Commercial radio licences are awarded by government body Ofcom, which advertises a licence for a specific area and holds a contest to determine which station will be granted permission to broadcast in that area. Stations submit detailed application documents containing their proposed format and the outcome of research to determine the demand for their particular style of broadcast. Most commercial stations broadcast to a city or group of towns, or regional stations covering larger areas.
Many local and regional radio stations are owned by large radio groups which broadcast a similar format to many areas. The largest operator of radio is Global Radio which bought the former media group, Gcap Media. It owns Classic FM and London’s most popular commercial station, 95.8 Capital FM. Other owners are Bauer Radio and UTV Radio, which mainly own stations that broadcast in highly populated city areas.
Listening outside the UK
Since 2006, many of the UK’s commercial radio stations have been restricting live stream access to users from the United Kingdom only. This came as a response to PPL’s announcement that they would only grant radio stations the webcasting rights to stream to audiences within the UK only, or to face additional costs. Stations marked ‘UK only’, are restricted to UK IP addresses, those marked ‘Use UK Postcode’, will require you to type in a UK postcode to listen.
Station
|
Coverage
|
Frequencies
|
Bournemouth
|
102.3 FM, DAB 11B
|
|
Warminster, Frome & Westbury
|
107.5 FM
|
|
96.3 Radio Aire (UK only)
|
Leeds
|
96.3 FM, DAB 12D
|
Norwich
|
99.9 FM
|
|
The Bay (UK only)
|
Morecambe Bay
|
96.9, 102.3 (Windermere), 103.2 (Kendal)
|
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft
|
103.4, 97.4 (Southwold and Great Yarmouth), DAB 11B (Norw.)
|
|
South west England
|
Various see: The Breeze Website | |
Swindon
|
107.7 FM
|
|
London, Nationwide (satellite)
|
95.8 FM, DAB 12C
|
|
CFM (UK only)
|
Carlisle, Penrith & West Cumbria
|
96.4 (Carlisle), 102.5 (Penrith) 102.2 (Work.), 103.4 (Whit)
|
Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich
|
92.5 FM
|
|
London
|
96.9 FM (South), 107.1 FM (North), DAB 11B
|
|
Compass FM (UK only)
|
Grimsby
|
96.4 FM
|
Dearne FM (UK only)
|
Barnsley
|
102.0, 97.1 FM
|
Dee 106.3 (UK only)
|
Chester, Flintshire, N. Wrexham
|
106.3 FM
|
North Essex
|
100.2 FM
|
|
Durham FM (UK only)
|
Durham
|
102.8, 106.8 FM
|
Essex
|
102.6 FM (Mid), 96.3 (South), 97.5 FM (Southend), 12D
|
|
Fire 107.6 FM (UK only)
|
Bournemouth & Poole
|
107.6 FM
|
Birmingham, Black Country, Coventry, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire
|
Various (see website
|
|
Various, see website
|
Various, see website
|
|
Groove (UK only)
|
London
|
96.8 FM
|
Hallam FM (UK only)
|
South Yorkshire
|
97.4 (Sheffield), 102.9 (Barnsley), 103.4 (Doncaster), DAB 11C
|
Choose your region
|
Various, see website
|
|
The Hits (UK only)
|
London
|
DAB 12A
|
South Manchester
|
104.9 FM
|
|
Kent
|
Various, see website, DAB 11C
|
|
Isles of Scilly
|
107.9 FM
|
|
Isle of Wight Radio (UK only)
|
Isle of Wight
|
107.0, 102.0 FM (Ryde), 102.0 FM (Vetnor), 102.0 FM (Cowes)
|
Oxfordshire
|
106.8, 106.4 (Bicester)
|
|
Birmingham (Urban Radio)
|
Online
|
|
Juice FM (Use UK Postcode)
|
Liverpool
|
107.6 FM
|
Hull
|
99.8 FM
|
|
Key 103 (UK only)
|
Greater Manchester
|
103.0 FM, DAB 11C
|
London, West Yorkshire (Asian)
|
1035 AM, DAB 11B (West Yorkshire) & on satellite
|
|
Kiss Network (UK only)
|
Choose your region
|
Various, see website
|
KL.FM 96.7 (UK only)
|
Norfolk
|
96.7 FM
|
kmfm (UK only)
|
Kent
|
Various, see website
|
Lakeland Radio (UK only)
|
South Lakes
|
100.1 (Kendal), 100.8 (Windermere)
|
London
|
97.3 FM & 1152 AM, DAB 12C
|
|
Lincs FM (UK only)
|
Lincolnshire
|
102.2, 96.7 (Grantham), 97.6 (Scunthorpe), DAB 11B (Humberside)
|
North London
|
103.3 FM
|
|
London Turkish Radio (Londra Türk Radyosu)
|
North London
|
1584 AM
|
Magic (UK only)
|
Choose your region
|
Various, see website
|
