Logo used by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for promoting Independent Local Radio services.

Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. Image File history File links Independent_Local_Radio_logo. ... Image File history File links Independent_Local_Radio_logo. ... The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ... Commercial broadcasting - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

History

Development of ILR

Until the early 1970s, the BBC had a legal monopoly on radio broadcasting in the UK. Despite competition from the commercial Radio Luxembourg and, for a period in the mid-1960s, the off-shore "pirate" broadcasters, it had remained the policy of both major political parties that radio was to remain under the BBC. Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... In economics, a monopoly (from the Greek monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a kind of product or service. ... Radio Luxembourg (1933-1992) was an important forerunner of pirate radio and modern commercial radio in Europe. ... The Marine, etc, Broadcasting (Offences) Act was introduced in the UK in 1967, and, broadly speaking, prohibits broadcasting (i. ...

Upon the surprise election of Edward Heath's government in 1970, this policy changed. The new Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Christopher Chataway^[1], announced a Bill to allow for the introduction of commercial radio in the United Kingdom. This service would be planned and regulated in a similar manner to the existing ITV service and would compete with the recently developed BBC Local Radio services (rather than the four national BBC services). Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG , MBE (July 9, 1916 – July 17, 2005), soldier and politician, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Right Honourable Sir Christopher John Chataway (born January 31, 1931) was a champion athlete, pioneering television news broadcaster, and a Conservative politician. ... Current ITV logo. ... BBC Local Radio is the BBCs regional radio service for England and the Channel Islands, consisting of 40 stations. ...

The Sound Broadcasting Act^[2] received Royal Assent on 12 July 1972 and the Independent Television Authority (ITA) accordingly changed its name to the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA).^[3] The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, or the Sovereigns representative in Commonwealth Realms, completes the process of the enactment of legislation by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of Independent Television (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ... The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television (ITV and Channel 4 - cable and satellite television were the responsibility of the Cable Authority) and radio broadcasts. ...

The IBA immediately began to plan the new service, placing advertisements encouraging interested groups to apply for medium-term contracts to provide programmes in given areas. The first major areas to be advertised were London and Glasgow, with two contracts available in London, one for "news and information", one for "general and entertainment".^[4] For other uses, see London (disambiguation) and Defining London (below). ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ...

The London news contract was awarded to London Broadcasting Company (LBC) and they began broadcasting on 8 October 1973. The London general contract went to Capital Radio, who began broadcasting on 16 October 1973. In total, 19 contracts were awarded between 1973 and 1976. Due to government limits on capital expenditure and turbulence in the broadcasting field (mainly due to the Annan Report), no further contracts were awarded until 1980, when a second tranche of contracts were awarded. All stations were awarded an AM and an FM frequency, on which they broadcast the same service. This article is about the London radio station LBC 97. ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... October 16 is the 289th day of the year (290th in Leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... AM radio is radio broadcasting using Amplitude Modulation. ... Roberts FM radio FM radio is a broadcast technology invented by Edwin Howard Armstrong that uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. ...

First and second tranche contracts

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October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... Liverpool waterfront by night, as seen from the Wirral. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... Swansea (Welsh: Abertawe, mouth of the Tawe) is a city and county in South Wales, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower Peninsula. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... Plymouth is a city in the South West of England, or alternatively the Westcountry, and is situated within the traditional county of Devon. ... 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Ipswich is a Borough which is the county town of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, and a local government district on the estuary of the River Orwell. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Wolverhampton is an industrial, commercial and university city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands, traditionally part of the county of Staffordshire. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... Reading is a town and a unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) in the English county of Berkshire. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... Belfast (Béal Feirste in Irish) is a city in the United Kingdom. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Norman Keep, Cardiff Castle. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... The Precinct in Coventry city centre. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... Peterborough is a cathedral city and Unitary Authority in the East of England. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... Bournemouth is a seaside resort on the south coast of England. ... October 17 is the 290th (in leap years the 291st) day of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Burgh of Dundee (Gaelic: Dùn Dèagh) is Scotlands fourth largest city, population 154,674 (2001), and one of Scotlands 32 council areas. ... October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 69 days remaining. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England, UK. It is located at , . In the 2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... The Royal Burgh of Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a large burgh in central Scotland. ... December 12 is the 346th day (347th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 19 days remaining. ... Torbay is an east facing bay at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. ... 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Wrexham (Welsh: Wrecsam) is an industrial town in north-east Wales. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a city and unitary authority situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch, Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England upon the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... East Kent and West Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish Men: an organisation formed in 1913. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... Map sources for Crawley at grid reference TQ2736 Crawley is a town and local government district in West Sussex, England. ...

Extension of ILR

In the late 1980s, the expansion of ILR continued at a similar rate. Under the Broadcasting Acts, the IBA had a duty to ensure that any area it licensed for radio could support a station with the available advertising revenue. Therefore, many areas were not included in the IBA's ILR plans as it was felt that they were not viable ^[6]. This did not prevent Radio West in Bristol getting into financial trouble and having to merge with Wiltshire Radio on 1 October 1985^[7]; nor did it prevent Centre Radio going into receivership on 6 October 1983^[8].

Split services

Nevertheless, the areas served by ILR continued to increase and 1986 the IBA sanctioned in principle the idea that different services could be broadcast on each station's FM and AM frequency. The first station to split was Centre Radio's replacement, Leicester Sound, who converted their AM frequency into Sabras Sound, a service for the city's large Asian population^[9]. Other stations also experimented with split services.

