Virgin Radio UK
Hot Adult Contemporary | |
Ownership | |
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Owner | |
Talkradio Talksport Talksport 2 Times Radio Virgin Radio Anthems Virgin Radio Chilled Virgin Radio 80s Plus | |
History | |
First air date | 30 March 2016 |
Technical information | |
Licensing authority | Ofcom |
Links | |
Webcast | Radioplayer |
Website | virginradio |
Virgin Radio UK is a national
As of September 2023, the station has a weekly audience of 1.4 million listeners according to RAJAR.[3]
History
The station launched at 11:00 on 30 March 2016 on a
At launch, Virgin Radio UK broadcast to about 75% of the UK population via the
The broadcasts are presented live from 04:00 to 22:00 with overnight shows being automated. The playlist is varied focusing mainly on pop music ranging from the 80's through to current day.
On 3 September 2018, Chris Evans announced that from January 2019 he would be moving to Virgin Radio after 13 years of broadcasting on BBC Radio 2.[5] He launched his new breakfast show on 21 January 2019.[6]
On 7 January 2019, Virgin Radio joined the Sky and Freesat satellite platforms.[7]
In January 2021[8] Graham Norton started a weekend show after 10 years at Radio 2. As with Chris Evans' show, it is distinguished by not having advertisements due to being wholly sponsored. Norton announced suddenly he’d leave the station on 24th Feb 2024, with his last show the following day on Sunday 25th Feb. Angela Scanlon was announced as his temporary replacement, her first weekend of shows included replaying some Graham’s old interviews from the show.
Sister stations
Wireless launched two new Virgin-branded
On 30 December 2019, Virgin Radio UK launched a third digital spin-off station –
at breakfast.In June 2021[10] a temporary station launched for the LGBTQ+ community, Virgin Radio Pride; It featured many different programmes and documentaries presented by a wide variety of presenters. Virgin Radio Pride returned for a second run during summer 2022.
On 1 September 2022, the sister station Virgin Radio 80s Plus was launched, which plays the artists of the 1980s, plus the best music from the late 1970s and early 1990s. Virgin Radio 80s Plus can be heard online, on smart speakers across the UK and on DAB in Greater London and the Central Belt of Scotland. It replaces Virgin Radio Pride on DAB radio.[11]
Notable presenters
Current presenters
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Former presenters
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References
- ^ "Virgin Radio UK". media.info. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ Gallivan, Rory (25 June 2016). "News Corp Buys Wireless Group for $296 Million". The Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "RAJAR". www.rajar.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ Clarkson, Natalie (16 March 2016). "Virgin Radio UK reveals launch plans" (Press release). Virgin Radio. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016.
- ^ Savage, Mark (3 September 2018). "Chris Evans to leave Radio 2 breakfast". BBC News. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ "Chris Evans launches new Virgin Radio breakfast show". BBC News. 22 January 2019.
- ^ "Virgin Radio added to Freesat and Sky platforms". Radio Today. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Graham Norton joins Virgin Radio UK for weekends". RadioToday. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Virgin Radio UK launches two new digital spin-offs". Radio Today. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "Wireless launches LGBTQ+ station Virgin Radio Pride UK". RadioToday. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Collins, Steve (31 August 2022). "Virgin Radio UK to launch new station Virgin Radio 80s Plus". RadioToday. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
External links
- Official website
- Virgin Radio UK on Facebook
- Virgin Radio UK on Instagram
- Virgin Radio UK on Twitter
- Virgin Radio UK's channel on YouTube