Still the beat of the UK? The history of Kiss FM

Radio Fidelity
5 min readJun 28, 2019

Pirate radio stations are a huge part of UK music history.

Over the decades, these stations operated outside of the law, bringing unique music and new ideas to listeners across the country.

While #PirateRadio stations appeared for a variety of different reasons over the years, many simply wanted to help give a voice to the artists that were underserved and unappreciated at the time.

Kiss FM, launching in 1985, was designed to help urban and black musicians get into the music scene, at a time when conventional stations refused to play their music. The station began after the Marine Offences Act had already started, and was constantly struggling to stay out of the reach of UK law until it eventually achieved a legal license.

Over the years, Kiss FM gathered a huge cult following and assisted countless artists in their search for fame. However, the rebrand of Kiss FM has prompted ongoing controversy about the state of the station today. Is the modern Kiss FM still the “beat of the UK”? or did the true “Kiss” brand end before the start of the 2000s?

Let’s find out.

Where did Kiss FM begin?

When #KissFM launched in 1985, it was a pirate radio station broadcasting in South London.

Eventually, the station spread its wings across the rest of the city, with a little help from founder Gordan Mac, and his friends Tosca, Pyers Easton, and George Power. Even in the early days of its arrival on the airwaves, Kiss FM gathered a dedicated following very quickly.

More than 500,000 listeners were tuning into the unlicensed station every day. After Gordon Mac sought the help of London club promoter, Guy Wingate, the listener numbers grew even further. Wingate suggested launching a Kiss night at a local London club, which helped to boost the credibility and impact of the station.

Although Gordon Mac owned the Kiss FM Station, he sold shares to numerous DJs too, including Tim Westwood, Trevor Nelson, and many others. As time passed by, the station grew increasingly popular, driven by the support of its community, and the incredible shows that its DJs hosted each day. In 1988, a new form of radio license was released, and Kiss FM received one of the first new licenses in 1989.

By 1990, Kiss FM was a fully legal station. Norman Jay hosted the first show for the brand after it left its “pirate” label behind.

Kiss FM and a history of urban music

When pirate radio re-emerged in the 1980s, it was the only way that listeners could tune into culturally diverse sources of music. Kiss FM played a huge part in #RadioHistory, by giving black musicians the chance to discover a space for themselves in the music scene.

According to one of the original men behind Kiss FM, Lindsay Wesker, the channel was initially dedicated to jazz, soul, reggae, urban beats and other music that wouldn’t be played on conventional stations. Kiss FM gave new musicians a place to show off their talents and helped to reinvigorate the careers of other soul legends too.

While #KissFMRadio had a lot of love and respect from its listeners, it struggled to get the approval of the regulatory committees that had control over radio at the time. Racism was still a common problem, and the Radio Authority forced Kiss FM to prove that it had value before it could apply for a license.

Eventually, Kiss FM was granted its first license, and the rebranding of the station began.

Rebranding KissFM

When it was a pirate radio station, KissFM was a beloved cult symbol for many listeners. However, EMAP took control of the brand in the late 1990s, and many aspects of the company were changed. One of the most shocking moments in Kiss FM history occurred when the station removed an award-winning disc jockey from the channel because he was black.

Steve Jackson was asked to leave Kiss FM only a few weeks after winning the Sony Gold Award for the Breakfast Presenter of the Year. While various presenters were removed from the station during the rebrand, some began to leave the channel of their own accord too. At the time, Kiss FM believed that a white presenter was a “better fit” for the brand image it wanted to create.

A radio that was previously well-known for its commitment to the black community was no longer supporting black hosts. According to listeners in the 1990s, when Gordon Mac hosted his final show on the 20th of March 1998, it was the official “end” of Kiss FM.

EMAP also rebranded Kiss FM a second time in 2006, after it began to lose listeners. The rebrand included a new logo and new names for some of the sister stations of the company. For instance, Vibe 101 became Kiss 101.

What’s next for Kiss FM?

The Kiss FM brand is still alive and well today.

You can find the show running on FM and DAB frequencies, and the company recently announced the arrival of a new breakfast show for 2019 too.

For those concerned that FM signals will soon be replaced by digital frequencies, the BBC and many other radio stations have also announced that they’re planning to hold onto the FM band for as long as they can.

Of course, even if the era of #FMRadio is far from over, and Kiss Radio is still a well-known name in the community, many people still believe that Kiss FM isn’t the station it once was. The channel has changed significantly since its time as a pirate station, and it’s not the go to station for the exploration of urban and diverse music that it once was.

However, is it still the “Beat of the UK?” That’s up to you to decide.

Check out our full history of Kiss FM here.

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Radio Fidelity
Radio Fidelity

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