Heart Yorkshire

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Heart Yorkshire (previously Real Radio Yorkshire) was a regional radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global as part of the Heart network. It broadcasts to South and West Yorkshire.<ref name=globalconfirms>Global confirms Heart expansion details Radio Today, 14 April 2014</ref>

Overview

Real Radio

Real Radio Yorkshire launched on 25 March 2002.Template:Cn The station transmitted from Emley Moor on 106.2 MHz FM, which covers the majority of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, including Barnsley, York, Selby, Harrogate, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Leeds, Rotherham and Wakefield. It also broadcast from Idle on 107.6 MHz FM to Bradford and Halifax, and on 107.7 MHz FM from Tapton Hill to Sheffield. Real Radio Yorkshire also broadcast across the whole of Yorkshire on DAB using the Regional MXR multiplex.

Heart

On 25 June 2012 it was announced Global (the owner of stations such as Capital and Heart) had bought GMG Radio. The former GMG stations, including Real Radio, continued to operate separately as 'Real and Smooth Limited' until 1 April 2014.<ref>GMG Radio sold to Global for £50m Mark Sweeney, The Guardian, 25 June 2012</ref><ref>Global Radio seals £50m purchase of GMG Radio Maisie McCabe, Media Week, 25 June 2012</ref>

On 6 February 2014, Global announced it would be rebranding all Real Radio stations as Heart.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 1 May 2014, local programming moved from Tingley, Wakefield to share facilities with sister station Capital Yorkshire in Hanover Walk, Leeds.

The full relaunch as Heart Yorkshire took place on Tuesday 6 May 2014. The station's audience share increased from 5.5% to over 7% following the relaunch.Template:Cn In June 2015 the Yorkshire MXR multiplex closed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Heart Yorkshire moved their services to local multiplexes in Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield, however they chose not to take up options in Hull and York.

In February 2019, following OFCOM's decision to relax local content obligations from commercial radio, Global announced it would replace Heart Yorkshire's local breakfast and weekend shows with networked programming from London.<ref>Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows, RadioToday, 26 February 2019</ref>

From 3 June 2019, the station's local output consisted of a three-hour Drivetime show on weekdays hosted by Dixie & Emma, alongside local news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising.<ref>Amanda Holden to join Jamie Theakston for Heart UK Breakfast, Radio Today, 29 April 2019</ref>

As of 24 February 2025 all programming originates from Global's London headquarters, including Heart Drive, presented each weekday by JK and Kelly Brook.<ref>Global introduces new ‘nations strategy’ and drops local and regional shows in England, Roy Martin, Radio Today, 9 January 2025</ref><ref>National presenters confirmed for Heart, Capital and Smooth in England, Roy Martin, Radio Today, 5 February 2025</ref><ref>Global confirms new nationwide radio shows for Heart, Capital & Smooth, Global, 5 February 2025</ref>

News

Journalists within Yorkshire produce hourly regional news bulletins from 6 am–7 pm on weekdays and 6 am–12 pm at weekends.<ref name=public>Public File – Yorkshire, heart.co.uk, 1 June 2019</ref>