Galaxy Network

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Galaxy is a network of radio stations operated in the United Kingdom by Chrysalis Group. It comprises stations in Manchester, Birmingham, Yorkshire and Newcastle plus Galaxy Digital on Sky Digital and DAB Digital Radio in many parts of the UK, and specialises in dance and R'n'B music. Each station broadcasts local programming from its respective city by day, and late-night programmes are broadcast from one of the network's stations to all cities in the network.

The first Galaxy station, Galaxy 101, launched in 1990 in South West England broadcasting from Bristol and was operated by the Chiltern Radio group. Chrysalis purchased the station in 1996, and in 1997 expanded the network by buying the Faze FM-operated stations Kiss 102 and Kiss 105 in Manchester and Yorkshire respectively. In 1998, black community station Choice FM was acquired in Birmingham and became Galaxy 102.2. Chrysalis scored another success in 1999 with the Radio Authority's award of the North East regional licence to Galaxy 105-106. However, Galaxy 101's success in Bristol was starting to falter, and the station was sold to the GWR Group in 2002, becoming Vibe 101 now Kiss 101.

Galaxy renamed their stations in 2006 to their respective areas of Birmingham, North East, Yorkshire, Manchester and Digital along with a new strapline "passion for music, passion for life", further confirming Galaxy's new "up for it" image but at the same time being a more grown-up station. This is reflective in Galaxy's demographic now increasing to 15-34 as opposed to 15-29.

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