Global Radio
Encyclopedia
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. Richard Park
is Group Executive Director and Director of Broadcasting.
, JP McManus, Michael Tabor
and Dermot Desmond
. Debt from HBoS
and Bank of Ireland
comprised the remaining 25% of the 375 million pounds used to form the group.
In the 2007 purchase of Chrysalis, Global took control of Heart, Galaxy, LBC and The Arrow.
Global Radio officially took control of all GCap Media brands at 23:59 on 31 October 2008. The GCap Media name was dropped at this time. The GCap purchase gave Global the network of FM stations which GCap had operated as The One Network
(many of which are now part of the Heart Network
or the Capital FM Network), plus Classic FM (UK)
, Xfm
, Choice FM
, Gold
and Chill
.
Following the acquisition of GCap Media Global were required to sell off a number of stations in the Midlands. The stations were bought by Orion Media
, headed by Phil Riley, former owner of Chrysalis.
Heritage local radio stations in areas which were not already served by Heart FM were gradually rebranded and incorporated into a larger Heart Network that covers most of southern England and parts of North Wales. The remaining stations briefly formed the Hit Music Network before being merged with Galaxy Radio and 95.8 Capital FM London into the Capital FM Network.
were the subject of criticism by technical and scientific bloggers following their threat of legal action against medical journalist Ben Goldacre
for mounting part of an LBC 97.3
broadcast by Jeni Barnett
on his website. The move was interpreted as an attempt to suppress criticism and debate rather than enforcement of copyright.
The broadcast has been characterised as irresponsible by David Aaronovitch
in The Times
, and LBC and Barnett were specifically identified in a critical Early Day Motion
by Norman Lamb
MP.
known as “95 – 106 Capital FM, The UK’s No.1 Hit Music Station” and all stations ID locally as [freq] Capital FM. Local news hours will be extended and local advertising will remain locally sold, all programming with the exception of breakfast and drive originates from London.
; also available on Freesat
, Sky Digital
and Virgin Media
.
Gold England & Scotland
Gold Wales
Gold West Midlands
These stations are owned by Orion Media and operate under a brand licence from Global, Orion uses its Gold frequencies for sports programme "The Sportsbar" on Monday evenings between 18:00 and 19:00, a Friday evening football phone-in hosted by Tom Ross and Tony Butler and for local football commentaries on Weekend afternoons and Weekday evenings.
and uses the Heart name and format under licence from Global; also Heart South Devon is partly owned by UKRD Group, all other Heart stations are wholly Global-owned. Heart is also available on DAB in some areas where there is not a local Heart station receiving Heart Digital, which is a relay of Heart London. On Freeview, viewers either receive Heart West Midlands or Heart Digital (depending on transmitter).
.
stations previously operated by Global or its predecessors have now been sold off or closed down, including Capital Life
, Core
, The Storm
, Capital Disney
, Heart Digital
, theJazz
. There was also a digital station called The Mix, which aired content from GWR's Mix Network to DAB and digital TV listeners, but this was withdrawn following the GWR-Capital merger.
Planet Rock was sold to Rock Show consortium led by Malcolm Bluemel.
The 106 East Midlands radio licence is owned by Orion Media
and it operated under a brand licence as Heart East Midlands until January 2011 when it was renamed Gem 106..
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media
GCap Media
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group. The merger was completed in May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. On 31 March 2008 the company agreed a takeover by...
.
The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen. Richard Park
Richard Park (broadcaster)
Richard Park is a Scottish media personality and businessman, who is Executive Director of Global Radio. He was previously a media consultant and broadcaster in the UK and has also made appearances as the 'Headmaster' of BBC TV's Fame Academy programmes.-Professional career:Voted most influential...
is Group Executive Director and Director of Broadcasting.
History
According to media reports Global Radio was funded 75% by a consortium including John MagnierJohn Magnier
John Magnier is Ireland's leading thoroughbred stud owner and has extensive business interests outside of the horse breeding industry....
, JP McManus, Michael Tabor
Michael Tabor
Michael B. Tabor is a businessman and owner of Thoroughbred racehorses.-Thoroughbred racing career:...
and Dermot Desmond
Dermot Desmond
Dermot Desmond is an Irish businessman and financier. He is estimated to be worth €1.45billion and is ranked by the Sunday Independent as the sixth-richest person in Ireland.-Background and education:...
