Kiss 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 as part of the

Kiss Network The Kiss Network is a network of radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned by Bauer Media Audio UK, focusing on the 15-34 age group. According to RAJAR Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR) was established in 1992 to operate a s ...

. It is primarily aimed at the 15-34 age group and broadcasts nationally to the UK on

DAB Digital Radio Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services. Types In digital broadcasting sys ...

, as well as on FM in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

, and

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in w ...

. The station started as Kiss FM - a 1980s pirate radio station that was to become the UK's first legal radio station Kiss 100 specialising in

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

. As of June 2022, the station has a weekly audience of 2.5 million listeners 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 call ...

History

Pirate roots

Kiss FM first broadcast 7 October 1985 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 ...

station, initially to South London then across the whole city, on 94FM. Kiss FM was founded by Gordon 'Mac' McNamee, George Power (of London Greek Radio), and Tosca Jackson, with its engineer Pyers Easton. Transmitting seven-days from the start, it would be regularly taken off-air by the authorities and so became a weekend operation shortly afterwards. The station developed a cult and committed following across

Greater London Greater may refer to: * Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film * Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 * Greater Bank, an Austra ...

, with figures in the press at the time stating that the station commanded some 500,000 listeners while operating as an unlicensed pirate station, and an

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after b ...

readers poll in 1987 put Kiss second behind

Capital Radio Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. I ...

. Gordon Mac approached a successful London club promoter, Guy Wingate, to discuss ways of improving the Kiss FM profile. As a result, Wingate launched the very successful Kiss nights at the Wag Club (which included the first ever UK

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

party – an idea put forward by

Colin Faver Colin Faver (24 December 1951 – 5 September 2015) was a British club and radio DJ, best known for his 1990s cutting-edge show on London's Kiss FM, and an important role in the development of British club culture. Biography Colin Faver was bo ...

and Danny Rampling), both DJs on the station. These nights increased the station's credibility with its target audience and Wingate joined the Kiss team, followed shortly thereafter by Lindsay Wesker. Kiss would also run its own night at

Dingwalls Dingwalls was a live music and comedy venue adjacent to Camden Lock, Camden, London, England. The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, ...

and adopted the slogan ''Radical Radio''. Mac and 10 of the DJs on the station including Norman Jay, Jonathan More,

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and presenter. Early life Born in the London Borough of Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School (now known as Centra ...

, and

Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood (born 3 October 1957) is a British DJ and presenter. He is often referred to by other DJs and artists appearing on his shows simply as Westwood. He was described by '' The Guardian'' in 2022 as "a veteran of the hip-hop scene ...

would become 'shareholders' in a company called Goodfoot Promotions, with Mac heading up the station as its majority holder. By 1988, Kiss was at its strongest with a DJ line-up which had become the cream of London's clubland, and in that December, Mac and the other shareholders would announce that they would decide to close down in order to apply for a legal licence. This was in response to the

UK Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

and

Independent Broadcasting Authority The Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television ( ITV and Channel 4 and limited satellite television regulation – cable television was the responsibility of the Cable Autho ...

(IBA) announcement that 20 new '' incremental radio'' licences would be advertised including one for London. Stations were told that they would have to voluntarily closedown when applying, and so on New Year's Eve 1988, the final broadcast went out with an outside broadcast at Dingwalls. Kiss would submit a strong application with widespread support from listeners, clubs, record labels and music magazines, however on 12 July 1989, the IBA instead awarded the licence to Jazz FM.

Legal licence

Despite the temptation to return to the air again illegally, Kiss held off as the IBA floated that further licences would be made available - which they did so in September 1989. Kiss re-prepared their application but this time would gain the backing and majority investment of media group

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 Rich ...

. On 17 December 1989, the IBA announced that Kiss had been awarded a licence on their second attempt. Kiss would establish its new studios and office on

Holloway Road Holloway Road is a road in London, in length. It is one of the main shopping streets in North London, and carries the A1 road as it passes through Holloway, in the London Borough of Islington. The road starts in Archway, near Archway Unde ...