By 1988, the government had decided that the practice of splitting was beneficial and a quick way to increase choice for listeners. The IBA then began a programme of encouraging ILR stations to split their services and most stations had soon complied. The usual format was to have a "gold" (oldies) service on AM and pop music on FM, although Radio City tried "City Talk" on AM before abandoning the format.

The Broadcasting Act 1990

The 1990 Broadcasting Act provided for the abolition of the IBA and its replacement by the Independent Television Commission. The IBA continued to regulate radio under the new name of the Radio Authority, but with a different remit. The ITC has been superseded as the British commercial television regulator by Ofcom (the Office of Communications). ...

As a "light-touch" regulator (although heavier than the ITC), the Radio Authority was to issue licences to the highest bidder and promote the development of commercial radio choice^[10].

INR, RSLs, SALLIES and IRR

This led to the awarding of three national contracts (known as Independent National Radio, but still usually referred to under the banner of "ILR" by most commentators) to Classic FM, Virgin 1215 (later Virgin Radio) and Talk Radio (later talkSPORT). Classic FM is the United Kingdoms first national commercial radio station, broadcasting classical music in a popular and accessible style. ... Virgin Radio is a British commercial music radio station based in London. ... talkSPORT is a national commercial sports radio station based in London broadcasting to the United Kingdom. ...

The Radio Authority also began to licence Restricted Service Licence (RSL) stations - low-power temporary radio stations for special events, operating for up to 28 days a year - and to reduce the criteria for a "viable service area" with the introduction of Small Scale Local Licences (SALLIES) for villages, special interest groups and small communities^[11].

At this point in time the AM waveband had become unpopular with radio groups and the majority of new stations were awarded an FM licence only, even when an AM licence was jointly available.

The Radio Authority also introduced regional stations (Independent Regional Radio, again usually grouped under the banner "ILR" by most commentators) and began to licence the commercial Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) multiplexes in October 1998^[10]. Digital audio broadcasting or DAB is a technology for broadcasting audio programming in digital form that was designed in the late 1980s. ...

The Radio Authority was replaced by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in 2004, which also replaced the ITC, the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Radio Communications Agency and the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel). Ofcom has stated that they plan to continue the development of Independent Local Radio, with an emphasis on digital broadcasting, and to "ensure the character" of local stations, following the mergers and loss of local identities that followed the 1990 Act^[10]. The Office of Communications, usually known as Ofcom, is the UKs communications regulator. ...

ILR stations

As of 2005, there are 217 licensed analogue ILR and IRR services in England; 16 in Wales; 34 in Scotland; 8 in Northern Ireland; and 2 in the Channel Islands. It should be noted that these are licences rather than stations - some licences are grouped nationally, regionally or by format to provide one service; other licences cover two or more services^[10]. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Eng: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Dieu et mon droit (Royal motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Main language English Other recognised languages Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked... The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. ...

There are three national analogue services. There is one national DAB service (Digital One) and 47 regional DAB services, owned by 10 companies and operated by 9 ^[12].

Manx Radio

The first licensed commercial radio station in the United Kingdom is often stated to be Manx Radio, which launched in June 1964^[13]. However, since the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom and has its own broadcasting laws, Manx Radio is not considered to be an ILR station. Manx Radio - The Sound of your Life logo. ...

See also

• List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

This is a list of radio stations in the United Kingdom: // National analogue and digital stations BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio Five Live BBC World Service Classic FM talkSPORT Virgin Radio National digital-only stations BBC 1Xtra BBC Five Live Sports...

References

1. ↑  Wikipedia entry on Christopher Chataway
2. ↑  BFI researchers' guide - legislation Retrieved 4 January 2006
3. ↑  Henry, Brian (Ed.) British Television Advertising - The First Thirty Years Century Benham, London 1986; p145
4. ↑  Croston, Eric (Ed.) Television and Radio 1985 - Guide to Independent Broadcasting Independent Broadcasting Authority, London 1984.
5. ↑  Graham, Russ J Original ILR Airdates Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, retrieved 4 January 2006
6. ↑  Croston, Eric (Ed.) Television and Radio 1981 - Focus on Independent Broadcasting Independent Broadcasting Authority, London 1980.
7. ↑  Rogers, Andrew RW + WR = GWR Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, retrieved 4 January 2006
8. ↑  Parry, Simon Off Centre Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, retrieved 4 January 2006
9. ↑  Parry, Simon Asian Sound Radiomusications from Transdiffusion, retrieved 4 January 2006
10. ↑  ^{a  b  c}  Ward, Inna (Ed.) Whitaker's Almanack 2006 A & C Black, London 2005; pp621–631
11. ↑  Woodyear, Clive (Ed.) Radio Listener's Guide 2003, The Clive Woodyear Publishing 2002
12. ↑  Ofcom radio licensing webpages retrieved 4 January 2006
13. ↑  Manx Radio website, retrieved 4 January 2006

The Right Honourable Sir Christopher John Chataway (born January 31, 1931) was a champion athlete, pioneering television news broadcaster, and a Conservative politician. ...

External links

• Office of Communications
• Radiomusications from Transdiffusion
• ILR fansite
• Bitstream Radio by Electromusications from Transdiffusion