The Hit Music Network
| Broadcast area | London, South East Wales and the East Midlands, UK |
|---|---|
| Branding | Your Number 1 Hit Music Station |
| Frequency | Various, also DAB, Online |
| First air date | 1973-1988 |
| Format | Contemporary Hit Radio, News, Entertainment, Speech, Showbiz |
| Language(s) | English |
| Audience share | 6.7% (March 2009, [1]) |
| Owner | Global Radio |
| Sister stations | The Heart Network, Galaxy Network |
The Hit Music Network was a collection of five Independent Local Radio stations operating in the United Kingdom and owned by Global Radio. Created on 25 June 2008, the stations were formerly owned by GCap Media prior to its takeover by Global and, with the exception of 95.8 Capital FM, were all part of The One Network. Initially the network included Trent FM, Ram FM, Leicester Sound, Mercia FM, and Beacon FM Wolverhampton until the latter two we removed as they were part of the disposal by Global Radio after the GCap Media purchase and purchased by Orion Media. Mercury FM Crawley, Ten 17 in Harlow and Hertfordshire's Mercury 96.6 joined the Hit Music Network at that point, until 26 July 2010. Red Dragon FM in South Wales, whilst part of the Hit Music Network, remained local 24 hours a day taking none of the network programmes (except the Big Top Forty).
Its core audience was 18- to 34-year-olds.
Networked programming originated from Trent FM's studios in Chapel Quarter, Nottingham under Programme Director Dick Stone.
The network was rebranded and merged with The Galaxy Network in January 2011 to form 'The Capital FM Network', comprising eight stations in London, Scotland, South East Wales, the West & East Midlands and northern & southern England broadcasting under the Capital FM identity. Local programming on the stations is restricted to daily breakfast and weekday drivetime shows (alongside some local specialist output) with Trent FM, Leicester Sound and Ram FM merged to form Capital FM East Midlands from Nottingham.
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