Capital Cymru

Welsh-language radio station

Capital Cymru

Broadcast area| Gwynedd, Anglesey and North Wales Coast
Frequency|

* DAB: 12D North Wales
* FM: 103.0 MHz Gwynedd

Branding| Gorsaf Gerddoriaeth Siartiau Orau Gogledd Cymru
Programming
Language(s)| Welsh
English (networked programming)
Format|

* Contemporary hit radio
* Welsh-language music

Network|

* Heart network (2009–2014)
* Capital FM network (2014–present)

Ownership
Owner| Global

Sister stations

* Capital Liverpool
* Capital London
* Capital Manchester and Lancashire
* Capital Mid-Counties
* Capital Midlands
* Capital North East
* Capital North West and Wales
* Capital Scotland
* Capital South
* Capital South Wales
* Capital Yorkshire
* Capital UK
* Capital Xtra

History

First air date

* 11 December 1998 (1998-12-11) (as Champion 103
* March 2009 (as Heart Cymru)
* 6 May 2014 (as Capital Cymru)

Technical information

Transmitter coordinates

| 53°01′12″N 4°16′24″W﻿ / ﻿53.0199°N 4.2732°W﻿ / 53.0199; -4.2732
Links
Webcast| Global Player
Website| www.capitalfm.com/cymru/

Capital Cymru is a local Welsh-language radio station owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts to Gwynedd and Anglesey from studios in Gwersyllt, Wrexham via the Arfon transmitting station.

Previously, the station formed part of the Heart network and earlier the Marcher Radio Group.[1] It switched to the Capital network on 6 May 2014. Heart North and Mid Wales now covers the region as part of the Heart network.

## Overview

[edit]

Capital Cymru's programmes are almost entirely in Welsh—all local output is presented in Welsh and incorporates Welsh-language music, news bulletins and traffic updates. The only English-language programming and the only networked show is The Official Big Top 40, broadcast on Sunday afternoons.

Although the official transmission area takes in most of the Isle of Anglesey and a large part of Gwynedd (as far south as Harlech), the location of its transmitter means the signal carries across Cardigan Bay and can be heard in parts of Pembrokeshire and even in Ireland. Capital Cymru is also available on the North West Wales local DAB digital radio multiplex—broadcasting alongside the North Wales Coast feed of Capital North West and Wales, which continues to carry Capital's networked programmes.

## History

[edit]

When it launched in December 1998 as Champion 103, it was the first commercial radio station to serve Anglesey and Gwynedd as a whole, although Marcher Coast 96.3 had been broadcasting to a small part of the area for some time from its Colwyn Bay studios.

Originally owned and operated by the Marcher Radio Group, Champion 103 broadcast from studios at Parc Menai in Bangor, Gwynedd \- later sharing its facilities with Coast 96.3. In 2000, the four Marcher stations - including Champion - were brought by the GWR Group and became part of The One Network.

In March 2009, following Global Radio's takeover of GCap Media, Champion was rebranded as Heart Cymru as part of a rollout of the Heart network across 29 local radio stations owned by Global. By this point, local programming had been reduced to ten hours on weekdays and seven hours at weekends.

In July 2010, Global closed the Bangor studios and moved Heart Cymru's operations to the former Marcher headquarters in Gwersyllt, near Wrexham. By this point, the three Heart stations serving North Wales Coast, Cheshire & North East Wales and the Wirral were merged into one regional station, Heart North West and Wales. Heart Cymru was not affected by the network restructuring.[2]

On 6 February 2014, Global announced that Heart Cymru would be rebranded as Capital, with the North Wales licence of Real Radio Wales being sold to Communicorp and relaunched as a new separate Heart station for North and Mid Wales.[3]

Capital Cymru was launched on 6 May 2014. All local output, including extended Welsh language shows, news bulletins and network opt-outs were retained.[4]

On 23 May 2019, Capital Cymru dropped all of Capital's networked programming and introduced a full schedule of local output, including an additional Welsh-language daytime show.[5] The station retains both the Capital branding and much of the network's Contemporary hit radio music playlist.

The Official Big Top 40, simulcast on Heart North Wales, continues to air on Sunday afternoons. Outside programming hours, the station broadcasts automated output, including a full hour of Welsh language music at 5am on weekday mornings.[5]

## Programming

[edit]

The majority of Capital Cymru's output is produced and broadcast from Global's Wrexham studios - including presenter-led programming from 6 am–7 pm on weekdays, 9 am–12 pm on Saturdays and 9 am–4 pm on Sundays with The Official Big Top 40 aired on Sunday afternoons originates from Global's London headquarters.[6]

The station's local presenters are Alistair James (Capital Breakfast and Saturday mornings), Lois Cernyw (covering for Cerian Griffith; weekday daytime), Kev Bach (weekday afternoon), Dafydd Griffith (Sunday mornings) and Owain Llyr (Sunday afternoons).[5]

### News

[edit]

Capital Cymru broadcasts hourly localised news updates from 6 am–7 pm on weekdays and 6 am–12 pm at weekends. On weekdays, bulletins during local programming are broadcast in Welsh.

Global's newsrooms in Wrexham and Cardiff Bay produce the bulletins, alongside those for Capital North West and Wales, Heart North and Mid Wales and Smooth Wales.

