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| Broadcast area | London |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.9/105.4MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Easy Listening |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Hanson plc (1990–1998) Emap plc (1998) |
| History | |
First air date | 9 July 1990 |
Last air date | December 1998 |
Melody Radio was anIndependent Local Radio station, broadcast toGreater London between 1990 and 1998, when it was purchased by media groupEmap and rebranded asMagic 105.4.
Melody Radio launched on 9 July 1990 on 104.9 FM inGreater London withTony Bennett'sStrike Up The Band, as part of theIndependent Broadcasting Authority's creation of seven capital-wide services at the time. Broadcasting from studios inKnightsbridge, the station was owned byLord Hanson, chairman ofHanson plc, who created Melody as a service he himself would wish to listen to, allegedly inspired by 'easy listening' formats that had become popular on theWest Coast of the United States. Hanson was particularly keen on keeping speech to an absolute minimum; however, after the first few days of transmission, a large number of listener enquiries as to the identity of featured music persuaded him to slightly relax restrictions on presenter content.
In its early years, the music predominantly catered for those aged 50 and over;Frank Sinatra, who recorded a launch message for the station, and AnnunzioMantovani prime examples of the artists featured. Launch presenters included Bill Bingham,Steve Crozier,Dave Gillbee,Greg Bance andPeter Dickson, who spent four years as breakfast show presenter. The station achieved listening figures of over a million within its first six months of transmission. Other presenters included Gary Whitford,Allan King, for a brief periodDavid Jacobs, Tony Myatt andJonothan Izzard.
In 1996, the station changed frequencies, moving to 105.4 FM, having received numerous complaints from listeners inSouth West London of interference fromBBC Southern Counties Radio. The 104.9 frequency was, after technical corrections, reallocated toXfm.
In its later years, Melody FM adopted a softadult contemporary sound, aimed at a slightly younger audience, and newly marketed as 'London's relaxation station', the slogan which accompanied a television advertising campaign featuringEnya'sOrinoco Flow. The Radio Authority permitted the sale of Melody FM toEmap in June 1998, who rebranded the station asMagic 105.4 in December that year, as part of the company's newly created network of soft adult contemporary music stations, following the acquisition of several AM services in the north of England.
Melody Radio launched with the slogan 'At last – radio without the speakers'.
One of Melody Radio's distinctive features was its lack of pre-producedstation identification. Presenters also acted as the station'snewsreaders, and the inclusion of regularfinancial bulletins was precipitated by Hanson's own interest in business affairs.
Long-running programmes included a nightly Saga-sponsoredClassic Hour andMelody Showtime, a tribute to songs frommusical theatre, later replaced byNice And Easy, which featured many of the artists that had formed Melody's core playlist in 1990.
Later Melody FM presenters includingDavid Hamilton, Tony Myatt andDavid Allan all joined Saga's network of radio stations following the Emap takeover.