GMG Radio sale: How Heart could expand

25/06/2012 - 10:48 | 8 Replies More

Today’s news that Global Radio is buying the radio assets of the Guardian Media Group could lead to the end of the decade-old Real Radio brand and the expansion of Heart.

But where did Heart come from and where could it go?

Heart started life as a regional station in the West Midlands in 1994 – on the 6th of September – around the same time as other new regional stations such as Jazz FM North West and Century Radio North East. A year later Heart’s owner Chrysalis won a licence for London and launched Heart 106.2. Almost a decade later Heart 106 was launched in the East Midlands, replacing Century 106.

When Global Radio bought Chrysalis in 2007, Heart was rolled out to over 30 local stations around the South of England, putting an end to heritage names such as Invicta and Fox FM – before Global took advantage of new rules which allowed the merging of neighbouring Heart stations, creating the 17 “mini-regions” we have today.

This is the map as it stood a month ago, minus the recent expansion in Cornwal.


View This is/was Heart in a larger map

Heart East Midlands was sold to Orion Media and ran as a franchise until 2010/2011 when it was re-named Gem 106, leaving only the original Heart West Midlands as a regional licence.

With the addition of GMG Radio’s regional licences, Heart would be heard on FM for the first time in Scotland, the North East of England and Yorkshire.

Global Radio are currently saying they have no news on what will become of GMG Radio’s brands – but we are expecting the changes to be complete as soon as possible.


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Category: Industry News

  • http://twitter.com/Stub_Crouch Patrick

    The day GWR and Capital merged was the second worst day in radio. The first being when the ownership rules were changed to allow buy outs. Allowing Global to expand is a final nail in the coffin.

    • Rob

      Totally agree Patrick, now an even bigger tail is wagging the dog.

  • Andrew

    Like the word could in the title but shouldn’t it be will ? Sad day for us here in the north west. What started as a great personality station under John Myers now becomes a bland London station.

    Would I be right in thinking they can convert Real NW into a national station along the likes of Smooth.

    • Mussy

      Smooth is likely to become part of the gold network unless they think the brand is already strong enough as it is!

  • Radio Geordie

    Actually, Heart didn’t rollout until Global bought the GCAP conglomerate a year or so later.

    Then the ILR services disappeared to become HEART and later the Galaxy services were merged to become CAPITAL (although they missed the R out).

    So, REAL will become HEART and SMOOTH will become GOLD.
    MAGIC has been networked for years and METRO RADIO is a crap as CAPITAL.

    If you’re lucky enough to have an alternative, that’s going to be your only choice – be it small commercial operation or Community service.

    SUN FM, here I come.

  • Guest

    OMG, now Scotland has a real reason to leave the UK: if they don’t they will be hearing I’m So Excited / Pointer Sisters, Summer of 69 / Bryan Adams, Time of My Life / Medley-Warnes….over and over and over and over again. I’m wondering if, when all is said and done, that Global (with its combined assets including GMG) will eventually be sold to USA based Clear Channel? The two already have some sort of tie up, and Clear Channel likes to dominate, and with Global now enjoying dominance it would be right up Clear Channel’s alley. Is this part of Global’s ultimate plan?

  • I Love Global

    good news!

    looking forward to hearing Gold on FM for the first time in London and West Mids and East Mids!

    Also looking forward to changes on DAB e.g. Gold on D1 in 128K (replacing Smooth and Smooth70s) and maybe Chill and Choice being expanded on local/regional DAB where possible

  • Alf stewart

    will global divest any radio stations in the midlands who knows ?

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