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Hits Radio Manchester

Manchester United Kingdom
Broadcast area	Greater Manchester
Frequency	FM: 103.0 MHz DAB: 12C
RDS	HITS_MCR
Branding	Manchester’s Hits Radio The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks
Programming
Format	CHR/Pop
Network	Hits Radio
Ownership
Owner	Bauer Media Audio UK
Sister stations	Hits Radio UK Hits Radio Pride Greatest Hits Radio Manchester & The North West Greatest Hits Radio North West
History
First air date	2 April 1974
Former names	Piccadilly Radio (1974–1988) Key 103 (1988–2018)
Former frequencies	FM: 97.0 MHz AM: 1151 kHz 1152 kHz
Links
Webcast	Hits Radio Manchester Player
Website	Hits Radio Manchester

Hits Radio Manchester, formerly Key 103, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Greater Manchester.

As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 311,000 listeners according to RAJAR.

History

Piccadilly Radio

Originally known as Piccadilly Radio, the station commenced broadcasting from studios at Piccadilly Plaza in Manchester city centre at 5am on Tuesday 2 April 1974 - the fifth Independent Local Radio station to launch and the first of its kind in northern England. The first presenter on air was Roger Day and the first song played on air was "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys.

In early 1987, due to a nationwide reorganisation of the FM band, Piccadilly moved its VHF (FM) frequency from 97 to 103 FM. A year later, the Government and the IBA began encouraging all ILR stations with multiple frequencies to provide split programming in order to increase listener choice and competition.

Key 103

Piccadilly split its services into two on Saturday 3 September 1988. Key 103 launched at midday on 103 FM while the original Piccadilly Radio service continued on 1152 AM.

The first presenters on air were Tim Grundy and Rebecca Want. Other presenters included Peter Baker, Adrian Bell, Tony Michealides, Stu Allan. The first jingle package was produced by Stowe Bowden Wilson and featuring voiceovers from Steve Coogan. The first song played upon launch was Alive and Kicking by Simple Minds.

Positioning itself as Music, not music, Key 103 aimed at an upmarket audience with a mix of AOR and chart music and high-end specialist output including arts and business programming, comedy and weekly jazz, folk and classical music shows.

The station later opted for a more mainstream format with presenters from Piccadilly 1152 (later Piccadilly Gold) switching to the FM station, and in 1990, the station was rebranded as Piccadilly Key 103. The Piccadilly branding was gradually dropped during the 1990s.

In 1994, the station's owners Transworld Radio Group were bought by EMAP. Two years later, both Key 103 and its AM sister station moved from the Piccadilly Plaza studios to new headquarters at Castle Quay in Castlefield.

Hits Radio Manchester

On 18 April 2018, station owners Bauer Media announced Key 103 would be rebranded and relaunched as Hits Radio Manchester, a CHR-led music station aimed at 25-44 year olds on Monday 4 June 2018.

The station was merged with The Hits Radio to provide a single national service across the UK on DAB, Freeview and online - as Hits Radio UK In Manchester, Hits Radio continues to provide local news & information, traffic bulletins and advertising on its local platforms - 103 FM, DAB and online.

The Key 103 branding was phased out from Friday 25 May 2018 as the station entered a transition period ahead of the launch of Hits Radio at 6am on Monday 4 June 2018. The first song played on air - decided by an online poll via the Manchester Evening News - was "Greatest Day" by Take That.

The former Key branding was retained by the sister AM station, which rebranded as Key Radio on the same day as the launch of Hits Radio Manchester. The following January, the Key branding was retired when the station rebranded as Greatest Hits Radio Manchester.

Technical

The station broadcasts on the analogue frequency 103 FM via a transmitter at Saddleworth, from where broadcasting commenced upon the launch of Piccadilly Radio on 2 April 1974.

The DAB signal is broadcast from transmitters located at Winter Hill and City Tower, Manchester on the CE Manchester multiplex. With the addition of Sutton Common, near Macclesfield, the DAB signal has a reliable coverage area that includes Greater Manchester, South Lancashire, most of Cheshire, parts of North East Wales and Merseyside, with much better reception than the FM frequency can provide as 103.0 suffers from co-channel interference from other stations on nearby frequencies.

In May 2016, two additional digital transmitters were launched at Littleborough and Saddleworth.

Programming

Programming airs via Bauer’s London headquarters or studios in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle.

Hits Radio UK opts out from Manchester's local service for national news bulletins, traffic updates, relevant information and advertising on its national DAB and TV platforms.

News

As of April 2019, Bauer's Manchester newsroom airs hourly local news bulletins on the hour from 6am-7pm on weekdays and 7am-1pm at weekends. Headlines air at 30 minutes past the hour during Hits Radio Breakfast on weekdays, alongside regular traffic bulletins at breakfast and drive.

Syndicated national bulletins from Sky News Radio in London are carried overnight. Bespoke networked bulletins also air on weekend afternoons, produced from Bauer's Leeds newsroom.

Presenters

Notable current presenters

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• Fleur East (Hits Radio Breakfast)
• Angellica Bell (Hits Radio Breakfast; maternity cover)
• Gemma Atkinson and Mike Toolan (weekday drivetime)
• Wes Butters (Sunday mornings)
• Sarah-Jane Crawford (The UK Chart Show, cover)
• Stephanie Hirst (Saturday nights, Sunday evenings)
• Sam Thompson (weekday evenings)
• Owen Warner (Friday Night Hits)

Notable past presenters

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• Stu Allan (deceased)
• Rich Clarke (now at Heart South)
• Robin Galloway (now at Pure Radio Scotland)
• Tim Grundy (deceased)
• Lucy Horobin (now at Heart Dance)
• Gethin Jones
• Jason King (now at Heart London)
• Geoff Lloyd
• Scott Mills (now at BBC Radio 2)
• Pete Mitchell (deceased)
• Justin Moorhouse
• Darryl Morris (now at Times Radio)
• Steve Penk (now at Happy Radio UK)
• Karl Pilkington (later at XFM London)
• Joel Ross (now at Rock FM)
• Graeme Smith (now at Capital Liverpool)
• James Stannage
• Mike Sweeney (now at BBC Radio Manchester)
• David Vitty
• Becky Want
• Mike Toolan

References

1. "RAJAR". www.rajar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
2. A History of Piccadilly Radio Jingles (Part One): 1974 – 1990, East of the M60, 15 July 2015
3. From the Heart of Manchester for 25 Years: Key 103, East of the M60, 22 August 2013
4. The soundtrack to Mancunian lives - Key 103 is a Manchester institution with a fascinating history, Manchester Evening News, 18 April 2018
5. Bauer to launch new national radio station Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Bauer Media, 18 April 2018
6. Key 103 to become Hits Radio as part of major rebrand, Prolific North, 18 April 2018
7. Key 103 to rebrand as Hits Radio and go national, Radio Today, 19 April 2018
8. Key 2 on AM and DAB rebrands as Key Radio, Radio Today, 4 June 2018
9. Hits Radio - Public File - Manchester
10. Bauer to launch new national radio station Archived 2018-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, Bauer Media, 18 April 2018
11. Hits Radio Manchester public file

External links

• Hits Radio Manchester

• Bauer Radio
• Hits Radio
• Radio stations in Manchester
• Radio stations established in 1988
• Contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom