Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire is an
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2003, ...
station broadcasting from studios in
Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, to
Staffordshire and
Cheshire. The station was owned by
Wireless Group
Wireless Group Limited is a radio and digital broadcasting network with headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland and with radio operations in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It currently operates five stations in Ireland and ...
and ran a "gold format" playlist. It's the sister station of
Signal 1 and was based in the same studios.
History
The station began as Signal Radio which first broadcast at 6 am, 5 September 1983, with DJ John Evington selecting
Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" as its first track. The station initially broadcast on 104.3 MHz and 1170 kHz (a
wavelength
In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, t ...
of 257 metres, with the phrase "2 5 7" becoming a distinctive leitmotif), changing to 102.6 MHz soon after. The station's name is derived from "Signal" the name of the newspaper in
Arnold Bennett
Enoch Arnold Bennett (27 May 1867 – 27 March 1931) was an English author, best known as a novelist. He wrote prolifically: between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays (some in collaboratio ...
's local novels.
In the late 1980s the
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Author ...
ordered stations to provide different services on their FM and AM outputs. Due to this, in 1992 a "Golden Breakfast Show" started on the 1170 AM frequency while for the rest of the day it would take the main Signal Radio service. On 18 January 1993 a full-time station, Signal Gold, was launched.
In February 2019, Signal 2 was sold to
Bauer Radio
Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group.
History
In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
.
Technical
Signal 2's 1170 AM transmitter is at Sideway, near to the A500 D Road, just south of the A50 junction. It transmits 0.2 kW of power and can be heard throughout most of Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Signal 2 also broadcast on the local
Stoke and Stafford DAB multiplex 12D, from transmitters at
Alsagers Bank,
Pye Green BT Tower
Pye Green BT Tower is a tall telecommunication tower built of reinforced concrete at Pye Green, Staffordshire, England (). Standing on the far southern edge of Cannock Chase, it is one of fourteen telecommunication towers in the United Kingdom ...
,
Sutton Common BT Tower
Sutton Common BT Tower is a 72-metre (238-foot) radio tower built of reinforced concrete at Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. Sutton Common was originally conceived as part of the 1950s 'Backbone' chain designed to provide the UK and NATO with ...
and Tick Hill.
Programming
The majority of Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire's programming was produced and presented from its Stoke-on-Trent studios. The nightly late show was simulcast with Wireless Group's AM and FM stations while a syndicated show from Chris Country Radio aired on Sunday afternoons.
Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire broadcast local news bulletins hourly from 6 am to 6 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 12 pm on weekends. Headlines were broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside thrice daily showbiz bulletins.
Signal 2 public file
/ref> The station also simulcast hourly Sky News Radio
Sky News Radio is the radio arm of Sky News, owned by Sky UK. It has been operating since June 1999, providing a news bulletin service for UK commercial radio stations operators across the UK and for a number of English-speaking radio stations aro ...
bulletins at all other times. Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire also broadcast the bulk of Signal Radio
Signal 1 is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Staffordshire and South Cheshire.
As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 172,000 listeners ...
's sports coverage, including live commentary on Stoke City matches and a weekly magazine show, ''Jumpers for Goalposts'' on Friday evenings.
See also
* Signal 1
References
External links
*
Sideway transmitter
{{coord missing, Staffordshire
Mass media in Stoke-on-Trent
Radio stations in Staffordshire
Radio stations established in 1992
Bauer Radio
Greatest Hits Radio