City | Manchester |
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Broadcast area | Greater Manchester, Greater London, Sussex, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cambridge |
Slogan | The Beat Of Gay UK |
Frequency | 88.4 MHz, Online, DAB Radio |
First air date | 14 August 2006 |
Format | CHR/Pop |
Owner | Gaydio Community Interest Company |
Website | http://www.gaydio.co.uk |
Gaydio is a radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the United Kingdom, broadcast on 88.4FM in Greater Manchester, on DAB digital radio in Greater London, parts of the Home Counties, the Sussex coast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cambridge, Portsmouth and online through their website, mobile apps and the UK Radio Player.
Gaydio became the UK's first LGBT FM radio service when it launched full-time on Friday 18 June 2010, expanding into digital radio when it acquired Gaydar Radio in 2013. The station's output attracts around 850,000 listeners per month, making it one of the biggest LGB&T media platforms in the UK.
Gaydio was conceived by Ian Wallace and Toby Whitehouse initially to accompany the 2006 Manchester Pride festival, providing coverage of the Pride parade, the main stage acts and several events from around the festival site.
A temporary Restricted Service Licence (RSL) was obtained for two weeks, transmitting then on 87.7FM across central Manchester. The first broadcasts came from Princess House, in Manchester's gay village, from the former offices of The Lesbian & Gay Foundation.
Gaydio re-appeared for a second broadcast on World AIDS Day 2006 in a joint broadcast with BBC Radio Manchester, taking over their DAB frequency for most of the afternoon and evening.