Hits Radio

About Hits Radio

Hits Radio is the sound of the UK's biggest hits and biggest throwbacks — a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations owned by Bauer Media Audio UK that reaches nearly seven million listeners a week. Launched in June 2018 with the rebranding of Manchester's legendary Key 103, it has grown into one of Britain's largest commercial radio networks, combining national star presenters with local news, travel and advertising in cities and regions across the country. Its Manchester flagship still broadcasts to Greater Manchester on 103 FM, while the national service reaches the whole UK on DAB, online and smart speakers.

The network's story is the story of consolidation in British commercial radio: the merger of Bauer's local CHR stations and the national DAB service The Hits into a single brand, and the subsequent expansion that brought dozens of local stations under the Hits Radio banner. With presenters including Fleur East and a schedule built around today's biggest pop hits, it is Bauer's answer to the biggest prize in commercial radio — the young mainstream audience.

History and Launch

Hits Radio's roots lie in Manchester's Key 103, itself the successor to Piccadilly Radio, which began broadcasting on 2 April 1974 from a transmitter at Saddleworth. Key 103 became one of the most successful local stations in Britain through the 1990s and 2000s, and when Bauer Media acquired the station it became the cornerstone of the group's contemporary hit radio strategy — first as part of the Big City Network, then Bauer Place, then Bauer City 1.

On 18 April 2018 Bauer announced that Key 103 would be rebranded and relaunched as Hits Radio Manchester, a CHR-led music station aimed at 25–44 year olds, on Monday 4 June 2018. The station would merge with The Hits — Bauer's national DAB pop service — to provide a single national service across the UK on DAB, Freeview and online as Hits Radio UK, while continuing to provide local news, information, traffic bulletins and advertising in Manchester. The Key 103 branding was phased out from 25 May during a transition period, and at 6am on 4 June 2018 Hits Radio Manchester launched with presenters Gethin Jones, Gemma Atkinson and Dave Vitty. The first song played — chosen by an online poll run with the Manchester Evening News — was "Greatest Day" by Take That.

The network then expanded rapidly. In 2019 Bauer replaced local drivetime shows on eleven stations — including Radio City, Rock FM, Metro Radio, Hallam FM, Viking FM, Radio Aire and Free Radio — with a national show, and in May 2020 announced that 48 local stations in England and South West Wales would rebrand and join the Hits Radio network, following the acquisition of licences from UKRD, the Wireless Group, Lincs FM Group and Celador. Today the network comprises 26 stations broadcasting under the Hits Radio brand.

Ownership

Hits Radio is owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK, part of the Bauer Media Group. Bauer is one of the UK's two dominant commercial radio groups alongside Global, and its portfolio spans the Hits Radio network, Greatest Hits Radio, KISS, Magic, Absolute Radio and Jazz FM. The Hits Radio network is the group's contemporary hit radio offer, aimed at the commercially prized 15–44 audience.

The network model — national programming with local advertising and local news opt-outs — reflects the economics of modern commercial radio, where scale delivers national advertisers while local FM licences preserve local relevance and local revenue.

Format and Programming

Hits Radio's format is CHR/pop — contemporary hit radio built around the biggest current chart hits, recent favourites and "the biggest throwbacks". The network's branding promises "the biggest hits, the biggest throwbacks", and the schedule mixes today's pop with party anthems and nostalgic hits from recent decades.

Peak-time programming is networked nationally from Manchester and London, with star presenters fronting breakfast and drivetime, while local stations retain local news, travel and information — and local advertising — on their FM and DAB frequencies. Off-peak hours carry fully networked output, and the network also produces programming for Bauer's wider family of CHR local stations.

Flagship Shows and Presenters

The launch breakfast show was fronted by Gethin Jones, Gemma Atkinson and Dave Vitty, who opened the Manchester station on 4 June 2018. In 2019 Bauer unveiled a new-look breakfast show, The Hits Radio Breakfast Show with Fleur East, Greg Burns and James Barr, which launched on 12 July 2019 with former X Factor finalist Fleur East at its heart. A national drivetime show presented by Wes Butters and Gemma Atkinson replaced local drivetime output on eleven network stations in August 2019.

