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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
| Frequencies | FM: 99.9 – 101.9 (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and parts of North East Ireland) DAB+: 11D (England/Northern Ireland/North East Ireland/Wales) DAB+: 12A (Scotland and The Channel Islands) Freeview: 731 Freesat: 721 Sky (UK only): 0106 Virgin Media: 922 |
| RDS | Classic |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classical |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Global |
| Classic FM Calm Classic FM Movies | |
| History | |
First air date | 7 September 1992; 33 years ago (1992-09-07) |
| Links | |
| Website | classicfm |
Classic FM (styled asCLASSICfM) is one of theUnited Kingdom's threeIndependent National Radio stations and is owned and operated byGlobal Media & Entertainment (Global). The station broadcastsclassical music and was launched in 1992.
Classic FM was the first national classical music station to launch since the opening ofBBC Radio 3 25 years earlier on 30 September 1967, and 46 years since the opening of Radio 3's predecessor ofThe Third Programme on 29 September 1946.
As of May 2025[update], the station has a weekly audience of 4.7 million listeners, according toRAJAR.[1][2]
Classic FM broadcasts nationally onFM,DAB+,Freeview,satellite andcable television and is available internationally bystreaming audio over theinternet. It is the onlyIndependent National Radio station to broadcast on FM, alongside BBC Radios1,2,3 and4. In addition to playing a wide repertoire of traditional classical music, the station also features more modern orchestral pieces such asfilm scores, televisiontheme music andvideo game music.[3]
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The idea for a national, commercial FM network devoted to classical music originated with the management atGWR Group, an entrepreneurial group of UK commercial radio stations. It had been operating a trial programme on its AM frequencies inWiltshire andBristol, testing audience reaction to a regular drive-time programme of popular classical music. It proved successful, and the company's CEO, Ralph Bernard, and programme director,Michael Bukht, drew up the plans for a national station.[4][circular reference]
Meanwhile,Brian Brolly, formerly the CEO ofAndrew Lloyd Webber'sReally Useful Group, had a similar idea in 1990. After failing to raise sufficient funds for the project, Brolly's consortium was approached by the GWR Group, and the two merged. The UK Government had decided to award several new national radio licences, and invited tenders. Brolly had brought the idea to Rick Senat, the long-serving head of business affairs in London forWarner Bros. and current owner ofHammer Films. Initially rejected by Warner Bros., Senat showed the project to the President ofTime Warner International Broadcasting,Tom McGrath, a former classical musician and conductor. Time Warner agreed to back the project, but was prohibited under UK law of that time from owning more than a 25% interest.
The Radio Authority had granted an exemption so that Time Warner could hold more than 25%, provided a UK citizen/corporation was larger in the shareholding group.[citation needed]
The station launched at 06:00 on Monday 7 September 1992, after two months of test transmissions using arecording of birdsong.[5] Nick Bailey presented the first programme, andZadok the Priest byGeorge Frideric Handel was the first piece to be played.[6][7] Other launch presenters includedHenry Kelly, Susannah Simons,Petroc Trelawny andAdrian Love.
Global, the UK's largest radio station ownership group, now owns the station.[8] Classic FM has broadcast from its current studios, on the second floor of 30Leicester Square in central London, since March 2006. The first programme to be broadcast live from there was Mark Griffiths' programme on 26 March 2006.
In April and May 2017,High Score, the first series on UK radio dedicated to video game music, was first broadcast on Classic FM. According to the station's website, it became "the most popular programme on 'Listen Again' in Classic FM's 25-year history". It was presented by composerJessica Curry.[9]
On 2 January 2024, Classic FM switched from being broadcast in 128 kbps stereo DAB to being broadcast in 64 kbps stereo DAB+.[10]
On 10 September 2024, it was announced that Classic FM would, for the first time, receive spin-off stations. The names of the two stations were then revealed on 11 September 2024, after a two week long social media campaign byGlobal. The stations – Classic FM Calm and Classic FM Movies - launched the following day.[11]
Source:[12].
Classic FM's "Hall of Fame" is broadcast annually over the four days of theEaster weekend. First broadcast in 1996, the show counts down the 300 most-popular pieces as voted for by listeners, culminating in the number one on the evening ofEaster Monday.
