Timeline of Bauer Radio

A timeline of notable events relating to Bauer Radio, a British media company founded in 2007.

2000s
  • 2008
    • 29 January – Bauer completes its purchase of Emap's radio, television and consumer media businesses, purchasing the assets for £1.14bn.[1]
  • 2009
    • No events.

2010s
  • 2010
    • No events.
  • 2011
    • No events.
  • 2012
    • No events.
  • 2013
    • 6 February – Bauer Media buys the digital station Planet Rock for a sum estimated to be between £1m and £2m.[2]
    • 15 April – Bauer increases networking on its Yorkshire Magic stations with a networked breakfast show coming from Magic 828 in Leeds.[3]
    • 1 July – Bauer's Scottish MW stations start to receive a networked breakfast show form Glasgow presented by Robin Galloway. Consequently, there is now no local programming on any of these stations.[4]
    • 29 July – Bauer Media Group announces that it intends to purchase Absolute Radio from current owner, The Times Group for an amount believed to be between £20m-£25m, pending regulatory approval of the sale.[5]
  • 2014
    • No events.
  • 2015
    • 5 January –
      • Magic London launches nationally on Digital One, while the Magic AM network stations in the north of England are rebranded as Bauer City 2.
      • Absolute Radio changes from broadcasting in stereo to mono to make way for Magic on DAB.[6]
    • 31 March – Ofcom launches an investigation into Bauer Media and Absolute Radio for an alleged breach of its regulations, but no details of the incident are to be released until the investigation is complete.[7]
    • 7 December – Following permission from the regulator, Bauer swaps Radio City 2's format and frequencies with that of Radio City Talk. This gives City Network 2 its first berth on FM in England.[8][9]
  • 2016
    • 15 March – Mellow Magic begins broadcasting on the Sound Digital multiplex and is joined by another Magic spin-off, Magic Chilled on the 28th.
    • 6 May – Orion Media announces that they have been bought by Bauer for an undisclosed fee, reportedly between £40 and £50 million.[10][11] This gives Bauer the West Midlands network of Free Radio stations and East Midlands regional station Gem 106.
  • 2017
    • 3 January – Bauer Radio's Cash for Kids appeal raises £15.5 million for charity.[12]
  • 2018
    • 3 April – Aberdeen station Northsound 2 stops broadcasting on MW. The station continues to broadcast on DAB and online. It becomes the first commercial radio station in Scotland – and the first of Bauer's local stations – to cease analogue broadcasting.[13]
    • 18 April – Bauer Radio announces that, on 4 June, its Manchester station Key 103 will be rebranded and relaunched as Hits Radio, a CHR-led music station aimed at 25–44 year olds.[14] The station will be merged with The Hits to provide a single national service across the UK on DAB, Freeview and online.[15] In Manchester, Hits Radio will continue to provide local news and information, traffic bulletins and advertising.[16] Hits Radio will also produce and broadcast off-peak programming for Bauer's network of CHR local stations which will continue to air local programming at peak times.
    • 25 May – Ahead of the launch of Hits Radio on 4 June, the name Key 103 disappears from the Manchester airwaves.
    • 4 June – Following the renaming of Key 103 to Hits Radio, Key 2 is renamed Key Radio.
    • 16 August – Bauer Radio purchases Jazz FM.[17]
  • 2019
    • 7 January –
    • 5 February – it is announced that Bauer has acquired over thirty further stations to its network by way of the purchase of Lincs FM Group and Celador Radio. Several of the purchased stations, including KCFM in East Yorkshire, are sold on to Nation Broadcasting due to overlap with existing Bauer assets (in KCFM's case, Viking FM.)[20]
    • 8 February – The Wireless Group sells its network of local radio stations in England and Wales to Bauer Media.[21]
    • 4 March – Launch of classical music station Scala Radio.[22]
    • 5 March – Bauer purchases the ten FM stations owned by UKRD. The deal also includes the purchase of three local DAB multiplexes.[23]
    • 5 April – Bauer launches Country Hits Radio and is broadcast on a number of local DAB multiplexes.
    • 2 September – Bauer begins to network its Hits Radio Manchester weekday Drivetime show on all but one of its Hits Radio stations in England, leaving only the weekday breakfast show as a local show[24] following the removal in July of the one remaining local weekend programme.[25]
    • 18 November – Absolute Radio launches its sixth decades-only station, Absolute Radio 10s which, unlike its sister stations, operates exclusively online.[26]
    • 21 November – Bauer launches Magic at the Musicals on DAB+ in and around London. Presenters include Ruthie Henshall and Jonathan Bailey.[27]

