Heart South Wales

{{Redirect-distinguish-for|Heart Wales|Heart of Wales line|the radio station in North and Mid Wales|Heart North and Mid Wales}} {{pp-move-indef|small=yes}} {{Infobox radio station | country = United Kingdom | name = Heart South Wales | logo = The Heart Network logo.svg | logo_size = 200px | city = Cardiff | area = South and West Wales | branding = ''This is Heart'' | airdate = 3 October 2000 | frequency = FM: *Pontypridd: 102.3 MHz *Carmarthenshire: 105.2 MHz *Abergavenny: 105.2 MHz *Cardiff: 105.4 MHz *Pembroke, Aberystwyth and Ceredigion: 105.7 MHz *Haverfordwest: 105.7 MHz *Newport: 105.9 MHz *Aberdare: 105.9 MHz *Carmarthen: 106 MHz *Swansea: 106 MHz *Ebbw Vale: 106.1 MHz *Fishguard: 106.2 MHz *Bargoed: 107.3 MHz DAB: 12A (Swansea) 12C (South East Wales) 12D (Mid and South West Wales) RDS: Heart | format = Hot Adult Contemporary | network = Heart | power = | erp = | class = | callsign_meaning = | owner = Global | sister_stations = Capital South Wales Smooth Wales | website = [https://www.heart.co.uk/southwales/ Heart South Wales] }}

'''Heart South Wales''' is a regional radio station that broadcasts to South and West Wales from studios in Cardiff Bay. The station is owned and operated by Global Radio and forms part of the expanded Heart radio network of stations.

==Background== ===Real Radio=== On 3 October 2000 the Real Radio brand was launched after GMG Group won its first broadcast licence, serving South and West Wales. Following an introduction by Sir Tom Jones, the station's founding managing director John Myers introduced the song "A Star is Born".

In December 2008, GMG Group was awarded the corresponding North and Mid Wales licence. Following an agreed format change request with Ofcom, the existing South and West Wales service was rolled out to the new coverage area. The station began broadcasting on its North and Mid Wales frequencies on 4 January 2011.

Real Radio Wales was a music and speech station, playing an AC format of classic, contemporary and current music the past 25 years to the present day.

The station also carried news bulletins every hour between the hours of 6am and 7pm weekdays and from 6am to 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays (including half-hour headlines at breakfast and drivetime) from Cardiff. Other bulletins were provided by Sky News through IRN.

===Heart=== On 25 June 2012 it was announced Global Radio (the owner of stations such as Capital and Heart) had bought GMG Radio. The former GMG stations, including Real Radio, continued to operate separately until a regulatory review was carried out.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/25/gmg-radio-sold-global-50m?INTCMP=SRCH GMG Radio sold to Global for £50m] Mark Sweeney, The Guardian, 25 June 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/rss/1137874/Global-Radio-seals-50m-purchase-GMG-Radio/ Global Radio seals £50m purchase of GMG Radio] Maisie McCabe, Media Week, 25 June 2012</ref>

On 6 February 2014, Global Radio reached an agreement to sell the North Wales licence for Real Radio and seven other stations to Communicorp.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sandle |first=Paul |date=6 February 2014 |title=Denis O'Brien buys eight UK radio stations from Global Radio |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-communicorp-global-idUKBREA150LF20140206 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208230909/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-communicorp-global-idUKBREA150LF20140206 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |newspaper=Reuters |access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref> The South Wales licence remains under Global's ownership.

Up until April 2014, the station was available across the UK on digital satellite TV (Sky Digital channel 0146), taking up the slot following the closure of Real Radio (Digital), but was replaced by The Arrow.

Under OFCOM rules, the sale required the all-Wales Real Radio station to be split into two with separate stations, launched under separate owners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://radiotoday.co.uk/2014/04/global-confirms-heart-expansion-details/|title = Global confirms Heart expansion details|date = 14 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/real-radio-sold-part-30m-6685535|title = Real Radio sold as part of £30m deal|date = 7 February 2014}}</ref>

Both stations were rebranded and relaunched as Heart South Wales and Heart North and Mid Wales on Tuesday 6 May 2014. Around the time of the relaunch, the station's audience share had increased from 9.1% to 11.5% in the previous twelve months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rajar.co.uk/listening/quarterly_listening.php|title=RAJAR}}</ref>

In February 2019, following Ofcom's decision to relax local content obligations from commercial radio, Global announced it would replace Heart Wales' local breakfast and weekend shows with networked programming from London.<ref>[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/02/global-to-network-capital-heart-and-smooth-breakfast-shows/ Global to network Capital, Heart and Smooth breakfast shows], RadioToday, 26 February 2019</ref>

As of 3 June 2019, the station's local output consists of a three-hour Drivetime show on weekdays, alongside local news bulletins, traffic updates and advertising.<ref>[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/04/amanda-holden-to-join-jamie-theakston-for-heart-uk-breakfast/ Amanda Holden to join Jamie Theakston for Heart UK Breakfast], Radio Today, 29 April 2019</ref>

From 24 February 2025, the station's weekday Drivetime show, presented by Simon Jagger and Chris Wood, will be simulcast on Heart in North and Mid Wales.<ref>[https://global.com/global-confirms-programming-changes-february-2025/ Global confirms new nationwide radio shows for Heart, Capital & Smooth], Global, 5 February 2025</ref> Separate local news and traffic bulletins for South Wales will continue.

==Programming== All networked programming originates from Global's London headquarters, including ''Heart Breakfast'', presented each weekday by Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden.

Programming for both of Wales' Heart stations is produced and broadcast from Global's Cardiff Bay studios from 4-7pm on weekdays,<ref name=public>[http://www.heart.co.uk/public-file/wales/ Public File - Wales], heart.co.uk, 1 June 2019</ref> presented by Simon Jagger and Chris Wood.<ref>[https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/05/heart-drivetime-show-presenters-announced-by-global/ Heart Drivetime show presenters announced by Global], Radio Today, 20 May 2019</ref>

===News=== Global's Cardiff Bay newsroom broadcasts hourly regional news bulletins from 6am-7pm on weekdays and 6am-12pm at weekends with headlines on the half hour during weekday breakfast and drivetime shows.<ref name=public />

National news updates air hourly from Global's London headquarters at all other times. The Cardiff Bay newsroom also produces bulletins for Capital South Wales and Heart North and Mid Wales (owned by Communicorp), Smooth Wales, Capital North West and Wales and Capital Cymru.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.heart.co.uk/wales/}}

Category:Adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom Category:Radio stations in Cardiff Category:Radio stations in Wales Category:Radio stations established in 2000 Wales