As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 330,000 listeners according to RAJAR.[citation needed]
History
Hallam FM logo used from 2007 to 2015.
The station started broadcasting on 1548kHz/194m AM, 95.2 and 95.9MHzFM under the name of Radio Hallam from its studios at Hartshead in Sheffield city centre on 1 October 1974. The first presenter heard on air was ex-BBC Radio 1 DJ Johnny Moran – the first record he played was I've Got the Music in Me by Kiki Dee, which stuck after a minute and a half.
On 1 October 1985, Radio Hallam's broadcast area significantly increased when it began to broadcast to all of South Yorkshire. In 1987, Radio Hallam merged with neighbouring Yorkshire stations Pennine Radio in Bradford and Viking Radio in Hull to form the now-defunct Yorkshire Radio Network.
The frequencies were changed during the 1980s to 96.1FM for Rotherham, 97.4FM for Sheffield, 102.9FM for Barnsley, and 103.4 for the remainder of South Yorkshire. After a take-over of the parent company YRN by the Metro Radio Group, the AM frequency became Great Yorkshire Gold. As part of Hallam's licence agreement, the Rotherham transmitter ceased to be used by the station in the 1990s. Hallam also moved its studio facilities to 900 Herries Road, close to Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough ground. The office space at Hartshead was formerly used by the Sheffield Star newspaper.[citation needed]
As the Metro Radio Group was bought by EMAP, Hallam FM also became part of the Big City Network in Northern England. In 2011, Bauer Media's Big City Network was replaced by the Place Portfolio, containing the group's local radio stations.
In 2016, Hallam FM was the "Station of the Year" at that year's ARIAS Radio Awards.[1]
From late 2019 until early 2020 Hallam FM's Sheffield studios were shared with sister Yorkshire station Viking FM, following the closure of Viking's studios in Hull. Viking FM was then moved to co-locate with Pulse 1 in Leeds.[2]
Hits Radio rebrand
On 10 January 2024, station owners Bauer announced Hallam FM would be rebranded as Hits Radio South Yorkshire on 17 April 2024, as part of a network-wide relaunch involving 17 local radio stations in England and Wales.[3] The announcement signalled the end of the Radio Hallam brand after nearly 50 years of broadcasting.[4]
On 20 March 2025, Bauer announced it would end its local Hits Radio breakfast show for South Yorkshire to be replaced by a new national breakfast show for England and Wales on 9 June 2025.[5] Local news and traffic bulletins were retained but the station's Sheffield studios were closed.[6]
The station's final local programme aired on 6 June 2025.[7]
Broadcasting
The station broadcasts on three analogue frequencies. Almost the whole region is covered on 103.4FM from a transmitter at Clifton, near the M18 as well as on 97.4FM (Tapton Hill, Sheffield) and 102.9FM (Ardsley) which boosts reception in Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley. The station also broadcasts via DAB on the Bauer Radio South Yorkshire multiplex, and online via their app.
Programming
All Hits Radio network programming is broadcast and produced from Bauer’s London headquarters or studios in Manchester and occasionally Newcastle.[8][9]
News
Hits Radio South Yorkshire broadcasts local news bulletins hourly from 6am–7pm on weekdays, and from 7am–1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside traffic bulletins.
National bulletins from Sky News Radio are carried overnight with bespoke networked bulletins on weekend afternoons, usually originating from the Hits Radio Leeds newsroom.
Big John @ Breakfast was the breakfast show on Hits Radio South Yorkshire, and was on air from 2000 to 2025.[10] It was presented by "Big" John Harrison and Liesl Soards, along with producer James Crookes. The show was broadcast live across South Yorkshire weekdays from 6am to 10am and in its final years was the only locally produced programme on the station. The programme ended on 6 June 2025 and was replaced by a new national breakfast show. During its time on air, the show was recognised by the wider radio industry, most notably as winner of the "Best Breakfast Show" Gold award at the 2002 New York Radio Awards [11] and as "Breakfast Show of the Year" at the 2015 Arqiva Radio Awards.[12]
Awards
2002 New York Radio Awards - "Best Breakfast Show" - Gold [13]
2005 Sony Radio Awards - “Promo Award - Get Me To The Church On Time” [14]
2015 Arqiva Radio Awards - “Breakfast Show of the Year” [15]
2016 ARIAS Radio Awards - “Hallam FM - Station of the Year” [16]
2018 ARIAS Radio Awards - “Best Music Presenter at Breakfast” Nomination [17]
2020 ARIAS Radio Awards - “Best Music Breakfast Show” Nomination [18]
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