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 Final logo used from 2015-2020. | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Leeds andWest Yorkshire |
| Frequency | FM: 96.3 MHz DAB: 12D |
| RDS | AIRE |
| Branding | Across West Yorkshire |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bauer |
| History | |
First air date | 1 September 1981 |
Last air date | 31 August 2020 |
Radio Aire was anIndependent Local Radio station, servingLeeds andWest Yorkshire.
The station was merged and relaunched asGreatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire, as part of a rebrand, on 1 September 2020.
Radio Aire was launched at 6am on 1 September 1981 by breakfast presenter Graham Thornton – the first song played on air wasPilot of the Airwaves byCharlie Dore. The station's first news bulletin was read byChrista Ackroyd and in November 1982, she became the UK's first female radio news editor.[1][2]
The station originally broadcast on 362m Medium Wave (828 kHz AM) and 94.6 VHF. In 1986, Radio Aire's VHF/FM frequency changed to 96.3 FM.
Radio Aire's studios were based on Burley Road, overlooking Kirkstall Road, next toYorkshire Television's headquarters – it was the firstIndependent Local Radio station to have purpose-built studios. In the late 1980s, the studios were used forThe James Whale Radio Show, which was a late night TV show, broadcast onITV, Radio Aire andRed Rose Radio.
On 17 July 1990, Radio Aire split frequencies, formingAire FM andMagic 828. In 1992, the name was changed toRadio Aire FM and to96.3 Aire FM in 1995. A change of format in 1996 saw another station name change toThe New 96.3 Aire FM beforeThe New was dropped in 1998. By March 2001, Radio Aire had reverted to its original name.
The station together with Magic 828 was bought byEMAP in 1995 and it became part of their Big City Network of stations. It maintained a generic branding with sister stations across Northern England from 1999. Following the acquisition of EMAP Radio in 2008, the station was owned and operated byBauer Radio as part of its 'Big City Network' (later known as 'Bauer City 1', and latterly, theHits Radio Network).
By the time of the station's closure, most of Radio Aire's output consisted of networked programming – with local output reduced to a four-hour breakfast show on weekdays, alongside hourly local news bulletins, peak-time traffic updates and advertising.
On 16 July 2020, it was announced that Radio Aire would switch brands fromHits Radio toGreatest Hits Radio, as part of a wider overhaul.[3][4]
Radio Aire ceased broadcasting at 4pm on Monday 31 August 2020. The last on-air presenter was Hattie Pearson and the last song played was "Uptown Funk" byMark Ronson featuringBruno Mars.[citation needed]
On 1 September 2020, the station rebranded asGreatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire and merged with several stations in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire[3] with all local programming removed apart from a regional afternoon show forYorkshire, hosted bySteve Priestley from the Leeds studios[5] but this ended in November 2024, Localised news bulletins and advertising for West Yorkshire continue to be broadcast throughout the day, whilst traffic bulletins for the area are broadcast during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows.
Radio Aire's DAB slot on the Leeds multiplex was taken over by neighbouring stationPulse 1, which carried a local breakfast show for West Yorkshire on weekdays, followed by networked programmes from theHits Radio Network in Manchester. In March 2021, Pulse 1 closed its Bradford studios and moved to the former Radio Aire studios in Leeds. In April 2024, Pulse 1 changed its name toHits Radio West Yorkshire, although the local breakfast show remains.
Radio Aire's FM transmitter was located at the Tingley site inMorley, close to theA653 and junction 28 of theM62. The adjacent mast, known as Morley, is the former home of the station's FM transmissions. It continues to broadcastGreatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire on 96.3 MHz and the Leeds DAB multiplex.
The medium wave frequency of 828 kHz continued to carry Greatest Hits Radio until it ceased broadcasting on Friday 30 April 2021.
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