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for a sale price worth £37.5 million. In early 2012, Orion announced plans to rebrand BRMB, Beacon, Mercia and Wyvern into one station as a means of generating greater revenue. They were renamed as Free on 26 March 2012. Many of these stations had previously operated an AM-based Gold service, all of
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Free 80s rebranded as
Greatest Hits Radio West Midlands, replacing Absolute Radio on 105.2 FM. In Coventry and Warwickshire the station broadcast on 1359 kHz (although this later closed on 30 June 2020), and continues on DAB only in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, forming part of
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Bauer's
Birmingham newsroom broadcasts local news bulletins hourly from 6am to 7pm on weekdays and from 7am to 1pm at weekends. Headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside traffic bulletins. National bulletins from
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strand, an hour-long chat show on Monday and Friday evenings. On 17 May 2016, the network's head of sport, Tom Ross, presented his final programme after 35 years working for BRMB, Xtra AM, Capital Gold and Free.
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network – Orion continued to run the AM stations as part of the Gold network on a franchise agreement, albeit with additional local opt-outs for extra sports coverage, including live football commentaries.
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on 990, 1017 and 1152 kHz and on DAB in
Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shropshire. The AM transmitters were later closed, 990 and 1017 kHz on 30 April 2020, and 1152 kHz on 30 June 2020.
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Greatest Hits Radio
Birmingham & The West Midlands produces a mix of local and networked programming from Bauer's Birmingham studios.
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Up until the rebrand of the FM stations, BRMB, Beacon and Mercia broadcast live football commentaries on
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As of March 2024, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 411,000 listeners, according to
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was formed in 2009, following the purchase of five
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On 23 November 2021, Bauer announced it would move GHR West
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On 6 May 2016, the station's owners, Orion, announced they had been bought by
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and weekend breakfast shows are networked from the
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The following season, Free 80s continued to air sports programming under
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Greatest Hits Radio's output originates from the network's
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for an undisclosed fee, reportedly between £40 and £50 million.
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On 24 May 2012, Orion Media announced it would relaunch its
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Greatest Hits Radio - Herefordshire & Worcestershire
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Greatest Hits Radio
Birmingham & The West Midlands
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Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands
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studios in the city centre to a smaller facility at 54
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Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands
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Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands
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BAUER MEDIA TO LAUNCH THE GREATEST HITS RADIO NETWORK
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616:Tom Ross hosts his last radio show in Birmingham
301:which had been subsumed over time into Global's
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1244:Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire
662:"Free Radio 80s replaces Gold on AM & DAB"
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969:GHR Scottish Borders and North Northumberland
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1692:Radio stations in the West Midlands (region)
1642:List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
1368:List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
787:Greatest Hits Radio - West Midlands (county)
381:On 7 January 2019, Free 80s was replaced by
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111:Across Birmingham & The West Midlands
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636:"Gold to be Free Radio 80s in West Mids"
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1610:MuxCo Herefordshire and Worcestershire
1336:MuxCo Herefordshire and Worcestershire
875:GHR Birmingham & The West Midlands
362:stations on AM frequencies and DAB as
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668:from the original on 3 September 2012
642:from the original on 4 September 2012
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552:from the original on 16 August 2015
1682:Radio stations established in 2012
954:GHR Edinburgh, Lothians & Fife
706:Orion Media sold to Bauer for £50m
687:Bauer buys radio group Orion Media
578:from the original on 31 March 2012
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237:, England, owned and operated by
18:Greatest Hits Radio West Midlands
572:"Orion stations morph into Free"
1652:1. Black Country and Shropshire
1381:2. Black Country and Shropshire
664:. Radio Today. 31 August 2012.
763:, RadioToday, 30 November 2015
751:, RadioToday, 23 November 2021
574:. Radio Today. 27 March 2012.
245:network. It broadcasts to the
107:The Good Times Sound Like This
1:
1304:Greatest Hits Radio Midlands
739:Radio Today, 15 November 2018
727:Bauer Media, 15 November 2018
546:"Midlands radio sale cleared"
638:. Radio Today. 24 May 2012.
548:. Radio Today. 2 July 2009.
459:are carried at other times.
251:Greatest Hits Radio Midlands
249:. The station forms part of
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949:GHR Dumfries & Galloway
715:, The Telegraph, 6 May 2016
606:, Free Radio, 4 August 2015
219:Greatest Hits West Midlands
29:Radio station in Birmingham
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959:GHR Glasgow & The West
696:, The Guardian, 6 May 2016
625:, Radio Today, 17 May 2016
597:The new season on Free 80s
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438:studios, the studios of
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442:in Glasgow and Bauer's
332:Wolverhampton Wanderers
231:Independent Local Radio
1517:Hits Radio Birmingham
1238:Hits Radio Birmingham
1118:Radio stations in the
974:GHR Tayside & Fife
692:5 October 2016 at the
487:West Midlands (county)
446:headquarters in Soho.
