SuperGold - the end

Episode 777,   Aug 31, 2013, 11:29 PM

As the first tranches of commercial radio stations were given the strong steer to split their AM and FM frequencies, most chose to put a Gold station on AM; and keep the heritage brand on FM, adding a CHR twist to what had been a full-service format. The oldies brands fared well across the UK, some exceptionally so. In truth, the challenge lay in the FM brands as they leaped all over the place, leaving territory for the focused regional formats to claim.

There were many AM brands across the UK including Capital Gold, County Sound Gold, GEM-AM, Xtra AM and this one, SuperGold. Chiltern launched its Dunstable-based SuperGold on Sunday 24th June 1990, to be carried by Chiltern Radio SuperGold 828am (Herts, Beds, & Bucks), Chiltern Radio SuperGold 792am (East of England), Northants Radio SuperGold 1557am, Severn Sound SuperGold 774am (Glos, Hereford, & Worcs), and across Europe via the Astra satellite. The service was also carried by several subscribing stations, including Invicta Supergold (Kent), Signal 2 (Staffs.), Wey Valley (Hants.), Orchard-FM (Somerset) and Swansea Sound (South Wales).

The service closed down on Sunday 1st September 1996, to become part of Classic Gold, which was to link with Capital's Gold format to become, eventually, Gold.

Willie Morgan broadcast on Day One of SuperGold; and he owned the final moments too.