## See also

[edit]

* List of Celtic-language media

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Nine more Hearts makes 33". Radio Today. 28 April 2009. "Nine more radio stations will be re-branded as Heart on June 22nd, including the former Marcher Group stations in North Wales and North West England."
2. ^ "Heart Radio moves from Bangor to Wrexham". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay: Trinity Mirror. 29 July 2010. "Heart has gone out of Bangor after the popular radio station decided to close its doors and move to Wrexham. It will shift North Wales operations from its Parc Menai base to the east of the region."
3. ^ Martin, Roy (6 February 2014). "Communicorp buys 8 Global stations". Radio Today. Retrieved 6 February 2014. "Heart will become region-wide in the North West when the former Marcher stations switch to Capital and Heart appears on the Real Radio North Wales and North West frequencies."
4. ^ "Global confirms Heart expansion details". Radio Today. 14 April 2014.
5. ^ a b c "schedule". capitalfm.com. 22 May 2019. "Capital Cymru"
6. ^ "Public File - Anglesey & Gwynedd". Capital FM. Global Radio.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

Capital

National stations|

* Capital UK
* Capital Chill
* Capital Dance
* Capital Xtra
* Capital Xtra Reloaded

Regional stations|

* Cymru
* Liverpool
* London
* Manchester and Lancashire
* Mid-Counties
* Midlands
* North East
* North West and Wales
* Scotland
* South
* South Wales
* Yorkshire

Related topics|

* Capital Breakfast
* Capital TV
* Communicorp
* Galaxy
* Galaxy Digital
* Global
* List of Global Group stations
* The Hit Music Network
* The One Network
* Timeline of Capital Radio

* v
* t
* e

Radio in Wales

BBC Cymru Wales national stations|

* BBC Radio Cymru
* Cymru 2
* BBC Radio Wales

Regional commercial stations|

* Gold
* Heart North and Mid Wales
* Heart South Wales
* Kiss
* Nation Radio Wales

Local commercial stations|

* Hits Radio South Wales
* Radio Pembrokeshire
* Bridge FM
* Capital Cymru
* Capital North West & Wales
* Capital South Wales
* Swansea Bay Radio
* Radio Carmarthenshire
* Smooth Wales
* Sunshine Radio
* Greatest Hits Radio South Wales

Community, charity & non-profit stations|

* Bro Radio
* Calon FM
* GTFM
* Môn FM
* Newport City Radio
* Radio Cardiff
* Radio City 1386AM
* Radio Tircoed
* Sound Radio

Student stations|

* Bay Radio (Aberystwyth)
* Radio Noize
* Storm FM
* Tequila Radio
* Xpress Radio
* Xtreme Radio

Defunct local stations|

* BRfm
* Heart Cheshire and North East Wales
* Heart North Wales Coast
* Point FM
* Radio Ceredigion
* Radio Hafren
* Radio Maldwyn
* Tudno FM
* Valleys Radio
* XS

Welsh DAB multiplexes|

* Cardiff and Newport
* Mid and West Wales
* North Wales
* Severn Estuary
* Swansea SW Wales

UK national BBC services|

* BBC Radio 1
* BBC Radio 2
* BBC Radio 3
* BBC Radio 4
* BBC Radio 5 Live

UK national commercial services|

* Absolute Radio
* Classic FM
* Talksport

UK national DAB multiplexes|

* BBC National DAB
* Digital One
* Sound Digital

See also
List of radio stations in the United Kingdom

Portals:

* Radio
* Wales

* v
* t
* e

Welsh language

History|

* Common Brittonic
* Old Welsh
* Middle Welsh
* Modern Welsh
* Treachery of the Blue Books
* Welsh Not

Linguistics|

* Grammar
* Phonology
* Morphology
* colloquial
* literary
* Syntax
* Numerals
* Singulative number
* Orthography
* Welsh Braille
* Ỽ
* Y with loop
* Dictionaries
* Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru
* Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary
* Toponymy
* outside Wales
* in the United States
* on road signage
* in English
* Exonyms

Literature|

* Authors
* Medieval Welsh literature
* Welsh mythology
* Welsh Triads
* Mabinogion
* Welsh-medium education
* Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin
* Wlpan
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* Comics
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Demographics|

* Welsh-speaking population
* Y Fro Gymraeg
* by county or county borough in Wales
* Landsker Line
* Y Wladfa
* Welsh Tract (historical)
* Surnames
* Politicians
* Other occupations

Media|

* Programming
* S4C
* timeline
* BBC Radio Cymru
* Cymru 2
* Capital Cymru
* Golwg
* Golwg360
* Maes-e
* Tafod y Ddraig
* Y Cymro
* Barn

Music and festivals|

* Celtic Media Festival
* National Eisteddfod of Wales
* Urdd National Eisteddfod
* Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
* Shwmae Sumae Day
* Tafwyl
* Y Selar Awards
* Welsh Language Music Day
* Welsh Learner of the Year
* Nant Gwrtheyrn
* Films

Dialects|

* Dyfedeg (south-western)
* Gwenhwyseg (south-eastern)
* Gwyndodeg (north-western)
* Cofi
* Powyseg (north/central-eastern)

* Patagonian Welsh

Governance|

* Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language
* Welsh Language Commissioner
* Welsh Language Board (defunct)

Groups|

* Arfor
* Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
* Cymdeithas y Dysgwyr
* Cymreigyddion y Fenni
* Welsh Language Society
* Cymuned
* Dyfodol i'r Iaith
* Menter Iaith
* Mudiad Adfer
* Urdd Gobaith Cymru
* Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters
* Wales Interpretation and Translation Service
* Crachach

Legislation|

* Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542
* Welsh Courts Act 1942
* Welsh Language Act 1967
* Welsh Language Act 1993
* Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011
* National Assembly for Wales (Official Languages) Act 2012

* Language
* Wales

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