Virgin Radio
|
| Air Date |
April 30 1993 |
| Frequency |
1215 kHz, 105.8 MHz |
| Broadcast Area |
National (AM)
London (FM) |
|
| Style |
Pop and Rock |
| Group |
SMG plc |
Virgin Radio is a British commercial music radio station based in London. Originally called Virgin 1215 it was launched nationally on 1215 kHz (although some regional transmitters used other frequencies) at 12.15pm on 30 April 1993 by Richard Branson as part of his Virgin brand. It has since been sold to SMG plc, but has kept the Virgin name.
Some months later the station also began broadcasting in stereo on satellite via Sky Television, initially in analogue and later in digital, and later acquired an FM frequency, 105.8 FM, in the London area.
In addition to these outlets Virgin also currently broadcasts on DAB across England, Scotland and Wales, on digital TV and cable. It is also available in other parts of the world via satellite and cable, and on the Internet. It has always placed a great emphasis on other methods of transmission than medium wave, as the 1215 kHz frequency suffers from considerable interference, particularly after dark - Radio 1, which used 1215 kHz for its first eleven years on air, moved to higher-quality medium wave frequencies (now used by TalkSport) in 1978 mainly for this reason.
Other radio stations using the Virgin Radio name within the UK are Virgin Radio Classic Rock and Virgin Radio Groove. These broadcast on DAB in London, and the Internet.
The Virgin name is used for other radio stations in other territories. Virgin Radio stations exist in Greece, Thailand, Singapore and China. These are not owned by SMG, and remain within Richard Branson's Virgin Group. In the USA, Radio Free Virgin is an online broadcaster - another Virgin Group company - and many Virgin companies, including Virgin Megastores and Virgin Trains, have in-store radio stations.
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