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Smooth Extra
Smooth Radio is a network of local radio stations broadcasting on FM and DAB in the United Kingdom. It no longer broadcasts any outlets on AM since the last outlet on medium wave ceased at 1:00pm on Friday 28th February 2025. Smooth Radio previously featured a soft adult contemporary radio format but has introduced more upbeat music since 2023. Launched in March 2014, it replaced the national Smooth Radio that had launched in 2010 on FM and DAB, and most outlets of Gold on AM. Each FM station broadcasts localised breakfast with networked shows simulcast from London at all other times. Four of the seven FM stations, and the former AM stations, are owned and operated by Global, with the remaining three FM licences owned by Communicorp UK and run as a franchise. According to RAJAR, the network broadcasts to a combined weekly audience of 6.6 million with a listening share of 4.1% as of September 2024. In January 2023, Smooth introduced a new logo and slogan, "''Always the be ...
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London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Roman Empire, Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of Government of the United Kingdom, the national government and Parliament of the United Kingdom, parliament. London grew rapidly 19th-century London, in the 19th century, becoming the world's List of largest cities throughout history, largest city at the time. Since the 19th cen ...
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Radio Format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, radio was compelled to develop new and exclusive ways to programming by competition with Television broadcasting, television. The formula has since spread as a reference for commercial radio programming worldwide. A radio format aims to reach a more or less specific audience according to a certain type of programming, which can be thematic or general, more informative or more musical, among other possibilities. Radio formats are often used as a marketing tool and are subject to frequent changes, including temporary changes called "Stunting (broadcasting), stunting." Except for talk radio or sports radio formats, most programming formats are based on commercial music. However the term also includes the news, bulletins, DJ talk, jingles, c ...
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Secretary Of State For Culture, Media And Sport
The secretary of state for culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office has been dubbed "Minister of Fun". Responsibilities The secretary has overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Responsibilities include: * Arts and Culture * Broadcasting * Creative industries * Creative Industries Council * Cultural property, heritage and the historic environment * Cultural Renewal Taskforce * Culture, sports and arts sector recovery from COVID-19 * Gambling and racing * Libraries * Media ownership and mergers * Museums and galleries * The National Lottery * Sport * Tourism History The office was created in 1992 by Prime Minister ...
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Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'', and formerly ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity. The Group's annual report (for the year ending 2 April 2023) indicated that the Scott Trust Endowment Fund was valued at £1.24 billion, while in 2021 it was valued at £1.14 billion. History The company was founded as the Manchester Guardian Ltd. in 1907 when C.P. Scott bought ''The Manchester Guardian'' (founded in 1821) from the estate of his cousin Edward Taylor. It became the Manchester Guardian and Evening News Ltd when it bought out the ''Manchester Evening News'' in 1924, later becoming the Guardian and Manchester Evening News Ltd to reflect the change in the morning paper's title. It adopted its current name in 1993. In 1991, it had a 20% stake in a consort ...
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Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92 million, and the largest in Northern England. It borders the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Stockport, Tameside, Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Oldham, Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Rochdale, Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Bury and City of Salford, Salford. The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort (''castra'') of Mamucium, ''Mamucium'' or ''Mancunium'', established on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers River Medlock, Medlock and River Irwell, Irwell. Throughout the Middle Ages, Manchester remained a ma ...
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Salford Quays
Salford Quays is an area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, near the end of the Manchester Ship Canal. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it faces Trafford across the canal. History Built by the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Salford Docks was the larger of two that made up Manchester Docks, the other being Pomona Docks to the east, which opened in 1903. They were opened in 1894 by Queen Victoria and spanned of water and of land. At their height, the Manchester Docks was the third-busiest port in Britain, but after containerisation and the limit placed on vessel size on the Manchester Ship Canal, the docks declined in the 1970s. They closed in 1982, resulting in the loss of 3,000 jobs. In 1983, Salford City Council acquired parts of the docks covering from the Manchester Ship Canal Company with the aid of a derelict land grant. The area was rebranded as Salford Quays and redevelopment by Urban Waterside began in 1985 under the Salford Quays Development Plan. Fa ...