2020s
  • 2020
    • 24 February – Absolute Radio 20s launches as an online station..
    • 14 April – Bauer Radio takes full control of Celador Radio, Lincs FM Group, Wireless Group local stations and UKRD Group.
    • 1 May – Bauer Radio takes 100% share in First Radio Sales.
    • 27 May – Bauer announces that the majority of the stations it acquired from UKRD, Lincs, Wireless and Celador will be joining the Greatest Hits Radio network from September, clustered to provide regional programming outside of network hours. Four of the acquired stations will join the Hits Radio network, retaining local names and a daily breakfast show, and three stations – Lincs FM, Pirate FM and SAM FM Bristol – will continue as largely standalone stations.[28]
    • 31 May – Liverpool speech station Radio City Talk closes.[29]
    • 30 June – Bauer switches off the MW transmitters which had been carrying Absolute Classic Rock since the start of 2019. Consequently, Bauer is no longer broadcasting on MW in the West Midlands.
    • 20 July – Pulse 1, Signal 1, The Wave 96.4 and Fire Radio become part of the Hits Radio network with all programming, apart from weekday breakfast, networked.[30] All four stations retain their station name.
    • 28 August – Bauer launches Hits Radio Pride, aimed at the LGBTQ+ community.[31] This is the first time that a major radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom has launched a station that is targeted to the LGBTQ+ community.
    • 31 August – Bauer closes Leeds station Radio Aire after 39 years on air. Its frequency is, from the following day, used to carry Greatest Hits Radio.[32]
    • 1 September – The majority of the stations that Bauer Media acquired the previous year from UKRD,[33] Lincs FM Group,[34] Wireless Group[21] and Celador Radio.[35] join Greatest Hits Radio, clustered to provide regional programming outside of network hours, consisting of three hours each weekday teatime.[36] All of the affected stations loose their individual station names.
    • 29 September – Bauer Radio launches a campaign to support The Prince's Trust, spearheaded by Magic Radio.[37]
    • 10 November – Ofcom approves two regional changes for Bauer Radio licences, allowing it to switch two licences to different regions.[38]
    • 16 November – Following Bauer's purchase of The Revolution, the east Manchester station is closed and its frequency transferred to Greatest Hits Radio, thereby giving Greatest Hits Radio Manchester its first berth on FM.[39]
  • 2021
    • 15 March – Simon Mayo joins Greatest Hits Radio to present the drivetime show which becomes a national programme across all Greatest Hits stations. The former local drivetime presenters move to afternoons. Mayo also continues at Scala Radio with a weekend show.[40]

See also

References
  1. "Emap sells magazines and radio divisions to Bauer for £1.14bn". Campaign Live. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  2. Plunkett, John (6 February 2013). "Planet Rock bought by Bauer Media". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. "Bauer networks three more Magic stations". Apr 12, 2013. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  4. Galloway goes national at Bauer Scotland, Radio Today, 3 June 2013
  5. O'Carroll, Lisa (29 July 2013). "Bauer Media buys Absolute Radio". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  6. Martin, Roy (5 January 2015). "Bauer puts Magic on D1, puts Absolute in mono". Radio Today. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  7. Martin, Roy (30 March 2015). "Ofcom launches Absolute Radio investigation". Radio Today. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  8. Radio City wants to swap AM & FM services, RadioToday, 21 July 2015
  9. Date set for Radio City 2 and 3 frequency swap, RadioToday, 16 November 2015
  10. Bauer buys radio group Orion Media, The Guardian, 6 May 2016
  11. Orion Media sold to Bauer for £50m, The Telegraph, 6 May 2016
  12. "£15.5m raised for children in poverty by Bauer". Radio Today. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  13. Northsound 2 to switch off AM radio service, Radio Today, 8 March 2018
  14. Bauer to launch new national radio station Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Bauer Media, 18 April 2018
  15. Key 103 to become Hits Radio as part of major rebrand Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Prolific North, 18 April 2018
  16. Key 103 to rebrand as Hits Radio and go national Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Radio Today, 19 April 2018
  17. Martin, Roy (16 August 2018). "Bauer Media Group agrees to acquire Jazz FM". Radio Today. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  18. Bauer Media to launch Greatest Hits Radio network Radio Today, 15 November 2018
  19. BAUER MEDIA TO LAUNCH THE GREATEST HITS RADIO NETWORK Bauer Media, 15 November 2018
  20. "Bauer Media continues to grow with two acquisitions". Feb 5, 2019. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  21. "Bauer buys Wireless Group's local radio stations". Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  22. "Simon Mayo to launch classical station Scala Radio after leaving Radio 2". BBC News. BBC. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  23. "BAUER MEDIA UK TO ACQUIRE UKRD GROUP". Bauer Media.
  24. "Bauer to network drivetime across 11 licences in North and Midlands". Aug 5, 2019. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  25. Hits Radio Network stations drop local weekend programmes, Radio Today, 30 May 2019
  26. Martin, Roy (18 November 2019). "Bauer to launch Absolute Radio 10s online". Radio Today. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  27. "Bauer to launch Magic at the Musicals on DAB+". Nov 14, 2019. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  28. "Most of acquired Bauer stations to become Greatest Hits Radio". May 27, 2020. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  29. "Bauer announces plans to close Radio City Talk in Liverpool". Radio Today. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  30. Bauer starts to roll out Hits and Greatest Hits to new radio stations Stuart Clarkson, Radio Today, 9 July 2020
  31. "Hits Radio Pride pop-up station to launch on DAB". Jul 29, 2020. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  32. Radio Aire to become Greatest Hits Radio, Radio Today, 16 July 2020
  33. "BAUER MEDIA UK TO ACQUIRE UKRD GROUP". Bauer Media. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  34. "Bauer Media acquires Lincs FM Group". Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  35. "Bauer Media continues to grow with two acquisitions". Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  36. "Most of acquired Bauer stations to become Greatest Hits Radio". May 27, 2020.
  37. "Bauer stations to support The Prince's Trust". Sep 29, 2020. Retrieved Oct 2, 2020.
  38. "Ofcom approves two Bauer area change requests". Nov 10, 2020. Retrieved Nov 10, 2020.
  39. Martin, Roy (22 October 2020). "Revolution 96.2 sold to Bauer for Greatest Hits Radio". Radio Today. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  40. "Simon Mayo to host Drive on Greatest Hits Radio". 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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