Capital Radio
 |
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| Broadcast area | Greater London |
|---|---|
| Branding | CAPITAL |
| Slogan | London's No.1 Hit Music Station |
| Frequency |
FM: 95.8 MHz DAB: 12C RDS: CAPITAL Freesat: 719 Freeview 724 Sky: 0109 Virgin Media: 958 |
| First air date | 16 October 1973 |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Audience share | 4.3% (September 2016, RAJAR) |
| ERP | 4,000 watts |
| HAAT | 271 metres |
| Transmitter coordinates | 51°24′33.74″N 0°5′7.96″W / 51.4093722°N 0.0855444°W |
| Owner | Global Radio |
| Sister stations |
Capital Xtra Classic FM Gold Heart London LBC 97.3 LBC News 1152 Smooth London Radio X |
| Website | Capital London |
Capital London is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global Radio as part of the Capital radio network.
Following the 1964–68 offshore radio boom, the Conservative Party promised in its 1970 general election manifesto that should it win, it would introduce local commercial radio in addition to the commercial television that had started in 1955. This was a result of lobbying from pressure groups including the Local Radio Association, who felt that commercial radio should be introduced following the launch of ITV over a decade before. The Tories, under leader Edward Heath, won and swiftly introduced the Sound Broadcasting Act 1972, which allowed for the introduction of Independent Local Radio and created the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) from the Independent Television Authority.
The Independent Broadcasting Authority advertised local radio licences in certain locations in the United Kingdom under the umbrella term of Independent Local Radio (ILR). London was due to receive two ILR licences: one for news and another for general entertainment. Radio Capital, later to become Capital Radio, was formed in early 1970 by David Maule-ffinch with the intent to apply for the general entertainment licence. In late 1970, Maule-ffinch's future father-in-law, Barclay Barclay-White became involved. The Radio Capital team that was finally in place at the time of application to the IBA included Sir Richard Attenborough, Sir George Martin, Bryan Forbes, Sir Peter Saunders, David Maule-Ffinch and Barclay Barclay-White. David Maule-Ffinch was a member of the board of Capital Radio and its largest stockholder until 1994, when he sold his controlling interest to Information et Publicite, a subsidiary of Havas, the French media conglomerate.
Another application came from a consortium headed by broadcaster Hughie Green, who had openly voiced the need for commercial broadcasting, having previously worked for Radio Luxembourg.
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