. Debt from HBoS
HBOS
HBOS plc is a banking and insurance company in the United Kingdom, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lloyds Banking Group having been taken over in January 2009...
and Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
comprised the remaining 25% of the 375 million pounds used to form the group.
In the 2007 purchase of Chrysalis, Global took control of Heart, Galaxy, LBC and The Arrow.
Global Radio officially took control of all GCap Media brands at 23:59 on 31 October 2008. The GCap Media name was dropped at this time. The GCap purchase gave Global the network of FM stations which GCap had operated as The One Network
The One Network
The One Network was the collective name for thirty-eight regional Independent Local Radio licences operated by Global Radio in the United Kingdom. It was formed from the combination of GWR Group's The Mix Network and Capital Radio Group's The Capital Radio Network when the companies merged in 2005...
(many of which are now part of the Heart Network
Heart Network
Heart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
or the Capital FM Network), plus Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM
Classic FM may refer to:*Classic FM , a British classical music radio station**Classic FM TV, a British classical music television channel*ABC Classic FM, an Australian classical music radio station run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, Choice FM
Choice FM
Choice FM, branded on-air as London's Choice, is a brand used by the UK's biggest radio company, Global Radio for its network of black music radio stations...
, Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and Chill
Chill
Chill may refer to:* Chills that occur during high fevers as a result of immune response to disease* Shivering, a bodily function in response to early hypothermia in warm-blooded animals...
.
Following the acquisition of GCap Media Global were required to sell off a number of stations in the Midlands. The stations were bought by Orion Media
Orion Media
Orion Media is a UK commercial radio group run by radio veteran Phil Riley and backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital. It was created from the enforced sale of several radio stations in the English Midlands owned and operated by Global Radio.-History:...
, headed by Phil Riley, former owner of Chrysalis.
Heritage local radio stations in areas which were not already served by Heart FM were gradually rebranded and incorporated into a larger Heart Network that covers most of southern England and parts of North Wales. The remaining stations briefly formed the Hit Music Network before being merged with Galaxy Radio and 95.8 Capital FM London into the Capital FM Network.
Criticism of Global Radio
In February 2009 Global Radio and LBCLBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
were the subject of criticism by technical and scientific bloggers following their threat of legal action against medical journalist Ben Goldacre
Ben Goldacre
Ben Michael Goldacre born 1974 is a British science writer, doctor and psychiatrist. He is the author of The Guardian newspaper's weekly Bad Science column and a book of the same title, published by Fourth Estate in September 2008....
for mounting part of an LBC 97.3
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...
broadcast by Jeni Barnett
Jeni Barnett
Jeni Barnett is an English actress and TV presenter who grew up in Borehamwood. She is married to Yorkshire-born actor Jim Bywater and has one daughter, Bethany.-Acting career:...
on his website. The move was interpreted as an attempt to suppress criticism and debate rather than enforcement of copyright.
The broadcast has been characterised as irresponsible by David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch
David Aaronovitch is a British author, broadcaster, and journalist. He is a regular columnist for The Times, and author of Paddling to Jerusalem: An Aquatic Tour of Our Small Country and Voodoo Histories: the role of Conspiracy Theory in Modern History...
in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and LBC and Barnett were specifically identified in a critical Early Day Motion
Early day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
by Norman Lamb
Norman Lamb
Norman Peter Lamb is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and Chief Parliamentary and Political Adviser and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.He is the Member of Parliament for North Norfolk....
MP.
Capital FM
A group of stations playing rhythmic (dance and urban) music. In 2011 the stations became part of The Capital FM NetworkThe Capital FM Network
Capital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...
known as “95 – 106 Capital FM, The UK’s No.1 Hit Music Station” and all stations ID locally as [freq] Capital FM. Local news hours will be extended and local advertising will remain locally sold, all programming with the exception of breakfast and drive originates from London.
- 95.8 Capital FM
- 96-105 Capital FMCapital East MidlandsCapital East Midlands is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to the East Midlands. The station, owned and operated by Global Radio, forms part of the nine-station Capital radio network...