Mansfield
|
103.2 FM
|
|
Reigate and Crawley
|
102.7 FM, 97.5 FM (Horsham)
|
|
Metro Radio (UK only)
|
Tyne and Wear
|
97.1, 102.6 (Alnwi), 103.0 (Newcastle), 103.2 (Hexham), DAB 11C
|
Minster FM (UK only)
|
North Yorkshire
|
104.7 FM
|
Mix 96 (UK only)
|
Aylesbury
|
96.2 FM
|
More Radio (UK only)
|
Eastbourne, Hastings, Mid Sussex, Worthing
|
107.5 (Eastbourne), 107.7 (Worthing), 107.8 (Hastings). 106,4 (Mid Sussex)
|
North Norfolk Radio (UK only)
|
North Norfolk
|
96.2, 103.2 FM
|
Portsmouth and Winchester
|
97.5 (Portsmouth), 96.7 (Winchester), DAB 11C (S. Hampshire)
|
|
Palm 105.5 (UK only)
|
South Devon
|
105.5 FM
|
London, Yorks, Midlands
|
Various, see website
|
|
Sussex Coast
|
DAB 11B
|
|
North Derbyshire
|
102.0 (Matlock), 107.4 (Chesterfield), DAB 10B
|
|
Pirate FM 102 (UK only)
|
Cornwall
|
97.5 & 102.5 FM, DAB 11B
|
Bradford, Halifax, and Yorkshire
|
97.5 FM (Bradford), 102.5 FM (Halifax & Huddersf.), DAB 11B
|
|
Bradford, Halifax & Huddersfield
|
1278 am (Bradford), 1530 am (Halifax and Huddersf.), DAB 11B
|
|
Radio City 96.7 (UK only)
|
Merseyside
|
96.7 FM, DAB 11B
|
Exeter & the surrounding area
|
107.3 FM
|
|
Radio Hampshire (UK only)
|
Southampton
|
107.8 FM, DAB 11C (South Hampshire)
|
SW London & North Surrey
|
107.8 FM
|
|
Blackpool and the Fylde
|
96.5 FM
|
|
Tees Valley, County Durham, North Yorkshire
|
102.6 FM (Richmond), 102.8 FM (County Durham), 103.2 FM (Darlington), 103.5 FM (Northallerton), 106.8 FM (Bishop Auckland)
|
|
Manchester
|
106.1 FM, DAB
|
|
Ridings FM (UK only)
|
Wakefield
|
106.8 FM, DAB 12D (Leeds)
|
97.4 Rock FM (UK only)
|
Central Lancashire
|
97.4 FM, DAB 12A
|
Rother FM (UK only)
|
Rotherham
|
96.1 FM
|
Rutland Radio (UK only)
|
Rutland
|
107.2, 97.4 (Stamford)
|
Leicester (Asian)
|
1260 AM, DAB 11B
|
|
Bristol, Swindon, Thames Valley and the South Coast
|
106.5 (Bristol), 106.0 & 106.6 (South Coast), 107.7 (Swindon)
|
|
Staffordshire & Cheshire
|
102.6, 96.9 (Stafford), 96.4 (Cheshire), DAB 12D (local)
|
|
Staffordshire & Cheshire
|
1170 AM, DAB 12D
|
|
Macclesfield
|
106.9 FM
|
|
Smooth Radio (UK only)
|
See website for regions
|
Various, see website
|
Sussex
|
102.4, 96.9 & 103.5 (Brighton), 102.0 (Hastings)11B, DAB (Sussex Coast)
|
|
London (Multi Ethnic)
|
558 AM, DAB 12A
|
|
Spire FM (UK only)
|
Salisbury
|
102.0 FM
|
Spirit FM (UK only)
|
South West & West Sussex
|
106.6, 96.6 (Chichester), 102.3 (Littlehampton)
|
Star 107 (UK only)
|
Cambridge and Ely
|
107.1, 107.9 FM
|
Harrogate
|
97.2 FM
|
|
Sun FM (UK only)
|
Sunderland & Wearside
|
103.4 FM
|
Sunrise FM (UK only)
|
Yorkshire (Asian)
|
103.2 FM, DAB 11B (Bradford)
|
London & Huddersfield
|
1458 AM, DAB 12C
|
|
Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcs
|
855 AM (Shropshire), 954 AM (Herefordsh) 1530 AM (Worcs)
|
|
Harlow
|
101.7 FM
|
|
TFM Radio (UK only)
|
Teesside
|
96.6 FM, 11B
|
The Bay (UK only)
|
Lancaster
|
96.8 & 102.3 FM
|
South West
|
Various, see website for details.
|
|
Oldham & Rochdale
|
96.2 FM
|
|
Shrewsbury & Oswestry
|
106.5 FM (Shrewsbury), 107.1 FM (Oswestry)
|
|
Wolverhampton
|
107.7 FM
|
|
Kidderminster
|
107.2 FM
|
|
Time 106.6 (UK only)
|
Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead
|
106.6 FM
|
Time 107.5 (UK only)
|
East London & West Essex
|
107.5 FM
|
Bolton & Bury
|
107.4 FM
|
|
Town 102 (UK only)
|
Ipswich
|
102.0 FM
|
Trax FM (UK only)
|
Doncaster & Bassetlaw
|
107.1, 107.9 FM, DAB 11C
|
Viking FM (UK only)
|
Humberside
|
96.9 FM
|
Wave 105 FM (UK only)
|
Solent & Isle of Wight
|
105.2 FM, 105.8 FM (Poole), DAB 11B & 11C
|
Wessex FM (UK only)
|
Dorchester & Weymouth
|
96.0, 97.2 FM
|
Warrington
|
107.2 FM
|
|
The Wirral
|
97.1 FM
|
|
Wigan & St Helens
|
102.4 FM
|
|
Hereford & Worcester
|
96.7 FM (Kidderminster), 97.6 FM (Hereford), 102.8 FM (Worcest)
|
|
London & Manchester
|
104.9 FM (London) & 97.7 FM (Manchester), DAB 12C
|
|
Yorkshire Coast Radio (UK only)
|
Scarborough & Whitby
|
96.2 FM, 103.1 FM (Whitby), 102.4 FM (Bridlington)
|