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Chill (radio station)
Encyclopedia
Chill is a British digital radio station
dedicated to chill out
, ambient
and trip-hop
music.
in London
and Birmingham
, across the UK on Sky channel 0177 and also online. The station's aim is to help listeners relax. It is owned by Global Radio
.
It broadcasts 24 hours a day and, as of July 2009, features no news bulletins or commercials, although there is some sponsored programming. Chill originally had no presenters, interspersing tracks with pre-recorded links featuring messages that reinforced the laidback atmosphere of the station. One of these memorably described the station as "T'ai chi for your ears".
In August 2006, the station launched its first regular programmes on weekday evenings, "The Garden of Delights", presented by Pete Lawrence and "The Deep End", presented by Paul Noble, two of the organisers of The Big Chill
festival. It also introduced a nightly programme made up of listener requests, and inherited the Chiller Cabinet sequence from its sister station Classic FM
, which plays "ambient soundscapes, movie soundtracks and classically inspired chillout music".
The station encourages interaction with its listeners, who suggest new songs and artists for the playlist, as well as relaxation techniques, via the Chill website and MySpace
. It currently attracts 220,000 listeners per week, and has attracted 10,000 new listeners in just 3 months. http://www.mediauk.com/radio/rajar/343174/chill
It was announced on August 28, 2009 that Chill Radio will be replaced in Edinburgh and Glasgow by LBC Radio, and in Wolverhampton and Coventry. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/rbupdates/update0809/.
multiplexes owned by GWR prior to its merger with Capital Radio
. Group Corporate Development Director Gregory Watson and Programme Director Bern Leckie devised a format for a relaxing, ambient station, aimed at 18-35 year olds.
On the station website, the founders claim, "We used to make compilation tapes for ourselves and friends to chill out to. That's where the idea for our station came from, and we make it the same way we made the tapes - listening to lots of music, swapping ideas, seeing what happens." http://www.helpmechill.com/wedo.htm
In June 2006, Chill bid for its first analogue licence, for Bristol
, citing the city's record in producing trip-hop
artists such as Massive Attack
, Portishead and Tricky
in support of its application. However, in September 2006, OFCOM
awarded the licence to CanWest
and its Original 106 format. It is not currently known if Global Radio
will bid for any more analogue licences with the Chill format.
Late 2006, Chill upgraded from a 32kb/s internet stream to a 128kb/s stream, offering internet listeners the same quality as the cable and satellite viewers.
The station stopped being broadcast on Sky and Virgin Media on 3 July 2007 http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/775159/GCap-feels-digital-radio-heat-Chill-leaves-Sky-platform/, with other GCap stations Capital Disney
, Core
and Classic Gold Digital Network
. It is speculated that this is connected with cost-cutting measures under previous owners GCap. In November 2008 Chill reappeared on Sky and Virgin Media following the closure of jazz radio station TheJazz
using its old channel numbers on Sky and Virgin Media.
In July 2008 Bern Leckie was made redundant (along with many others) by new owners Global Radio.
In March 2009, Chill ceased to broadcast in Leicester, Nottingham and west Wiltshire due to competition regulator compliance following the takeover of GCapMedia by Global Radio. http://blogs.myspace.com/chillradio.
In July 2009, Global Radio announced that Chill would lose many of its DAB slots on numerous local DAB ensemble
s across the UK to allow for an expansion of the Galaxy network
, but would still broadcast in London, some parts of the West Midlands and central Scotland. A spokesman indicated that this move was also financially led.
On October 20, 2009 it was announced by Bern Leckie http://savechillradio.ning.com/forum/topics/re-dab-coverage-london that Chill Radio has moved from Stereo to mono output on DAB Radio in the London area. However the range in which Chill can be heard has slightly extended to an extra 20 miles or so from London.
Rajar figures for Quarter 3 2009 showed an increase of weekly listeners by 9000, bringing total listenership to 209,000.http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/rajar
On 15 July 2010, Chill ceased broadcasting on Virgin Media
channel 961.
and ambient music
, mixed with downtempo rock, vocal jazz
and lounge
tracks, film scores and the occasional classical piece.