- previously Trent FMTrent FMTrent FM was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcast to Nottinghamshire. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Leicester Sound and Ram FM to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-History:Launched on 3 July 1975 as Radio Trent and based in a...
, Ram FMRAM FMRam FM was an Independent Local Radio station, which broadcast to central and southern parts of Derbyshire on 102.8 FM. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Trent FM and Leicester Sound to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-History:The station began life...
and Leicester SoundLeicester SoundLeicester Sound was an Independent Local Radio station which broadcast to Leicestershire. The station merged with two other East Midlands stations, Trent FM and Ram FM to form Capital FM East Midlands on Monday 3 January 2011.-Background:Leicester Sound was launched by the owners of Radio Trent on... - 97.4 & 103.2 Capital FM - previously Red Dragon FMRed Dragon FMCapital South Wales is a British independent local radio station broadcasting from Cardiff Bay . The station serves Cardiff, Newport and the surrounding areas, broadcasting to a potential audience of around 1 million people...
- 102 Capital FM - previously Galaxy ManchesterGalaxy ManchesterCapital Manchester is a Manchester, England radio station owned by the Global Radio as part of the nine-station Capital network specialising in mainstream music...
- 102.2 Capital FM - previously Galaxy Birmingham
- 103.2 Capital FM - previously Galaxy South Coast
- 105 Capital FM - previously Galaxy YorkshireGalaxy YorkshireCapital Yorkshire is an Independent Local Radio station owned by Global Radio as part of the nine-station Capital radio network which specialises in mainstream music...
- 105-106 Capital FM - previously Galaxy North East
- 105-106 Capital FM - previously Galaxy ScotlandGalaxy Scotland105-106 Capital is a regional radio station broadcasting to Scotland's Central Belt, an area surrounding the two cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the kingdom of Fife...
Choice FM
An all-urban station based in London. Until Summer 2010 it was part of the Galaxy network for marketing purposes only, but retained its own separate branding and programming. It now sits as its own brand within Global Radio's lineupClassic FM
Classical music station broadcast nationally on FM and 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....
; also available on Freesat
Freesat
Freesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...
, Sky Digital
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
and 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...
.
Gold
A network of 'golden oldies' stations, there are three different variants of the station; England & Scotland, Wales and West Midlands. Many of these were the AM sister stations to heritage CHR stations which are now Heart or Capital stations; though Gold Manchester was originally a standalone station Fortune 1458 and Lite AM before becoming part of the Big-AM and later Capital Gold networks. On DAB, Gold is available in some areas which do not have Gold on AM; in these areas Gold UK is carried, though it may carry local branding on the label.Gold England & Scotland
- Gold London (AM & DAB) - also nationally on FreesatFreesatFreesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008...
, SkyBritish Sky BroadcastingBritish Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
and Virgin MediaVirgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
. - Gold Bournemouth (AM & DAB)
- Gold Bristol & Bath (AM & DAB)
- Gold Cambridge (DAB)
- Gold Central Scotland (DAB)
- Gold Derby (AM)
- Gold Essex (AM & DAB)
- Gold Gloucester & Cheltenham (AM)
- Gold Kent (AM & DAB)
- Gold Luton & Bedford (AM)
- Gold Manchester (AM & DAB)
- Gold Norfolk & North Suffolk (AM & DAB)
- Gold Northamptonshire (AM)
- Gold NottinghamClassic Gold GEMClassic Gold GEM was a United Kingdom radio station, broadcasting to much of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and East Staffordshire from studios in Dunstable, Bedfordshire...
(AM & DAB) - Gold PeterboroughClassic Gold 1332Classic Gold 1332 was a British radio station broadcasting to the Peterborough area on 1332 kHz AM and DAB digital radio. It also was available around Cambridge on DAB digital radio. It was part of the Classic Gold Digital Network which was owned by GCap and was the sister station of 102.7 Hereward...
(AM & DAB) - Gold PlymouthPlymouth GoldPlymouth Gold is a radio station broadcasting to the city of Plymouth in Devon and surrounding areas. It is owned by GCap Media and was part of the national Classic Gold Digital Network...
