Absolute Radio
British Independent National Radio station
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| May 13 2024 | Absolute Radio launched Absolute Radio Calm, a pop-up station during Mental Health Awareness Week featuring calming sounds. The station was available on the Absolute Radio app and smart speakers for two weeks. |
| April 2024 | Last broadcasts from the Golden Square studios took place before moving to The Lantern in Euston. |
| February 22 2024 | Conclusion of the Absolute Radio Sisters pop-up service. |
| February 12 2024 | Launched Absolute Radio Sisters, a pop-up service created by Scottish sisters Rachael and Emma Hare, playing music from the 1990s and 2000s. |
| 2023 | Absolute Radio created Absolute Radio Kevin, a pop-up service playing debut singles and tracks from debut albums. |
| December 13 2023 | Absolute Radio was removed from Sky and Virgin Media TV platforms. |
| December 12 2023 | Absolute Radio was removed from the Freesat TV platform. |
| February 13 2023 | Ofcom issued Bauer Radio a £25,000 fine and revoked the medium wave licence. |
| January 26 2023 | The final AM transmitter in Lisnagarvey, Northern Ireland was switched off at 2:15 pm, with the last words being 'thanks for listening to Absolute Radio-', completing the transition to a digital-only station. |
| January 23 2023 | AM transmitters for Absolute Radio began to be switched off, marking the physical disconnection of their AM broadcast infrastructure. |
| January 20 2023 | Absolute Radio stopped broadcasting on AM. |
| January 19 2023 | Absolute Radio 1215 AM ceased broadcasting. |
| January 4 2023 | Bauer Media Group announced the cessation of Absolute Radio's AM broadcasting, declaring that all remaining AM transmitters would be turned off. |
| 2022 | Absolute Radio launched Absolute Radio Natalie, a pop-up service with the strapline 'Where sing-alongs matter'. |
| November 14 2022 | Three additional stations were added to the Absolute Radio Premium service: Absolute Radio 50s, Absolute Radio Movies, and Absolute Radio Terrace Anthems. |
| July 14 2022 | Absolute Radio launched Absolute Radio Premium, a subscription service offering ad-free listening across multiple stations, including five exclusive stations like Absolute Radio Acoustic and Indie Disco 24/7. |
| June 2022 | Bauer launched Absolute Radio Premium, a subscription streaming service with five new advert-free radio services under the Absolute Radio brand, including 24/7 versions of Andy Bush's Indie Disco and Haven't Heard It For Ages programmes. |
| June 2022 | An Absolute Radio Classic Country streaming service was added to their Absolute Radio Premium subscription package. |
| September 6 2021 | Absolute Radio launched its first scripted comedy series 'Rockanory', featuring comedians Shaun Keaveny, Jon Culshaw, and Jake Yapp. The series, based on Rock Star Babylon stories by Jon Holmes, aired short episodes Monday to Thursday at 11 pm for six weeks. |
| May 17 2021 | Absolute Radio Country was rebranded from Country Hits Radio, with 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton being the first song played after the relaunch. |
| May 17 2021 | Absolute Radio's London FM frequency was changed to provide a London variant of Greatest Hits Radio. |
| March 23 2021 | Ofcom announced that Greatest Hits Radio would take over the 105.8 FM frequency in London. |
| February 2021 | Bauer Media applied to Ofcom to modify the FM broadcast licence for 105.8 FM in London. |
| May 2020 | Absolute Radio launched a pop-up station called Absolute Radio 40s to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day, broadcasting on 1215 MW frequency and online/DAB platforms. The station played music from iconic 1940s artists like The Andrews Sisters, Vera Lynn, and Glenn Miller, with shows presented by Dave Berry, Leona Graham, and Claire Sturgess, and included archive material and reminiscences from VE Day veterans. |
| February 24 2020 | Absolute Radio 20s launched as an online-only radio station, with 'Instant History' by Biffy Clyro being the first song played. |
| 2019 | Absolute Radio Country initially launched as Country Hits Radio. |
| November 18 2019 | Absolute Radio 10s launched as an online and DAB station in London, with presenter Jay Lawrence playing Bastille's 'Pompeii' as the first song. |
| December 16 2018 | Absolute Radio ended transmission on the 105.2 FM frequency in the West Midlands, following Bauer's decision to broadcast Greatest Hits Radio on FM. |
| March 30 2016 | The Virgin Radio brand relaunched via DAB and online following a partnership with Wireless Group. |
| September 7 2015 | Absolute Radio launched on 105.2 FM in the West Midlands. |
| July 2015 | Bauer Radio announced Absolute Radio would take over the 105.2 FM frequency in the West Midlands, previously held by Planet Rock. |
| March 2015 | Ofcom approved the digital terrestrial commercial radio licence for the Virgin Radio brand. |
| 2014 | Cancelled the Opus Streaming Trial, live webcams, and public playlist API in Autumn. |
| September 2014 | Bauer Media moved all London-based stations to a refurbished One Golden Square, creating a new national radio hub. |
| January 2014 | Absolute Radio Network restricted internet radio access to UK listeners only and removed apps from non-UK app stores. |
| 2013 | Absolute Radio acquired UK radio broadcasting rights for the National Football League (NFL), which they held until 2014. |
| December 23 2013 | Office of Fair Trading cleared the acquisition of Absolute Radio by Bauer Media Group. |
| July 29 2013 | Bauer Media Group announced its intention to purchase Absolute Radio from The Times Group for an estimated £20-25m, pending regulatory approval. |
| 2012 | Launched the Opus Streaming Trial in Autumn, including streams for all seven stations in 24, 64, and 96 kbit/s. |
| November 29 2011 | Absolute Radio launched Absolute 70s, its seventh radio station under the Absolute branding. The station broadcasts on DAB and online, featuring music from the 1970s by artists like Rod Stewart, David Bowie, and Prince. |
| November 22 2011 | Absolute 60s launched as the sixth radio station under the Absolute branding, broadcasting on DAB, digital television networks, and online. The station focuses on music from the 1960s, positioning itself as 'the home of the Beatles, Stones and Mo-Town'. |
| 2010 | Absolute Radio Extra was established to enable Absolute Radio to carry Premier League football coverage on DAB, with unique programming strategies for match coverage across different frequencies. |
| 2010 | Released applications for Amazon Kindle, Nokia Ovi Store, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone 7. Selected as a launch partner for the Apple iAd mobile advertising network. |
| 2010 | Absolute Radio began broadcasting live commentary of 32 Premier League games during Saturday afternoons, continuing this practice until the 2015-16 season. |
| December 10 2010 | Absolute Radio 00s launched online and on DAB in London, with 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers played as the first song after an internet poll. |
| June 21 2010 | Absolute Radio 90s launched on DAB digital radio, broadcasting to a population of 13 million across London, Essex, Wiltshire, Bristol, Berkshire, and Bath. The first song played was 'Roll with It' by Oasis. |
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