LBC London News
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| Broadcast area | London |
|---|---|
| Slogan | London's news. All the time. |
| Frequency |
Online DAB Digital Radio 1152 AM kHz |
| First air date | 5 October 1994 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Owner | Global |
| Sister stations |
LBC (national) The Arrow, Capital, Chill, Classic FM, Gold, Heart, Jazz FM, Smooth Radio, XFM |
| Website | lbc |
LBC London News is London's only rolling news radio station. It broadcasts in Greater London on AM, DAB, Sky, Virgin Media and online.
The 1152AM frequency has a complicated history of format and ownership. The history of continuous news radio in London dates back to the early 1990s. In September 1993 London News Radio was awarded the FM and AM licences previously held by LBC. They proposed a continuous news service on FM and a news/talk format on AM.
By the time the licence was due to start in October 1994 London News Radio had been through several upheavals, first acquiring LBC and then itself being bought up by Reuters. At launch on 5 October 1994 the company was known as London Radio Services and it operated London News 97.3FM and London News Talk 1152AM. London News initially operated on a 20-minute wheel. The first presenters on air were Michael Wilson and Clare Catford. The morning sequence was presented by LBC veteran Jonathan Staples with Nicky Broyd the afternoon presenter. Drivetime was in the hands of Christopher Terry and Brenda Ellison. John Terrett was the evening host.
By spring 1995, the rolling news format gave way to a more traditional schedule of news sequences and magazine programmes. The station name was shortened to News 97.3 in the summer. In 1996, Reuters sold London Radio Services to the newly formed London News Radio (unrelated to the previous LNR company), in which ITN, DMGT, Reuters and GWR Group held equal shares. In summer 1996, the station reverted to a rolling news format, initially with no name (the station was branded as 97.3FM). In the autumn, following a move to ITN's headquarters, the station was relaunched as News Direct 97.3FM and Chris Mann was appointed editor.
In 2000 the station was renamed ITN News Direct 97.3FM. In late 2002, following the sale of the station to Chrysalis Radio, the station dropped the ITN prefix and returned to its previous name until the rebrand as LBC News 1152. During Christmas and New Year 2002/03 an LBC News-branded rolling news service was carried on both 97.3FM and 1152AM prior to the full launches of LBC 97.3 and LBC News 1152, swapping the frequencies of the news and talk stations.
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