The One Network
Encyclopedia
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. Its main regional radio network rival was the Big City Network
, owned by Bauer Group
.
It was announced in September 2008 that most of The One Network would be re-branded 'Heart
', this being completed by June 2009 with seven retaining their name as a new Hit Music Network, and Power FM becoming Galaxy South Coast, as part of the Galaxy Network. The One Network was subsequently folded into the Heart Network
or The Hit Music Network
, both owned by Global, and programming aligned accordingly . In January 2011, the last remaining "heritage" radio stations owned by Global and operating as The Hit Music Network
were merged with The Galaxy Network
and rebranded under the Capital FM name becoming The Capital FM Network
.
Only a handful of the original One Network stations in the English Midlands
, sold to Orion Media
, remain (see below).
The One Network (previously 'The Mix Network') was created by GWR Group in attempt to create a national radio network on minimal cost by simulcast
ing the same programmes across all stations at off-peak times of day. All of GWR's networked stations used the same brand
ing and presentation design, alongside similar slogan
s, initially "today's better music mix", later "today's best mix" and "the best mix of the 80s, 90s and today."
All centrally-produced programming and playlists were broadcast from GWR FM Bristol (later Leicester Square, London at Capital FM's studios), and songs are broadcast simultaneously as neighbouring group stations, albeit with the exception of advertisements and local station identities
/slogans, pre-recorded weather and brief social action or What's On inserts. Many avid listeners were disappointed by GWR's approach to networking programmes and reducing local content, but GWR felt that networking was the way forward and as a result, GWR gained much financial success, mainly due to the group's long held philosophy of heavily researching the average person's listening habits and tastes. Such practices were led by Group chairman Ralph Bernard, who oversaw the creation of the tightly formatted sound where popular Top 40 chart hits and ex-Top 40 songs are blended in with older hits. Despite the changes of schedule and management, the stations continue to be commercial market leader in the areas in which they operate. To increase the listener's perception of each station's local output, GWR came up with 'The Black Thunders', often Mitsubishi 4x4s that travel around local events promoting the station they are allocated to.
The Mix also ran for a short while as a station on its own nationally on Sky Digital
taking the same format as the other stations, but was unsuccessful even though it was promoted on the FM stations.
A similar concept of syndicating programmes across local radio stations had previously been used by the Marcher Radio Group
bouquet of stations, which eventually became part of The One Network. In addition to The One Network's networked programmes from Bristol, the Marcher stations simulcast many of its sub-regional programming throughout its four local licenses.
, all purchased between 1993 and 1998. The stations were roughly based around the format of the company's London based station Capital FM and were linked by sharing the same logo. Stations under the brand were Fox FM (Oxfordshire), Red Dragon FM
(South Wales), Power FM (South coast), Southern FM (Sussex and part of Surrey), Beat 106 (Central Scotland), BRMB
(Birmingham) and Invicta FM (Kent). The stations still used these logos until September 2007 and were closely linked until 2005. Due to falling listening figures Capital FM is no longer part of the network and has been re-branded Capital 95.8. The other stations now fall under the hands of the One Network.
The One Network's logo was initially an amalgamation of the two original logos, utilising the Mix Network's symbol and the Capital FM Network font. In July 2007, a unified look for all the One Network stations was adopted, covering everything from car stickers and on-stage branding to letterheads and screensavers, based on a visual identity of green and pink bubbles. The One Network's logo has now been adapted to become the logo for the new "Hit Music Network"
On Friday and Saturday evenings the network formerly split in some areas, with two shows being sent simultaneously. The local stations could choose which programme they wished to broadcast depending upon their audience. The shows on the spilt networks were:
to broadcast across the network. In 2004, the GWR Group commissioned Thus to design and implement a state of the art upgrade to allow broadcasts across The Mix Network to be delivered using an MPLS
IP VPN meaning that content could not only be delivered from any station in the group to the whole network, but also to individual groups of stations excluding the rest of the network if desired.
Content was delivered around their IP network using a system designed in-house by GWR Group, called BLAST. BLAST can automatically adjust to any problems during broadcast; it would drop an audio stream from stereo to mono to save bandwidth if it realises contention and if a packet is dropped BLAST will stretch the audio stream by 26 milliseconds to fill.
The network shows for all the "More Music Variety" One Network stations were broadcast from GCap Media studios
, Leicester Square, London (now the studio used for Heart network programming).
), weekday networked programmes were identical across all stations. On Saturday evenings, stations either broadcasted 'Hairbrush Divas' or 'Party Anthems' dependent on the target audience. All of the thirty-eight stations used the same generic imaging, with exception of the sung station-names. These were produced by Music4.
and Galaxy Network brands.
