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Timeline of Capital Radio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This is a timeline of Capital London, previously known as Capital Radio, 95.8 Capital FM or similar variations, from its initial period as an Independent Local Radio station for Greater London to the present day CHR network serving most of the UK.

1970s

  • 1974
    • January – The station changes its music policy following a slow start, moving away from light music to a more pop-based format.
    • Kenny Everett hosts the flagship breakfast show.
    • 2 September – Michael Aspel joins the station to host the weekday mid-morning programme from 9am–12pm.
    • November
  • 1975
    • The IBA finally opens the station's permanent transmission facilities at Saffron Green which allows both LBC and Capital Radio to move up the dial. Capital moves to 1548 kHz medium wave (194 m).
    • May – Graham Dene replaces Kenny Everett as presenter of the breakfast show, as Kenny himself moves to weekends and Rod McKenzie joins the station.
  • 1976
    • December – Capital Radio launches the Capital Radio Helpline – a joint partnership with BT, Thames Television and LWT.
    • Capital Radio launches the Flying Eye, a traffic spotting light aircraft, carrying live reports on traffic congestion on the streets of Central London.
  • 1977
    • No events.
  • 1979
    • 31 December – Alan Freeman joins, marking his debut by hosting The Top 40 of the 70s.
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1980s

  • 1981
    • No events.
  • 1983
    • No events.
  • 1984
    • Chris Tarrant joins the station to present a Sunday lunchtime show, before later moving to a late morning slot on weekdays.
    • June – Kenny Everett rejoins the station, reviving his Saturday lunchtime show.
    • 30 September – The first edition of The Network Chart Show is broadcast. Aired on almost all of the UK's Independent Local Radio network, the programme is presented from Capital's Euston Tower studios by David Jensen who joins the station to present this programme and to take over as host of the station's mid-morning show.
    • October – Mike Allen launches the influential hip hop show.
    • 30 December – Michael Aspel leaves. He had been presenting a short-lived Sunday show after ending his long-running mid-morning programme on 27 July.
    • Rod McKenzie leaves the station to join BBC Radio 1.
  • 1985
    • No events.
  • 1986
    • 4 May – As part of an IBA experiment in split broadcasting on Independent Local Radio, Capital runs a Sunday daytime service called CFM, broadcasting a more contemporary mix of music than normally broadcast by the station.
    • Nicky Campbell joins.
  • 1989
    • No events.
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1990s

  • 1990
    • Paul Gambaccini leaves the station to rejoin BBC Radio 1.
    • Clive Warren joins, presenting an overnight slot as well as covering other shows. He will later present the early weekend morning show and also the weekday overnight slots.
  • 1992
    • No events.
  • 1996
    • September – Capital launches its website.
    • October – Long-running news programme The Way It Is ends.
    • Chris Moyles joins.
  • 1999
    • Following the company's purchase of Red Dragon FM and its medium wave service Touch Radio in South Wales, Capital Gold replaces Touch Radio.
    • 15 November – Life launches on the new Digital One national multiplex.

2000s

  • 2002
    • The Capital Gold network relaunches with the new slogan of ‘’The Greatest Hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s.’’
    • Chris Brooks joins the station to host a new Weekend Breakfast Show.[8]
    • After two years at Virgin Radio, Steve Penk rejoins to present a networked late evening show. However, he only stays for a short period returning to Key 103 in Manchester in the New Year.
    • Edith Bowman leaves the station to join BBC Radio 1.
    • Tony Blackburn leaves.
  • 2003
    • December – Martin Collins leaves the station after 20 years of broadcasting.
  • 2005
    • 1 March – Neil Fox leaves.
    • May – Capital Radio Group and GWR Group merge to form GCap Media.
    • DAB station Life is relaunched as Capital Life with a full presenter line-up. The station had dropped presenters outside breakfast in the New Year.
    • December – In an attempt to win back listeners, shorter commercial breaks (two adverts per break) are introduced, although there are more as a result. The policy is dropped after a few months.
  • 2006
    • 9 January – Capital is relaunched under its original name Capital Radio, with a modified line-up of presenters and a slightly tweaked music format.
    • September – Following an unsuccessful relaunch in January, a new programme controller, Scott Muller joins from the Nova group in Australia, and the station sees another tweak in style and brands itself as "London's Hit Music Station".
    • December – Jeremy Kyle leaves the station to rejoin ITV.
  • 2007
    • Dave Berry joins the station, presenting the Saturday afternoon show.
    • 12 March – The station is rebranded once again as Capital 95.8 – together with a new slogan, The Sound of London.
    • 3 August – All stations in the Classic Gold and Capital Gold networks are replaced by a new network called simply Gold, the result of the merger of the Classic Gold and Capital Gold networks under one owner, GCap Media.
    • 10 December – Capital 95.8 slips down to fourth in the listening charts in London. London's Hit Music Network is reintroduced as the slogan and Greg Burns becomes drivetime presenter. Lucio moves to the evening show, replacing the departing Bam Bam.
  • 2009
    • Chris Brooks leaves the station.[17]
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2010s