, and on 1 September 1990, Kiss commenced its legal broadcasting as Kiss 100. Gordon Mac led a countdown in the studio to the official launch - the first tune played being "Pirates Anthem" by

Cocoa Tea Calvin George Scott (born 3 September 1959), better known as Cocoa Tea, is a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter. Biography Born in Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, Cocoa Tea was popular in Jamaica from 1985, but has become succes ...

and Shabba Ranks, followed by Norman Jay hosting the very first full show. The

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

documentary ''Radical Radio'' followed Kiss as it came off air as a pirate station, gained its licence, built its new studios, and commenced legal broadcasting.

Kiss 101 (Bristol)

Starting out as a

pirate radio station, it became part of the

Galaxy Radio Galaxy was a radio network owned by Global Radio and broadcast across the British Isles on FM in regional areas of England and Scotland, through the digital platform with Sky and DAB and online respectively. Stations included stations: Galaxy B ...

network broadcasting to

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards t ...

and the

West of England West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan ...

, playing pop,

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, hip hop, urban, R&B and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means (electroac ...

as Galaxy 101. It was eventually bought by

and became Kiss 101 in September 2006 and part of the Kiss network.

Kiss 102 (Manchester) and Kiss 105 (Yorkshire)

The

Faze FM Faze FM Radio Ltd was the owner of two dance music radio stations in the North of England. It operated Kiss 102 in Manchester and Kiss 105 in Yorkshire from 1994 to 1997 before being taken over by Chrysalis Group. History Faze FM Radio Ltd w ...

group licensed the name and logo from Kiss 100 to launch

Kiss 102 Kiss 102 was a dance music radio station based in Manchester, England. History The frequency was originally issued to Sunset 102 Radio - The Kickin FM but that suffered some financial problems. In May 1993, the Radio Authority made a decisio ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

in October 1994. In February 1997, it expanded into

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions hav ...

launching

Kiss 105 Kiss 105 was a dance music radio station based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. It was part of a new breed of regional radio stations as opposed to independent local radio. History The station was launched at and the first track played was 'I Like ...

. The group was later sold to

Chrysalis Radio Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrys ...

, and by September 1997 both stations became part of the

network.

Kiss 105-108 (East Anglia)

The East Anglian and Severn Estuary versions of Kiss were previously known as Vibe FM. EMAP bought the stations from

Scottish Radio Holdings Scottish Radio Holdings (SRH) was a Scottish media company which owned 22 radio stations, and around 30 local newspapers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. History SRH had its origins in the 1970s when Glasgow was awarded the third licence for ...

in August 2005, and rebranded them in September 2006.

EMAP rebranding and criticism

EMAP took full control of Kiss 100 as early as 1992, but with Mac having left the station in March 1998, EMAP would embark on a rebranding of the station and to align it with the rest of its radio operations. In December 1998, one of stations most popular DJs, Steve Jackson, was dismissed resulting in a high-profile court case, whilst the changes led to criticism from both former presenters and listeners alike, concerned that Kiss 100 was losing its musical direction. DJs

Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...

, Bob Jones, and Manasseh quit the station in January 1999 in protest at the changes being implemented. Other DJs at this time were being lured away by the increasingly dance-oriented

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, includin ...

. Mark Story (previously of Magic 105.4) was appointed as the new Director of Music Programming, along with moving the Kiss studios and office to EMAPs main premises at Mappin House,

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteri ...

, and creating a new logo. Andy Roberts became Kiss Programme Director. In July 1999,

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

reported: "In preparation for the new ad campaign, the biggest in the station's history, EMAP has spent 12 months changing the output of the station. Over 10 DJs have parted company with the station, including Steve Jackson, who won the Sony breakfast show award this year. In the words of Mr Cox MAP marketing director the music on the station has been "smoothed out"."

Ofcom record fine

In June 2006, Kiss 100 was fined a record fee for any UK commercial radio station of £175,000 by media regulator

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acro ...

