Stoke-on-Trent's Signal radio drops name after 40 years

Last year, Signal's studios on Stoke Road in Stoke-on-Trent were for sale with an asking price of £600,000

Staffordshire's original commercial radio station is dropping its Signal name after 40 years.

The Stoke-on-Trent station will become Hits Radio in April along with 14 other Bauer Media Group stations, including four West Midlands Free Radio services.

The traditionally local stations have already been permitted to broadcast just three hours a day of non-national programmes on weekdays.

Bauer said there would be no scheduling or local presenter changes.

Stations would retain their breakfast shows, the company confirmed.

Moyles and Turner

The Hits Radio brand has already emerged on some FM stations around England, including in Manchester on the service once known as Piccadilly Radio - one of the country's first independent local radio stations.

Signal Radio - now known as Signal 1 on FM - began broadcasting from Stoke-on-Trent in September 1983. Its broadcasters have included former BBC Radio 1 breakfast presenter Chris Moyles and TV presenter Anthea Turner.

During its history, it provided a choice of Signal services, including Signal 2, which played older hit records.

But it emerged last month its Stoke-on-Trent studios were up for sale with an asking price of £600,000 and Bauer said its Signal 1 broadcast team would move to Birmingham this year.

Crowds gathered at an early BRMB outside broadcast in Chamberlain Square in Birmingham

Free Radio will go after 12 years, after those stations' previous names, used over three decades or longer, were dropped in 2012.

The oldest were BRMB, which began in Birmingham in 1974, and Black Country-based Beacon. It started in 1976 and in 1987 launched a service for Shropshire.

Mercia, for Coventry and Warwickshire, began in 1980 and Wyvern for Herefordshire and Worcestershire started in 1982.

'Even more choice'

Guidelines from regulator Ofcom now allow stations to broadcast national programmes for most of the day.

Hits Radio's presenters include singer-songwriter Fleur East and Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson.

Group programme director for the Hits Radio Network Gary Stein said the audio landscape had evolved dramatically in recent years and there was "even more choice" than ever before.

He added: "By transforming local stations into this nationally-recognised brand, we're really excited by the potential that Hits Radio has to grow."

Stations called Radio Wyvern and BRMB that are separate to Bauer have launched in the Midlands in recent years.