This article is about the radio station. For the T-cell signal, see T helper cell. For the POSIX signal, see Signal 1 (POSIX). For the film, see Signal One.
As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 173,000 listeners according to RAJAR.[1]
History
Signal Radio began broadcasting at 6a.m. on Monday 5 September 1983. The first voice on air was breakfast presenter John Evington and the first song played was Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond.[2] Originally, Signal Radio aired as a single full service station on 104.3MHz and 1170kHz (257 metres). The station's name was derived from Signal, the local newspaper in the Five Town novels by Staffordshire writer Arnold Bennett.
Signal began broadcasting to south Cheshire on 96.4 FM in 1989, before opening a new frequency for the Stafford area on 96.9 FM a year later. The two frequencies began carrying a new alternative AOR-led service, Echo 96, in October 1990. Echo continued for around a year in Stafford while the Cheshire frequency was merged with that of the short-lived Stockport ILR station KFM to form Signal Cheshire in 1991. By the end of the year, the Stafford service was relaunched as Signal Stafford, carrying opt-out programming from the Stoke-based service.
In Staffordshire, Signal Radio began carrying a separate Golden Breakfast Show on 1170 AM in 1992 in order to provide separate services on AM and FM and avoid relinquishing frequencies. The AM opt-out gradually expanded into a full-time separate station, Signal 2.
Signal Radio was bought in 1999 by The Wireless Group, which was subsequently acquired by UTV Media six years later for £97 million. Following the sale of its television assets, the group was latterly bought by News Corp in September 2016.
In 2000, Signal's Cheshire service was split into two – 96.4 FM was merged with the Staffordshire service while 104.9 FM was relaunched as Imagine FM, a dedicated service for south Manchester and Cheshire, which was latterly sold onto become a wholly independent station in 2009.
Signal 1 celebrated its 30th birthday on Saturday 10 August 2013 with a special concert at Betley Court Farm in Crewe.
On 8 February 2019, Signal 1 and the Wireless Group's network of local radio stations in Great Britain were sold to Bauer.[3] The sale was ratified in March 2020 following an inquiry by the Competition and Markets Authority.[4]
In May 2020, Bauer announced that Signal 1 would join the Hits Radio network, while retaining its on-air branding.[5]
Signal 1 began carrying off-peak programming from the Hits Radio network in Manchester on 15 June 2020, marking the end of networked output for the Wireless Group's local stations, produced in-house at Signal's studios in Stoke.[6]
Signal 1 officially joined the Hits Radio network on 20 July 2020.[7] Local programming was reduced to a weekday breakfast show, alongside hourly local news bulletins and peak-time traffic updates.
In November 2022 it was announced that from the following January, Signal 1's relay transmitters on 96.4 and 96.9 FM would transition to carrying Greatest Hits Radio, with the main 102.6 FM transmission - to the area where GHR broadcasts on AM via the former Signal 2 - retaining Signal 1 and Hits Radio network output.[8]
In December 2023, Bauer Media announced that Signal 1 would be leaving its Stoke base and relocating to Bauer’s Birmingham studios, co-locating with Free Radio and Greatest Hits Radio Midlands. [9]
Hits Radio rebrand
On 10 January 2024, station owners Bauer announced Signal 1 will be rebranded as Hits Radio Staffordshire and Cheshire from April 17th 2024, as part of a network-wide relaunch involving 17 local radio stations in England and Wales.[10] The announcement marked the end of the Signal Radio brand after over 40 years of broadcasting[11]
The station's local programming was not affected as a result of the relaunch.
Station information
Former studios of Signal 1 and Greatest Hits Radio
Studios
Until 2024, Signal 1's studios were based on Stoke Road in the Shelton area of Stoke-on-Trent in a building previously occupied as a warehouse. There were seven dedicated studios as well as a studio for live music recordings, previously used for Signal 2 and networked output for the Wireless Group.
Signal 1's main transmitter is at Alsagers Bank, broadcasting on 102.6 FM. As well as covering North Staffordshire and South Cheshire, the transmitter can be received well into the North West and down into the West Midlands, due to the height of the transmitter. Signal 1 also had relay transmitters at Pye Green, covering Stafford and the surrounding area on 96.9 FM, and at Sutton Common, covering Congleton, Macclesfield and surrounding areas on 96.4 FM. However in January 2023, these switched over to carrying Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire and Cheshire.[12]
Signal 1 also broadcasts on the local Stoke and Stafford DAB multiplex 12D.
Signal Radio Media Academy
In 2012, Signal 1 lent its name to the Signal Radio Media Academy, a course run by Stoke on Trent College as a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Radio Production. For two days a week, the course is based at the Burslem Campus of Stoke on Trent College where the students also run their own radio station, Heatwave Radio. Teaching takes places both at the college in Burslem as well at Signal's studios in Shelton, with specialist input from the station's staff.
Outside broadcasting and events
Occasional outside broadcasts are made in a specially built OB studio on a converted bus. The station's roadshow unit has a self-contained stage and PA system on board. The Signal Radio Street Team also go out and about the area representing the station. Most Street Team members are part of the Signal Radio Media Academy and many have gone on to other roles across the network including presenting, producing and sales.
In recent years, Signal Radio has also hosted annual events for local children's charities under the Help a Signal Child banner.
Programming
All networked programming originates from Bauer’s London, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle studios.[6]
Local programming is produced and broadcast from Bauer’s Birmingham studios each weekday from 6-10am.[7]
News
Bauer’s Stoke-on-Trent newsroom broadcasts local news bulletins on the hour from 6am-7pm on weekdays and between 7am-1pm at weekends, with headlines on the half hour during breakfast and drivetime on weekdays. The local bulletins are simulcast on Greatest Hits Radio Midlands in Staffordshire and Cheshire.
National bulletins from Sky News Radio in London are broadcast on the hour at all other times.[13]
Related Research Articles
BBC Radio Stoke is the BBC's local radio station serving Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West (Warrington) is an Independent Local Radio station serving the Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn areas of Cheshire.
Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.
Imagine FM was an Independent Local Radio station based in Stockport broadcasting to South Manchester and Cheshire in the North West of England.
Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Coventry and Warwickshire.
Greatest Hits Radio South Wales is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Radio as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. The station broadcasts to Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Llanelli and South East Wales from studios in the Llansamlet area of Swansea on DAB.
Signal 2 was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting from studios in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, to Staffordshire and Cheshire. The station was owned by Wireless Group and ran a "gold format" playlist. It was the sister station of Signal 1 and was based in the same studios.
Hits Radio West Yorkshire, formerly Pulse 1, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Leeds, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to West Yorkshire.
Greatest Hits Radio Bolton & Bury is an Independent Local Radio station serving the Bolton and Bury areas of Greater Manchester.
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.
Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West is an Independent Local Radio station based in Liverpool, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Merseyside, North West England, Cheshire and parts of North Wales. The station forms part of Greatest Hits Radio North West.
Hits Radio Birmingham is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Hits Radio East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire, formerly Viking FM, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Leeds, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.
Hits Radio Liverpool, formerly Radio City, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Liverpool, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Merseyside, Cheshire and parts of north Wales.
Signal 107 was a British Independent Local Radio station serving Wolverhampton and surrounding areas, Telford and Wrekin, Shrewsbury, Oswestry in north and central Shropshire and Kidderminster, Stourport-on-Severn and Bewdley in north Worcestershire. The station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, launched on Monday 26 March 2012 as a result of the merger of three stations – The Wolf, The Severn and The Wyre.
Greatest Hits Radio is a classic hits radio network in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.
A timeline of notable events relating to Bauer Media Audio UK, a British media company established as a division of German company Bauer Media Group in 2008.
Greatest Hits Radio North West is a regional radio network serving North West England and North Wales, as part of Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio network.
Greatest Hits Radio Midlands is a regional radio station serving the East & West Midlands as part of Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio network.
This is a timeline of notable events relating to Greatest Hits Radio, a British commercial radio station operated by Bauer Radio. The timeline also covers the Magic and Big City 2 networks, which were the forerunners to Greatest Hits Radio.
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