(AM & DAB) - Gold Reading (AM & DAB)
- Gold Reigate & Crawley (AM)
- Gold South Hampshire (AM & DAB)
- Gold Suffolk (AM)
- Gold Sussex (AM & DAB)
Gold Wales
- Gold Cardiff & Newport (AM & DAB)
- Gold Wrexham & ChesterWrexham and Chester GoldGold North Wales and Cheshire is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Wrexham, Chester, Flintshire and some of the Wirral, and is part of the Gold radio network. It is the "sister" station to local FM station, Marcher Sound, launched by Marcher Radio Group in 1989...
(AM)
Gold West Midlands
These stations are owned by Orion Media and operate under a brand licence from Global, Orion uses its Gold frequencies for sports programme "The Sportsbar" on Monday evenings between 18:00 and 19:00, a Friday evening football phone-in hosted by Tom Ross and Tony Butler and for local football commentaries on Weekend afternoons and Weekday evenings.
- Gold Birmingham (AM & DAB)
- Gold Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and TelfordClassic Gold WABCClassic Gold WABC was a United Kingdom radio station, broadcasting to much of Wolverhampton and Shropshire from studios in Dunstable. Regional news, weather, events and community information, local advertising and a four-hour live weekday regional programme came from a studio centre in...
(AM & DAB) - Gold Coventry and Warwickshire (AM & DAB)
Heart
Heart is a network of adult-contemporary pop stations across southern England and north Wales. The network began with a regional station in the West Midlands and subsequently a station in London. Heart 106 in the East Midlands was sold to Orion Media and run as a franchise retaining it's current name until the start of 2011 where it was rebranded to Gem 106. In 2009 many of the heritage CHR stations which had formed part of the One Network were renamed Heart, as were Ocean and South Hams Radio (which were not part of the One Network). Heart Hertfordshire is owned by Adventure RadioAdventure Radio
Adventure Radio is a UK based media company based in Southend-on-Sea which operates radio stations in Essex, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.*Chelmsford Radio 107.7 serves Chelmsford and mid-Essex....
and uses the Heart name and format under licence from Global; also Heart South Devon is partly owned by UKRD Group, all other Heart stations are wholly Global-owned. Heart is also available on DAB in some areas where there is not a local Heart station receiving Heart Digital, which is a relay of Heart London. On Freeview, viewers either receive Heart West Midlands or Heart Digital (depending on transmitter).
- Heart London - DAB in selected areas, nationally on SkySkyThe sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
and Virgin MediaVirgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
; Freeview in England (not Midlands) & Wales - Heart West MidlandsHeart West MidlandsHeart West Midlands is a radio station based in Birmingham, England, as part of the Heart Network, with a regional license to broadcast to the West Midlands...
- Heart South Coast
- Heart North West and WalesHeart North West and WalesHeart North West and Wales is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Cheshire and North East Wales , Heart Wirral and Heart North Wales Coast...
- Heart Home CountiesHeart Home CountiesHeart Four Counties is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. The station began broadcasting at 4pm on Friday 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Milton Keynes , Heart Northants , Heart Dunstable and...
- Heart Sussex and SurreyHeart Sussex and SurreyHeart Sussex and Surrey is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Sussex and Surrey from studios in the Portslade area of Brighton. The station began broadcasting on Monday 26 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Sussex and Mercury FM.-History:The regional station originally...
- Heart Thames ValleyHeart Thames ValleyHeart Thames Valley is an Independent Local Radio Station serving Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire from studios in Reading, southern England...
- Heart West CountryHeart West CountryHeart West Country is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Bristol and Somerset. The station began broadcasting on 16 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Bristol , Heart Bath and Heart Somerset .-History:The regional station originally broadcast as three separate stations...
- Heart Hertfordshire - Owned by Adventure RadioAdventure RadioAdventure Radio is a UK based media company based in Southend-on-Sea which operates radio stations in Essex, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.*Chelmsford Radio 107.7 serves Chelmsford and mid-Essex....
operating under a brand licence. - Heart CambridgeshireHeart CambridgeshireHeart Cambridgeshire is an Independent Local Radio Station broadcasting to Cambridgeshire from studios in Peterborough. The station began broadcasting on 2 July 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Peterborough and Heart Cambridge...