1565:Smooth West Midlands
1547:Capital Mid-Counties
1298:Smooth West Midlands
979:GHR North of Scotland
602:17 March 2017 at the
383:Absolute Classic Rock
167:Hits Radio Birmingham
1541:Heart West Midlands
1274:Heart West Midlands
1120:West Midlands Region
1067:Bauer Media Audio UK
711:5 April 2018 at the
621:18 June 2016 at the
408:at the end of 2021.
328:West Bromwich Albion
153:Bauer Media Audio UK
1677:Greatest Hits Radio
823:Greatest Hits Radio
425:Greatest Hits Radio
391:Greatest Hits Radio
377:Greatest Hits Radio
334:matches, under the
243:Greatest Hits Radio
138:Greatest Hits Radio
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1421:Radio stations in
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1007:South West England
913:North West England
890:North East England
360:Gold West Midlands
199:Former frequencies
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36:
27:
19:
1584:
1529:BBC Radio 1
1511:BBC Radio 4
1505:BBC Radio 3
1499:BBC Radio 2
1451:BBC Radio 4
1293:
1256:BBC Radio 1
1226:BBC Radio 4
1220:BBC Radio 3
1208:BBC Radio 2
1148:BBC Radio 4
944:GHR Ayrshire
903:GHR Teesside
880:GHR Midlands
874:
756:
744:
732:
720:
701:
682:
670:. Retrieved
656:
644:. Retrieved
630:
611:
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580:. Retrieved
566:
554:. Retrieved
540:
528:. Retrieved
524:
515:
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429:
418:
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368:
363:
357:
347:The Goalzone
346:
344:
339:
335:
313:
272:
255:
226:
225:
189:Former names
128:Classic Hits
110:
106:
26:
1672:Bauer Radio
1597:multiplexes
1535:Classic FM
1492:FM stations
1435:AM stations
1318:multiplexes
1268:Classic FM
1252:97.2, 103.1
1246:96.7, 102.8
1201:FM stations
1132:AM stations
672:9 September
646:9 September
556:9 September
530:10 February
463:Frequencies
421:Alex Lester
412:Programming
402:Hagley Road
316:Aston Villa
274:Orion Media
117:Programming
75:107.2 MHz (
1666:Categories
1626:Signal 107
1476:Talksport
1352:Signal 107
1181:1089, 1053
1179:Talksport
1072:Hits Radio
857:GHR London
507:References
432:Manchester
235:Birmingham
86:Birmingham
42:Birmingham
1185:Radio XL
1169:828, 1458
1043:Yorkshire
997:GHR South
436:Liverpool
427:network.
406:Edgbaston
393:network.
294:Heart 106
193:Free 80's
144:Ownership
71:West Mids
62:Frequency
1638:See also
1364:See also
1175:909, 693
936:Scotland
867:Midlands
839:GHR East
709:Archived
690:Archived
666:Archived
640:Archived
619:Archived
600:Archived
582:10 April
576:Archived
550:Archived
491:105.2 FM
477:107.2 FM
336:Goalzone
103:Branding
98:Grt_Hits
1603:Local:
1427:England
1324:Local:
1280:WCR FM
1124:England
521:"RAJAR"
498:: 11C (
264:History
215:Website
205:1359 MW
203:1152 MW
173:History
134:Network
84:: 11C (
1619:Former
1345:Former
849:London
493:&
471:&
298:Global
290:Beacon
286:Wyvern
282:Mercia
229:is an
123:Format
1649:Notes
1585:107.2
1579:106.7
1573:106.2
1567:105.7
1561:104.0
1555:102.2
1549:102.0
1543:100.7
1537:100.1
1375:Notes
1306:107.7
1300:105.7
1294:105.2
1288:102.2
1282:101.8
1276:100.7
1270:100.1
1214:BRMB
1025:Wales
371:Bauer
296:from
258:RAJAR
239:Bauer
210:Links
149:Owner
1531:97.9
1519:96.4
1513:92.7
1507:90.5
1501:88.3
1478:1053
1264:98.7
1258:97.9
1240:96.4
1234:95.6
1228:92.7
1222:90.5
1216:89.1
1210:88.3
1187:1296
674:2012
648:2012
584:2012
558:2012
532:2024
483:only
450:News
434:and
340:Gold
330:and
303:Gold
292:and
278:BRMB
269:Gold
1595:DAB
1472:693
1453:198
1425:in
1316:DAB
1150:198
1122:of
496:DAB
481:DAB
404:in
94:RDS
82:DAB
1668::
1463:MW
1444:LW
1160:MW
1141:LW
523:.
489:–
475:–
326:,
322:,
318:,
288:,
284:,
280:,
260:.
253:.
67:FM
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676:.
650:.
586:.
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534:.
502:)
88:)
79:)
73:)
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