Heart Digital

Last updated

Heart Digital was a digital radio network of stations that broadcast on DAB Digital Radio in the North East of England (on the MXR North East multiplex), the North West of England (MXR North West), Yorkshire (MXR Yorkshire), South Wales and the West of England (MXR Severn Estuary) and in Central Scotland (Switch Scotland), as part of the Heart network.

Contents

Heart Digital is now closed; listeners now hear Heart London or a local Heart service instead. Global also used this same approach with their Galaxy branded stations, where Galaxy Yorkshire replaced Galaxy Digital.

Background

The stations were in the Hot AC format, although some suggested that they broadcast strong Adult contemporary music. The station's breakfast show was a delayed simulcast of Heart 106.2's breakfast show with Jamie Theakston and Harriet Scott. Other presenters included Paul Hollins and Steve Denyer. The station's Programme Manager was Carol Cheetham.

Saturday nights from 6 pm to 2 am had a show called "Club Classics", which featured uninterrupted disco music. After the move to simulcast more with Heart London, the shows became presenter-led.

Most of the MXR multiplex services ceased in 2013 (Yorkshire's continued to 2015). In 2014 regional Real Radio services in south Wales, central Scotland, Yorkshire, the North West and the North East - all areas into which Heart Digital had once broadcast - were relaunched as Heart stations on FM and DAB, carrying localised programming, news and advertising alongside Heart network content.

Heart continues to broadcast a digital service, which relays all the output of Heart London, into areas where Heart is not currently represented on FM (including the East Midlands) and nationally via digital TV platforms.

Chrysalis Radio Sold

On 25 June 2007 it was announced that Heart along with its sister stations The Arrow, LBC and Galaxy were to be sold for £170 million to Global Radio from Chrysalis Radio. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LBC</span> Radio station in London

LBC is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadcast on Monday 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hits Radio</span> UK contemporary radio network

Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold (British radio network)</span> United Kingdom oldies radio network

Gold Radio 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hits Radio East Midlands</span> Radio station in Nottingham

Hits Radio East Midlands is an Independent Local Radio station based in Nottingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart West Midlands</span> English regional radio station

Heart West Midlands is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to the West Midlands from studios in Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart London</span> Radio station in London

Heart London is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format. Across London and its neighbouring counties, it can be heard on 106.2 MHz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart (radio network)</span> British radio network

Heart is a network of thirteen independent adult contemporary 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 three are owned and operated under separate franchise agreements. The national version of the network is widely available on Global Player, Freeview, Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media and Digital One DAB.

Galaxy Digital was a radio station broadcasting through the digital platform across the United Kingdom and was owned by Global Radio. It primarily broadcast in areas where Galaxy was not represented on FM, such as London, Leicester, Nottingham, and Derbyshire. It also formerly broadcast in Central Scotland, until the relaunch of Xfm Scotland as Galaxy Scotland, at which point Galaxy Digital on DAB was replaced with a relay of Xfm London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Arrow (radio station)</span> British radio station

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smooth Scotland</span> Radio station in Glasgow, and Edinburgh

Smooth Scotland is a Scottish Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Smooth network. The station replaced Saga 105.2 FM in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Media & Entertainment</span> British media company

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Radio XS (Digital)</span> Radio station

Real Radio XS was a classic rock independent local radio service broadcast on DAB in various parts of the United Kingdom. It was formerly part of the Rock Radio group of stations owned by GMG Radio, and whilst initially a separate station, latterly carried programming sourced from 106.1 Real Radio XS in Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Yorkshire</span> Radio station in Leeds, England

Capital Yorkshire is a regional radio station owned by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire from studios in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galaxy (radio network)</span> Radio station

Galaxy was a radio network 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. Stations included stations: Galaxy Birmingham, Galaxy Manchester, Galaxy North East, Galaxy Scotland, Galaxy South Coast and Galaxy Yorkshire. Programming was networked throughout the stations from Leeds – excluding weekday breakfast/drivetime and weekend mornings. On Monday 28 April 2008, Galaxy was rebranded as a mainstream station by Creative Spark, with a brand new layout including a fresh logo and a completely new show schedule.

Real Radio Digital was a DAB Digital Radio station operated by GMG Radio as part of their Real Radio network of stations. The station was designed to provide service over digital services in areas where Real was not available in a local form.

Capital North West and Wales is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula & North Wales. The station broadcasts from its studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham, the former headquarters of Marcher Radio Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital (radio network)</span> British radio network

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiss 101</span> Former radio station in Bristol, England

Kiss 101 was a radio station in Bristol, England that broadcast to South Wales and the West of England, playing pop, dance, hip hop, urban, R&B and electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Radio XS</span> Radio station

Real Radio XS was a radio station brand operated by Real and Smooth Ltd based in Salford, Greater Manchester, broadcasting a variety of peak-time news, rock music and talk output. The Manchester-based version of the service was broadcast to Greater Manchester on FM, and to a number of areas on DAB: the closure of the MXR regional multiplexes ended most digital carriage of the service, with the last remaining digital transmission, to Yorkshire, ending in 2014. The other Real Radio XS service, covering Paisley and Renfrewshire on FM and central belt Scotland digitally, became Xfm Scotland in 2014 following Global's purchase of the franchise, before closing entirely in 2015. The Manchester frequency now transmits as XS Manchester under the control of Communicorp UK, whilst the Scottish license was re-advertised by Ofcom and now carries Nation Broadcasting-owned Nation Radio Scotland.

This is a timeline of the development of independent radio in the UK.

References