Hits Radio

Hits Radio UK broadcasts on DAB in many parts of the UK, nationally on Freeview and Sky TV platforms and online - a localized version of the station airs on FM and DAB in Greater Manchester. A second localized version also airs on DAB in London.

As of 15 June 2020, a total of 25 local radio stations in the UK providing local programming, news, traffic and sport, along with networked Hits Radio output.

The FM network of stations was formerly known as the Big City Network, Bauer Place, Bauer City and Bauer City 1. The national DAB station was formerly known as The Hits.

In February 2014, the stations adopted a standardised audio identity package, produced by Wise Buddah, while retaining their local station branding. Two networked shows were also introduced across most stations - Old Skool and Anthems and In: Demand - produced from Key 103 in Manchester.[6]

Separate schedules for Northern England and Scotland were introduced in August 2015,[7] followed in July 2017 by two networked mid-morning shows for most of the FM stations, produced from Manchester and Glasgow respectively.[8]

Local weekend programming for most of the English stations was replaced with additional network output in July 2019,[9] followed in September 2019 by the introduction of a networked Drivetime show.[10] The Scottish network of stations is due to introduce a networked Drivetime show at the end of March 2020, except for MFR and Radio Borders.[11]

In February 2017, the Free Radio group of stations in the West Midlands began carrying off-peak programming from the Northern England network, replacing most of its own regional output from Birmingham.

Gem in the East Midlands joined the network in July 2019 to carry late night and overnight programming from Manchester.[12]

Five stations were acquired to join the network, of which four retain heritage branding: Pulse 1 (Bradford), Signal 1 (Stoke), The Wave 96.4 FM (Swansea) and Fire Radio (Bournemouth). Pulse, Signal, and The Wave began carrying off-peak programming from the Hits Radio network on 15 June 2020.[13] The fifth, The Breeze (Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester) rebranded as Hits Radio under a licensing agreement with Nation Broadcasting.[14]

On 20 July 2020, Pulse 1, Signal 1 and The Wave officially joined the Hits Radio network.[15]

On 31 August 2020, Radio Aire ceased broadcasting and moved to the sister Greatest Hits Radio network - it merged with twelve other stations to form Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire.[16]

The same day saw Hits Radio South Coast launch, thereby becoming the second FM station to be known on air as Hits Radio. The station had previously broadcast as The Breeze South Coast and the change is made following the purchase in 2019 of The Breeze network from Celador Radio.

In October 2020, it was announced that Hits Radio would launch in Suffolk, taking over the DAB capacity which had been used for Greatest Hits Radio since September (previously Town 102), in tandem with the relaunch of Ipswich 102 as Greatest Hits Radio.[17] The change took place on 3rd November, at the point Ipswich 102 (and Radio Plymouth) took the GHR affiliation. As in North Yorkshire, a localised feed of Hits Radio is provided, with the ability to split from the network programming content for localised branding, news material and advertising.

Most of the stations broadcast their own local breakfast shows from 6 to 10 am each weekday - in most cases, these are produced and broadcast from the originating station's studios.

Network programming for England and Wales originates from Bauer's Castle Quay studios at Castlefield in Manchester. In Scotland, it originates from Bauer's Clydebank studios near Glasgow, and on occasion, from Bauer's Edinburgh studios.

Overnight programming and The UK Chart Show airs across all Hits Radio stations in England, Wales and Scotland from Bauer's Castle Quay studios at Castlefield in Manchester.

• England and Wales variations
  • CFM airs local programming from 6 am to 7 pm on weekdays.
  • Free Radio airs two separate breakfast shows - one for Birmingham, the Black Country and Shropshire, and a second for Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
  • Gem airs local daytime programming throughout the week.
  • Hits Radio South Coast airs local drive (4-7 pm) rather than local breakfast like the rest of the network.
  • Hits Radio London, Suffolk and North Yorkshire, which are DAB-only stations, carry fully networked programming alongside local news and information for their broadcast areas.
  • Metro Radio and TFM simulcast Steve & Karen's Breakfast Show on weekdays from 6 to 10 am.
  • The Wave 96.4 FM also airs local mid-morning and drivetime shows on weekdays.[18]
• Scotland variations
  • Clyde 1, Forth 1, Northsound 1, Tay FM and West FM all share a drivetime show with Garry Spence.[19]
  • Clyde 1's Superscoreboard airs live football commentaries at weekends throughout the season, alongside a nightly magazine show on weekday evenings from 6 to 8 pm.
  • Clyde 1 opts out of Hits Party on Saturday evenings to air an extra edition of The GBXperience from 6 to 10 pm.
  • MFR and Radio Borders retain their own local daytime shows on weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm and the afternoon show from 1 pm to 4 pm.[19]
  • The Big Saturday Football Show airs on Saturday afternoons (2pm-6pm) on Forth 1, MFR, Tay FM, West FM and Radio Borders. Local football programmes are broadcast in this slot on Clyde 1 (Superscoreboard) and Northsound 1 (Red Saturday).[20]
  • Northsound 1 airs a football preview show, Red Friday, from 6-7pm on Friday nights.
  • MFR, Tay FM, West FM and Radio Borders air local Saturday breakfast shows (6-9am). A networked programme is transmitted on Clyde 1, Forth 1 and Northsound 1 in this slot.

Bauer's newsrooms across the UK air local news bulletins hourly from 6 am to 7 pm on weekdays and from 7 am to 1 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside traffic bulletins. National bulletins air on Hits Radio UK.

At weekends, bespoke networked bulletins air from 2 pm (until 6 pm on Saturdays and 4 pm on Sundays) - separate bulletins are produced for England & Wales and for Scotland.

At all other times, mainly evening & overnight, hourly national bulletins originate from Sky News Radio in London.

On 29 July 2020, Bauer announced a spinoff pop-up station to Hits Radio, Hits Radio Pride, which launched at 8am on 28 August 2020. The new station would be the first time a major radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom has launched a station that was targeted to the LGBTQ+ community. The service is taking capacity on a select number of Bauer owned ensembles including Northern Ireland, Liverpool, Swansea, Bradford, Stoke and London. Bauer acquired additional DAB capacity as part of the deal to buy Wireless Group's local radio portfolio in 2019. [21]

In Liverpool, Hits Radio Pride took capacity previously used by Radio City Talk. In Northern Ireland the service replaced Magic Chilled.

The station is sponsored by Cooperative Bank for an initial run of 6 months. Additional content is produced by Reform Radio, as part of a grant awarded by the Audio Content Fund. Tough Talks’; is an 'intimate conversations between contributors from the LGBTQ+ community reflecting on the struggles that they face within society.' [22]

Hits Radio Pride also works with LGBT+ helpline Switchboard (UK) to promote support services.[23]

The station started online and smart speaker test transmissions on 21 August 2020. It consisted of a looped promo featuring tracks from MNEK, Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris, Kim Petras, Years & Years and Lady Gaga, along with promo trailers. The multiplex variation request submitted to Ofcom suggested the station would arrive on DAB multiplexes from 26 August 2020.[24]

• Official website