 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South Yorkshire andChesterfield |
| Frequency | FM: 97.4 MHz(Sheffield) 102.9 MHz(Barnsley andRotherham) 103.4 MHz(Doncaster) DAB: 11C |
| RDS | HITS SYK |
| Branding | South Yorkshire's Hits Radio The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks |
| Programming | |
| Format | CHR/Pop |
| Network | Hits Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| Greatest Hits Radio South Yorkshire | |
| History | |
First air date | 1 October 1974; 50 years ago (1974-10-01) |
Former names | Radio Hallam Hallam FM |
Former frequencies | 95.2 FM 95.9 FM 96.1 FM 1548 MW |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Hits Radio South Yorkshire Player |
| Website | Hits Radio South Yorkshire |
Hits Radio South Yorkshire, formerlyHallam FM, is anIndependent Local Radio station based inSheffield, England, owned and operated byBauer Media Audio UK as part of theHits Radio network. It broadcasts toSouth Yorkshire andChesterfield.
As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 330,000 listeners according toRAJAR.[citation needed]
The station started broadcasting on 1548 kHz/194mAM, 95.2 and 95.9 MHz FM under the name ofRadio 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 wasI've Got the Music in Me byKiki 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 ofSouth Yorkshire. In 1987, Radio Hallam merged with neighbouringYorkshire stationsPennine Radio in Bradford andViking Radio in Hull to form the now-defunctYorkshire Radio Network.
The frequencies were changed during the 1980s to 96.1 FM forRotherham, 97.4 FM forSheffield, 102.9 FM forBarnsley, and 103.4 for the remainder of South Yorkshire. After a take-over of the parent companyYRN by theMetro Radio Group, the AM frequency becameGreat 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 toSheffield Wednesday'sHillsborough ground. The office space at Hartshead was formerly used by theSheffield Star newspaper.[citation needed]
As theMetro Radio Group was bought byEMAP, Hallam FM also became part of theBig City Network in Northern England. In 2011, Bauer Media'sBig 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 stationViking FM, following the closure of Viking's studios in Hull. Viking FM was then moved to co-locate withPulse 1 in Leeds.[2]
On 10 January 2024, station owners Bauer announced Hallam FM would be rebranded asHits 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 will continue but the station's Sheffield studios will close.[6]
The station broadcasts on three analogue frequencies. Almost the whole region is covered on 103.4 FM from a transmitter at Clifton, near theM18 as well as on 97.4 FM (Tapton Hill, Sheffield) and 102.9 FM (Ardsley) which boosts reception inSheffield,Doncaster andBarnsley. The station also broadcasts viaDAB on theBauer Radio South Yorkshire multiplex, and online via their app.
Networked programming originates from Bauer's Manchester studios.[7][8]
The station's only remaining local programme is the long-runningBig John @ Breakfast, which is produced and broadcast from Bauer's Sheffield studios and airs weekdays from 6–10 am.[9] The show has been on air since 2000[10] and is presented by "Big" John Harrison and Liesl Soards. During its time on air, the show has been 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]
Bauer's Sheffield newsroom broadcasts local news bulletins hourly from 6 am–7 pm on weekdays, and from 7 am–1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside traffic bulletins.
National bulletins fromSky News Radio are carried overnight with bespoke networked bulletins on weekend afternoons, usually originating from Bauer's Leeds newsroom.
| Genre | Comedy, Talk, Music |
|---|---|
| Running time | 240 minutes |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | Hits Radio South Yorkshire |
| Starring | "Big" John Harrison Liesl Soards |
| Produced by | James Crookes |
| Recording studio | Sheffield |
| Original release | 31 August 2000 – 6 June 2025 |
| Website | Big John on the Hallam FM website |
Big John @ Breakfast is the current breakfast show on Hits Radio South Yorkshire, and has been on air from 2000 to 2025.[13] It is presented by "Big" John Harrison and Liesl Soards, along with producer James Crookes. The show is broadcast live acrossSouth Yorkshire weekdays from 6am to 10am and it is now the only locally produced programme on the station.
On 6 June 2025 the show will end and be replaced by a new national breakfast show
Media related toHallam FM at Wikimedia Commons