Magic (UK Radio Station)
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Magic Radio is a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer. The station is available on 105.4 FM in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and across the UK on Digital Radio, on the Magic Radio app, television and online. It had previously been a part of a network of Magic stations broadcast on FM in London and on MW across northern England and began broadcasting across the UK via the Digital One multiplex in January 2015. On 5 January 2015, Magic Radio launched nationally on DAB and all other Magic stations were dissolved to form the Bauer City 2 network. According to
RAJAR Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and RadioCentre. RAJAR's predecessor was calle ...
, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 3.6 million with a listening share of 2.1% as of September 2022.


History

In 1998,
Melody FM 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. History Melody Radio launched on 9 July 1990 on 104.9 FM in Gre ...
was purchased by media group Emap from
Hanson plc Hanson UK, formerly Hanson Trust plc, is a British-based building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. The company has been a subsidiary of the German company HeidelbergCement since August 2007, and was formerly listed on the London ...
for a reported £25 million and rebranded Magic that December. On changing the station's name, Emap introduced
automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
for the first time - weekday afternoons were split with a 'non-stop music hour', first sponsored by the now defunct energy company ''Calortex'', and later by the
Emap Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...
-owned ''Red'' magazine. Magic was criticised for automating a further eleven hours of its daily output (7pm-6am) given the reach and size of the station. In an attempt to cut costs, Magic began networking its mid-morning show, hosted by Richard Skinner, and automated overnight output with the eight other
Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
stations in the North of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in January 2002. Audience figures fell on all nine stations in the twelve months that followed, some arguing a lack of local content had driven listeners to tune away. Networking was ended in January 2003, although the eight 'northern' Magic stations continued to share a mid-morning show, hosted by Mark Thorburn, and were subsequently networked again, with the exception of local breakfast shows, following a repositioning of the northern Magic group in mid-2006. These stations were later rebranded into the Bauer City 2 network in 2015. The end of networking heralded a programming shift; Magic adopting its 'more music, less talk' ethos. Former Capital FM head and radio consultant Richard Park was brought in to increase the station's audience share. In September 2003, Magic saw its first major revamp: live programming replaced automated output in the evening, and
Independent Radio News Independent Radio News provides a service of news bulletins, audio and copy to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom and beyond. The managing director, Tim Molloy, succeeded long-term MD John Perkins in November 2009. Perkins had been ...
-employed staff manned the station's daytime news output, removing shared presenting/newsreading responsibilities, a legacy from Melody FM. IRN retained the contract to supply Magic's news bulletins until 2015, when the service was brought in-house. Later years saw a reliance on weekend celebrity-hosted content and large cash prizes to entice listeners - the award of £110,600 to Nicola Diss, the winner of the popular ''Magic Mystery Voices'' contest on 12 January 2006 was the largest cash prize given away on UK radio since 1999, a sum surpassed just a few months later by the prize collected by listener Dawn Muggleton in the ''Smooth Secret Song'' competition on London rival 102.2 Smooth FM, scooping £118,454 on 19 April 2006. However, Magic regained the honour on 30 March 2007 with listener Maria Crosskey winning £168,600 in a six-month-long ''Mystery Voices'' contest, although she was later disqualified (see 'Mystery Voices' below). In 2008,
Emap Ascential plc, formerly EMAP, is a British business-to-business media business specialising in exhibitions & festivals and information services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History Ric ...
sold its radio stations, including Magic, to
Bauer Media Group Heinrich Bauer Publishing (german: Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG), trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 ra ...
. Magic, along with urban-music station
Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
, rock music station
Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British National radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via Digital audio broadcasting and on 1215 kHz MW. History 1993–1997: Virg ...
and a number of other radio brands, broadcasts from
Bauer Radio Bauer Media Audio UK is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group. History In early 2008, German magazine publisher Bauer bought the radio division of British company Emap, which had been established as East Midland Allied Press in ...
's headquarters in Golden Square. It had previously broadcast from studios on Winsley Street (Mappin House) until September 2014.


Sister stations


Digital


Magic Chilled

Launched March 2016 and playing "laid back hits", predominantly pop and R'n'B from the 90s to today; the format originated as an evening programme strand on
Heat Radio Heat Radio is a British digital radio station, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. It broadcasts online to the UK and on Digital Radio in Inverness. As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 456,000 list ...
(as 'heat Chilled') but moved under the Magic brand to be launched as a full-time station. Magic Chilled was Bauer's first DAB+ station. It was originally broadcast on the national
Sound Digital Sound Digital is a semi-national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva, Bauer Media Group and Wireless Group. The multiplex covers 73% of the population from a total of 45 transmitters. History Following ...
multiplex, but moved to local tier DAB, in capacity previously used by
Absolute Radio 90s Absolute Radio 90s is a semi-national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. Its output is non-stop 1990s hits. The station launched on DAB in London in June 2010 and on the Digital One platfo ...
, in early 2019 as part of the reorganisation of space for the launch of
Scala Radio Scala Radio is a classical music digital radio station in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Radio since its launch in March 2019. The station broadcasts nationally on DAB via the Sound Digital multiplex and online through websites ...
. In London, Magic Chilled continues to be broadcast in DAB+ at the same bitrate as before.


Mellow Magic

Mellow Magic is a digital-only service of timeless relaxing classics, launched in March 2016 along with Magic Chilled. It continues to broadcast as part of the Sound Digital national multiplex jointly owned by Bauer. The Mellow Magic station was built on the successful Magic night-time programming strand of the same name.
Fran Godfrey Frances Helen Godfrey (born 29 June 1953) is a former BBC Radio 2 newsreader, most famous for her appearances on ''Wake Up to Wogan'', a long-running breakfast show in the United Kingdom.''Mustn't Grumble'', by Sir Terry Wogan (2006) () Godfrey be ...
has hosted the breakfast show on Mellow Magic, its only dedicated live programme, since the station's official launch; the station previously simulcast the Mellow Magic programmes of the main Magic station, but this ceased when Magic temporarily flipped to a Christmas music format.