Chill closed from August 2009 on these multiplexes:
Replaced with Galaxy:
Taken off air:
Replaced with LBC
:
Digital radio in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, two national DAB ensembles and 48 local and regional DAB ensembles...
dedicated to chill out
Chill out music
Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...
, ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and trip-hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
music.
The station
Chill is broadcast on DABDigital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, across the UK on Sky channel 0177 and also online. The station's aim is to help listeners relax. It is owned by Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
.
It broadcasts 24 hours a day and, as of July 2009, features no news bulletins or commercials, although there is some sponsored programming. Chill originally had no presenters, interspersing tracks with pre-recorded links featuring messages that reinforced the laidback atmosphere of the station. One of these memorably described the station as "T'ai chi for your ears".
In August 2006, the station launched its first regular programmes on weekday evenings, "The Garden of Delights", presented by Pete Lawrence and "The Deep End", presented by Paul Noble, two of the organisers of The Big Chill
The Big Chill (music festival)
The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
festival. It also introduced a nightly programme made up of listener requests, and inherited the Chiller Cabinet sequence from its sister station Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
, which plays "ambient soundscapes, movie soundtracks and classically inspired chillout music".
The station encourages interaction with its listeners, who suggest new songs and artists for the playlist, as well as relaxation techniques, via the Chill website and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. It currently attracts 220,000 listeners per week, and has attracted 10,000 new listeners in just 3 months. http://www.mediauk.com/radio/rajar/343174/chill
It was announced on August 28, 2009 that Chill Radio will be replaced in Edinburgh and Glasgow by LBC Radio, and in Wolverhampton and Coventry. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ifi/rbl/rbupdates/update0809/.
History
The station was launched by in early 2005, as a means of filling empty slots on DABDigital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
multiplexes owned by GWR prior to its merger with Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
. Group Corporate Development Director Gregory Watson and Programme Director Bern Leckie devised a format for a relaxing, ambient station, aimed at 18-35 year olds.
On the station website, the founders claim, "We used to make compilation tapes for ourselves and friends to chill out to. That's where the idea for our station came from, and we make it the same way we made the tapes - listening to lots of music, swapping ideas, seeing what happens." http://www.helpmechill.com/wedo.htm
In June 2006, Chill bid for its first analogue licence, for Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, citing the city's record in producing trip-hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
artists such as Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, Portishead and Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
in support of its application. However, in September 2006, OFCOM
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
awarded the licence to CanWest
CanWest Global Communications
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate brand Canwest, was a major Canadian media company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place...
and its Original 106 format. It is not currently known if Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
will bid for any more analogue licences with the Chill format.
Late 2006, Chill upgraded from a 32kb/s internet stream to a 128kb/s stream, offering internet listeners the same quality as the cable and satellite viewers.
The station stopped being broadcast on Sky and Virgin Media on 3 July 2007 http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/775159/GCap-feels-digital-radio-heat-Chill-leaves-Sky-platform/, with other GCap stations Capital Disney
Capital Disney
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 . 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...
, Core
Core (radio station)
Core was a digital radio station broadcasting across the UK on the Digital One and streamed online. It was aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds with a focus on new music.-Station history:Core was originally owned by GWR Group, now GCap Media...
and Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network
Classic Gold Digital Network was one of the biggest 'gold' formatted radio networks in the United Kingdom, with a potential audience of 47 million. Classic Gold was broadcast on analogue and DAB digital platforms, as well as Sky channel 0189.-History:...
. It is speculated that this is connected with cost-cutting measures under previous owners GCap. In November 2008 Chill reappeared on Sky and Virgin Media following the closure of jazz radio station TheJazz
TheJazz
theJazz was a British commercial jazz digital radio station. The station was run by GCap Media and launched on Christmas Day 2006. originally as a non-stop jazz station on the Digital One DAB ensemble, Sky Digital, Virgin Media and the Internet....
using its old channel numbers on Sky and Virgin Media.