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Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covered more than 90% of the population from 137 transmitters. Coverage was extended to Northern Ireland in July 2013. It contains a list of DAB and DAB+ radio stations operated by Bauer Media Audio UK, Global Media & Entertainment and News Broadcasting. Stations carried DAB DAB+ History On 24 March 1998, the Radio Authority advertised for the first national ensemble to be broadcast on DAB, with the three Independent National Radio services on FM and medium wave required to be included in the ensemble. This included Classic FM, Talk Radio UK (now Talksport) and Virgin Radio (now Absolute Radio). The licence was awarded to the sole applicant, GWR Group and NTL Broadcast to form Digital One. The original licence application included the following stations: Digital One was due to launch on 1 October 1999, but this was postponed until 15 November 1999. T ...
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GMG Radio
GMG Radio was a company that owned the Real Radio and Smooth Radio networks. As GMG Radio, the company was the radio division of the Guardian Media Group until it was bought in 2012 by Global Radio, however pending regulatory review of the merger the company was renamed Real and Smooth Limited and operated as a separate entity, until May 2014. History GMG Radio GMG Radio was Guardian Media Group's radio division, which started in early 1999 when former GMG Chief Executive Sir Robert Phillis enlisted the services of John Myers to establish GMG's radio division after seeing Myers on the documentary programme ''Trouble at the Top''. Myers had featured in an episode that followed him as he prepared to launch Century 105 in the North West for Border Radio Holdings. Myers had left the Century stations and, after a brief spell in charge of Radio Investments Ltd, created GMG Radio Holdings Ltd and became its Managing Director. The Station's first FM licence was won in April 2000 ...
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RAJAR
Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR; ) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and Radiocentre. RAJAR's predecessor was called Joint Industry Committee on Radio Audience Research (JICRAR; ). Prior to this, the BBC and Radiocentre's predecessor CRCA carried out their own measurements independently of each other. Structure The company operates as a joint industry committee (JIC) and its board is chaired by an independent chairman. It has shareholder representation from the BBC and the commercial sector, as well as the, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA). The company is a non-profit making entity. Purpose and methodology RAJAR collects information on behalf of over 300 BBC and Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and com ...
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Franchising
Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its business model, brand, and rights to sell its branded products and services to a franchisee. In return, the franchisee pays certain fees and agrees to comply with certain obligations, typically set out in a franchise agreement. The word ''franchise'' is of Anglo-French derivation—from , meaning 'free'—and is used both as a noun and as a (transitive) verb. For the franchisor, use of a franchise system is an alternative business growth strategy, compared to expansion through corporate owned outlets or "chain stores". Adopting a franchise system business growth strategy for the sale and distribution of goods and services minimizes the franchisor's capital investment and liability risk. Franchising is rarely an equal partnership, especially in t ...
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Bauer Media Audio Ireland
Bauer Media Audio Ireland (formerly Communicorp Group) is a media holding company based in Ireland, owned by Bauer Media Group. History Communicorp Group Ltd was formed by Denis O'Brien in 1989. It launched its radio operations in Ireland that same year and entered the Czech Republic in 1992. Later, it added stations in Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, and Hungary. Based in Dublin, the company now owns radio stations including Ireland's Newstalk, Today FM, 98FM, SPIN 1038 and SPIN South West. By then, O'Brien owned both of Ireland's independent (non-state-operated) national radio stations. O'Brien's Communicorp was the highest bidder for Emap's Irish operations when that company decided to sell its radio stations, buying FM104, Highland Radio and Today FM on 14 July 2007. In October 2007, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) approved Communicorp's proposed takeover of Today FM and Highland Radio, but not FM104. The deal was completed by January 2008. Due to a Competition ...
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Global Media & Entertainment
Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrysalis Radio, GCap Media and GMG Radio. Global owns and operates seven core radio brands, all employing a national network strategy, including Capital, Heart, Smooth, Radio X, Gold, Classic FM and LBC. Global is also one of the leading out-of-home advertising (OOH) companies in the UK. History Global was founded by Ashley Tabor-King in 2007, with financial backing from his father Michael Tabor, and purchased Chrysalis Radio, where Global took control of the radio brands Heart, Galaxy, LBC and The Arrow. A year later on 31 October 2008 Global Radio officially took control of all GCap Media and its brands. The GCap Media name was dropped at this time. The GCap purchase gave Global the network of FM stations which GCap had operated as ...
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