Capital Radio

British radio station

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July 16, 2026

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Capital Radio, launched in October 1973, was London's first commercial radio station, marking a shift from the era of outlawed pirate stations. While some expected a return to the free-wheeling style of pirate radio, Capital adopted a slick, advertiser-friendly format for daytime programming, reserving specialized music genres for evenings and weekends.12

Despite this, Capital Radio quickly gained listeners and established the breakfast-show format that became standard across British radio, first with Kenny Everett and later Chris Tarrant. The station also fostered talent like Richard Allinson and Mike Smith. In the late 1980s, Capital Radio split its FM and AM frequencies, creating Capital FM for contemporary hits and Capital Gold for older music. The Capital Radio Group later expanded by acquiring stations in other parts of England and Wales.1

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- Rock and radio in the United Kingdom
  …with the licensing of London’s Capital Radio, followed by commercial stations in other major cities. The slick, seamless format of their daytime programming disappointed those listeners who had been looking forward to a rekindling of the spirit of pirate radio, but it made rapid inroads into Radio 1’s audience. With…
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  …with the licensing of London’s Capital Radio, followed by commercial stations in other major cities. The slick, seamless format of their daytime programming disappointed those listeners who had been looking forward to a rekindling of the spirit of pirate radio, but it made rapid inroads into Radio 1’s audience. With…
  Read More

Capital Radio
The launch of London’s Capital Radio in October 1973 came some 16 years after the British government had outlawed the previous batch of commercial stations, the so-called pirates, whose staff and style had been recruited and diluted to shape Radio 1, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s…
Read More
The launch of London’s Capital Radio in October 1973 came some 16 years after the British government had outlawed the previous batch of commercial stations, the so-called pirates, whose staff and style had been recruited and diluted to shape Radio 1, the British Broadcasting Corporation’s…
Read More