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28 November 1988 (London), </br> 1997 (Kent, Sussex, Hampshire), </br> 1998 (Cardiff and Newport), </br> October 2001 (Manchester)
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1548 KHz (London), </br>1242/603 KHz (Kent), </br>1323/945 KHz (Sussex), </br>1170/1557 KHz (Hampshire), </br>1305/1359 KHz (Cardiff and Newport), </br>1152 KHz (Birmingham), </br>1458 KHz (Manchester)
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London , Kent , Sussex , Hampshire , South East Wales , Birmingham , Manchester (AM, DAB Digital Radio)<br>UK and Ireland (Sky Digital)
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Classic Hits
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GCap Media
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The (formerly Capital Gold Network) is an oldies
Radio Station which started in London in
1988 on
Capital Radio 's
AM frequency, as the British Government urged radio stations to end simulcasting (broadcasting the same programmes simultaneously on FM and AM) and threatening to remove one of their frequencies if simulcasting continued. The Original DJs included
Tony Blackburn ,
Kenny Everett and
David Hamilton . In August 2007, the Capital Gold Network merged with the
Classic Gold Network to form the '''Gold''' Network.
''See related articles
Capital Radio ,
Independent Local Radio ''
Following the 1964-68
Offshore Radio boom The
Conservative Party , under
Edward Heath promised in its 1970 General Manifesto that should it win, it would introduce local commercial radio in addition to the commercial television which started in 1957. This was a result of much lobbying from a particular pressure group, the Local Radio Association, who felt that commercial radio should be introduced following the launch of
Associated Rediffusion and
Independent Television . The Tories won and swiftly introduced the which allowed for the introduction of Independent Local Radio and the newly-renamed
Independent Broadcasting Authority from the Independent Television Authority.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority advertised local radio licences in certain locations in the United Kingdom under the umbrella term of was one of fifty applications. Other applications came from a consortium headed by ''Opportunity Knocks'' television presenter
Hughie Green , who had openly voiced the need for commercial broadcasting, having previously worked for
Radio Luxembourg .
The IBA awarded the "London General Entertainment" service, while "London News" was awarded to the '''London Broadcasting Company''',
LBC .
IBA transmission tests commenced in January 1973 and Capital Radio went on air on
October 16 1973 , ten days after LBC, using the following FM and AM frequencies: 95.8 MHz FM from the Croydon transmitter station and 557 kHz (539 metres) MW from the London Transport Lots Road Power Station, Chelsea. The mediumwave frequency and location were temporary sites as the then new high-powered mediumwave station at Saffron Green, Barnet was incomplete.
Capital commenced regular transmissions with the British national anthem ''
God Save The Queen '', then a message from Director "...This, for the very first time, is Capital Radio" followed by the Capital Radio theme jingle, made by
Blue Mink :
''
"Isn't it good to know,
Capital Radio
You can turn on your friends, you can turn on the show,
you can turn on the world with Capital Radio
Such a good way to make your day
Capital sounds go round and round,
Up and down London town
The brightest sound in London town
Capital Radio in tune with London (yeah)"...''
Simon And Garfunkel 's song,
Bridge Over Troubled Water followed the jingle. The first radio commercial came from
Bird's Eye fish fingers, which incidentally was also the first ever legal radio commercial on LBC.
Capital's programming remit, as with all ILR stations at the time, was to appeal to the broadest range of people as possible, which included specialist music programmes, radio plays, classical music, community features and news documentaries.
Capital's breakfast show was hosted by popular television entertainer and disc jockey '''
Dave Cash '''.
Immediately after going on air Capital Radio suffered
Co-channel Interference from , a pirate radio station off the coast of the
Netherlands . Veronica began broadcasting in the 1960s and it was suggested that the allocation of 534 metres to ILR may have been an attempt to block reception of overseas broadcasts- a battle which preceded the launch of
BBC Radio 1 . Capital finally moved into office blocks in
Euston Tower in November 1973, just a few yards away from
Thames Television headquarters.
Euston Tower was, at the time, London's tallest office tower.
In 1975, the IBA finally opened the transmission facilities at which allowed both LBC and Capital Radio to move up the dial. Capital moved to 1548 kHz
Mediumwave (194 metres) and LBC to 1152 kHz (261 metres). Saffron Green needed to be highly configured as it was sharing the same frequency as other ILR stations and needed to prevent co-channel interference from new ILR stations in
Birmingham and
Manchester . Previously the Lots Road site gained Capital and LBC the semi-humorous nickname of ''"Radio Clothesline"''
{Link without Title} , however both stations could be heard as far away as the Midlands. FM reception remained unaltered.
The commercial radio climate during this period was very tough. Recessions, the
Miners' Strike and high inflation brought on by the
Three-day Week meant that revenues at Capital Radio suffered. Throughout the 1970s Capital reduced its broadcasting hours and cut its staff, including many journalists- a move which angered the
NUJ .
