Hits Radio UK, formerly The Hits, is a British digital radio station based in Manchester and London, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom.
Logo used since 2024 | |
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Frequency | DAB: 10C (Liverpool) 10D (Humberside, Herts, Beds & Bucks, West Wiltshire, Teesside) 11B (Cornwall, Ayr, Inverness, Bradford & Huddersfield, Leicester, Tayside, Teesside) 11C (Glasgow, Birmingham, Cambridge, Exeter & Torbay, Kent, Swindon, Manchester, South Yorkshire, Tyne & Wear) 12A (Lancashire, Swansea) 12C (Manchester) 12D (Edinburgh, Coventry, Essex, Peterborough, Plymouth, Stoke & Stafford, Leeds, Northern Ireland) |
| Branding | The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks |
| Programming | |
| Format | CHR/Pop |
| Network | Hits Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| Hits Radio Manchester Greatest Hits Radio UK | |
| History | |
First air date | 1 April 2003 (as The Hits) |
Former names | The Hits Radio The Hits |
| Links | |
| Website | Hits Radio UK |
As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 4.6 million listeners according to RAJAR.
The station provides the network feed for all Hits Radio network stations.
Overview
editThe national station launched on 1 April 2003 as The Hits. The station was rebranded on 4 June 2018 as Hits Radio UK. It relays its programming to the Hits Radio network, opting out with UK wide news & information, traffic bulletins and advertising.[1][2][3][4]
Hits Radio UK broadcasts on DAB in many parts of the UK and online.
Technical
editThe launch of Hits Radio UK in 2018 saw the station added to DAB multiplex transmissions in a number of local areas - mostly those served by Arqiva's NOWdigital multiplexes, as well as being made available on the CE Birmingham multiplex (replacing 'Magic Soul') and in stereo in London (replacing Kerrang! Radio and Absolute Radio 70s, which were removed on 23 May and replaced with a Hits Radio UK placeholder).
Hits Radio UK replaced The Hits on Bauer's DAB multiplexes and on the Arqiva-operated commercial Freeview multiplex. In addition, the new network was provided over the Sky satellite TV platform, on a channel previously occupied by Absolute Radio 70s.
On 13 December 2023, Hits Radio was removed from Sky, along with every other radio station owned by Bauer Media on the platform, including Absolute Radio, Absolute Radio 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Absolute Radio Classic Rock, Hits Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Kiss, Magic, Jazz FM and Planet Rock.[5]
On 2 April 2024, Hits Radio was removed from Freeview, along with other Bauer Media radio stations on the platform, including Greatest Hits Radio, Kerrang! Radio, Kiss, Kiss Fresh, Kisstory and Magic Radio.[6]
References
edit- ^ Bauer to launch new national radio station Archived 19 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Bauer Media, 18 April 2018
- ^ Key 103 to become Hits Radio as part of major rebrand, Prolific North, 18 April 2018
- ^ Key 103 to rebrand as Hits Radio and go national, Radio Today, 19 April 2018
- ^ Key 2 on AM and DAB rebrands as Key Radio, Radio Today, 4 June 2018
- ^ "Bauer to remove all radio stations from satellite and cable TV platforms". 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Bauer radio stations to leave Freeview platform following satellite and cable exit". 12 March 2024.