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Radio broadcasting in the United Kingdom involves around 600 licensed radio stations.
BBC Radio is an operationalbusiness division[1] and service of theBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in theUnited Kingdom under the terms of aroyal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations covering the majority of musical genres, as well aslocal radio stations covering local news, affairs, and interests. It also oversees online audio content.[2]
Of the national radio stations,BBC Radio 1,2,3,4, and5 Live are all available through analogue radio (1, 2, 3 and 4 onFM and 5 Live onMW; BBC Radio 4 additionally broadcasts onlongwave[3]) as well as onDAB Digital Radio andBBC Sounds.BBC Radio 1Xtra,1 Dance,1 Anthems,3 Unwind,4 Extra,5 Sports Extra,6 Music,Asian Network[a] and theWorld Service broadcast only on DAB and BBC Sounds.
All of the BBC's national radio stations broadcast from bases inLondon andManchester, usually in or near toBroadcasting House orMediaCityUK. However, the BBC's network production units located inBelfast,Birmingham,Bristol,Cardiff andGlasgow also make radio programmes.[4]Also available nationally onanalogue radio aretwo national commercial channels, namelyClassic FM (FM 99.9 MHz—101.9 MHz); andTalksport (AM 1053 kHz or 1089 kHz in most areas). These stations are also available at 11D or 12A onDAB (on theDigital One multiplex). As with the BBC, digital radio has brought about many changes, including the rollout of local stations such asRadio X,Kiss andKerrang Radio to other areas of the United Kingdom.
Commercial radio licences are awarded byOfcom, a government body which advertises a licence for an area and holds a so-called "beauty contest" to determine which station will be granted permission to broadcast in that area. Stations submit detailed application documents containing their proposed format and the outcome of research to determine the demand for their particular style of broadcast.Original 106 was the last radio station to be granted a licence byOfcom.[clarification needed]
Most local commercial stations in the United Kingdom broadcast to a city or group of towns within a radius of 20–50 miles, with a second tier of "regional" stations covering larger areas such asNorth West England. The predominant format ispop music, but many other tastes are also catered for, particularly in London and the larger cities, and on digital radio.
Rather than operating as independent entities, many local radio stations are owned by large radio groups which generally broadcast the same station on frequencies which used to carry local individual stations with their own station name. They broadcast as a single network with local inserts for news, weather, travel and commercials. The largest operator of radio isGlobal Radio which bought the former media group,GCap Media; it ownsClassic FM and theCapital radio network. Other owners areBauer Radio andNews Broadcasting, which mainly own stations that broadcast in highly populated city areas.
Many of these stations, including all the BBC stations, are also available viadigital television services.
Community radio stations broadcast to a small area, normally within a 3-mile (5 km) radius, and are required by the Act to benot-for-profit organisations, owned by local people, on which the broadcasters are mostly volunteers. They are recognised under theCommunications Act 2003 as a distinct third tier of radio in the United Kingdom. The community radio movement in the United Kingdom was founded in the mid-1970s, broadcasting throughRestricted Service Licences, the internet andcable television.
An Access Radio pilot scheme, launched in 2002, gave fifteen stations, includingResonance FM andALL FM, trial licences, and this has blossomed into a lively sector, overseen unofficially by theCommunity Media Association.[5]
The broadcasters predominantly serve an easily defined racial community such asAsian Star Radio in Slough, or a geographically defined community such asCoast FM,Speysound Radio or The Bay Radio.[citation needed] They can also serve religious groups, such as Christian radio stationBranch FM in Yorkshire. As well as this, they can also be linked with universities and student unions who run the stations under a community licence, for exampleSmoke Radio in London,Demon FM inLeicester, andSpark FM inSunderland.
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