. Ofcom punished Kiss 100 for "numerous and serious breaches" of broadcasting codes after receiving 10 complaints from April to November 2005. They involved prank calls on the Bam Bam breakfast show where consent was not sought from the "victims" and controversial material aired when children were likely to be listening. Kiss 100 said it accepted the findings and apologised for any offence

Second rebranding and Kiss network

EMAP introduced a second major revamp of the Kiss brand on 6 September 2006. This included a new logo designed by oddlondon, a renewed focus on dance music, more specialist shows and a new website for all 3 Kiss stations replacing the previous website. The relaunch was implemented simultaneously with the rebranding of Kiss 100's sister dance stations, Vibe 101 and Vibe 105–108 as Kiss 101 and

Kiss 105-108 Kiss 105-108 was an Independent local radio station serving East Anglia from the Kiss Network. All programming after 2010 was networked from the national station KISS. Technical FM Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, North Essex 106.4 FM Mend ...

respectively. Changes at Kiss 100 were introduced to address falling listener figures and to keep the station competitive in the highly contested London market. Roberts became its Group Programme Director. A year later, EMAP sold its radio division to

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 i ...

DAB changes and Rodigan departure

In December 2010,

approved the request from Bauer to drop local programming content from the three Kiss stations, creating a national service on the condition that Kiss would be available on 35 DAB multiplexes around the UK on the day local information is dropped, rising to 38 within 3 months of the changes. On 27 December 2012, Kiss 100 appeared nationally on Digital One's national DAB multiplex. In November 2012, David Rodigan who had been with Kiss since its legal launch resigned citing the "marginalisation of reggae music" on the station. Under Roberts, Kiss extended its stations, launching

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 May 2013.

Norway and Finland

On 26 February 2016, Kiss was launched in Norway rebranded from The Voice Hiphop & RnB Norway and Finland.

Logo history

File:Kiss 94 FM Logo.jpg, Kiss 94 FM logo from 1985–1989. File:Kissfm100 logo.png, Kiss 100's logo from 1990–1999. File:Kiss-100-old-logo.jpg, Kiss 100's logo from 1999–2006. File:Kiss-100-logo.png, Kiss 100's logo from 2006–2011

DJs/ presenters

Pirate and early legal era

From 1985, DJs and presenters have included: Norman Jay,

( Matt Black & Jonathan More), Paul Trouble Anderson, Colin Dale,

Judge Jules Julius O'Riordan (born 1966), better known by his stage name Judge Jules, is a British dance music DJ, record producer and entertainment lawyer. He is known for his DJ activities, music production and long-running radio show which achieved glob ...

, Lindsay Wesker, Max LX & Dave VJ,

Jazzie B Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE, (born 26 January 1963) better known as Jazzie B, is a British DJ and music producer. He is the founder of Soul II Soul. Life and career Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of Antiguan descent in Hornsey, London ...

, Steve Jackson,

, Lisa l'Anson, Danny Rampling and Richie Rich. At its legal launch and early 1990s, this would also include

Graham Gold Graham Gold (born 5 July 1954) is a British DJ. Gold is primarily known as a DJ whose sets were broadcast live Friday nights on Kiss and distributed on the Universal Music TV label. These weekly live broadcasts were considered revolutionary in ...

Dave Pearce David Alistair Pearce (born 14 June 1963) is an English dance DJ, EDM producer and broadcaster, who has performed across the United Kingdom and the world. He previously presented ''Dance Anthems'' on BBC Radio 1 for ten years. He is renowned ...

, David Rodigan, Patrick Forge, Somethin' Else (Chris Phillips & Jez Nelson), and

Gilles Peterson Gilles Jérôme Moehrle MBE (; born 28 September 1964), better known as Gilles Peterson (), is a French broadcaster, DJ, and record label owner. He founded the influential labels Acid Jazz and Talkin' Loud, and started his current label Browns ...

Mid to late 1990s

In the mid-late 1990s, DJs and presenters have included: Tall Pall, Matt Jam Lamont,

Dreem Teem The Dreem Teem are a British DJ, music production and remixing trio consisting of DJ Spoony, Mikee B, and Timmi Magic. They formed in 1996 through pirate radio, and were instrumental in developing the UK garage sound. They presented radio shows ...

Fabio Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration). Its English equivalent is Fabian. The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented ...

