Our history
A chorus of birdsong heralded the launch of the UK's first national commercial radio station in the summer of 1992. Two months later, on September 7 1992, Classic FM hit the airwaves for the first time.
The idea for a national commercial radio station dedicated to classical music originated with the management of GWR Group, led by Ralph Bernard, who remain's Classic FM Chairman to this day.
At 6am on Monday, September 7, the strains of Handel 's Zadok the Priest announced the station's arrival. Nick Bailey was the first voice listeners heard on air - 16 years later he's still a regular presenter on Classic FM.
Reaction to the station was mixed, with many critics and advertisers not giving it a chance. Classic FM launched with the expectation of attracting 2.8 million listeners.
Four and a half months after launch date, official figures showed that 4.3 million people were tuning into the station every week, making it the fourth largest in the country. Further evidence of the station's success came the following year when Classic FM was named Station of the Year at the Sony Awards, the first of three such awards it has won since 1992.
In 2005, GWR Group merged with Capital Radio Group to form GCap Media - the UK's largest commercial radio company. And in 2008 GCap Media was acquired by Global Radio under the leadership of its founder and Group Chief Executive, Ashley Tabor.
Classic FM remains the single biggest radio station in Global Radio's portfolio of stations, which includes Heart, Galaxy, 95.8 Capital FM, Xfm, LBC and Choice FM. Under Global Radio's stewardship, the Classic FM brand continues to develop exciting and innovative ways of introducing new listeners to classical music.
Classic FM has almost six million listeners tuning in each week, making it the biggest classical music radio station in the worlds. . As well as the radio station, Classic FM has grown to include Classic FM TV, a 24 hour classical music video channel; the Classic FM Magazine, the UK's best-selling classical music magazine; this thriving website; a record label; live concerts and book publishing.
The station's presenters include Simon Bates , Alex James , Katie Derham , Myleene Klass , Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and David Mellor .
Classic FM's Managing Director, Darren Henley, is responsible for the day-to-day management of Classic FM's business and its editorial content across all of its platforms. He first began working at the station just two months after its launch in 1992.
Today, sixteen years after it first began broadcasting, Classic FM remains true to its mission to bring classical music to the widest possible audience, no matter their age, background or location.