- Heart Gloucestershire
- Heart Wiltshire
- Heart Cymru
- Heart Essex
- Heart Kent
- Heart East AngliaHeart East AngliaHeart East Anglia is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Norfolk and Suffolk. The station began broadcasting on Friday 3 September 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Norwich and Heart Ipswich .-History:The regional station originally broadcast as three separate stations -...
- Heart DevonHeart DevonHeart Devon is a Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Devon. The station began broadcasting on Friday 27 August 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay , Heart Plymouth , Heart North Devon and Heart South Devon .-History:The regional station...
LBC Radio
LBC is a London orientated speech-based station featuring news, opinion and information. Its sister station LBC News offers rolling news during daytime, but now simulcasts LBC's FM content overnight.- LBC 97.3LBC 97.3LBC 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...
- FM/DAB in London, DAB selected other areas, nationally on Sky and Virgin Media. - LBC News 1152LBC News 1152LBC News 1152 is London's only rolling news radio station broadcasting in Greater London on AM, DAB, Sky, Virgin Media and online. The station's aim is to provide more in depth coverage of the day's news stories...
- AM/DAB in London only.
Xfm
Xfm broadcasts alternative rock and independent music. It began officially in 1997 as an independent London station, it was purchased by Capital Radio Group (now Global). The Xfm brand was extended in 2006-7 with the launch of stations in Scotland, Manchester and South Wales. The Scotland station was rebranded to Galaxy Scotland which is now Capital Scotland and The South Wales station was sold to Town & Country Broadcasting becoming Nation RadioNation Radio
Nation Radio launched on 16 June 2008 as a regional radio station broadcasting to the South Wales area from Neath.Nation Radio took over the Ofcom broadcasting licence held by Xfm South Wales when GCap Media sold the station to Town and Country Broadcasting for an unspecified fee on 30 May 2008....
.
- Xfm LondonXfm LondonXfm London is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom owned by Global Radio and broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London, on digital radio via 30 DAB multiplexes across the country, Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media....
- London FM, various areas DAB, nationally on Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media. - Xfm ManchesterXfm ManchesterXfm Manchester is a commercial radio station broadcasting alternative and indie music to Manchester in North West England.It builds on the brand and format established by Xfm London. The majority of programming is shared but some is produced specifically for Manchester...
- Manchester FM, various DAB multiplexes in north of England
Digital-only stations
Global currently operates two stations exclusively broadcast to digital listeners:- ChillChill (radio station)Chill is a British digital radio station dedicated to chill out, ambient and trip-hop music.-The station:Chill is broadcast on DAB 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...
- mellow music; DAB in London and Birmingham; nationally on Sky and Virgin Media. - The ArrowThe Arrow (radio)The Arrow is a British digital radio station playing pop and the softer end of rock music. It broadcasts on DAB Digital Radio . It is also broadcast on TalkTalk TV and streamed online...
- classic rock music; DAB in selected areas.
Former Stations
Several DAB-onlyDigital 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....
stations previously operated by Global or its predecessors have now been sold off or closed down, including Capital Life
Capital Life
Capital Life, also known as Life, was a digital radio station broadcasting across the UK on the Digital One network and streamed online.-About:...
, 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...
, The Storm
The Storm (radio station)
The Storm was a digital-only, modern rock music radio station broadcasting in parts of Central and Southern UK, and owned by GCap Media. It played music from bands such as Green Day, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, The Libertines, Garbage and Franz Ferdinand....
, 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...
, Heart Digital
Heart Digital
Heart Digital was a digital radio network of stations that broadcast on DAB Digital Radio in the North East of England , the North West of England , Yorkshire , South Wales and the West of England and in Central Scotland , as part of the Heart Network...
, 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....
. There was also a digital station called The Mix, which aired content from GWR's Mix Network to DAB and digital TV listeners, but this was withdrawn following the GWR-Capital merger.
Planet Rock was sold to Rock Show consortium led by Malcolm Bluemel.
The 106 East Midlands radio licence is owned by Orion Media
Orion Media
Orion Media is a UK commercial radio group run by radio veteran Phil Riley and backed by Lloyds TSB Development Capital. It was created from the enforced sale of several radio stations in the English Midlands owned and operated by Global Radio.-History:...
and it operated under a brand licence as Heart East Midlands until January 2011 when it was renamed Gem 106..