Red Dragon and Capital produce all of their own programming, while Mercury, RAM, Ten-17 and Leicester Sound take networked programming from Trent FM's studios when not carrying their own locally split output..
In 2010, Ten-17 and Mercury FM were rebranded Heart as part of the reorganisation of the 33 local Heart stations into a network of 15 larger regional services; as a result the HMN consisted of Capital, Red Dragon and the three stations in the East Midlands; Trent, RAM FM and Leicester Sound. In January 2011, these stations were merged with The Galaxy Network
and rebranded under the Capital FM name becoming The Capital FM Network
.
It was announced in April 2009 that Bauer Radio were interested in the stations, however, in May 2009, the stations were sold to Orion Media, a company backed by Lloyds TSB
Development Capital and Phil Riley
.
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:...
licences operated 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...
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 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. Its main regional radio network rival was the Big City Network
Big City Network
Bauer Place & Bauer Passion are the names given to two radio networks owned and operated by Bauer Radio. Place incorporates 36 local radio stations in Northern & southern England and Scotland while Passion incorporates six national or semi-national music genre stations.The main rival networks are...
, owned by Bauer Group
Bauer Verlagsgruppe
The Bauer Media Group is a large German publishing company based in Hamburg, which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately-owned and under management by the Bauer family. It was formerly called Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, abbreviated to HBV...
.
It was announced in September 2008 that most of The One Network would be re-branded '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...
', this being completed by June 2009 with seven retaining their name as a new Hit Music Network, and Power FM becoming Galaxy South Coast, as part of the Galaxy Network. The One Network was subsequently folded into the Heart Network
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...
or The Hit Music Network
The Hit Music Network
The Hit Music Network was a collection of five Independent Local Radio stations operating in the United Kingdom and owned by Global Radio. Created in September 2008, the stations were formerly owned by GCap Media prior to its takeover by Global and, with the exception of 95.8 Capital FM, were all...
, both owned by Global, and programming aligned accordingly . In January 2011, the last remaining "heritage" radio stations owned by Global and operating as The Hit Music Network
The Hit Music Network
The Hit Music Network was a collection of five Independent Local Radio stations operating in the United Kingdom and owned by Global Radio. Created in September 2008, the stations were formerly owned by GCap Media prior to its takeover by Global and, with the exception of 95.8 Capital FM, were all...
were merged with The Galaxy Network
The Galaxy Network
The Galaxy Network was a radio station brand owned by Global Radio and broadcast across the British Isles on FM in regional areas of England and Scotland, through the digital platform with Sky and DAB and online respectively. The Galaxy Network included stations: Galaxy Birmingham, Galaxy...
and rebranded under the Capital FM name becoming The Capital FM Network
The Capital FM Network
Capital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...
.
Only a handful of the original One Network stations in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, sold to Orion Media
Orion Media
Orion Media is a UK commercial radio group run by radio veteran Phil Riley and backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital. It was created from the enforced sale of several radio stations in the English Midlands owned and operated by Global Radio.-History:...
, remain (see below).
History
The Origin of The One Network stems from the merger of GWR Group's The Mix Network and Capital Radio's Capital FM Network. On 1 August 2007 there was a change to the logo and sound of ex-Capital stations to harmonise with former GWR stations.The One Network (previously 'The Mix Network') was created by GWR Group in attempt to create a national radio network on minimal cost by simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ing the same programmes across all stations at off-peak times of day. All of GWR's networked stations used the same brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
ing and presentation design, alongside similar slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s, initially "today's better music mix", later "today's best mix" and "the best mix of the 80s, 90s and today."
All centrally-produced programming and playlists were broadcast from GWR FM Bristol (later Leicester Square, London at Capital FM's studios), and songs are broadcast simultaneously as neighbouring group stations, albeit with the exception of advertisements and local station identities
Ident
The Ident Protocol, specified in RFC 1413, is an Internet protocol that helps identify the user of a particular TCP connection. One popular daemon program for providing the ident service is identd.-How ident works:...
/slogans, pre-recorded weather and brief social action or What's On inserts. Many avid listeners were disappointed by GWR's approach to networking programmes and reducing local content, but GWR felt that networking was the way forward and as a result, GWR gained much financial success, mainly due to the group's long held philosophy of heavily researching the average person's listening habits and tastes. Such practices were led by Group chairman Ralph Bernard, who oversaw the creation of the tightly formatted sound where popular Top 40 chart hits and ex-Top 40 songs are blended in with older hits. Despite the changes of schedule and management, the stations continue to be commercial market leader in the areas in which they operate. To increase the listener's perception of each station's local output, GWR came up with 'The Black Thunders', often Mitsubishi 4x4s that travel around local events promoting the station they are allocated to.
