Bauer Radio

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Bauer Radio (formerly EMAP Radio) is a UK-based division of Bauer Media Group.

The Bauer network is divisible into two main groups, the Bauer Place and Bauer Passion units, with Place consisting of locally-focused services primarily broadcast on FM/AM and local digital platforms, and Passion consisting of national and quasi-national music-genre services delivered nationally and quasi-nationally through digital (and in some areas analogue) platforms.

It was previously divided into the Big City Network (local heritage FM stations), Magic Radio, Bauer Radio London, and Bauer Digital Radio.

Scottish Radio Holdings (SRH) was a Scottish media company which owned 22 radio stations, and around 30 local newspapers in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It was acquired by EMAP on 21 June 2005.

The sale of EMAP Consumer Media and EMAP Radio to Bauer, was completed in January 2008 and the radio division was renamed Bauer Radio.

Bauer is a patron of The Radio Academy.[1]

Contents

Stations Owned[edit]

Bauer Place Portfolio[edit]

Northern England CHR[edit]

The Northern England FM network consists principally of heritage CHR (pop) stations. CFM was added to the network having previously been part of SRH.

Magic Radio Network[edit]

London's Magic 105.4 plays melodic music, while Magic's Northern England AM network plays golden oldies. Most stations are AM sister stations of Big City Network, originally set up as their 'Gold' counterpart (e.g. for Radio City, Radio City Gold) when all stations were forced by the Radio Authority to stop simulcasting on both FM and AM in the late 1980s, before being rebranded as 'Magic' when the main station was bought by Bauer. This is with the exception of Magic 828 which has used this name since it's launch in 1990. The network "hub" for the Magic network is in Newcastle Upon Tyne Magic is available on DAB in various areas of the country; where there is a local Magic service on AM this will be the version available in digital; those areas with Magic on DAB which do not receive it on AM will commonly receive a relay of Magic 105.4, which is also the version broadcast nationally via digital TV.

Other FM stations in England[edit]

Northern Ireland stations[edit]

Scotland FM Stations[edit]

FM stations in Scotland generally network evening (7pm-6am) content with largely local daytime (6am-7pm) content. Due to local opt-outs, MFR joins the networking at 10pm.

Scotland AM Stations[edit]

Bauer Passion portfolio[edit]

Kiss Network[edit]

Kiss plays predominantly rhythmic (dance/urban) music. The East and West versions of Kiss were previously SRH-owned Vibe stations. The three services now simulcast most programming content (from London), though retain the ability to split off where needed, including for local advertising and news bulletins.

Digital-only stations[edit]

  • Heat Radio - in various areas on DAB, national on Freeview and online.
  • The Hits Radio - styled after the CHR FM network and taking some of its programmes. DAB in London and nationally on Freeview and online.
  • Kerrang! Radio - nationally on DAB,Freeview and online.
  • Smash Hits Radio - nationally on Freeview and online.

Former stations[edit]

  • 3C - country music station, based in Glasgow, acquired as part of SRH takeover, broadcast on DAB in various areas and Freeview nationally; closed 2007; replaced on Freeview by a relay of Clyde 1 for a time.
  • Mojo Radio - classic rock, early pop, blues and soul; broadcast on digital TV and online; ceased broadcasting in 2008.
  • Q Radio - rock, alternative rock; broadcast nationally on Freeview and online; closed on 7 May 2013; replaced on Freeview by Kisstory.
  • Kerrang! 105.2 - local station broadcasting to the West Midlands based in Birmingham, it also was also on DAB in various areas and Freeview nationally. It was removed from FM to be replaced by Planet Rock and was retained as a digital-only station from London.

DAB multiplexes[edit]

Bauer operates twelve wholly owned DAB multiplexes and also six jointly-owned multiplexes with other operators (three with UTV Radio and three with Global Radio). Bauer operates the following DAB multiplexes:

Bauer Digital Radio[edit]

Bauer's wholly owned digital multiplexes are primarily located in areas where the firm operates local FM stations; the original group of Bauer (formerly Emap) DAB multiplexes are located in the following areas:

Score Digital[edit]

As part of Emap's takeover of Scottish Radio Holdings, the firm gained control of Score Digital, the DAB multiplex operator owned by SRH. Competition guidelines required the merged firm to divest of one of the multiplexes obtained in this deal, and so the Ayr multiplex formerly run by Score was sold on to Arqiva. The remaining Score multiplexes have since been relabelled as Bauer multiplexes.[2]

The ex-Score DAB multiplexes are located in:

UTV Bauer Digital[edit]

The Wireless Group and Emap entered into a venture to run the following three DAB multiplexes. These multiplexes were initially branded as TWG-Emap multiplexes; following the sale of TWG to UTV (creating UTV Radio), the multiplexes were relabelled as UTV-Emap, and following the sale of Emap's radio assets to Bauer, the blocks were renamed again as UTV-Bauer. Bauer owns 30 per cent of the UTV-Bauer venture, with UTV holding the remaining 70 per cent.

CE Digital[edit]

Bauer and Global Radio jointly own CE Digital Ltd, each holding 50% of the venture. The CE operation was established by Emap in partnership with the Capital Radio Group, which through mergers subsequently became part of GCap Media and later Global Radio. The 'CE' multiplexes take their name from the initials of Capital and Emap, and have not been renamed despite the identity changes of both operators.

CE Digital operate the following DAB multiplexes:

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Radio Academy "Patrons"
  2. ^ Listing of UK local DAB multiplexes

External links[edit]

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