Play Radio UK

Play Radio UK
Broadcast area United Kingdom
Frequency Former FM and Internet

Play Radio UK was a British internet radio station based on the South Coast of England. Its output comprised two mainstream music radio streams, a talk radio stream, and several other genre-specific music streams. On 4 July 2009, Play Radio UK launched an FM service in Southampton and Winchester.

Liquidation

Play Radio UK officially went into liquidation at 1000hrs on Friday 18 September 2009,[1] although the Southampton services are operated under a separate company and (as of 1 October 2009) are not affected. The company was part directed by David Reynolds, who was charged with £1.2million tax fraud in June 2008,[2] and was part of Something.info. The FM Licenses and assets were acquired by Celador Radio. The FM Stations were rebranded to The Breeze. The Play Radio brand and trademarks were then sold on to G Media

History

Play Radio UK was founded by Lee Moulsdale,and Jamie Robertson, and after a short while moved into a converted barn in Ford, a small village near Arundel, West Sussex. The building also hosted Dave Reynolds' other companies, including Satellite Direct and Something.info. The station officially launched in October 2006 with a mainstream music radio format. Later, further genre-specific music streams were added.[3]

On 8 June 2009 Play Radio announced it had successfully won the rights to the Southampton and Winchester FM licences on 107.2FM and 107.8FM. This service was launched on 4 July and carries a mixture of live local programming and live "networking" with their online stations.[4]

Stations

  • Play One UK
  • Play Two UK
  • Play Talk UK
  • Play Rock UK
  • Play Classical UK
  • Play Gold UK
  • Play Love UK

  • Play Dance UK
  • Play Country UK
  • Play Urban UK
  • Play Top 40 UK
  • Play Rock UK
  • Play Jazz UK
  • Play Reggae UK

Play Talk UK

Tommy Boyd joined the station in 2007 with Play Radio's first talk-based show, a Sunday night phone-in programme.[5] The station expanded its talk output in 2008, with the arrival of former talkSPORT presenters James Whale[6] and Mike Mendoza .[7]

At Easter 2008, Richard Hearsey began 'Hearsey's Half Hour' ... 30 minutes of entertainment crammed into 2 hours, the title of which was suggested by comedian and actor Tim Vine. Basically he hosted a chat and music show with special celebrity guests including Tim Vine, Chris Tarrant, Shaun Williamson, Alex Lowe, Bobby Davro, Steve Nallon etc.

In March 2009, the station's talk output was moved from Play Two UK, to a new dedicated stream, Play Talk UK. Play Talk UK was the creation of Tommy Boyd, assisted by Fiona Dutton. Matt Hollick provided the technical support. The intention was to create a 24/7 schedule of unregulated talk radio. In the process of expanding the hours of broadcast, new presenters were added to the Play Talk UK schedule.[8]

In July 2009, Play Talk ceased broadcasting after its successful pilot test phase, due to lack of financial support. At the same time, the other online stations all became music only services.

Presenters

Play Radio UK

  • Adrian Scott
  • Richard Hearsey
  • Mick Brown
  • Ben Burrell
  • Nathan James

  • Laura Skelcey
  • Mark Dodson
  • Pat Sharp
  • Ricky Salmon
  • Mark Wright

Play Talk UK

  • John Radford
  • Richard J Cartridge
  • Tommy Boyd
  • Matt Hollick
  • Arron Weedall
  • Fiona Dutton
  • Eduardo Paris
  • Steve Paul

  • Fevzi Turkalp
  • Iain Dale
  • Catherine Catt
  • Simon Darby
  • Chris Reardon
  • David Turner
  • Michael Fox
  • Gary Redrup
  • Iain Lee

References

  1. http://playradiouk.forumwww.com/the-end-we-will-return-one-day-of-pruk-p1075.html Play Radio UK liquidation announcement in their official forum
  2. "Two charged with £1.2m VAT fraud". BBC News. 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  3. "Airwaves beware – motormouth James Whale has gone global". Bognor Regis Observer. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  4. "Radio Hampshire saved by Play". Radio Today. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  5. "Tommy Boyd joins net station". Radio Today. 2007-08-42. Retrieved 2009-05-07. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. Plunkett, John (2008-05-12). "Whale to host web radio talkshow". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  7. Plunkett, John (2008-12-08). "Mike Mendoza joins Play Radio UK". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  8. "Play Talk UK to be given major extension from next week". Digital Spy Forums. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2009-05-08.