Hits Radio West Yorkshire
The Biggest Hits, The Biggest Throwbacks
Listen to Hits Radio West Yorkshire
You can hear Hits Radio West Yorkshire on DAB Digital Radio, FM, Radioplayer UK and online
Facts and stats
Hits Radio is the independent local radio station for Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale and Leeds.
Beginning life as Pennine Radio 235, it was one of the first UK commercial radio stations to go to air, and, as many stations of its time did, contained specialist programming including a brass band programme (Tops 'n' Noils), asian-language programming and religious output.
Originally just broadcasting to Bradford, it gained an additional franchise area of Kirklees (Huddersfield) and Calderdale (Halifax). As part of the Yorkshire Radio Network, it was then bought by the Metro Radio Group. In research, Pennine Radio was perceived as an old-fashioned Bradford-only station, and its name changed in August 1991 to "The Pulse", with a mostly new set of presenters and innovative marketing. It was a success, with the station eventually becoming the most listened-to station in its area.
The station had to be sold when Emap Radio bought Metro in the mid 1990s due to its overlap with Radio Aire. It's now owned by Bauer Media Group. The station was based in the haunted basement of a former wool mill in the Little Germany area of Bradford. It moved to newer premises in 2015.
Former presenters include BBC Radio 1's Paul Burnett, BBC executive Roger Mosey, and media.info's founder and owner, James Cridland (broadcasting under the name James Andrews).
From August 2020 Pulse 1 extended their coverage to include Leeds on DAB Digital Radio, replacing Radio Aire.
February 2021 saw Pulse 1's remaining local show move from Bradford to Bauer's media centre in Leeds, sharing with Greatest Hits Radio West Yorkshire and Viking FM, later rebranding as Hits Radio West Yorkshire in 2024.
Programming, news and commercial remain in Bradford.
| Editorial area | Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale & Leeds |
|---|---|
| Format | Top 40 |
| Most played | Jax Jones, Joel Corry & Jason Derulo, JADE, ShaboozeyRadiomonitor |
| Launched | 16 September 1975 |
| Owner | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| National sales | Bauer Media Audio UK |
| Members of | Radiocentre |
| Former names | Pennine Radio Pennine FM The Pulse of West Yorkshire Radio Aire (DAB only) Pulse 1 |
Contact Hits Radio West Yorkshire
| Postal address | 1 St James Business Park, New Augustus Street, Bradford, BD1 5LL |
|---|---|
| Telephone: reception | +44 1274 203040 |
| Telephone: studio | +44 1274 200200 |
| Wikipedia | Hits_Radio_West_Yorkshire |
| Official website | hellorayo.co.uk/hits-radio/west-yorkshire |
| Personal email | firstname.lastname@bauermedia.co.uk |
Social media
| @Pulse1Radio (17,741 followers) compare | ||
| Twitter: Jobs | @BauerMediaJobs (19,574 followers) compare |
Latest news stories
People
Danny Mylo Presenter
Greg Burns Presenter
Hattie Pearson Presenter
Jacqui Blay Head of Music
James Crossling Journalist
Jason Thornton Football Commentator
Jordan Lee Presenter
Matt Wilkins Presenter
Matt Crabb Presenter
Paul Foster Presenter
Paul Griffiths Presenter
Rosie Madison Presenter
Saeed Atcha Presenter
Sam Harper Ard Presenter
Tony McKenzie Programme Director
…at Bauer Media Audio UK
Adam Newstead Senior Executive Producer, South England & Wales
Alex Baker Creative Strategy Director
Andy Ashton Content Director - Greatest Hits Radio
Anne-Marie Lavan Group Marketing Director
Cat Martin Director of Communications
Chris Ward Content Operations & Group Production Director
Frankie Bannerman Radio Account Manager
Gary Stein Group PD - Hits Radio Network
Graham Bryce Chief Operating Officer
James Walker Head Of Network Operations
Jo Baldwin Managing Director
John Pickford Editor in Chief
Kate Whitehorn Creative Strategy Director
Lucie Cave Chief Content Officer
Matt Garforth Product Manager
Matthew Hobbs Chief Technology Officer
Paul Keenan Chief Executive
Rob Munro-Hall Co-Lead of Publishing World-Wide
Sarah Barnes HR Director
Sarah Vickery Group Finance & Strategy Director
Steve Taylor Commercial Creative Director
Stuart McGinley Content Producer
Tony Moorey Group Content Director - Absolute Radio & Magic
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Other information
Hits Radio West Yorkshire logo archive
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This is a user-edited website. Thank you to Vincent L, Anthony P, Tomas McDermott (, Lucy M, Matt W, Sam Harper A, Andy P, Arran S, Saeed A, Travis M, Martin P and James C for their edits on this page. See the changelog, or edit it yourself.