UTV Radio

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UTV Radio, part of UTV plc

UTV Radio is a UK media company, and owner of several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is a subsidiary of UTV plc.

1 UTV Radio GB
2 U105 Belfast
3 UTV Radio Ireland
- 3.1 Local FM stations

[edit] UTV Radio GB

The group has its British origins in the company Talk Radio, named after the national AM station around which it was formed, which was later purchased by TalkCo, a consortium whose members included MVI, News International, Radio Investments and LMC Radio headed by chief executive Kelvin MacKenzie, the former editor of The Sun newspaper.

The company became the fifth largest UK radio group when it purchased The Radio Partnership in 1999, gaining control of its nine local commercial stations. In 2000 the station Talk Radio was relaunched as talkSPORT.

In May 2005, it was announced that the Northern Ireland media company UTV plc had made an agreed offer to buy the company, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. In June 2005 the takeover proceeded, with McKenzie being replaced by UTV executive Scott Taunton. On 12 September 2005 it was announced that the company is to be rebranded as UTV Radio. This brand was to bring together UTV's new acquisitions along with its existing stations in Ireland. The acquisition of Juice FM in Liverpool was announced on the same date.

[edit] UK National station

talkSPORT

[edit] Local FM stations

[edit] Local AM stations

[edit] DAB multiplexes

UTV operates three multiplexes jointly with EMAP Radio.

[edit] U105 Belfast

Main article: U105

In May 2004, UTV announced that it had entered the competition for a new ILR franchise for Belfast, Northern Ireland. In March 2005 the Office of Communications announced that it had awarded the franchise to UTV. U105 - which began broadcasting on 14 November 2005 - is UTV's first radio station in Northern Ireland. It is available on FM Radio in Belfast and on the Freeview platform in Northern Ireland. It is based in Havlock House, sharing premises with UTV Television. The station is primarily aimed at the over-45 age group, and have speech based programming as well as "gold" music. Among the programmes, Gerry Kelly presents a Sunday morning radio programme on U105, Kelly's Sunday Supplement.

[edit] UTV Radio Ireland

UTV Radio Ireland owns a number of Republic of Ireland independent local radio contractors - Live 95FM in Limerick, Q102 in Dublin, LMFM in Louth/Meath, and 96FM County Sound in Cork, which incorporates a separate radio entity, 103fm - itself subdivided across County Cork.

UTV sells airtime for its ILR stations through its subsidiary Broadcast Media Sales. This competes with the major ILR network sales house, Independent Radio Sales, and also sells airtime for Galway Bay FM and Beat 102-103, the first Independent Regional Radio station in Ireland, covering the south east. (Ironically UTV does not itself sell airtime on UTV Television, which is handled by ITV Sales).