Signal Radio began broadcasting on September 5th 1983. At that time, it was just one station broadcasting on both AM and FM. It made a huge impact on the region from the first day and it became the number one choice across the area, a position it still holds today.
The name "SIGNAL" was adopted from the name of the Local Paper in the novels by Arnold Bennett, one of the area's famous sons. Over the years, many of today's celebrities have used Signal Radio as a springboard to success - Anthea & Wendy Turner, Phil Gayle, Caroline Aherne and Robbie Williams to name but a few.
The station was one of the very last stations in the country to split its frequencies. Signal Radio is now home to two radio stations, three breakfast shows on four frequencies. Signal 1 and Signal 2 broadcast to a potential 877,000 people across Staffordshire and Cheshire. Our 3 FM frequencies are, 102.6, 96.4 and 96.9 and our medium wave frequency is 1170AM.
Main Achievements
Signal Radio has always been known for its 'firsts' - in 1986 for example, we were the UK's first Radio Station to broadcast a dedicated Radio Service on a Restricted Service Licence (RSL) to cover the area's National Garden Festival.
The company is a real driving force behind many of the city of Stoke-on-Trent's achievements. From the annual Music Festival, The Stoke-on-Trent Show, Battle of the Bands, Young DJ, The Youth Upfront Awards and Live in the City at the Britannia Stadium which attracts over 15,000 people, all these projects were born at Signal Radio.
The station executes some very big promotions throughout the year. A Week on Wheels in 2002 was a "Big Brother" style competition that operated for a week in a local shopping centre. We asked six contestants to live in a people carrier for a week, each day one of them was voted out by our audience, the winner walked away with a brand new car. We repeated the competition in 2003 with an even bigger response.
Signal 1 & Signal 2
Broadcasting to a potential audience of 884,000 people across Staffordshire and Cheshire. Centred on the famous 'Six Towns' we have created the 'Signal Area' - a region itself, bridging the gap between the North West and the West Midlands.
Signal 1 - primarily targets the 15-44 demographic
Signal 2 - primarily targets over 35's
Services:
Signal 1 - 102.6FM
Stafford - 96.9FM
Cheshire - 96.4FM
Signal 2 - 1170 AM
