Television Radio and Print Media in Birmingham

The Mailbox in the Convention Quarter contains the regional headquarters and television centre of BBC West Midlands, the BBC Birmingham National Network Production Centre and the national headquarters of twelve BBC English Regions.

The BBC moved to the Mailbox from Pebble Mill in Edgbaston in 2004; it occupies around 10,000 square metres spread over two floors and employs roughly 700 staff.

The facilities include television and radio studios, a radio drama studio, edit suites and offices. The radio soap, the Archers, and the regional news programme, Midlands Today, are recorded there.

The local radio station BBC WM and some Asian Network programmes are also broadcast from the Mailbox. Visitors can watch radio and TV broadcasts from an all-access foyer and visit the BBC retail store and cafe.

The Mailbox could not accommodate the BBC Birmingham drama department because its foundations are unable to support a sufficiently large mezzanine floor. The department, which makes Doctors and Dalziel & Pascoe, is now based at the Drama Village on the Selly Oak campus of the University of Birmingham.

Tel: 0121 632 1372 (shop) Address: Wharfside Street B1 1AY

Links: Convention Quarter BBC Birmingham Website

BBC Drama Village (Top Index)

The BBC Drama Village is on the Selly Oak campus of the University of Birmingham, off the Bristol Road, roughly three miles from the city centre.

The village consists of two former theological colleges, Archibald House & Melville House, which are Grade II listed Edwardian mansions, designed in the arts and crafts style. The colleges closed after they merged with the University of Birmingham in 2004.

At around the same time, the BBC closed its Pebble Mill studios in Edgbaston. Most production was then transferred to the Mailbox in the Convention Quarter, but these premises were not suitable for certain types of drama and so the BBC created a new drama village in Selly Oak.

Archibald House now contains state-of-the-art studios whereas Melville House is a closed set used for daytime filming. The BBC also leases three industrial units on the Stirchley Trading Estate, off Hazelwell Road, which contains sets and radio resources.

The Afternoon Play, Dalziel & Pascoe and Doctors are produced at the Drama Village.

Links: Selly Oak BBC Birmingham Website

Central Independent Television (Top Index)

Central Independent Television is the independent television contractor for the Midlands region having taken over this role from ATV in 1982.

ATV had held the weekday franchise since 1955 and the weekend franchise since 1968; its Birmingham studios were originally in Aston but relocated to the purpose-built ATV Centre on Broad Street in the Convention Quarter in 1970.

ATV lost its Midlands television franchise due to a perceived lack of regional focus, partly due to its involvement in a broad range of media activities outside the Midlands region.

For example, the company owned a film studio at Elstree in Hertfordshire and a music division that included Northern Songs, the Beatles publishing company; it also held the London Weekend franchise.

ATV created Central Television as a local subsidiary in an attempt to demonstrate greater regional focus. However, the new company had to sever many of its links with ATV before it could take over the Midlands franchise in 1982.

Central inherited ATV Centre, whichclosed in 1997 and has been partially demolished; it was replaced by new digital studios on Gas Street, also in the Convention Quarter of central Birmingham.

By then most of Central's programme-making had either been transferred out of Birmingham to studios in Nottingham or sub-contracted to sister companies based in London and Manchester.

ATV Centre (Top Index)

ATV moved from the Alpha Studios in Aston to ATV Centre on Broad Street in 1970.

The company made classics such as Tiswas and Crossroads at ATV Centre which was inherited by Central Television when it took over the Midlands franchise in 1982.

ATV Centre closed in 1997 and has been partially demolished; it will be redeveloped as Arena Central: a mixed-use residential, office, hotel and leisure complex.

The 100-metre Alpha Tower (1973), built as offices for ATV, will be retained.

Links: Convention Quarter

ITV Central @ Gas Street (Top Index)

ITV Central, which currently holds the TV broadcasting franchise for the Midlands region, occupies this building on Gas Street in the Convention Quarter. The Gas Street Studios mainly produce regional news, including the teatime current affairs programme Central Tonight.

Links: Convention Quarter ITV Central Website

Radio Stations in Birmingham

The following radio stations are based in Birmingham:

BBC WM (Top Index)

BBC WM is a local BBC radio station serving the West Midlands and South Staffordshire; it broadcasts from the Mailbox in the Convention Quarter of central Birmingham.

The station was launched as BBC Radio Birmingham in 1970; it broadcasts on 95.6FM, DAB and the Internet; some content is simulcast from other BBC stations; audience share is roughly 8%.

Links: Convention Quarter BBC WM Website

96.4 FM BRMB (Top Index)

96.4 FM BRMB is a regional rock and pop radio station that mainly plays contemporary hits with some news, local information and sport content; the station broadcasts across Birmingham and the Black Country on 96.4 FM Stereo; it is also available on Digital DAB and worldwide via the internet.

BRMB enjoys an audience share of around 5.6%; it was established in 1974 as only the 4th ever commercial radio station in the UK after Capitol, LBC and Radio Clyde.

The name BRMB was a US-style call sign that was adopted by the station's original owners, Birmingham Broadcasting.

BRMB was initially based at the former Alpha Television Studios in Aston; it is now housed in purpose-built studios at Brindley Place in the Convention Quarter.

Until recently, BRMB was owned by Global Radio, the largest commercial radio company in the UK, but Global had to divest itself of assets in order to comply with competition law following its acquisition of Chrysalis Radio in 2007 and GCap Media in 2008.

These assets included BRMB which was sold to Orion Media in May 2009.

Address: 9 Brindley Place, Oozells Square B1 2DJ

Links: Convention Quarter BRMB Website

Galaxy Birmingham (Top Index)

Galaxy Birmingham is a regional radio station that forms part of the nationwide Galaxy network owned by Global Radio; it broadcasts contemporary hits, RnB, pop and dance music on 102.2 MHz; it can also be heard on DAB Digital and worldwide via the internet; the station enjoys an audience share of around 8%.

Galaxy was preceded by Buzz FM, which broadcast on the same wavelength from 1990 until 1994. Buzz played a diverse range of music, with daytime shows targeted at multi-ethnic audiences.

However, Buzz failed commercially and was taken over by Choice FM, a London-based black music station. Choice FM sold its Birmingham license to Chrysalis in 1999 who made the station part of its Galaxy network. Global Radio, the current owners, acquired Chrysalis in 2007.

The Galaxy studios are located at "The Square" on 111 Broad Street in Five Ways; they are shared with Heart FM, another radio station owned by Global; the station's FM transmitter is on the roof of Metropolitan House: a 69-metre office block on the Hagley Road.

Address: Tel 0121 695 0000 Address: 111 Broad Street B15 1AS

Links: Five Ways Galaxy Birmingham Website

100.7 FM Heart (Top Index)

Heart West Midlands is a radio station based at the Square at 111 Broad Street in Five Ways. The station broadcasts on 100.7 FM and DAB Digital and is also available worldwide via the internet.

Heart West Midlands forms part of the nationwide Heart network owned by Global, the biggest commercial radio company in the UK, who acquired it from Chrysalis in 2007.

Heart was launched in September 1994; it is targeted at the 25-44 female demographic and plays soft and hot adult contemporary music.

The station enjoys an audience share of around 9.5% and is the most popular local radio station in Birmingham. However, much of the content is simulcast from its sister station Heart London and only a limited amount of airtime is produced in Birmingham

Heart shares its studios with Galaxy, another radio station owned by the Global Group.

Address: Tel 0121 695 0000 Address: 111 Broad Street B15 1AS

Links: Five Ways Heart West Midlands Website

Kerrang 105.2 (Top Index)

Kerrang 105.2 is a specialist rock music radio station based in Birmingham that broadcasts to the West Midlands on 105.2 FM; it is also available on DAB, Freeview and worldwide via the internet.

Kerrang 105.2, which was launched in June 2004, was originally owned by EMAP Consumer Media.
EMAP was acquired by the Hamburg-based Bauer Media Group in 2008 which owns Kerrang 105.2 through its subsidiary Bauer Radio.

Bauer also owns the Kerrang print magazine, a weekly rock music journal established in 1981, which inspired the launch of the radio station; the Kerrang brand also includes a digital television channel, jointly owned by Bauer and Channel 4.

The radio station, which is targeted at the youth market, is more mainstream than the magazine or TV station. The daytime playlist features indie and alternative rock whereas emo, punk and metal is generally reserved for evening shows.

Kerrang 105.2 enjoys an audience share of roughly 3%; its studios are located at Aqua House on Lionel Street in the Jewellery Quarter, next to the BT Tower.

Tel 0845 053 1052 Address: 20 Lionel Street B3 1AQ

Links: Jewellery Quarter Kerrang Website

105.7 Smooth Radio (Top Index)

105.7 Smooth Radio is a local radio station based in Crown House at 123 Hagley Road in the Five Ways area of Birmingham; it is owned by the radio division of the Guardian Media Group and is part of a national network of local stations branded as Smooth Radio.

Smooth Radio was launched after GMG purchased the Saga Radio Group in 2005. Saga, which had been on air since 2001, targeted the over-50's, playing familiar music with a nostalgic element that included specialist shows dedicated to Big Bands, Swing Time, Country, Soul Train, Silver Screen etc.

GMG jettisoned most of these shows and targeted the over-35's by playing predictable middle-of-the-road contemporary music under the Smooth Radio brand.; evening and overnight shows and some programmes featuring star presenters are generally simulcast from London; most other content is, however, produced in Birmingham.

Smooth Radio has an audience share of around 6.5% in the West Midlands.

Tel 0121 452 1057 Address: 123 Hagley Road B16 8LD

Links: Five Ways Smooth Radio West Midlands Website

New Style Radio (Top Index)

New Style is a community radio station based at the Afro-Caribbean Millennium Centre on Dudley Road in Winson Green. It was launched in August 2002 in order to reflect the realities of multi-cultural Birmingham and keep its audience informed of civic matters.

The station, which broadcasts on 98.7FM, plays a variety of music, with particular emphasis on typically black genres. These include jazz, reggae, soul, hip hop, calypso, gospel, soca and RnB.

New Style also provides a platform for local artists and gives a voice to the Afro-Caribbean Diaspora.
It promotes and supports creative events and encourages listeners to interact with the station.
Young people, in particular, are offered the chance to participate in programme-making and presentation.

Tel 0121 456 3826 Address: 339 Dudley Road B18 4HB

Links: Winson Green New Style Radio Website

Unity FM (Top Index)

Unity FM is a non-profit community radio station based on the Stratford Road in Sparkhill; it broadcasts on 93.5 FM and globally via the internet.

The station is primarily targeted at local Muslim communities; its content is mainly speech-based and generally falls into one of four categories: spiritual, entertainment, community information or discussion & debate. Most programmes are broadcast in English but provision is also made for community languages.

The objective is to provide a forum for open, fair and honest debate and the station seeks to reduce tension between local ethnic and religious groups whilst attempting to promote community cohesion, encourage participation and volunteering, and raise aspirations, particularly amongst women and young people.

Unity FM is run by a small professional staff and a team of volunteers.

Tel 0121 772 8892 Address: Stratford Road B11 1Ar

Links: Sparkhill New Style Radio Website