Richard Attenborough intimated in the 1990s in a 'Capital Facts' sheet that the station almost contemplated closing down:
''"Although one can say it now, one couldn't at the time, there were some weeks when the viability of the whole operation was in question and we might had had to close down. We almost didn't make ends meet."''
Capital saw off the recession and continued broadcasting, eventually increasing its hours. The so-called 'needle-time' restrictions on playing music, imposed by the IBA had been lifted, which meant it could play more music during the day as well as in the evenings where the eight hours were concentrated.
The mid-1970s saw Capital Radio expand with the launch of the charity, which aimed to raise money for London's poorest children. The charity appeal went on to become one of the longest-running in broadcasting and the most recognised in British radio. In 1976, the '''Capital Radio Helpline''' launched, in conjunction with
Thames Television ,
London Weekend Television and
British Telecom which helped listeners through matters ranging from how to cook a turkey at
Christmas time, to suicide inervention. The station has also lent its support to London based orchestras, choral societies, the
British Film Institute Children's Film Festival and many other ventures.
1976 saw the launch of the , a traffic spotting light aircraft, which could see traffic congestion below on the streets of Central London. LBC also had a similar service but was forced to suspend operations due to cost. Capital's aircraft was originally a Piper Seneca model, and, later, a twin-engined Cirumma Cougar.
A new radio jingle package from Sue Manning heralded a new, refined sound for the station. Output was concentrated on its core playlist of contemporary chart music with the specialist music rescheduled to evenings. Jazz and soul programmes at the weekends, presented by
Peter Young were well received by listeners. Several of Capital's early presenters had moved on, to be replaced by newer disc jockeys, some of which had experience presenting on Radio Luxembourg.
A brand new breakfast show started in 1987 and featured
Chris Tarrant who arrived from popular television programme
Tiswas . Chris initially arrived at Capital presenting the weekday lunchtime show before being promoted. Joined by the then unknown
Kara Noble , the partnership proved very popular and the Breakfast Show eventually became one of the most listened to radio programmes on British radio. Many industry commentators consider the station's output in the 1980s represented Capital Radio at its broadcasting peak, with jingles from Midlands-based music producer
Muff Murfin a recognisable and essential part of its unique sound.
''See also
Capital Radio ''
As required by the ''1990 Broadcasting Act'' the IBA and the Home Office in 1987, all ILR stations were to permanently split simulcasting output on both its FM and AM frequencies in order to create new local radio staions and improve choice. Capital responded by launching a golden oldies station, in
November 1 1988 on its AM frequency while Capital on FM became '''95.8 Capital FM''', a chart contemporary music station. Both stations received brand-new jingle packages from Californian jingle house ''Who Did That Music'' (later Groove Jingles
{Link without Title} ) which went on to become well known and essential parts of its music programming.
Capital Gold featured a strong presenting lineup such as "Diddy"
David Hamilton and
Tony Blackburn , Tony having arrived from
BBC Radio London . Kenny Everett returned to Capital, having being dismissed by the BBC some years previously following an insulting remark he made on-air about a politician's wife. Everett hosted daytime shows until his death in 1994. The mid to late 1990s saw Capital Gold rated London's most listened to AM radio station and third most listened to music station, behind Capital and Radio 1.
1987 also saw the launch of live, uninterrupted football coverage, entitled and hosted by sports commentator
Jonathan Pearce , who was known for his loud, enthusiastic delivery. Prominent football clubs featured on the show included
Arsenal ,
Spurs ,
West Ham ,
Queens Park Rangers ,
Chelsea and
Wimbledon F.C.
''See also
GCap Media ''
With proving very popular with its London audience, the station management decided to syndicate Tony Blackburn's Sunday soul show and expand its popular 'Sportstime' brand to Birmingham station '''Xtra AM''' which Capital Radio had purchased in 1993 along with
BRMB to forming the
Capital Radio Group Plc . This was followed in 1994 with the purchase of the '''Southern Radio Group''', which owned;
Both Capital Radio plc and GWR Group lobbyed the then
Radio Authority to allow syndicated programmes to be broadcast on its AM-owned stations. The Radio Authority agreed and it was announced early in 1998 that Capital Gold from London would replace the following:
- - Sussex and Hampshire
- - Birmingham
- - Kent
Invicta Supergold was the first station to be replaced within weeks of the announcement being made with Xtra and South Coast following on
June 1 .
The networking was agreed by the Radio Authority with the stipulation that ''at least four hours a day of weekday broadcasting were kept and local news, traffic announcements and advertising remained on each station''. Listeners to the previous local stations listed above were dismayed that such a huge chunk of local broadcasting were to be eliminated resulting in the loss of jobs. Capital Radio boss David Mansfield maintained that ''AM listenership had steadily declined and required a consistent, high quality programme offering across all stations to remain competitive''.