The Mix also ran for a short while as a station on its own nationally on 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...
taking the same format as the other stations, but was unsuccessful even though it was promoted on the FM stations.
A similar concept of syndicating programmes across local radio stations had previously been used by the Marcher Radio Group
Marcher Radio Group
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...
bouquet of stations, which eventually became part of The One Network. In addition to The One Network's networked programmes from Bristol, the Marcher stations simulcast many of its sub-regional programming throughout its four local licenses.
Capital FM Network
Capital FM Network was the collective brand name of local radio stations owned by Capital RadioCapital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
, all purchased between 1993 and 1998. The stations were roughly based around the format of the company's London based station Capital FM and were linked by sharing the same logo. Stations under the brand were Fox FM (Oxfordshire), Red Dragon FM
Red Dragon FM
Capital South Wales is a British independent local radio station broadcasting from Cardiff Bay . The station serves Cardiff, Newport and the surrounding areas, broadcasting to a potential audience of around 1 million people...
(South Wales), Power FM (South coast), Southern FM (Sussex and part of Surrey), Beat 106 (Central Scotland), BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
(Birmingham) and Invicta FM (Kent). The stations still used these logos until September 2007 and were closely linked until 2005. Due to falling listening figures Capital FM is no longer part of the network and has been re-branded Capital 95.8. The other stations now fall under the hands of the One Network.
The One Network's logo was initially an amalgamation of the two original logos, utilising the Mix Network's symbol and the Capital FM Network font. In July 2007, a unified look for all the One Network stations was adopted, covering everything from car stickers and on-stage branding to letterheads and screensavers, based on a visual identity of green and pink bubbles. The One Network's logo has now been adapted to become the logo for the new "Hit Music Network"
Programmes
Main syndicated programmes across the network included:- The Big Top 40 ShowThe Big Top 40 ShowThe Vodafone Big Top 40 is a chart show broadcast on 140 radio stations in the UK. The chart is based on music download figures provided by iTunes.-Format:...
(Sunday 4pm to 7pm) presented by Richard Clarke and Kat Shoob - now on HeartHeart NetworkHeart 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... - Kevin Hughes (formerly Music ControlMusic ControlMusic Control was a nightly, chart-oriented, network radio show, presented by Kevin Hughes. It was broadcast in the UK from 2001 to 2008 by GCap Media across 'The One Network' to 39 different radio stations....
- Weekdays 7pm to 10pm) presented by Kevin Hughes. The 'Music Control' name was dropped on 30 June 2008. - The Wind Down (2008-2009). Love songs & dedications presented by Northants 96 presenter Cat James. Occupying the 10pm to 1am slot that "Late Night Love" used.
- Pat SharpPat SharpPat Sharp is a British radio and television presenter and disc jockey. In the UK, he is known mainly for his work on the children's television programme Fun House, his former mullet and his radio shows as well as his support of Arsenal...
(2008-2009)- Saturdays 12.00pm to 3.00pm. (Replaced The Jeremy KyleJeremy KyleJeremy Kyle is an English radio and television presenter, best known for his British daytime television chat show on ITV, The Jeremy Kyle Show. Kyle is also the host of an American talk show of the same name that premiered on 19 September 2011.-Radio career:From 1986 to 1995, Kyle worked as a...
Show) - Music On Demand (every night 1am to 6am Sun-Fri, 1am to 7am Sat) presented by Dan Wood or Andy Henly
- Philippa CollinsPhilippa CollinsPhilippa Collins is a British DJ and voice-over artist-History:Philippa's first full-time presenting job was in 2002, where she hosted evenings at 96.4 The Eagle. Less than a year later, she moved to 97.6 Chiltern FM in Dunstable to present mid mornings...
(2008-2009) - network presenter for the majority of One Network stations at 10.00am to 1pm. - Club Classics (Friday and Saturday 7pm to 12am) presented by Gaz Wesley
- Sunday Night with Jason DonovanJason DonovanJason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
(Sunday 7pm to 10pm) presented by Jason DonovanJason DonovanJason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
- now on HeartHeart NetworkHeart 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... - The Entertainment Edge (2007-2008) presented by Ryan SeacrestRyan SeacrestRyan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
. - Late Night Love (1995-2008) a phone-in show presented by Graham TorringtonGraham TorringtonGraham Torrington is a British radio presenter and broadcaster.-BBC Radio:Torrington hosted the mid-morning talk-based radio programme on BBC Radio Bristol from 2009 to 2011.In May 2010 Graham Torrington's Late Night Relationship Show, which is a new take on the previous "Late Night Love"...
