Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
---|---|
Frequency | DAB: 9A London |
Programming | |
Format | Children's Radio |
Ownership | |
Owner | Children's Radio UK Ltd |
History | |
First air date | May 2005 |
Links | |
Webcast | Radioplayer |
Website | www |
Fun Kids is a national children's and pop digital radio station in the United Kingdom with associated websites, YouTube and podcast channels. It has previously been the winner of the Sony and Arqiva Digital Radio Stations of the year. It is operated by Children's Radio UK Ltd. It previously broadcast on DAB Digital Radio across the UK but now is available in selected cities on DAB. It remains nationally available online, through smart speakers and on mobile apps.
Fun Kids (formerly Fun Radio) was created by the now-defunct GCap Media, Hit Entertainment and the children's radio campaigner Susan Stranks. [1] It went on-air in May 2005 and then was acquired in September 2008 by Folder Media. [2]
Fun Radio was initially launched on DAB digital radio in London and some areas of the South East alongside being broadcast on digital television. In January 2008, the line ups of a number of local digital multiplexes changed, with Fun Radio being removed as a service from those outside London.
In the summer of 2009, Fun Kids launched temporarily on the national Digital One multiplex from 27 June until 3 October. [3] Fun Kids was removed from Virgin Media channel 926 on 1 December 2009 and also from Sky channel 0171 on 16 December 2009.
In February 2016 it was announced that the station would start broadcasting nationwide by joining Sound Digital's national DAB digital radio multiplex. [4] It launched, alongside the multiplex's other radio stations on 29 February. [5] On 1 September 2023, the Radio Today website reported that Fun Kids would be leaving the national Sound Digital multiplex after seven years, and instead join a series of local multiplexes. [6]
Fun Kids has been a training ground for many young radio presenters including James Barr, Tim Dixon, James Beckingham, Frankie Vu, Matt Kot, Luke Franks, Anna Louise Claydon and Sean Thorne.
Its current [7] presenter line-up includes: George Butler, Dan Simpson, Bex Lindsay, Conor Knight, Emma-Louise Amanshia and Georgia Kain.
On 22 July 2019, Fun Kids launched Fun Kids Junior, its sister radio station for preschool children and parents. [8] The station plays songs for preschool children to sing and dance to during the day and bedtime stories and lullabies during the evening and overnight. [9]
Fun Kids Junior is currently available on DAB+ Digital Radio in London, South East, Liverpool and Cheshire. It also broadcasts on the Fun Kids website, on the Fun Kids app and on smart speakers, for example, saying "Alexa, play Fun Kids Junior!" turns on the station. [10]
In January 2021, Fun Kids launched eight new stations [11] – Fun Kids Animals, Fun Kids Classics, Fun Kids Classical, Fun Kids Party, Fun Kids Pop Hits, Fun Kids Naps, Fun Kids Silly and Fun Kids Soundtracks. Its classical music station, Fun Kids Classical, has concert pianist Lang Lang as its ambassador. [12]
Gold is a network of oldies radio stations in the United Kingdom, which was formed by the merger of the Capital Gold network and the Classic Gold network in August 2007. The station relaunched in March 2014 as a partly-automated service, broadcasting in fewer areas, after many of Gold's local AM/DAB frequencies were transferred to Smooth Radio. Most programming is broadcast from the Global Radio studios in Leicester Square, London.
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed on 9 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 Global Radio for £375 million. This was completed on 6 June 2008, and the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Radio.
Radio X is a British national commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. The station launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station named Q102, before being renamed Xfm in 1992. The station became a legally licensed London-wide station in 1997, and in 2015 began national broadcasting under the name Radio X.
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. As of March 2010, the multiplex covered more than 90% of the population from 137 transmitters. Coverage was extended to Northern Ireland in July 2013. It contains a list of DAB and DAB+ radio stations operated by Bauer Media Audio UK, Global and News Broadcasting.
Smooth Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip hop music. On 3 September 2019, Chill was rebranded as Smooth Chill to align it with the Smooth Radio brand. It is owned and operated by Global.
Capital Disney was a British digital radio station aimed at 8 to 16 year olds which used to broadcast across the UK on DAB Digital Radio in selected areas. Capital Disney launched on 16 September 2002 as a joint venture between GCap Media PLC and The Walt Disney Company. It was also broadcast on Sky Digital, Tiscali TV, Virgin Media, and streaming online. The station announced on 14 May 2007 that it would close down on 29 June 2007.
Jazz FM is a radio station broadcasting on digital radio in the United Kingdom and Malta which predominantly plays jazz music, jazz standards as well as blues and soul music. The station, in this incarnation set up by Richard Wheatley, traces its roots back to 102.2 Jazz FM, which first launched in 1990. The current station commenced broadcasting on 6 October 2008.
Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of Bauer Media Group owning several brands including Absolute Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Jazz FM, Scala Radio, Hits Radio, KISS, Planet Rock, Magic, Kerrang! Radio and Heat Radio.
Premier Christian Radio is a British Christian radio station, part of Premier, owned by the charity Premier Christian Media Trust.
Planet Rock is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Kiss Network. The station broadcasts classic rock music.
theJazz was a British jazz digital radio station run by GCap Media that started on Christmas Day of 2006 on Digital One, DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media, and the internet.
The Arrow was a British digital radio station playing classic and contemporary rock music. It broadcast on DAB Digital Radio and was also streamed over digital satellite TV and online. The station was operated by Global; prior to Global's formation it was owned by their predecessor Chrysalis Radio.
In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio has been proceeding since engineering test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990 followed by a public launch in September 1995. The UK currently has one of the world's biggest digital radio networks, with about 500 transmitters, three national DAB ensembles, one regional DAB ensemble, 48 local DAB ensembles and an increasing number of small-scale DAB ensembles broadcasting over 250 commercial and 34 BBC radio stations across the UK. In London there are already more than 100 different digital stations available. In addition to DAB and DAB+, radio stations are also broadcast on digital television platform as well as internet radio in the UK. Digital radio ensemble operators and stations need a broadcasting licence from the UK's media regulator Ofcom to broadcast.
Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrysalis Radio, GCap Media and GMG Radio. Global owns and operates seven core radio brands, all employing a national network strategy, including Capital, Heart, Gold, Classic FM, Smooth and LBC.
Nation Broadcasting is a British media company headquartered in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It currently owns and operates twelve Independent Local Radio stations across the United Kingdom.
Capital is a network of twelve independent contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, broadcasting a mix of local and networked programming. Ten of the stations are owned and operated by Global, while the other two are owned and operated under separate franchise agreements.
Sound Digital is a semi-national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva, Bauer Media Group and Wireless Group. The multiplex covers 73% of the population from a total of 45 transmitters.
A timeline of notable events relating to Global Radio, a British media company founded in 2007.
This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.
Scala Radio is a classical music digital radio station in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Radio since its launch in March 2019. The station broadcasts nationally on the DAB Sound Digital multiplex, via Smart speaker, app, and online. The station was the first national classical music service to launch on terrestrial radio in the UK since Classic FM in 1992.
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