Mercia Sound, launch - 1980
Episode 635, Jan 05, 2013, 09:53 AM
Mercia Sound was the first English station to arrive in the second burst of commercial radio, just as the Government thought commercial radio was working, but was not awfully sure.
It came on air on May 23rd 1980, with Ian Rufus giving the opening announcement before a Sue Manning jingle. I have a theory that one can tell a great deal about the destiny of a station from the style in which its opening announcement is given. Gordon Astley hosted the first show.
In an area where BBC Local Radio had yet to arrive, the station mopped up its target audience and more besides, and was able to pull off the ‘full service’ remit with ease and pride, with lost dogs sniffing alongside Leif Garrett. It’s a fact that the station was one which made a huge contribution to its community, often symbolised by the smiling face of Stuart Linnell in the local press handing over a sizeable cheque. The station generated hugely impressive audiences from Day One.
As the Government made stations ‘use or lose’ their two different frequencies, the station split off its medium wave 220 wavelength to form the oldies station Xtra AM to play some Cliff, Beatles and Elvis. Xtra then morphed into Capital Gold, then Gold, then Free 80s, then Greatest Hits Radio - before being switched off in June 2020.
The company passed from independent hands to join forces with BRMB and then part of Midlands Radio Holdings in 1988; which then became Midlands Radio in May 1989 when the East Midlands stations (the Trents and Leicester Sound) merged with the West; after a failed Piccadilly merger.
The group was acquired by Capital, which disposed of all stations - apart from BRMB - to GWR a year later. GWR then merged with Capital to form GCap. As GCap itself was then acquired by Global Radio, the new mega-group was forced to sell down its Midlands stations including Mercia which was acquired by Orion Media.
The Mercia name was retired in March 2012 as it became one of the Free Radio stations - and it was then sold on to Bauer Media
The company passed from independent hands to join forces with BRMB and then part of Midlands Radio Holdings in 1988; which then became Midlands Radio in May 1989 when the East Midlands stations (the Trents and Leicester Sound) merged with the West; after a failed Piccadilly merger.
The group was acquired by Capital, which disposed of all stations - apart from BRMB - to GWR a year later. GWR then merged with Capital to form GCap. As GCap itself was then acquired by Global Radio, the new mega-group was forced to sell down its Midlands stations including Mercia which was acquired by Orion Media.
The Mercia name was retired in March 2012 as it became one of the Free Radio stations - and it was then sold on to Bauer Media