LBC
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the London radio station LBC. For information on the Lebanese TV channel please see Lebanese broadcasting corporation.
LBC Radio (originally the London Broadcasting Company) operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on the 8th October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio and various other stations around the UK.
Current services
- LBC 97.3 - talk and phone-ins
- LBC News 1152 - continuous news
Company history
The station has had a turbulent commercial history and almost disappeared completely in the mid-1990s when the original LBC company - then owned by Shirley Porter's Chelverton Investments - failed to have its two licences (LBC Newstalk and London Talkback Radio) renewed. The LBC name was not used on-air at all between October 1994 and July 1996.
LBC was owned between 1994 and 1996 by Reuters, who for most of that time operated the station as London News 97.3, a rolling news and travel information service on the FM band, and the phone-in driven service London News Talk 1152 on the MW band.
Between 1996 and 2002 LBC was part of London News Radio Limited, a company owned jointly by ITN, Daily Mail & General Trust, Reuters and the GWR Group. This new consortium revived the LBC name on 1152AM on 1 July 1996. At the end of 1996 the FM service was relaunched as News Direct 97.3FM.
LBC is currently owned by the Chrysalis Group and the brand is used for two services; LBC 97.3 - a talk format station - and LBC News 1152, a rolling news service.
Between 2002 and 2005 LBC Radio's managing director was Mark Flanagan. Since 2005 David Lloyd has filled that role.
Bum Holes