Magic Soul

This was originally a temporary pop-up service, branded as Magic Soul Summer, which launched in the summer of 2016 largely taking over the capacity previously occupied by the temporary Magic ABBA station; the soul service ultimately remained active as a permanent part of the network, truncating its name to Magic Soul from Autumn 2016 onwards.


Magic at the Musicals

Launched on DAB+ in London on 21 November 2019; the station has since been rolled out to several other areas, chiefly on selected Bauer-owned multiplexes, in standard DAB. It plays show-tunes and soundtracks.


Pop-ups


Magic ABBA

Following the migration of other Bauer services (including
Kisstory Kisstory is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. Playing "old skool and anthems", it is a sister station to Kiss. As of June 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 2.1 million listeners, ...
and
Heat Radio Heat Radio is a British digital radio station, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. It broadcasts online to the UK and on Digital Radio in Inverness. As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 456,000 list ...
) to SDL, some of the vacated space at local level was used during the spring of 2016 for a short-term pop-up, playing ABBA songs (and versions thereof) and related content. It ran as a commercial partnership with '' Mamma Mia!: the Musical''.


Magic Workout

An online-only sibling, Magic Workout has been made available as one of a suite of streaming-only Bauer services. The temporary service formed part of Magic's partnership with breast cancer charity Walk The Walk's ''Moonwalk'' event. A similar service,
Cool FM Cool FM is an Independent Local Radio station based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. The station is owned and operated by Bauer and forms part of Bauer's Hits Radio Network. The station began broadcasting in 1990 when its parent station D ...
Workout, was launched by Bauer in partnership with the Belfast City Marathon in 2021.


Magic Christmas / Magic 100% Christmas

In late 2017, a slot on the
Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covered more than 90% of the population from 137 transmitters. Coverage was extended to Northern Ireland in July 2013. It conta ...
multiplex which had been occupied since the summer by
Kiss Fresh Kiss Fresh is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network, and a sister station to Kiss. As of June 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 301,000 listeners, according to RAJAR. History Initial ...
was temporarily used by a Christmas music station under the Magic Christmas banner; it was one of two festive stations available on D1 that year, with
Heart Extra Heart UK (formerly Heart Extra) is a digital radio station owned and operated by Global as a national version of Heart, and broadcast from studios at Leicester Square in London. On 2 February 2016, Global announced that the station would launch ...
making its annual switch to ''Heart Extra Christmas'' around the same time. (During 2018, this capacity was used by
Absolute Radio 90s Absolute Radio 90s is a semi-national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Absolute Radio Network. Its output is non-stop 1990s hits. The station launched on DAB in London in June 2010 and on the Digital One platfo ...
, and since February 2019 the space has been occupied by
Kisstory Kisstory is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. Playing "old skool and anthems", it is a sister station to Kiss. As of June 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 2.1 million listeners, ...
). In December 2018 and 2019, the main Magic station flipped to an all-Christmas playlist, and so a discrete Christmas station was not provided. Magic 100% Christmas was launched online in August 2020, several months earlier than previous Christmas music stations in order to, according to Bauer, help lift the mood of the nation after the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Unlike the earlier Magic Christmas, this service did not broadcast on DAB.


Bond 24/7

Bond 24/7 was a pop-up station which ran from 29 September to 6 October 2021. It was launched to mark the release of the 25th film in the
James Bond series James Bond is a fictional character created by British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. A British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, Bond has been portrayed on film in twenty-seven productions by actors Sean Connery, David Niv ...
''
No Time to Die ''No Time to Die'' is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, starring Daniel Craig in his fifth and final portrayal of fictional British MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Cary Jo ...
'' and would play music from the James Bond films.


Television


Magic TV

There is also a complementary Magic-branded music television channel available on the
Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...
,
Freesat Freesat is a British free-to-air satellite television service, first formed as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc and now owned by Digital UK. The service was formed as a memorandum in 2007 and has been marketed since 6 May 2008. Free ...
and
Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
digital TV platforms in the UK, operating as part of
The Box Plus Network The Box Plus Network (formerly Video Jukebox Network International Ltd and Box Television Ltd) was a British television company owned by Channel Four Television Corporation, it specialised in music programming. On 2 April 2013, all The Box Pl ...
. The channel plays classic and contemporary melodic pop hits.


Notable presenters

*
Nicole Appleton Nicole Marie Appleton (born 7 December 1974) is a Canadian singer and television presenter. She is a member of the British girl group All Saints and Canadian duo Appleton with her elder sister Natalie Appleton. Early life Appleton was born i ...
*
Emma B Emma Louise Boughton (born 27 November 1970), better known as Emma B, is a radio presenter in the UK. Early career Boughton's childhood was spent in Canada before she moved to Birmingham, England as a teenager. She graduated from the Univers ...
*
Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
*
Lynn Parsons Lynn Margaret Parsons (born 27 June 1961) is a British disc jockey. Career Having graduated from college with an OND in electronic principles, Parsons started her career working in the television industry, where she was a sound engineer and l ...
* Tom Price * Harriet Scott *
Sonali Shah Sonali Shah (born 26 July 1980 in Edgware, London) is a British TV and Radio Broadcaster who currently presents Sunday Breakfast on Magic FM as well as BBC television programme ''Escape to the Country'', ITV's Tonight and has her own segment on ...


References


External links

*
Magic 105.4 Radio Player
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magic 105.4 Fm Bauer Radio Radio stations established in 1990 Radio stations in London Adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom Bauer City network 1990 establishments in England