. - The Jeremy KyleJeremy KyleJeremy Kyle is an English radio and television presenter, best known for his British daytime television chat show on ITV, The Jeremy Kyle Show. Kyle is also the host of an American talk show of the same name that premiered on 19 September 2011.-Radio career:From 1986 to 1995, Kyle worked as a...
Show (2007-2008)
On Friday and Saturday evenings the network formerly split in some areas, with two shows being sent simultaneously. The local stations could choose which programme they wished to broadcast depending upon their audience. The shows on the spilt networks were:
- Non-Stop Party (Friday 10pm to 1am) presented by Toni Phillips
- School Daze (Friday 10pm to 1am) presented by Trevor Marshal
- Hairbrush Divas (Saturday 7pm to 10pm) presented by Sally Bailey
- Party Friday/Saturday (Friday and Saturday evenings) presented by Howard Ritchie
Slogans
- 1994 A mix of the 70s, 80s and the best of today
- 1995 Station name - A better music mix - from the 70s, 80s and today
- 1997 Today's better music mix
- 2001 Station name - "Today's best mix"
- 2004 "Today's best mix, today's best variety" - "More music, less talk" - "The best mix of the 80s, 90s and today"
- 2007 On-air "Today's best mix" and "Haven't you heard?" The additional tagline of "Haven't you heard?", used on website and advertising only - not used on air, appears to have disappeared from the individual station's websites as of March 2008.
- 2008 "TSA's Hit Music Station" - As of 2009 stations within the Hit Music Network have adopted this slogan.
- 2008 "More Music Variety" - A majority of One Network stations adopted this slogan in June 2008 and it has now been adapted for the wider Heart network, along with "this is Heart" ("London's Heart" in the capital).
Content delivery
On the previous Mix Network, stations were traditionally supplied syndicated content using a dedicated satellite network, which proved costly and relatively inflexible. Network show presenters would have to travel to the GWR Group head office in Passage Street, BristolBristol
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...
to broadcast across the network. In 2004, the GWR Group commissioned Thus to design and implement a state of the art upgrade to allow broadcasts across The Mix Network to be delivered using an MPLS
Mpls
MPLS or Mpls can refer to:* Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States* Multiprotocol Label Switching, a data-carrying mechanism in computer networking...
IP VPN meaning that content could not only be delivered from any station in the group to the whole network, but also to individual groups of stations excluding the rest of the network if desired.
Content was delivered around their IP network using a system designed in-house by GWR Group, called BLAST. BLAST can automatically adjust to any problems during broadcast; it would drop an audio stream from stereo to mono to save bandwidth if it realises contention and if a packet is dropped BLAST will stretch the audio stream by 26 milliseconds to fill.
The network shows for all the "More Music Variety" One Network stations were broadcast from GCap Media studios
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...
, Leicester Square, London (now the studio used for Heart network programming).
Stations
The One Network consisted of thirty eight regional contractors, previously owned by GWR and Capital Radio, and prior to that, mostly independent. All of the stations in the network broadcast the same programming in off-peak times, with most local programming allotted in daytime hours. On air, there was no reference to a national network (except during some competitions); just plainly the regional name. Besides advertisements, slogans, and ten second pre-recorded weather and What's On/social action inserts (to satisfy the demands of regulator OfcomOfcom
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...
), weekday networked programmes were identical across all stations. On Saturday evenings, stations either broadcasted 'Hairbrush Divas' or 'Party Anthems' dependent on the target audience. All of the thirty-eight stations used the same generic imaging, with exception of the sung station-names. These were produced by Music4.
Former GWR Group stations
|
Heart Cheshire and North East Wales Heart Cheshire and North East Wales was an independent radio station broadcasting to north east Wales and north west England from its Mold Road studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, also shared with Gold and Heart Wirral.The station was owned by Global Radio who purchased the previous owner, GCap Media,... Heart Sussex and Surrey Heart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally... Wyvern FM Wyvern is a radio station broadcasting to Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. Wyvern is predominantly music-based, playing pop from the 1980s through to the present day... (sold to Orion Media and now operating as just 'Wyvern') |
Former Capital Group stations
|
Heart Sussex and Surrey Heart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally... |
Rebranded stations
Following Global Radio's takeover of GCap, it was announced that One Network stations will be integrated into Global's Heart NetworkHeart 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...
and Galaxy Network brands.