The network's presenter line-up blends established broadcasters with personalities drawn from television and pop culture, reflecting its targeting of a young mainstream audience. Local breakfast shows survive on some of the network's stations, preserving a local voice at the most important time of the radio day.

Broadcast Area and Frequencies

The Hits Radio network broadcasts nationally on DAB digital radio (on multiplexes 7D–12D depending on region), on FM between 96.4 and 107.9 MHz in its local licence areas, and online through the Rayo app, the Hits Radio website, smart speakers and digital television platforms. The Manchester flagship broadcasts on 103 FM via the Saddleworth transmitter — the frequency it has occupied since the Piccadilly Radio era — with DAB coverage from Winter Hill, City Tower in Manchester and Sutton Common near Macclesfield, giving reliable reception across Greater Manchester, South Lancashire, most of Cheshire and parts of North East Wales and Merseyside.

Each local station in the network retains its own FM frequency and local DAB carriage, while the national Hits Radio UK service provides the backbone schedule across digital platforms.

Audience and Ratings

As of February 2025, the Hits Radio network had a combined reach of 6.77 million weekly listeners according to RAJAR, making it one of the largest commercial radio networks in the UK. The wider Hits Radio commercial portfolio, including stations such as Cool FM, reaches a combined 12.4 million listeners.

The network's scale makes it a major player in the national advertising market, competing directly with Global's Capital and Heart networks for the young mainstream audience. Its growth reflects Bauer's strategy of building national brands from local station acquisitions — a strategy that has reshaped the map of British commercial radio.

Digital and Streaming

Hits Radio streams live through the Rayo app — Bauer's audio streaming platform — alongside the Hits Radio website, smart speakers and connected devices. The network's digital spin-offs extend the brand: Hits Radio Pride, Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s serve specific audiences within the hits format, from LGBTQ+ listeners to fans of nineties and noughties pop.

Social media and video are central to the network's appeal to younger listeners, with presenters building large online followings and station content distributed through TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The network's pop-culture positioning makes it a natural fit for the platforms where its audience spends its time.

Cultural Impact

Hits Radio's cultural significance lies partly in what it replaced: the rebranding of beloved local institutions such as Key 103, Radio City, Metro Radio and Hallam FM under a single national brand was one of the most controversial developments in recent British radio history, prompting debates about the loss of local identity in commercial radio. Ofcom's localness rules and Bauer's retention of local news and information were designed to answer those concerns.

At the same time, the network has given national exposure to presenters and pop culture moments that might once have remained regional, and its Manchester heritage — from Piccadilly Radio's 1974 launch to the Take That-voted first song — keeps it rooted in the city that made it. For millions of listeners, it is simply the station of the biggest hits, the soundtrack to the school run, the commute and the weekend.

Sister Stations

Within the Hits Radio family, the network's digital siblings are Hits Radio Pride, Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s. In Bauer's wider portfolio, its closest relative is Greatest Hits Radio, the classic-hits network aimed at an older audience, alongside KISS (dance and urban), Magic (adult contemporary), Absolute Radio (rock) and Jazz FM.

The Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio networks together form the backbone of Bauer's UK radio business, giving the group comprehensive coverage of the mainstream music audience from teenagers to the over-55s.

Recent Developments

The network has continued to grow its audience, reaching 6.77 million weekly listeners as of February 2025, and Bauer has continued to invest in its star presenter line-up and digital extensions. The Hits Radio brand has become the template for Bauer's approach to commercial radio: strong national brands, networked star programming, local news and advertising, and digital spin-offs serving every niche of the hits audience.

From a single Manchester frequency in 1974 to a 26-station national network, Hits Radio's journey reflects the transformation of British commercial radio — and with its Manchester studios still at its heart, it remains, in its own branding, the home of the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks.