It had previously been a part of a network of Magic stations broadcast on FM in London and on MW across northern England and began broadcasting across the UK via the Digital One multiplex in January 2015. On 5 January 2015, Magic Radio launched nationally on DAB and all other Magic stations were dissolved to form the Bauer City 2 network.[2]
According to RAJAR, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 4.4 million with a listening share of 5.4% as of March 2024.
The Magic name was first used in 1990 when Leeds station Radio Aire launched an oldies station called Magic 828 on its MW frequency. Seven years later, the Magic brand was rolled out on MW across Yorkshire and north east England and the stations adopted a soft adult contemporary music format.
In 1998, easy music station Melody FM, which had also launched in 1990, was purchased by media group Emap from Hanson plc for a reported £25 million and rebranded to Magic that December and the change saw Emap introduce automation for the first time - weekday afternoons were split with a 'non-stop music hour', first sponsored by the now defunct energy company Calortex, and later by the Emap-owned Red magazine. Magic was criticised for automating a further eleven hours of its daily output (7pm-6am) given the reach and size of the station.
In an attempt to cut costs, Magic began networking its mid-morning show, hosted by Richard Skinner, and automated overnight output with the eight other Magic stations in the North of England in January 2002. Audience figures fell on all nine stations in the twelve months that followed, some arguing a lack of local content had driven listeners to tune away. Networking was ended in January 2003, although the eight 'northern' Magic stations continued to share a mid-morning show, hosted by Mark Thorburn, and were subsequently networked again, with the exception of local breakfast shows, following a repositioning of the northern Magic group in mid-2006. These stations were later rebranded into the Bauer City 2 network in 2015.
The end of networking heralded a programming shift; Magic adopting its 'more music, less talk' ethos. Former Capital FM head and radio consultant Richard Park was brought in to increase the station's audience share.[citation needed] In September 2003, Magic saw its first major revamp: live programming replaced automated output in the evening, and Independent Radio News-employed personnel staffed the station's daytime news output, removing shared presenting/newsreading responsibilities, a legacy from Melody FM. IRN retained the contract to supply Magic's news bulletins until 2015, when the service was brought in-house.
Later years saw a reliance on weekend celebrity-hosted content and large cash prizes to entice listeners - the award of £110,600 to Nicola Diss, the winner of the popular Magic Mystery Voices contest on 12 January 2006 was the largest cash prize given away on UK radio since 1999, a sum surpassed just a few months later by the prize collected by listener Dawn Muggleton in the Smooth Secret Song competition on London rival 102.2 Smooth FM, scooping £118,454 on 19 April 2006. However, Magic regained the honour on 30 March 2007 with listener Maria Crosskey winning £168,600 in a six-month-long Mystery Voices contest, although she was later disqualified (see 'Mystery Voices' below).
Magic, along with urban-music station Kiss, rock music station Absolute Radio and a number of other radio brands, broadcasts from Bauer Radio's headquarters in Golden Square. It had previously broadcast from studios on Winsley Street (Mappin House) until September 2014. Bauer's stations including Magic has now moved to the firm's new facilities at The Lantern in Euston.[3]
On 2 April 2024, Magic ceased transmitting on the Freeview digital television platform after 21 years, as it and other Bauer stations completed their withdrawal from linear TV platforms, having dropped satellite transmission in late 2023.[4]
Sister stations
Magic Chilled
Launched March 2016 and playing "laid back hits",[This quote needs a citation] predominantly pop and R'n'B from the 90s to today (which ended up as the slogan for the station: Pop + R'B: 90's-Now);the format originated as an evening programme strand on Heat Radio (as 'heat Chilled') but moved under the Magic brand to be launched as a full-time station, and as a permanent part of the network. Magic Chilled was Bauer's first DAB+ station. It was originally broadcast on the national Sound Digital multiplex, moved to local tier DAB, in capacity previously used by Absolute Radio 90s, in early 2019 as part of the reorganisation of space for the launch of Scala Radio, then reverted to broadcast on Sound Digital in DAB+ in October 2023, following the conversion of stations including Scala and Mellow Magic to DAB+. In London, Magic Chilled continued to be broadcast in DAB+ at the same bitrate as before but in stereo
At 7PM (UK) on Monday 16th September 2024, Magic Chilled was formally rebranded and relaunched across all platforms under the new name of Hits Radio Chilled,with the new slogan "Laid-Back Hits & Throwbacks". This tied in to the Hits Radio slogan "The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks". This followed an announcement in July, and weeks of jingles being rebranded to the Hits Radio jingle and voices informing people of the change. This move, one of a few shake-ups in the Bauer UK radio portfolio, transferred the station to the Hits Radio Network, another of Bauer Media UK's radio brands and networks. Cian Ducrot presented the first show under the new name, and with his song "All For You" being the first track on the new station. [5]
Mellow Magic
Mellow Magic is a digital-only service of timeless relaxing classics, launched in March 2016 along with Magic Chilled. It continues to broadcast as part of the Sound Digital national multiplex jointly owned by Bauer. The Mellow Magic station was built on the successful Magic night-time programming strand of the same name. Fran Godfrey has hosted the breakfast show on Mellow Magic, since the station's official launch; the station previously simulcast the Mellow Magic programmes of the main Magic station, but this ceased when Magic temporarily flipped to a Christmas music format. in autumn 2023; shortly afterward, Mellow Magic switched its digital radio broadcast from mono DAB to stereo DAB+ but ultimately remained active as a permanent part of the network.
Magic Soul
This was originally a temporary pop-up service, branded as Magic Soul Summer, which launched in the summer of 2016 largely taking over the capacity previously occupied by the temporary Magic ABBA station; the soul service ultimately remained active as a permanent part of the network, truncating its name to Magic Soul from Autumn 2016 onwards. The station broadcast on local DAB until moving to broadcast in stereo DAB+ in October 2023 along with Magic Chilled, Mellow Magic and Magic at the Musicals.
Magic at the Musicals
Launched on DAB+ in London on 21 November 2019; the station has since been rolled out to several other areas, chiefly on selected Bauer-owned multiplexes, in standard DAB, moving to broadcast nationally on stereo DAB+ in October 2023, but ultimately remained active as a permanent part of the network. It plays show-tunes and soundtracks.[6]
Pop-ups
Magic ABBA
Following the migration of other Bauer services (including Kisstory and Heat Radio) to SDL, some of the vacated space at local level was used during the spring of 2016 for a short-term pop-up, playing ABBA songs (and versions thereof) and related content. It ran as a commercial partnership with Mamma Mia!: the Musical.[7]
Magic Workout
An online-only sibling, Magic Workout has been made available as one of a suite of streaming-only Bauer services. The temporary service formed part of Magic's partnership with breast cancer charity Walk The Walk's Moonwalk event.[8] A similar service, Cool FM Workout, was launched by Bauer in partnership with the Belfast City Marathon in 2021.[9]
Magic Christmas / Magic 100% Christmas
In late 2017, a slot on the Digital One multiplex which had been occupied since the summer by Kiss Fresh was temporarily used by a Christmas music station under the Magic Christmas banner; it was one of two festive stations available on D1 that year, with Heart Extra making its annual switch to Heart Extra Christmas around the same time.[10] (During 2018, this capacity was used by Absolute Radio 90s, and since February 2019 the space has been occupied by Kisstory). In December 2018 and 2019, the main Magic station flipped to an all-Christmas playlist, and so a discrete Christmas station was not provided.[11]
Magic 100% Christmas was launched online in August 2020, several months earlier than previous Christmas music stations in order to, according to Bauer, help lift the mood of the nation in the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Unlike the earlier Magic Christmas, this service did not broadcast on DAB.
Bond 24/7
Bond 24/7 was a pop-up station which ran from 29 September to 6 October 2021. It was launched to mark the release of the 25th film in the James Bond seriesNo Time to Die and would play music from the James Bond films.[13]
Television
Magic TV
There was also a complementary Magic-branded music television channel available on the Sky, Freesat and Virgin Media digital TV platforms in the UK, operating as part of The Box Plus Network. The channel played classic and contemporary melodic pop hits.
Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.
Kiss is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Kiss Network.
Kerrang! Radio is a British specialist digital rock music radio station related to Kerrang! magazine. It is owned and operated by Bauer and forms part of the Kiss Network.
Greatest Hits Radio North East is an Independent Local Radio station, based in Newcastle, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Greatest Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to North East England.
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 Media & Entertainment 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.
Jazz FM is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom and Malta predominantly playing jazz music, jazz standards as well as blues and soul music.
Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of Bauer Media Group owning brands; Absolute Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Jazz FM, Hits Radio, KISS, Planet Rock, Magic, Kerrang! Radio and Heat Radio.
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.
JACK FM was an adult hits format radio station that broadcast on 106.8 MHz FM in Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and on DAB in Oxfordshire. Between 2016 and 2017 it also broadcast in Surrey and parts of Hampshire. The station shared premises in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, with its sister stations JACK 2 and JACK 3.
Absolute Radio 90s is a semi-national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. Its output is non-stop 1990s hits.
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.
Kisstory is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Kiss Network.
Smooth Radio is a network of local radio stations broadcasting on FM and DAB in the United Kingdom. It retains one outlet on AM. Smooth Radio previously featured a soft adult contemporary radio format but has introduced more upbeat music since 2023. Launched in March 2014, it replaced the national Smooth Radio that had launched in 2010 on FM and DAB, and most outlets of Gold on AM.
A timeline of notable events relating to Kiss, a British commercial radio station operated by Bauer Radio.
A timeline of notable events relating to Hits Radio, a British commercial radio station operated by Bauer Media Audio UK.
A timeline of notable events relating to Magic 105.4, a commercial radio station operated by Bauer Radio, and the former Magic Network broadcast on AM stations in the north of England.
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.
This is a list of notable events in the timeline of digital audio broadcasting in the UK.
Hits Radio UK, formerly The Hits, is a British digital radio station based in Manchester and London, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom.
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