Capital South Wales
 |
|
| City | Cardiff |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South East Wales |
| Branding | 97.4 & 103.2 Capital |
| Slogan | South Wales' No.1 Hit Music Station |
| Frequency |
FM: 97.4, 103.2 MHz DAB: 12C RDS: Capital |
| First air date | 11 April 1980 |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Audience share | 4.5% (September 2016, RAJAR) |
| Owner | Communicorp |
| Sister stations |
Classic FM Heart Wales Smooth Wales |
| Website | Capital South Wales |
Capital South Wales (formerly Red Dragon) is a regional radio station owned by Communicorp and operated by Global Radio as part of the Capital radio network. It broadcasts to Cardiff, Newport and the surrounding areas – from the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay.
The station originally took to the air in Cardiff only. Known as CBC (Cardiff Broadcasting Company), the station launched in April 1980 on 221 metres medium wave (1359 kHz AM) and 96.0 VHF. Following the closure of neighbouring Gwent Broadcasting (GB Radio) in April 1985 CBC began relaying its service as a temporary measure to southern Gwent on 104 VHF and 230 metres medium wave (1305 kHz). This became permanent when CBC re-launched as Red Dragon Radio on 14 October 1985. Initially there were separate drivetime shows for Glamorgan and Gwent but these were dropped for a single service by the early nineties.
On 3 January 2011 the station was rebranded from Red Dragon to 97.4 & 103.2 Capital as part of a merger of owners Global Radio's Hit Music and Galaxy networks to form Capital. On 6 February 2014, Global Radio announced it would be selling Capital South Wales to Communicorp. Capital's network programming and brand name are retained under a contract. Global's Heart Wales station shares facilities at the Capital studios in Cardiff Bay.
Initially, CBC broadcast to Cardiff on 96.0 MHz and Newport on 104.0 MHz FM. These frequencies were switched to 103.2 MHz and 97.4 MHz respectively in 1987 following a national reorganisation of UK FM frequencies.
The 103.2 MHz signal, which is the stronger of the two, comes from the transmitter at Wenallt near Cardiff, with the 97.4 MHz signal being transmitted from Christchurch in Newport. The signals reach as far out as the South Wales Valleys to the north and part of Bridgend to the west.
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