Local & Regional Radio in England |
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 CapitalFM. 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 postcose to listen. |
| |
Station |
Coverage |
Frequencies |
|
East Lancashire |
99.8 FM |
|
Bournemouth |
102.3 FM, DAB 11B |
|
Warminster, Frome & Westbury |
107.5 FM |
|
Leeds |
96.3 FM, DAB 12D |
|
Norwich |
99.9 FM |
|
Darlington |
103.2 FM |
|
Andover |
106.4 FM |
|
Hastings and Bexhill |
107.8 FM |
|
Leicestershire |
Online, DAB 11B |
|
E. Lancashire & Manchester |
963 AM (East Lancs), 1377 AM (Manchester), DAB 11C (Manchester) |
|
Cornwall |
105 - 107 FM |
|
Bath |
107.9 FM |
|
Morecambe Bay |
96.9, 102.3 (Windermere), 103.2 (Kendal) |
|
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft |
103.4, 97.4 (Southwold and Great Yarmouth), DAB 11B (Norwich) |
|
Wolverhampt., Shrewsbury & Telford |
97.2 (Black Country), 103.1 (Shropshire), DAB 11B |
|
Blackburn |
107.0 FM |
|
Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Lewes |
106.4 - 106.8 FM |
|
Birmingham |
96.4 FM, DAB 11C |
|
Swindon |
107.7 FM |
|
London, Nationwide (satellite) |
95.8 FM, DAB 12C |
|
Carlisle, Penrith & West Cumbria |
96.4 (Carlisle), 102.5 (Penrith) 102.2 (Work.), 103.4 (Whit) |
|
Chelmsford |
107.7 FM |
|
Northwich, Winsford, Middlewich |
92.5 FM |
|
London |
96.9 FM (South), 107.1 FM (North), DAB 11B |
|
Merseyside |
105.9 FM |
|
London (Asian) |
963, 972 AM |
|
Grimsby |
96.4 FM |
|
Kettering and Wellingborough |
97.2 FM (Wellingborough), 107.4 FM (Kettering) |
|
Guildford |
1566 AM |
|
Barnsley |
102.0, 97.1 FM |
|
Chester, Flintshire, N. Wrexham |
106.3 FM |
|
E. Hampshire, SW Surrey, NW Sussex |
97.1 (Hasl), 101.6 (Four Mks), 101.6 (Hind Hd),101.8 (Peters.), 102.0 (Alt.) |
|
North Essex |
100.2 FM |
|
Durham |
102.8, 106.8 FM |
|
Southport |
107.9 FM |
|
Surrey & NE Hampshire |
96.4 FM |
|
Essex |
102.6 FM (Mid), 96.3 (South), 97.5 FM (Southend), 12D |
|
Exeter |
107.3 FM |
|
Bournemouth & Poole |
107.6 FM |
|
Yorkshire Dales |
Various, see website |
|
Choose your region |
Various, see website |
|
Greater Manchester |
102.0 FM, DAB 12C (North West) |
|
Birmingham |
102.2 FM, DAB 12A (West Midlands) |
|
Yorkshire |
105.1, 105.6 (Bradford), 105.6 (Sheffield), 105.8 (Humber), DAB 12A |
|
North East England |
105.3, 106.4, 105.6 (Newcastle), 105.8 (Hexham), DAB 12C |
|
South Coast |
103.2 FM |
|
Various, see website |
Various, see website |
|
London |
96.8 FM |
|
South Yorkshire |
97.4 (Sheffield), 102.9 (Barnsley), 103.4 (Doncaster), DAB 11C |
|
Choose your region |
Various, see website |
|
Hertfordshire |
Various, see website |
|
Peak District |
Various, see website |
|
London |
DAB 12A |
|
South Manchester |
104.9 FM |
|
Kent |
Various, see website, DAB 11C |
|
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 |
|
Brighton |
107.2 FM, DAB 11B (Sussex Coast) |
|
Liverpool |
107.6 FM |
|
Hull |
99.8 FM |
|
Basingstoke |
107.6 FM |
|
Greater Manchester |
103.0 FM, DAB 11C |
|
West Berkshire |
105.6 (Newbury), 107.4 (Hungerford) |
|
London, West Yorkshire (Asian) |
1035 AM, DAB 11B (West Yorkshire) & on satellite |
|
Choose your region |
Various, see website |
|
Norfolk |
96.7 FM |
|
Kent |
Various, see website |
|
South Lakes |
100.1 (Kendal), 100.8 (Windermere) |
|
London |
97.3 FM & 1152 AM, DAB 12C |
|
Leicester and Rutland |
105.4 FM, DAB 11B |
|
Lincolnshire |
102.2, 96.7 (Grantham), 97.6 (Scunthorpe), DAB 11B (Humberside) |
|
Peterborough |
106.8 FM |
|
North London |
103.3 FM |
|
North London |