In July 2008 Bern Leckie was made redundant (along with many others) by new owners Global Radio.
In March 2009, Chill ceased to broadcast in Leicester, Nottingham and west Wiltshire due to competition regulator compliance following the takeover of GCapMedia by Global Radio. http://blogs.myspace.com/chillradio.
In July 2009, Global Radio announced that Chill would lose many of its DAB slots on numerous local DAB ensemble
DAB ensemble
DAB ensembles are groups of Digital audio broadcasting broadcasters transmitting multiple digital radio channels on a single radio transmission....
s across the UK to allow for an expansion of the Galaxy network
The Galaxy Network
The Galaxy Network was a radio station brand 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. The Galaxy Network included stations: Galaxy Birmingham, Galaxy...
, but would still broadcast in London, some parts of the West Midlands and central Scotland. A spokesman indicated that this move was also financially led.
On October 20, 2009 it was announced by Bern Leckie http://savechillradio.ning.com/forum/topics/re-dab-coverage-london that Chill Radio has moved from Stereo to mono output on DAB Radio in the London area. However the range in which Chill can be heard has slightly extended to an extra 20 miles or so from London.
Rajar figures for Quarter 3 2009 showed an increase of weekly listeners by 9000, bringing total listenership to 209,000.http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/rajar
On 15 July 2010, Chill ceased broadcasting on Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
channel 961.
Music
The Chill playlist is largely drawn from the mainstream end of chill outChill out music
Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...
and ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, mixed with downtempo rock, vocal jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
tracks, film scores and the occasional classical piece.
Programmes
- The 02 Chillout Room (weeknights, 7pm)
- The Garden Of Delights with Pete Lawrence (Monday, 8pm)
- The Deep End with Paul Noble (Wednesday, 10pm)
- The Chiller CabinetChiller CabinetThe Chiller Cabinet is a radio show created by Ben Eshmade in 2002. The two hour show presents a range of "ambience, minimalism & movies on the radio" twice weekly. The show distinctively focuses on the above named areas of music and is blended continuously without voiceovers. Quickly after its...
(Saturday and Sunday, 2am, repeated Tuesday and Thursday 10pm)
Former multiplexes
Chill closed in March 2009 due to Office of Fair Trading ruling on the merger of GCap and Global Radio:- LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
- NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
- West WiltshireWiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
Chill closed from August 2009 on these multiplexes:
Replaced with Galaxy:
- NOW BournemouthNOW BournemouthNOW Bournemouth is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the above area which has been broadcasting since August 2002. It carries a variety of stations some of which are local.- Transmitter sites :...
- BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Bath - CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
- CardiffCardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent... - NOW CornwallNOW CornwallNOW Cornwall is a Digital Audio Broadcasting multiplex available in the Cornwall area. It carries a variety of stations some of which are local.It is owned by Arqiva, and managed by NOW Digital on behalf of South West Digital Radio Limited....
- ExeterExeterExeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
and TorbayTorbayTorbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998... - NorwichNorwichNorwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
- NOW PeterboroughNOW PeterboroughNOW Peterborough is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Peterborough and the surrounding area. NOW Peterborough is transmitted on frequency block 12D 229.072 MHz from trasmitters at Huntingdon , Peterborough and Stamford. It launched in November 2002...
- NOW Plymouth
- ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
and BasingstokeBasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of... - Southend and ChelmsfordChelmsfordChelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
- NOW Sussex CoastNOW Sussex CoastNOW Sussex Coast is a local commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, which serves Brighton and the Sussex coast. It launched in February 2004 and is operated by NOW Digital and owned by Arqiva after being sold by Global Radio....
- NOW Kent
Taken off air:
- CoventryCoventryCoventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
- WolverhamptonWolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, ShrewsburyShrewsburyShrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and TelfordTelfordTelford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
Replaced with LBC
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
:
- EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
- GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...