| Date of rebrand | Old name | New name |
|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2008 | Power FM | Galaxy South Coast |
| January 5, 2009 | Chiltern FM | Heart Dunstable Heart Dunstable Heart Dunstable was an Independent Local Radio station based in Chiltern Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.-History:... |
| Horizon Radio | Heart Milton Keynes | |
| Hereward FM | Heart Peterborough | |
| Northants 96 | Heart Northants | |
| Q103 | Heart Cambridge | |
| Radio Broadland | Heart Norwich | |
| SGR Colchester | Heart Colchester | |
| SGR-FM | Heart Ipswich | |
| March 23, 2009 | 2-Ten FM | Heart Berkshire |
| Fox FM | Heart Oxfordshire | |
| GWR Bath | Heart Bath | |
| GWR Bristol | Heart Bristol | |
| GWR Wiltshire | Heart Wiltshire | |
| Gemini FM | Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay were part of the Heart Network of commercial local radio stations operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. The stations were launched on 23 March 2009, and replaced Gemini FM, which was the previous commercial radio station for the Exeter and Torbay areas in... |
|
| Lantern FM | Heart North Devon | |
| Orchard FM | Heart Somerset | |
| Plymouth Sound | Heart Plymouth | |
| Severn Sound | Heart Gloucestershire | |
| South Hams Radio | Heart South Devon | |
| June 22, 2009 | 2CR FM | Heart Dorset & New Forest Heart Dorset & New Forest Heart Dorset was a British Independent Local Radio station, broadcast from studios at a former carpet shop on Southcote Road in Bournemouth. Its original name was derived from the fact that its broadcast area included parts of the counties of Dorset and Hampshire... |
| Champion | Heart Cymru | |
| Coast | Heart North Wales Coast | |
| Essex FM | Heart Essex | |
| Invicta FM | Heart Kent | |
| Marcher Sound | Heart Cheshire and North East Wales Heart Cheshire and North East Wales Heart Cheshire and North East Wales was an independent radio station broadcasting to north east Wales and north west England from its Mold Road studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, also shared with Gold and Heart Wirral.The station was owned by Global Radio who purchased the previous owner, GCap Media,... |
|
| Ocean FM | Heart Hampshire | |
| Southern FM | Heart Sussex | |
| Wirral's Buzz | Heart Wirral | |
Hit Music Network
The only One Network stations to survive the Heart/Galaxy re-brand were[Mercury FM, Red Dragon FM, RAM FM, Ten 17, Trent FM and Leicester Sound, which joined Capital 95.8 to become the Hit Music network. This is because all these stations apart from Red Dragon serve areas where Heart is already available on FM or are in a major urban area.Red Dragon and Capital produce all of their own programming, while Mercury, RAM, Ten-17 and Leicester Sound take networked programming from Trent FM's studios when not carrying their own locally split output..
In 2010, Ten-17 and Mercury FM were rebranded Heart as part of the reorganisation of the 33 local Heart stations into a network of 15 larger regional services; as a result the HMN consisted of Capital, Red Dragon and the three stations in the East Midlands; Trent, RAM FM and Leicester Sound. In January 2011, these stations were merged with The Galaxy Network
The Galaxy Network
The Galaxy Network was a radio station brand owned by Global Radio and broadcast across the British Isles on FM in regional areas of England and Scotland, through the digital platform with Sky and DAB and online respectively. The Galaxy Network included stations: Galaxy Birmingham, Galaxy...
and rebranded under the Capital FM name becoming The Capital FM Network
The Capital FM Network
Capital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...
.
Sold stations
The West Midlands stations BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Wyvern, which also serve an area where Heart is already available, were sold because Global already owns Heart and Galaxy in this region. However, it has also been said that these stations would be sold because the newly merged company (Global and GCap) would have too much control in the West Midlands area.It was announced in April 2009 that Bauer Radio were interested in the stations, however, in May 2009, the stations were sold to Orion Media, a company backed by Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
Development Capital and Phil Riley
Phil Riley
Phil Riley was Chief Executive of Chrysalis Radio from June 1999 to July 2007, having played a major role in establishing Chrysalis Radio as one of the leading new entrants in the UK radio industry. Phil resigned his post after leading the successful sale of Chrysalis Radio to private company...
.
See also
- The Hit Music NetworkThe Hit Music NetworkThe Hit Music Network was a collection of five Independent Local Radio stations operating in the United Kingdom and owned by Global Radio. Created in September 2008, the stations were formerly owned by GCap Media prior to its takeover by Global and, with the exception of 95.8 Capital FM, were all...
- Global RadioGlobal RadioGlobal 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...
- Heart NetworkHeart NetworkHeart 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...
- Galaxy Network
- The Capital FM NetworkThe Capital FM NetworkCapital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...