1584 AM |
|
Choose your region |
Various, see website |
|
Mansfield |
103.2 FM |
|
Bradford & Huddersfield |
97.0 FM (Coventry), 102.9 FM (Warwickshire), DAB 11B |
|
Coventry and Warwickshire |
DAB 12D |
|
St Albans, Hertfordshire |
96.6 FM |
|
Reigate and Crawley |
102.7 FM, 97.5 FM (Horsham) |
|
Liverpool |
106.7 FM |
|
Tyne and Wear |
97.1, 102.6 (Alnwi), 103.0 (Newcastle), 103.2 (Hexham), DAB 11C |
|
Ivel and Vale |
105.6 & 106.6 (Ivel), 96.6 & 87.4 (Vale) |
|
North Yorkshire |
104.7 FM |
|
Northallerton, Thirsk |
103.5 FM (Northallerton), 102.3 FM (Thirsk) |
|
Aylesbury |
96.2 FM |
|
High Wycombe |
107.4, & 107.7 FM |
|
North Norfolk |
96.2, 103.2 FM |
|
West Leicestershire |
107.0 FM (Loughborough), 107.9 FM (Hinckley) |
|
Portsmouth and Winchester |
97.5 (Portsmouth), 96.7 (Winchester), DAB 11C (S. Hampshire) |
|
Bristol |
106.5 FM |
|
Oxford |
107.9 FM |
|
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 |
|
Huddersfield |
107.9 FM |
|
Cornwall |
97.5 & 102.5 FM, DAB 11B |
|
Bradford, Halifax, and Yorkshire |
97.5 FM (Bradford), 102.5 FM (Halifax & Huddersfield), DAB 11B |
|
Bradford, Halifax & Huddersfield |
1278 Bradford), 1530 (Halifax and Huddersfield), DAB 11B |
|
North Somerset |
102.4, 100.8 (Porlock), 107.4 (Bridgwater) |
|
Merseyside |
96.7 FM, DAB 11B |
|
Southampton |
107.8 FM, DAB 11C (South Hampshire) |
|
SW London & North Surrey |
107.8 FM |
|
Scilly Isles |
107.9 FM |
|
Blackpool and the Fylde |
96.5 FM |
|
Birmingham |
1296 AM, DAB 11C |
|
Derbyshire |
102.8 FM, DAB 10B |
|
Reading |
107.0 FM |
|
Yorkshire |
106.2, 107.6 (Bradford), 107.7 (Sheffield), DAB 12A |
|
Wakefield |
106.8 FM, DAB 12D (Leeds) |
|
Central Lancashire |
97.4 FM, DAB 12A |
|
Manchester, North East, Scotland |
Various, see website |
|
Rotherham |
96.1 FM |
|
Rugby |
107.1 FM |
|
Rutland |
107.2, 97.4 (Stamford) |
|
Leicester (Asian) |
1260 AM, DAB 11B |
|
Staffordshire & Cheshire |
102.6, 96.9 (Stafford), 96.4 (Cheshire), DAB 12D |
|
Staffordshire & Cheshire |
1170 AM, DAB 12D |
|
Macclesfield |
106.9 FM |
|
See website for regions |
Various, see website |
|
Southend |
105.1 FM |
|
Sussex |
102.4, 96.9 & 103.5 (Brighton), 102.0 (Hastings)11B, DAB (Sussex Coast) |
|
Eastbourne |
107.5 FM |
|
London (Multi Ethnic) |
558 AM, DAB 12A |
|
Salisbury |
102.0 FM |
|
South West & West Sussex |
106.6, 96.6 (Chichester), 102.3 (Littlehampton) |
|
Worthing, West Sussex |
107.7 FM |
|
Cambridge and Ely |
107.1, 107.9 FM |
|
Bristol |
107.2 FM |
|
Gloucestershire |
107.5 FM |
|
North sommerset |
107.7 FM |
|
Harrogate |
97.2 FM |
|
Sunderland & Wearside |
103.4 FM |
|
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) |
|
Telford & Wrekin |
107.4 FM |
|
Harlow |
101.7 FM |
|
Teesside |
96.6 FM, 11B |
|
Lancaster |
96.8 & 102.3 FM |
|
Portsmouth |
107.4 FM |
|
Oldham & Rochdale |
96.2 FM |
|
Shrewsbury & Oswestry |
106.5 FM (Shrewsbury), 107.1 FM (Oswestry) |
|
Wolverhampton |
107.7 FM |
|
Kidderminster |
107.2 FM |
|
Berkshire & South Bucks |
106.6 FM |
|
Havering |
107.5 FM |
|
Banbury |
107.6 FM |
|
Coventry |
96.2 FM, DAB 12D |
|
Bolton & Bury |
107.4 FM |
|
Ipswich |
102.0 FM |
|
Doncaster & Bassetlaw |
107.1, 107.9 FM, DAB 11C |
|
Nottingham & Mansfield |
96.2, 96.5 FM, DAB 11B |
|
Humberside |
96.9 FM |
|
Solent & Isle of Wight |
105.2 FM, 105.8 FM (Poole), DAB 11B & 11C |
|
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 |
|
Scarborough & Whitby |
96.2 FM, 103.1 FM (Whitby), 102.4 FM (Bridlington) |
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