View source for Magic (English former radio network)

{{short description|Former British radio network}}
{{for|the UK radio station|Magic (UK radio station)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2016}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox radio station
| logo               = Magic radio.jpg
| name               = Magic
| area               = Northern England
| airdate            = July 1990
| last_airdate       = 4 January 2015
| former_frequencies = [[Medium wave|MW]], [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]]
| format             = [[Hot AC|Hot Adult Contemporary]]
| owner              = [[Bauer Radio]]
| erp                =
| branding           = 
| class              = 
| website            =  
}}

'''Magic''' was an AM radio network based in Northern England.

==History==
{{For timeline|Timeline of Magic}}

The Magic brand in UK radio originated with [[Greatest Hits West Yorkshire|Magic 828]], the sister station of [[Radio Aire]] in Leeds which was launched in July 1990, although no other stations were branded 'Magic' until the Emap group purchased the [[Metro Radio Group]] in 1995. It can be regarded as the successor to [[Great North Radio]] which was a small network in the [[North East England|North East]] that consisted of what became [[Greatest Hits Radio Teesside|Magic 1170]] and [[Greatest Hits Manchester|Magic 1152]]. [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]]'s [[Greatest Hits Lancashire|Red Rose Gold]] was the last to be converted to the Magic brand, in 2000, two or so years since the conversion of the majority of the stations. In London, [[Melody 105.4 FM|Melody FM]] was rebranded [[Magic 105.4 FM|Magic 105.4]] in 1998.

The northern AM stations played [[Adult contemporary music|Hot Adult Contemporary]] music. The playlists of these Magic stations predominantly consisted of hits from the 1960s and 1970s, although music from other decades was included in the mix.

The London station is more laid-back and its playlist more contemporary, playing [[Adult contemporary music#Soft adult contemporary|soft adult contemporary]] hits from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The London station is branded with the tagline, "More music, less talk".

On 5 January 2015, the network merged with the Greatest Hits Network of Scottish AM stations to form the [[Greatest Hits Radio|Bauer City 2]] network.<ref>[http://www.radiocentre.org/latest-industry-news/bauer-city-2-network-gears-up-for-launch Bauer City 2 network gears up for launch] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220211423/http://www.radiocentre.org/latest-industry-news/bauer-city-2-network-gears-up-for-launch |date=20 December 2014 }} Radio Centre, 19 December 2014</ref> The London-based [[Magic (UK radio station)|Magic]] became available nationally via [[Digital Audio Broadcasting|DAB]] at the same time.

==Directory of stations==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Region !! City !! Station 
|-
| rowspan=2|[[North East England|North East]] || [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] || [[Greatest Hits North East|Magic 1152]] 
|-
| [[Stockton-on-Tees]] || [[Greatest Hits Radio Teesside|Magic 1170]]
|-
| rowspan=3|[[North West England|North West]] || Liverpool || [[Greatest Hits Liverpool|Magic 1548]] 
|-
| Manchester || [[Greatest Hits Manchester|Magic 1152]]
|-
| [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] || [[Greatest Hits Lancashire|Magic 999]]
|-
| rowspan=3|[[Yorkshire and the Humber|Yorkshire]] || [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] || [[Greatest Hits East Yorkshire|Magic 1161]] 
|-
| Leeds || [[Greatest Hits West Yorkshire|Magic 828]]
|-
| Sheffield || [[Greatest Hits South Yorkshire|Magic 990, 1305 & 1548]] (known on-air as Magic AM)
|-
|}

==Television channel==
{{main|Magic (TV channel)}}
Following the success of the radio stations, Emap set up a corresponding [[Magic (TV channel)|Magic]] TV channel which is available through [[satellite television|satellite]] and [[cable television]] systems and plays non-stop [[video]]s of songs established as typical of the Magic brand.

==Magic albums==
The Magic network released several albums since the formation of the network in the late 1990s. The albums predominantly feature music on the Magic 105.4 play list, but were also promoted on the Northern England stations too.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title
! Release
|-
| The Sound of Magic
| 1999-05-31
|-
| The Sound of Magic Love
| 1999-10-01
|-
| The Sound of Magic Vol. 2
| 2000-05-15
|-
| Magic
| 2001-03-12
|-
| Magic Summer Feeling
| 2003-06-13
|-
| Magic the Album 2005
| 2005-11-28
|-
| Magic Summer
| 2006-05-15
|-
| Mellow Magic
| 2007-02-26
|-
| Magic the Album 2007
| 2007-08-20
|-
| Magic Decades 80s 90s 00s
| 2007-11-19
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{Bauer}}
{{Magic Radio |state=autocollapse}}

[[Category:Bauer Radio]]
[[Category:Former British radio networks]]
[[Category:Franchised radio formats]]