  • 2010
    • 13 September – Global announces plans to scrap the Galaxy Network in order to create a nationwide Capital FM. The plans will also include the closure of four further stations, with the new network going live in early 2011.[18]
    • David Jensen leaves.
  • 2011
    • 3 January
    • 1 July – Global Radio requests changes to the formats of Capital Birmingham and Capital Scotland, which had inherited obligations from previous owners. This was to enable format consistency within all nine Capital stations.[21] On 17 November 2011, Ofcom approved both format change requests.[22]
    • 18 November – After more than seven years hosting the London breakfast show, Johnny Vaughan abruptly leaves Capital. The show's audience had increased to over a million listeners.[23]
  • 2015
    • 13 November – Lisa Snowdon announces her departure from Capital Breakfast and the station at the end of the year. She was the programme's co-host since August 2008.[31]
    • 18 December – Lisa Snowdon leaves.
  • 2018
    • 2 August – After Global's purchase of Brighton and Hove station Juice 107.2 earlier in the year, Global announces the service will be relaunched as Capital Brighton from Monday 3 September.[33]
    • 11 October – After six years on the air, Capital TV ceases broadcasting.[34]
  • 2019
    • 26 February – Following further deregulation, Global Radio announces plans to replace the local breakfast shows on Capital, Heart and Smooth with a single national breakfast show for each network. Local weekend output is also axed.[35]
    • 5 April – The final editions of Capital's local breakfast shows air. Two stations in Brighton and the East Midlands cease broadcasting.
    • 8 April
    • 23 May – Capital Cymru drops all networked programming and launches a full 24-hour schedule of local output, including additional Welsh language daytime shows and an automated off-peak service of bilingual music. The station continues to air Global's The Official Big Top 40 on Sundays.[39]
    • 2 September – Capital XTRA Reloaded launches as a full-time station.[40]
    • 2 December – Capital becomes available on FM in the south east Midlands when it replaces six local stations owned by Quidem. The six stations operate as a single network called Capital Mid Counties, sharing all programmes with the Capital network apart from a local weekday drivetime show.[41]
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2020s

  • 2023
    • 13 February – Capital Chill launches on the Sound Digital multiplex, and becomes the fifth Capital-branded station.[49]
    • 11th April - Global Radio announces plans to relaunch local programming on Capital Scotland.
    • 2nd May - Local programming launches on Capital Scotland. Fat Brestovci & Tallia Storm host Capital Scotland Breakfast. Robyn Richford hosts mid-mornings across Scotland with Ryan Borthwick joining to host Scotland's afternoon show. Capital Scotland's Katy J retains her drivetime show.
    • 18 May – Global Radio have signed a deal with ITV to show highlights of the Capital Summertime Ball and Capital Jingle Bell Ball.[50]
    • 8 July – Global Radio launches its "Play Capital" ad campaign on television, social media and outdoors, and featuring artists including Ed Sheeran, Tom Grennan, Dua Lipa and Leigh-Anne Pinnock.[51]
  • 2025
    • 21 February – Capital stations in England end all local and regional programming.[55]
    • 24 February – Will Manning begins hosting the show that was previously non-networked - Capital Drive.
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References

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