Initially the four hours were scheduled in the afternoon drivetime slot (3-7pm) with a networked breakfast/morning show hosted by comedian
Mike Osman (7-11am). This surprised many people in the industry as this sidelined Capital Gold's biggest radio name at the time
Tony Blackburn who had previously presented the weekday breakfast show to weekends. However, a few months later Blackburn was moved back on the weekday schedule although on the afternoon drivetime slot while local breakfast shows were reintroduced to meet the four hour requirement.
A new jingle package from now defunct jingle company
AJ Productions and a new slogan - "''Great Time Music''" heralded the major change.
In 1999 Capital Radio plc acquired
Red Dragon FM and in South Wales with the end result being that Capital Gold replaced AM station Touch Radio. 1999 saw the station's reach increase yet again- across the UK and Ireland on
Sky Digital
In 2002, brand new logos and imaging re-launched the Capital Gold Network, with the new slogan, ''"The Greatest Hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s"'', and added a further medium wave station in Manchester after the former
Wireless Group agreed to sell 's broadcasting licence.
In 1999 CE Digital, a consortium made up of Capital Radio plc and
Emap Radio won local DAB digital radio licences for
Manchester ,
Birmingham and
London . This was followed by similar wins by Capital Radio plc in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. Capital Gold actively encouraged listeners to switch to
DAB Digital Radio as the added benefits of digital enable stereo broadcasts for the first time in its history.
In a dispute with station bosses
Tony Blackburn left the station in 2002, having been at the station since Gold's launch in
1988 . He hosted weekday drivetime and the ''Soul Spectrum'' until being replaced by Greg Edwards.
In 2004, station management decided to stop broadcasting live football coverage under the title. It was felt that the loss of
Jonathan Pearce to
BBC Radio Five Live and the fees involved in acquiring live radio coverage rights had became too costly. A replacement sports show, "Sports Saturday" now covers sports results. A Saturday
Football League preview magazine was shortly aired in 2004 but discontinued a few months later.
Capital Gold is now an incredibly popular radio station and plays a wide range of music from well-established music superstars, from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but recently added a fair amount of 1990s music and later. The station has a weekly playlist of new material, plus a "Rated And Recommended" list which is chosen by
David Jensen , who returned to Capital Gold after a period at
Heart 106.2 in 2003, played exclusively in his show. Predominantly the station plays classic hits and almost every song played will be by a major artist.
The station has some regular feature shows. On Saturday morning
David Jensen hosts a celebrity and showbiz programme and recent notable guests have included
Paul Weller ,
Jools Holland ,
Jeremy Irons ,
Smokey Robinson and
Juliette Lewis . Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, Greg Edwards hosts an excellent soul show called "Soul Spectrum". And on Sunday mornings from 11am a chart rundown show called "From the Bottom to the Top" features the top 20 tracks when the featured guest was riding high in the charts. Also
Nicky Horne has a classic album show aired on sunday afternoons from 4pm.
Capital Gold also has a series of intimate live concerts which go under the banner of "Legends Live". Artists who have played a Legends Live gig include
Hall & Oates ,
Donny Osmond and
The Zombies . The latest announcement is that in December 2006
Jools Holland is playing one of these Legends Live gigs, with special guests
Lulu ,
Paul Carrack and
Ruby Turner .
Following the merger of Capital Radio plc and GWR Group plc to form in April 2007, the former plan was scrapped, and it was decided to merge the two networks to form the 'Gold Network.' This began at 7.00pm on 3 August 2007. The majority of the shows and presenters on the new station are taken from Capital Gold's former network, rather than Classic Gold's network with the exception of Erika North, who was the co-presenter on the Classic Gold breakfast show with radio DJ
Tony Blackburn . She now co-hosts the new 'Gold' breakfast show with
David Jensen .
It is
Currently available on
Digital Audio Broadcasting ,
Sky Digital (EPG number 0121) and
Virgin Media (EPG number 959) throughout the UK. Gold can also be heard online via the
Gold Website
Realising potential commercial revenues and the massive pulling power of the station brand, Capital Gold released a CD compilation early 2001 called ''Capital Gold Legends'', featuring well-known artists such as
Blondie ,
Queen and
Tina Turner . This was followed in November 2001 by ''Capital Gold Legends Vol. 2'' and in March 2002 of Volume 3. Since these releases Capital Gold have once again released another series in November 2002 with ''Sixties Legends'', ''Seventies Legends''and ''Eighties Legends''.
The full list of releases are as follows:
- Capital Gold Legends Vol.1
- Capital Gold Legends Vol.2
- Capital Gold Legends Vol.3
- Capital Gold Sixties Legends
- Capital Gold Reggae Classics
- Capital Gold 70s Legends
- Capital Gold British Legends
- The Very Best of Legends
- Capital Gold - Just Great Songs
- Capital Gold Soul Classics: the Soul of a Nation
- Capital Gold Fifties Legends
- Capital Gold Country Legends
- Capital Gold - the Very Best of Love Legends
