Chiltern Radio may also refer to
Chiltern Voice FM:
Chiltern Radio Network was the parent group of several
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 2 ...
stations in the 1980s and 1990s. These were divided across two networks: ''The Hot FM'' and ''SuperGold''.
History
Chiltern Radio launched on 15 October 1981 from studios located on Chiltern Road in
Dunstable,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
. On 1 June 1982, Chiltern expanded into
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
with studios on Goldington Road. This was joined 30 November 1986 with Northants Radio from
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
, and 15 October 1989 with Horizon Radio from
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
. ''The Hot FM'' network transmitted on the FM services of
97.6 Chiltern FM,
96.9 Chiltern FM,
Northants 96,
, followed later by
Oasis Radio,
Severn Sound, and
Galaxy Radio. For a while
Galaxy Radio and
Horizon Radio operated a slightly more edgy "Hotter Mix" format, although they switched back again to the "Hot FM" for networked programming. ''
Supergold'' transmitted on the AM services of
Chiltern Radio,
Northants Radio, followed later by
Severn Sound and
Invicta Radio.
Stations would broadcast from their studios until 7pm, then share programmes from
Dunstable overnight.
In May 1995, the
GWR Group
GCap Media was a British commercial radio company formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group.
The merger was completed on 9 May 2005. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Inde ...
launched a hostile takeover bid for Chiltern. This completed in July, and GWR began re-branding the stations in September - the FM stations as part of their ''Mix Network'' and gold stations as
Classic Gold Digital Network. Shared programming on FM moved to
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
whilst shared AM programming remained in
Dunstable. In May 2005, the GWR Group merged with
Capital Radio
Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital (radio network), Capital Network.
As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Bri ...
to form
GCap Media, which
Global Radio
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 Chrysal ...
bought out in 2008 and eventually became the
Heart Radio network.
Presenters
Original DJs and presenters included
Paul McKenna, Paul 'Mad Dog' O'Reilly,
Martin Collins, Tony West,
NJ Williams, Tony Lloyd, and Louie Martin. Networked presenters included
Graham Torrington,
Chris Moyles, Emma Scott, Steve Power, Chris Brooks, Tim Allen, Mark Sadler, Tom Stewart, Simon Clarke, Neale James, Treva Ellis, and Laura Penn. Other presenters included Paul Garner who did a comedy and unsigned music show, David Francis on the late show and Dave Sanders who hosted a Sunday show consisting of mostly album tracks.
Network news
Chiltern Radio Network ran the satellite news service Network News between 5 July 1991 and 1 April 1996 as a competitor to
Independent Radio News. The service provided hourly national news bulletins to not only Chiltern stations, but other broadcasters including
Virgin Radio,
Radio Luxembourg,
Choice FM, and
Radio Maldwyn. Network News was joint led by
Paul Chantler (then Group Programme Director of the Chiltern Radio Network) and Jon Davies, journalist who had been a key part of
ITN Radio News. The service closed with the acquisition of Chiltern Radio by the GWR Group, which was a shareholder in IRN.
References
External links
Chiltern Radio - The Legacy Site- historical information, photos & audio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiltern Radio Network
Defunct radio stations in the United Kingdom
Former British radio networks
Radio broadcasting companies of the United Kingdom
News agencies based in the United Kingdom
1981 establishments in the United Kingdom
1995 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Companies established in 1981
Companies disestablished in 1995
1994 mergers and acquisitions