radio-now.co.uk: Purple Radio

Monday, 21st January

Press Release : Purple Radio : London III digital multiplex (unedited)

The London region is about to gain a new line of stations, including its first Gay station; a young Asian station.........plus one just for children!

The new radio services for the capital launching on 25 January 2002 will mean London has more digital radio stations than any other city in the world! And the most diverse choice on the dial in the country!

The great new batch of stations which also includes the Student Broadcast Network; an environmental station called Passion For London; the first digital outlet for London's urban sound ChoiceFM, a service from London's listings magazine Time Out Live and new, contemporary, rock & soft rock services from GWR, Virgin and Chrysalis.... will be on London's third "multiplex" of DAB radio stations.

This is the first time the Radio Authority who licence commercial broadcasters in the UK have granted a full time service aimed at the lesbian & gay community. Purple Radio which has only been available on the Internet up till now, has already clocked up over 4 million hits and many hundreds of thousands of listening hours and fans worldwide, turns up the heat for the terrestrial switch-on with new shows, media partners and celebrity appearances for a spectacular launch, end of January.

The station will also soon be accessible on digital cable and satellite TV platforms.

"This is the soundtrack to young, gay, fresh and funky life in the capital" says Purple founder Twysden Moore.

London Mayor Ken Livingston says; " Lesbians and gay men are one of the many communities that make London such a wonderful place to live and we need to have a range of broadcast outlets to ensure the capital's diversity is reflected".

"It's the only station to broadcast live every night from a London dancefloor" says Head Of Programmes, Peter Flynn.

Lord Waheed Ali, DRg Chair reckons "Purple will build and support bridges in a dynamic and broad community"