The number one spot was occupied until 2001 byMax Bruch'sViolin Concerto No. 1,[13][14] and then byRachmaninoff'sPiano Concerto No. 2.[15][16][17] In 2006 the top spot was taken byMozart'sClarinet Concerto.[18] From 2007 to 2010, the top place on the Hall of Fame was taken byRalph Vaughan Williams'sThe Lark Ascending.[19][20] The 2011 "Hall of Fame" saw Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 return to the top spot, ending Vaughan Williams' four-year run, and held the position again in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 The Lark Ascending replaced Rachmaninov, which slipped back to number 2 and remained number 1 through to 2017.[21]
In 2018, the top spot was taken byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's1812 Overture, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 was a non-mover in second place, and Vaughan Williams'The Lark Ascending descended to third place after a four-year run at no. 1.[22]
In the 2019 Hall of Fame, Vaughan Williams'sThe Lark Ascending reclaimed the top spot, followed by Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 andEdward Elgar'sEnigma Variations at second and third respectively. 2020 and 2021's Hall Of Fame also sawThe Lark Ascending voted the most popular piece by Classic FM listeners.
Classic FM broadcasts the "Nation's Favourite Christmas Carol" in a similar format to the "Hall of Fame". The show counts down the thirty most popularChristmas carols every Christmas Day between 13:00 and 15:00, as voted for by listeners. It began in 2001, with "In the Bleak Midwinter" winning the first vote.[23] The following year, "Silent Night" was voted the nation's favourite.[24] The vote has been won by "O Holy Night" in almost every year since then,[25][26] with the only other winner being "Silent Night" in 2014 and 2015.
From the station's launch in September 1992 until the end of 2019, Classic FM broadcast a weekly classical chart show. Initially transmitted on Saturday mornings, the programme later moved to Sunday evening. The final chart show was aired on 21 December 2019.
At the heart of Classic FM's identity from the start was its playlist of popular classics. It was compiled over the first few years byRobin Ray, who drew up a list of more than 50,000 classical music pieces and rated them for popular appeal, which forms the basis for the Classic FM playlist.[27][28] Selector software developed by RCS Inc in theUnited States, which had previously been used only for pop music, was adapted for classical music by Howard, Ray and others to include many more fields and categories, and deal with many more rotation rules to create a playlist from the 50,000 listed tracks;[29] the first "officially broadcast" track was "Zadok the Priest".[30]
Classic FM named a composer in residence in 2004,Joby Talbot. Talbot composed a piece, scored for up to five instruments, each month for the year of his residence. The compositions were also premiered on Classic FM. The twelve compositions form part of a larger piece, released on a CD entitledOnce Around the Sun on 23 May 2005.
Talbot was succeeded byPatrick Hawes as the new composer in residence in 2006 and composed the piano albumTowards the Light during his residency.[31] In May 2008Howard Goodall, the composer and television presenter, joined Classic FM as the station's latest composer in residence. Goodall also presented a new programme on the station,Howard Goodall on..., beginning on 7 June 2008.[32]
Debbie Wiseman was named composer in residence in 2015. Her first album commissioned for Classic FM wasThe Musical Zodiac, which was released the following year.[33][34]
Classic FM were sponsors ofQueens Park Rangers Football Club between 1992 and 1994.[35]
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The Classic FM Foundation is a grant giving charity which raises money to fund music education and music therapy projects working with children and adults throughout the UK. It was founded in 2006 as Classic FM Music Makers, and was renamed in 2010.
Hayley Westenra is an ambassador of the charity, which also receives support from many famous faces from the world of classical music and entertainment.
Throughout the year The Classic FM Foundation holds fundraising events including concerts, sponsored treks and an annual appeal.
On 25 December 2006, Classic FM opened "theJazz", a station devoted tojazz music. The station closed in March 2008, and Classic FM itself then took on the broadcasting of a jazz programme every night between midnight and 02:00, until September 2008.
On 9 September 2024, it was announced that Classic FM would receive spin-off stations[37] They were launched on 12 September 2024.[11] Both stations have no presenters and runs a 24/7 automated output.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)This new run follows the success of the first series of High Score, broadcast in April and May 2017, which has become the most popular programme on 'Listen Again' in Classic FM's 25-year history.
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