Hits Radio North East

Radio station in Newcastle upon Tyne

Hits Radio North East

* Newcastle upon Tyne

Broadcast area| Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham
Frequency|

* FM: 97.1 MHz (Burnhope)
* 102.6 MHz (Alnwick)
* 103.0 MHz (Fenham)
* 103.2 MHz (Hexham)
* DAB: 11C

RDS| HITS_NE
Branding| The North East’s Hits Radio
The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks
Programming
Format| CHR/Pop
Network| Hits Radio
Ownership
Owner| Bauer Media Audio UK

Sister stations

| Hits Radio Teesside
Greatest Hits Radio North East
History

First air date

| 15 July 1974; 51 years ago (1974-07-15)

Former names

| Metro Radio
Metro FM

Former frequencies

| 97.0 MHz
1152 kHz
Technical information

Licensing authority

| Ofcom
Links
Webcast| Hits Radio North East Player
Website| Hits Radio North East

Hits Radio North East, formerly Metro Radio, is an Independent Local Radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. The station launched in 1974 as Metro Radio. It broadcasts to County Durham, Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear.

As of September 2024, the station has a weekly audience of 338,000 listeners according to RAJAR.[1]

## History

[edit]

Logo used from 2003 to 2015. (A variant used between 2000 and 2003 had a dark blue background)

### Launch as Metro Radio

[edit]

The Newcastle-based station, broadcasting to North-East England, launched on 15 July 1974.[citation needed] The first breakfast show was presented by Don Dwyer, an Australian radio presenter formerly at ABC and the United Biscuits Network. The first show included messages of congratulations from Kenny Everett at the equivalent local commercial station in London, Capital Radio.

### Studios

[edit]

Former home of Metro Radio on the Swan House roundabout in Newcastle upon Tyne. Metro Radio vacated this building in 2021.

The station transmitted from a studio in Swalwell, Gateshead, which in later years would be adjacent to the Metrocentre and is now Metropolitan House—a business centre providing serviced office accommodation. Metro, and sister station Magic 1152, moved in 2005 to the former BT building previously known as Swan House – now known as 55° North – next to the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne. In April 2021, it was announced that Metro Radio were relocating their studios once more. Later in 2021 as planned, they relocated their broadcasting studios to the Grade II listed building, Gainsborough House on Newcastle's Grey Street. Before the move, the studio had undergone a purposed fit-out which included 2 additional studios and a contemporary, flexible office space.[2]

### Football commentary

[edit]

Until 2005 the station broadcast live football commentary for the region's two biggest clubs; Newcastle United and Sunderland. In an attempt to boost ratings, the football commentary was stopped. However, a negative response from football fans prompted the owners to cover all Newcastle and Sunderland games on sister station Magic 1152.

### TFM co-location

[edit]

From 8 April 2013, all Metro Radio's programming has been shared with TFM. However, the Metro Radio branding was retained along with separate advertising and local news bulletins.[3] The two stations were able to co-locate without consultation, for the Metro Radio licence area is located in one approved broadcast area (north-east England).[4]

Logo used until 2024.

### Hits Radio rebrand

[edit]

On 17 April 2024 at 6am, Metro Radio was rebranded to Hits Radio North East, officially marking the end of the end of the Metro Radio brand after nearly 50 years of broadcasting.[5] The website for which had been replaced with the Hits Radio website earlier that morning.[6] The station's local news and regional output will not be affected as a result of the relaunch. The rebranded was part of a network-wide relaunch involving 17 Bauer-owned local radio stations in England and Wales.[7]

From 10-14 February 2025, no local breakfast programming was broadcast from studios in Newcastle. Instead, London-based networked programming was relayed. This is because of the new Media Act which now allows 24/7 programming from outside the broadcast area.[8]

On 20 March 2025, Bauer announced it would end its regional Hits Radio breakfast show for the North East to be replaced by a new national breakfast show for England and Wales on 9 June 2025.[9] Local news and traffic bulletins continue and the station's Newcastle studios were retained.[10]

The station's final regional programme aired on 6 June 2025[11] with breakfast presenters Steve Furnell and Karen Oxley moving to a national breakfast show on sister stations Hits Radio 90s, broadcast from Newcastle.[12]

## Programming

[edit]

Hits Radio network programming is broadcast and produced from Bauer’s London headquarters or studios in Manchester & occasionally Newcastle.

## News

[edit]

Hits Radio North East broadcasts hourly from 6am-7pm on weekdays, and from 7am-1pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Headlines are broadcast on the half-hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows, alongside traffic bulletins.

