London Broadcasting Company
 |
|
| City | London |
|---|---|
| Slogan | "Leading Britain's Conversation" (previously "London's Biggest Conversation") |
| Frequency | RDS: __LBC___, FM 97.3 MHz DAB – 12C (London) – 11D (Nationwide) Freeview: 732 Freesat: 734 Sky: 0124 Virgin Media: 919 TalkTalk TV: 627 |
| First air date | 8 October 1973 (London) 11 February 2014 (National DAB) |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Audience share | 4.3% (December 2012, [1]) |
| Owner | Global Radio |
| Sister stations |
Capital FM Heart Classic FM Smooth Radio Capital Xtra Radio X Gold |
| Website | lbc.co.uk |
LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a London-based national talk and phone-in radio station. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, beginning broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio. The launch of LBC also saw the beginning of IRN's broadcasting, as LBC provided the service to independent local radio stations nationwide.
LBC is owned by Global Radio and has a like-branded sister station – LBC London News – which is dedicated to rolling news, travel and weather, and is broadcast in London on medium-wave and DAB.
David Jessel was LBC's original breakfast presenter he opened the station just before 6.am on October the 8th 1973. The original station spawned a number of stars who went on to become household names in the British media. They include Jon Snow, Julian Manyon, Peter Allen, Rosie Boycott, Bel Mooney, amongst others. Entertainment personalities included Jeremy Beadle, who developed a late night phone-in programme, and Mr Nasty – who argued over the telephone with children. Both went on to star in the Granada Television series, Fun Factory.
In April 2007, a new marketing slogan for (what was then called) LBC 97.3 was introduced: "London's Biggest Conversation", a play on the initials.
It was announced in January 2014 that LBC would begin broadcasting nationally on DAB digital radio format at 7am on 11 February 2014. The news also marked a new slogan, changing from 2007's "London's Biggest Conversation" to "Leading Britain's Conversation" and dropping on-air reference to the London FM frequency. Originally owned by a consortium led by the Canadian Selkirk Communications with a 46% stake, LBC was sold in 1987, beginning a turbulent commercial history.
The new owners were media company Darling Downs, later renamed Crown Communications, owned by Australian entrepreneur David Haynes. Crown sold the station's original base in Gough Square near Fleet Street in the City of London and relocated to Hammersmith; and in 1989 split the station into two separate services, the news and comment LBC Crown FM, and the phone-in London Talkback Radio on AM. The transition was not initially well received, and substantially increased costs, pushing the company into the red.
...
Wikipedia