Solar Radio is a

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 ...

-based

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

station, which originally started life as a

pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

station. Solar broadcasts primarily

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

to London on DAB and online. Solar (originally short for ''Sound of Londons Alternative Radio'') first broadcast as a pirate radio station on 4 November 1984, and was founded by DJs Clive Richardson and Tony Monson, the latter whom joined

Kiss FM Kiss FM, Kiss Radio or variants may refer to: Asia-Oceania * Various Kiss FM-branded stations in the Philippines ** 95.1 Kiss FM, Lucena, Quezon ** 102.3 Kiss FM, Tagbilaran, Bohol * Kiss92 FM, Singapore * KISS 969, Sri Lanka * Kiss Radio Taiwan ...

. Solar ceased broadcasting in October 1988 as an unlicensed operator. On 1 June 1999, Solar returned through

satellite broadcasting A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotop ...

, initially broadcasting on

Astra 19.2°E Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. Astra 19.2°E used to be commonly k ...

, and then

Astra 2 Astra may refer to: People * Astra (name) Places * Astra, Chubut, a village in Argentina * Astra (Isauria), a town of ancient Isauria, now in Turkey * Astra, one suggested name for a hypothetical fifth planet that became the asteroid belt En ...

(used by Sky TV) from 9 August 2000 where they stayed until 31 May 2019. From 29 October 2015, Solar also commenced broadcasting on the Trial London DAB MUX. Presenters on Solar include Tony Monson,

Lisa I'Anson Lisa I'Anson (born 31 May 1965) is a British radio presenter, television presenter, and VJ. Career I'Anson first started as a broadcaster on the then pirate radio station Kiss FM, and through to its legal licence, presenting the magazine sho ...

, Ralph Tee, Louie Martin, Kid Batchelor, and Steve Johns.

Robbie Vincent Robbie Vincent (born 9 June 1947) is an English radio broadcaster and DJ. As a champion of jazz, funk and soul music in the UK during the late 1970s he made an important contribution both live in clubs and on radio. In 1995 he was voted Independ ...

has occasionally guested on the station.

References

External links

* Radio stations in London Former pirate radio stations Pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom Radio stations established in 1984 {{UK-radio-station-stub