National bulletins from other Bauer newsrooms or Sky News Radio are at other times.[13]

## Notable former presenters

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

* Allan Beswick (later with BBC Radio Lancashire, now retired)
* Rich Clarke (Heart South)
* Mark Goodier (BBC Radio 2)
* Pete Graves (Sky Sports News)
* Ingrid Hagemann
* Lucy Horobin (Heart Dance)
* Jason King (Heart London)
* Gabby Logan
* Jonathan Morrell (BBC Radio Newcastle)
* Anna Foster (broadcaster) (BBC Radio Newcastle)
* Jenny Powell (Greatest Hits Radio)
* Alan Robson (later at Greatest Hits Radio, now on the Internet)
* Joel Ross (Rock FM)
* Lisa Shaw (deceased) [14]
* Bill Steel
* Pip Tomson (Good Morning Britain)
* Clive Warren
* James Whale (talkRADIO)
* Russ Williams (Nation Radio UK)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "RAJAR".
2. ^ METRO RADIO TO MOVE INTO GAINSBOROUGH HOUSE, Adderstone Group, 21 April 2021
3. ^ TFM leaves Teesside to share with Metro, RadioToday, 5 April 2013
4. ^ Leading MEP to demand action from Ofcom over TFM/Metro merger The Northern Echo, 7 April 2013
5. ^ "Bauer to rebrand heritage FM stations in England and Wales to Hits Radio". RadioToday. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
6. ^ "Hits Radio has arrived!". 17 April 2024. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
7. ^ "Fifteen local stations get set for Hits Radio rebrand". Bauer. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
8. ^ Fleur East, James and Matt cover Steve and Karen at Hits Radio North East, Roy Martin, Radio Today, 12 February 2025
9. ^ "Hits Radio to launch national Breakfast Show across England and Wales". Bauer Media. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
10. ^ "Full list of Bauer sites closing once Breakfast goes national on Hits Radio". Radio Today. 21 March 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
11. ^ "Bauer's local radio breakfast shows end in England and Wales". Radio Today. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
12. ^ "Steve and Karen to host breakfast on Hits Radio 90s". RadioToday. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
13. ^ Hits Radio - Public File - North East
14. ^ "Lisa Shaw: BBC Radio Newcastle presenter dies aged 44". BBC News. 23 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Paul Donovan. "Metro Radio". The Radio Companion. 1991. p 176. See also p 261.
* David Morton. "As Metro Radio is rebranded after half a century: 10 photos from the station’s early years". Chronicle Live. 20 January 2024.
* Eric Croston (ed). "Metro Radio". Television & Radio 1978. IBA. p 162.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Website
* Hits Radio North East's channel on YouTube
* Hits Radio North East - Cash for Kids

* v
* t
* e

Hits Radio

UK|

* Hits Radio UK
* Hits Radio Pride

London|

* Hits Radio London

Midlands|

* Birmingham
* Coventry & Warwickshire
* Herefordshire & Worcestershire
* Black Country & Shropshire
* East Midlands
* Staffordshire & Cheshire
* Lincolnshire

North East England|

* North East
* Teesside

North West England|

* Manchester
* Liverpool
* Lancashire
* Cumbria

Scotland|

* Clyde 1 (Glasgow \- Ayrshire)
* Forth 1
* MFR
* Northsound 1
* Tay FM

Southern England|

* Bristol & The South West
* Cornwall
* Dorset
* Oxfordshire

Wales|

* South Wales

Yorkshire|

* South Yorkshire
* West Yorkshire
* East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire

Related topics|

* Bauer Media Audio UK
* Greatest Hits Radio
* Timeline of Hits Radio

* v
* t
* e

Radio stations in North East England

Major stations|

* BBC Radio Newcastle
* BBC Radio Tees
* Capital North East
* Frisk Radio
* Greatest Hits Radio North East
* Greatest Hits Radio Teesside
* Heart North East
* Hits Radio North East
* Greatest Hits Radio Scottish Borders and North Northumberland
* Smooth North East
* Nation Radio North East
* Hits Radio Teesside

Community radio|

* Nova Radio North East
* Radio Hartlepool
* Radio Sunderland for Hospitals
* Radio Teesdale
* Spark Sunderland
* Spice FM
* Darlo Fans Radio
* Zetland FM

Student radio|

* Click Teesside
* Newcastle Student Radio
* Purple Radio

Pirate radio|

* Radio 270

Defunct stations|

* Alpha Radio
* Durham FM
* Great North Radio
* Minster Northallerton

See also
List of radio stations in the United Kingdom
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*[e]: Edit this template