Melody 105.4 FM
Encyclopedia
Melody Radio was an Independent Local Radio
station, broadcast to Greater London
between 1990 and 1998, when it was purchased by media group Emap
and rebranded as Magic 105.4.
with Tony Bennett
's Strike Up The Band, as part of the Independent Broadcasting Authority
's creation of seven capital-wide services at the time. Broadcasting from studios in Knightsbridge
, the station was owned by the late Lord James Hanson
, chairman of Hanson plc
, who created Melody as a service he himself would wish to listen to, allegedly inspired by 'easy listening' formats that had become popular on the West Coast of the United States
. Hanson was particularly keen on keeping speech to an absolute minimum; however, after the first few days of transmission, a large number of listener enquiries as to the identity of featured music persuaded him to slightly relax restrictions on presenter content.
In its early years, the music predominantly catered for those aged 50 and over; Frank Sinatra
, who recorded a launch message for the station, and Annunzio Mantovani
prime examples of the artists featured. Launch presenters included Bill Bingham, Steve Crozier, Dave Gillbee, Greg Bance and Peter Dickson, who spent four years as breakfast show presenter. The station achieved listening figures of over a million within its first six months of transmission. Other presenters included Gary Whitford
, Allan King
Tony Myatt and Jonothan Izzard.
In 1996, the station changed frequencies, moving to 105.4 FM, having received numerous complaints from listeners in South West London
of interference from BBC Southern Counties Radio
. The 104.9 frequency was, after technical corrections, reallocated to Xfm
.
In its later years, Melody FM adopted a soft adult contemporary sound, aimed at a slightly younger audience, and newly marketed as 'London's relaxation station', the slogan which accompanied a television advertising campaign featuring Enya
's Orinoco Flow. The Radio Authority permitted the sale of Melody FM to Emap
in June 1998, who rebranded the station as Magic 105.4 in December that year, as part of the company's newly-created network of soft adult contemporary music stations, following the acquisition of several AM services in the north of England.
One of Melody Radio's distinctive features was its lack of pre-produced station identification
. Presenters also acted as the station's newsreaders
, and the inclusion of regular financial
bulletins was precipitated by Lord Hanson's own interest in business affairs.
Long-running programmes included a nightly Saga-sponsored Classic Hour and Melody Showtime, a tribute to songs from musical theatre
, later replaced by Nice And Easy, which featured many of the artists that had formed Melody's core playlist in 1990.
Later Melody FM presenters including David Hamilton
, Tony Myatt
and David Allan
all joined Saga's network of radio stations following the Emap takeover.
Independent Local Radio
Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. The same name is used for Independent Local Radio in Ireland.-Development of ILR:...
station, broadcast to Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
between 1990 and 1998, when it was purchased by media group Emap
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
and rebranded as Magic 105.4.
History
Melody Radio launched on 9 July 1990 on 104.9 FM in Greater LondonGreater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
with Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
's Strike Up The Band, as part of the Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
's creation of seven capital-wide services at the time. Broadcasting from studios in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, the station was owned by the late Lord James Hanson
James Hanson, Baron Hanson
James Edward, Baron Hanson was an English Conservative industrialist who built his businesses through the process of leveraged buyouts through Hanson plc.-Career:...
, chairman of Hanson plc
Hanson plc
Hanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
, who created Melody as a service he himself would wish to listen to, allegedly inspired by 'easy listening' formats that had become popular on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Hanson was particularly keen on keeping speech to an absolute minimum; however, after the first few days of transmission, a large number of listener enquiries as to the identity of featured music persuaded him to slightly relax restrictions on presenter content.
In its early years, the music predominantly catered for those aged 50 and over; Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, who recorded a launch message for the station, and Annunzio Mantovani
Mantovani
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani known as Mantovani, was an Anglo-Italian conductor and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before The Beatles .....
prime examples of the artists featured. Launch presenters included Bill Bingham, Steve Crozier, Dave Gillbee, Greg Bance and Peter Dickson, who spent four years as breakfast show presenter. The station achieved listening figures of over a million within its first six months of transmission. Other presenters included Gary Whitford
Gary Whitford
Gary Whitford is a television director, producer and voice artist, specialising in live and pre-recorded television programmes.- Early career :...
, Allan King
Allan King
Allan Winton King, OC was a Canadian film director.-Life:During the Depression, King attended Henry Hudson Elementary School in Kitsilano, Vancouver...
Tony Myatt and Jonothan Izzard.
In 1996, the station changed frequencies, moving to 105.4 FM, having received numerous complaints from listeners in South West London
South West (London sub region)
The South West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of London Borough of , Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth. The sub region was established in 2008. The south west has a population of 1,600,000 and is the location...
of interference from BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Southern Counties Radio
BBC Southern Counties Radio was the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Surrey and Sussex. The station also covered a large part of North-East Hampshire. It was the first BBC Local Radio station to introduce a controversial all-speech format...
. The 104.9 frequency was, after technical corrections, reallocated to Xfm
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
.
In its later years, Melody FM adopted a soft adult contemporary sound, aimed at a slightly younger audience, and newly marketed as 'London's relaxation station', the slogan which accompanied a television advertising campaign featuring Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
's Orinoco Flow. The Radio Authority permitted the sale of Melody FM to Emap
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
in June 1998, who rebranded the station as Magic 105.4 in December that year, as part of the company's newly-created network of soft adult contemporary music stations, following the acquisition of several AM services in the north of England.
Other
Melody Radio launched with the slogan 'At last - radio without the speakers'.One of Melody Radio's distinctive features was its lack of pre-produced station identification
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
. Presenters also acted as the station's newsreaders
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
, and the inclusion of regular financial
FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL is the weekly English-language newspaper with offices in Tbilisi, Georgia and Kiev, Ukraine. Published by Intelligence Group LLC, FINANCIAL is focused on opinion leaders and top business decision-makers; It's about world’s largest companies, investing, careers, and small business. It is...
bulletins was precipitated by Lord Hanson's own interest in business affairs.
Long-running programmes included a nightly Saga-sponsored Classic Hour and Melody Showtime, a tribute to songs from musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, later replaced by Nice And Easy, which featured many of the artists that had formed Melody's core playlist in 1990.
Later Melody FM presenters including David Hamilton
David Hamilton (Radio DJ)
David Hamilton is a British radio presenter. Since his broadcasting career began in 1959, Hamilton has hosted over 12,000 radio shows and more than 1,000 TV shows...
, Tony Myatt
Tony Myatt
Tony Myatt is a UK radio presenter. He has previously worked at the BBC, on Channel 4, on Jazz FM, on Capital Radio, on PrimeTime Radio, Radio Mercury and on Saga DAB radio stations...
and David Allan
David Allan (broadcaster)
David Allan is a British television continuity announcer and radio presenter.-Radio career:...
all joined Saga's network of radio stations following the Emap takeover.