Timeline of radio in Scotland

This is a timeline of the development of radio in Scotland.

1970s

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  • 1974
    • No events.
  • 1978
    • 23 November –
      • All BBC national radio stations change their medium or long wave transmission wavelength as part of a plan for BBC AM broadcasting in order to improve national AM reception, and to conform with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.[4] Radio 1's transmission wavelength is moved from 247m (1214 kHz) to 275 & 285m (1089 & 1053 kHz) medium wave.[5] Radio 2's wavelength is moved from 1500m (200 kHz) long wave to 433 & 330m (693 & 909 kHz) medium wave. Radio 3 is moved from 464m (647 kHz) to 247m (1215 kHz) medium wave. Radio 4 is moved from various medium wavelengths to 1500m (200 kHz) long wave.
      • Due to Radio 4's transfer from medium wave to long wave, BBC Radio Scotland launches as full-time stations on Radio 4's former Scottish medium wave opt-out wavelengths of 370m (810 kHz), albeit initially with very limited broadcast hours due to very limited coverage of Radio 4 on FM in both[clarification needed] countries.
  • 1979
    • 5 October – The Scottish Gaelic service BBC Radio nan Eilean launches, broadcasting to north west Scotland from Stornoway.

1980s

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  • 1983
    • No events.
  • 1986
    • No events.
  • 1987
    • No events.
  • 1988
    • 12 August – Radio Clyde launches a weekend-only chart music on FM, with the full Radio Clyde service continuing on MW.
    • 1 September – Radio 1 begins broadcasting on FM across central Scotland.
  • 1989
    • 19 December – BBC Radio 1 starts transmitting on FM in southern Scotland.[7]

1990s

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  • 1990
    • 3 January – Radio Clyde splits on a permanent basis with the full time launch of its classic hits service on MW. The FM station, Clyde 1, relaunched as a contemporary hit music station.
    • 22 January – Radio Borders begins broadcasting across the Scottish Border region.
    • 21 May – South West Sound begins broadcasting across Dumfries and Galloway.
    • 4 June – Centre Sound begins broadcasting to Stirling.
    • 15 July – Radio Forth is replaced on FM by Radio Forth RFM and on MW by Max AM.
  • 1993
    • No events.
  • 1994
  • 1996
    • 15 July – Oban FM begins broadcasting to the Oban area of west Scotland.
  • 1997
    • 6 January – West FM begins broadcasting on FM to Ayr and the surrounding areas. West Sound Radio continues on MW.
    • 23 May – Lochbroom FM begins broadcasting to the Scottish town of Ullapool.
    • 6 December – Waves Radio begins broadcasting to the Peterhead area of Aberdeenshire.
  • 1999
    • 19 August – BBC Radio 1 broadcasts its first split programming when it introduces weekly national new music shows for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Session in Scotland is presented by Gill Mills and Vic Galloway.
    • 15 November – Britain's first national commercial DAB digital radio multiplex, Digital One, goes on air to England, and parts of Scotland and Wales.
    • 19 November – Beat 106 begins broadcasting a new music service across the Scottish central belt.

2000s

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  • 2001
    • 5 July – The Switch Scotland multiplex launches, operating a multiplex of DAB stations across Scotland's central belt.[8]
  • 2008
    • 16 January – Celtic Music Radio begins broadcasting a Celtic music service in Glasgow.
    • 29 January – Bauer completes its purchase of Emap's radio, television and consumer media businesses for £1.14 bn.[10]
    • 8 August – Thomas Quirk, the former managing director of Saga 105.2 FM (the predecessor to 105.2 Smooth Radio in Glasgow) criticises parent company GMG Radio's decision to sack six local Scottish presenters in favour of increased networking of shows from Smooth stations in London and Manchester. The station had operated a 24-hour schedule of local programming until August 2008.[11]
    • 8 November – XFM Scotland returns to a dance and r&b format when it is relaunched as Galaxy Scotland.[12]
    • 23 December – Edinburgh station Talk 107 closes after two years on air.

