Capital London
| File:958CapitalFM.png | |
| Broadcast area | London |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.8 MHz |
| History | |
First air date | 16 October 1973 |
Capital FM is a London radio station owned by GCap Media (formerly Capital Radio Group). The station, which was based at Euston Tower until early in 1997, was known for many years as Capital Radio, and was launched by then-chairman Richard Attenborough in October 1973. Capital went on air just over a week after news station LBC, making it the second legal commercial radio station in the UK. The first song to be played on Capital was Bridge Over Troubled Water, by Simon and Garfunkel.
In January 2006 Capital FM will revert back to be called 'Capital Radio' as part of a major overhaul of GCap's radio business.
From its inception, the station broadcast on FM and medium wave - it has used 95.8 MHz since its inception, while the medium wave frequency was originally 539 metres, before it moved to 194 metres (1548 kHz) in 1975. As the government encouraged an end to simulcasting as part of its plan to expand choice in UK radio, a separate service - Capital Gold - was set up in 1988 to broadcast on Capital's medium wave frequency.
The station's former DJs include Tommy Vance, Michael Aspel, David Jensen, Chris Tarrant (who hosted the breakfast show for 17 years), Pat Sharp, Richard Allinson, Roger Scott, Neil Fox, Nicky Campbell, Richard Skinner, Kenny Everett, Dave Cash, Paul Burnett and Alan Freeman - the last four of the broadcasters named above also worked for Capital Gold. Capital FM's leading presenters today are Johnny Vaughan, Richard Bacon, Jezza, Katy Hill, Chris Brooks and Margherita Taylor.
The studios of Capital FM are today based in Leicester Square, which is also home to Capital's parent company, GCap Media.
In September 1996 Capital FM launched its website, a little later than some UK broadcasters, but high demand lead to it crashing within a few hours.
In January 2006 the station name will relaunch as Capital Radio.