Grooverider Raymond Bingham (born 16 April 1967 in Streatham, London, England), better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene.

, Brandon Block, Jumpin Jack Frost, Kenny Ken,

DJ Hype Kevin Ford (born 1968), better known as DJ Hype, is a British jungle and drum and bass producer and DJ. Biography Hype first became involved in music as a teenager in 1982, assisting PJ and Smiley with their sound system Heatwave in East L ...

, Ray Keith, R-Solution (

4hero 4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as ''4 Hero'' or ''4-Hero'', the name is stylised as ''4hero'' on their albums and ...

Kirk Degiorgio Kirk Degiorgio, better known as As One, is a British techno producer and DJ. Born in the late 1960s in Stepney, East London, and raised in Suffolk, he started producing music in the early 1990s. He founded the labels A.R.T. Records and Op-Art ...

Tony De Vit Antony de Vit ( ; 12 September 1957 – 2 July 1998)
- accessed May 2011 was an English DJ and music producer. He is consi ...

, and Slipmatt.

2000s

Since 2000, DJs and presenters have included: Bam Bam,

Andy C Andrew John Clarke (born 7 April 1976) is a British DJ and record producer and is co-founder of RAM Records, a pioneering label in the drum and bass genre. Music career Early years Andy C was a DJ in his own right but gained a strong repu ...

John Digweed Thomas John Digweed (born 1 January 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. ''DJ Magazine'' voted him World No 1 DJ in 2001. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick ...

Ali B Ali Bouali, known professionally as Ali B (born 16 October 1981), is a Dutch-Moroccan rapper. He is one of the most well known rappers in the Netherlands and he has performed together with Akon and Dutch artist Marco Borsato. In 2007 he made an ...

, Robin Banks,

Adam F Adam Fenton (born 8 February 1972) is an English record producer and DJ who has worked across various genres. He is also the co-founder of the drum and bass label Breakbeat Kaos along with DJ Fresh. He found initial success with the 1990s drum ...

DJ EZ DJ EZ (pronounced "DJ ee zed") is a UK garage DJ from Tottenham, North London. He was one of the earliest proponents of UK garage music, hosting a long-running Kiss 100 radio show and mixing the '' Pure Garage'' series of compilations. Biogra ...

, Steve Smart,

Carl Cox Carl Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, as well as radio DJ and record producer. He is based in Hove, Sussex, England. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has performed at numerous clubs and el ...

, Logan Sama, DJ Hatcha,

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...

Armin van Buuren Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren ( , ; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch DJ and record producer from Leiden, South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted ''A State of Trance'' (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40&nbs ...

, Rickie Haywood Williams,

Melvin Odoom Melvin Odoom is a British radio DJ and television presenter. He is best known for presenting on BBC Radio 1 alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Charlie Hedges. Education Odoom attended the University of Bedfordshire and studied a Media P ...

Charlie Hedges Charlotte Hedges is a British DJ and broadcaster, who presents as part of "Rickie, Melvin and Charlie" on BBC Radio 1. Early life Hedges studied journalism at Harlow College. Career Radio presenting Hedges hosted the breakfast show at Kiss for ...

Hed Kandi Hedkandi is an English record label, events and music brand owned by Ministry of Sound. Its back catalogue includes both artist albums and dance music compilations. History A record Label founded in 1999 at Jazz FM Radio Station's Enterprise ...

, Philip George, DJ S.K.T ,

Jordan Banjo Jordan Mayowa Banjo (born 31 December 1992) is a British street dancer, best known as a current member of the dance troupe Diversity, who won the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. He and fellow Diversity star Perri Kiely co-host the KIS ...

and Perri Kiely, and

Tyler West Tyler Mark West (born 1 April 1996) is an English television and radio presenter and DJ. He began his career presenting various shows on CBBC and currently presents weekday afternoons (4-7pm) on Kiss FM. In 2022, he became a contestant on the ...

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.51598, N, 0.13844, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Bauer Radio Rhythmic Top 40 radio stations Dance radio stations Radio stations in London Radio stations established in 1985 1985 establishments in England Former pirate radio stations Kiss Network Pirate radio stations in the United Kingdom