2010s

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  • 2010
    • 29 April – Lanarkshire station L107 closes after five years on air.[14][15]
  • 2012
    • No events.
  • 2013
    • 1 July – Bauer's Scottish MW stations start to receive a networked breakfast show from Glasgow presented by Robin Galloway. Consequently, there is now no local programming on any of these stations.[17]
  • 2014
    • 7 April – Real XS Glasgow closes at midnight, and is rebranded as Xfm Scotland.[18]
    • 6 May – Real Radio Scotland is rebranded as Heart Scotland.[19]
    • September – The specialist output on MFR ends and is replaced by networked content from Bauer's 'Greatest Hits Network' of Scottish AM stations.
    • 16 November – The Superstation Orkney closes due to a lack of public funding and dwindling advertising revenue.[20]
  • 2015
    • 5 January – Bauer creates a national Scotland network for its AM stations called The Greatest Hits Network) with some peak time opt-outs.
    • 13 September – Global hands back the Paisley licence, on which it had broadcast XFM Scotland, to Ofcom when the regulator refused Global's request to network Radio X 24/7 from London.
  • 2017
    • No events.
  • 2018
    • 3 April – Aberdeen station Northsound 2 stops broadcasting on MW. The station continues to broadcast on DAB and online. It becomes the first commercial radio station in Scotland – and the first of Bauer's local stations – to cease analogue broadcasting.[21]
    • 15 May – Sound Digital announces that it will add 19 transmitters to its network. They will launch in the South West, East Anglia, Wales and North of Scotland and will increase Sound Digital's coverage by nearly 4 million new listeners in more than 1.6m new households.[22]
    • 15 August – NECR closes after 28 years on air.[23]
    • 3 November – Nation Radio Scotland launches, broadcasting to Renfrewshire, Glasgow and West Central Scotland.
  • 2019
    • No events.

2020s

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  • 2020
    • 1 April – Your Radio closes and the frequency begins transmitting Nation Radio Scotland.
  • 2021
    • 1 November – Argyll FM launches its Internet radio service, the last radio station operating on a commercial licence in the UK to do so. Consequently, all commercial radio stations in the country are now available online.[24]
  • 2022
    • 11 July – The Edinburgh small-scale DAB multiplex goes live.[25]
    • 17 August – The Glasgow small-scale DAB multiplex begins broadcasting.[26]
  • 2023
    • 3 April – Bauer Radio rebrands Clyde 2, Forth 2, MFR 2, Northsound 2, Tay 2, West Sound in Ayrshire, and West Sound in Dumfries & Galloway, and Radio Borders as Greatest Hits Radio, bringing its Scottish stations under the Greatest Hits banner alongside those in England and Wales.[27][28]
    • 11 December – Bauer shuts down all of its remaining MW Greatest Hits Radio transmissions.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Radio Scotland off their mark". The Herald. 18 December 1973. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Radiomusications: Radio Reference: Independent Local Radio Stations (TBS Editors) Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine; accessed 18 February 2010
  3. ^ McDowell, W.H. (1992). The History of BBC Broadcasting in Scotland 1923–1983. Edinburgh University Press. p. 257. ISBN 0-7486-0376-X.
  4. ^ "History of Radio Transmission in the UK" (PDF). Frequency Finder.
  5. ^ "Radio 1 History – Transmitters". Radio Rewind. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Highland radio station goes live". The Glasgow Herald. 22 February 1982. p. 5. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  7. ^ "Audio of promo for the 19 December 1989 FM switch-ons". Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. ^ Radiocentre Commercial Radio Pocket Booklet 2007
  9. ^ Brook, Stephen (21 June 2005). "Emap snaps up Scottish Radio Holdings". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Emap sells magazines and radio divisions to Bauer for £1.14bn". Campaign Live. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  11. ^ Churchill, Carolyn (9 August 2008). "Criticism for radio station that axed Scots DJs". Glasgow Herald. Newsquest Media Ltd. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  12. ^ "XFM Scotland to become Galaxy". Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2008.
  13. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ Thieves nick transmitter while radio station is on the air, Daily Record, 1 May 2010
  15. ^ L107 back on air after return of missing transmitter, Hamilton Advertiser, 13 May 2010.
  16. ^ Global Radio takes Capital national, Brand Republic, 13 September 2010
  17. ^ Galloway goes national at Bauer Scotland, Radio Today, 3 June 2013
  18. ^ "This is the last link on Real XS Glasgow". Radio Today. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Heart arrives in former Real Radio areas". Radio Today. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  20. ^ Superstation Orkney ends community radio broadcasting, RadioToday, 16 November 2014
  21. ^ Northsound 2 to switch off AM radio service, Radio Today, 8 March 2018
  22. ^ "SDL to extend coverage of national DAB mux". 15 May 2018. Retrieved 28 Dec 2020.
  23. ^ "Aberdeenshire's NCER closes after 28 years on air". radiotoday.co.uk. 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  24. ^ "James Cridland's International Radio Trends: 4BC switches frequency; and a landmark for UK commercial radio – RAIN News". 18 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Edinburgh small scale DAB launches with 20 radio stations confirmed". 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  26. ^ "Small-scale DAB radio returns to Glasgow with new Like Multiplex". 17 August 2022.
  27. ^ "Bauer to rebrand seven heritage Scottish stations to Greatest Hits Radio". 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  28. ^ "Radio Borders to rebrand as Greatest Hits Radio from April". 31 January 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  29. ^ Bauer to turn off AM services in Scotland, Ireland and Northern England Radio Today, 12 November 2023