperGold service on its 1242 kHz and 603 kHz AM frequencies. As a result, the station was renamed Invicta Supergold. However, just before this change took place, and for most of Summer 1991, presenters referred to the station Coast Classics Invicta Supergold on air, to allow listeners to get used to the change. It achieved a 17% reach in a JICRAR survey; some say much to the disgust of its Southern Radio Group
Southern Radio Group
The Southern Radio Group was a company which owned and operated radio stations on the south coast of England.-History:Southern Radio group was formed when Ocean Sound merged with Southern FM...
bosses who, it has been said, preferred their AM stations to hover around the 9% mark!
Radio Maldwyn
Radio Maldwyn
Radio Maldwyn - The Magic 756 was a local commercial radio station serving Mid Wales and the English border counties. Their transmitter site is currently based a few miles outside of Newtown, Powys.-History:...
in Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
, western Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, north western Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
also took Supergold as a sustaining service overnight.
Programmes
The original weekday presenters included Colin Wilsher for breakfast, Bill Overton with an hour's phone-in at 10.00am, Dave Foster till 3.00 p.m., and Tony Lloyd at Drive, until 7.00 p.m. Sunday programming included Paul Burrell and the Elvis Hour with Willie Morgan who later went on to host the 'Sunday Will Never Be The Same' in early 1991.Closure
The Supergold network closed on Sunday 1 September 1996 following the takeover of Chiltern Radio in 1995 by the GWR group. In place of Supergold, listeners would now receive Classic GoldClassic 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:...
. The takeover also enabled GWR to base Classic Gold at Chiltern's HQ in Dunstable, where Chiltern's own Supergold service had previously been based.