Choice FM UK streams an eclectic mix of soul, R&B and contemporary hits, free on Radio Shuffle right now, no account or app needed. It carries forward a name with real weight in British radio history, celebrating both iconic classics and fresh new sounds in the tradition the original Choice FM built.
Britain's First Licensed Black Music Station
The name Choice FM belongs to a genuine landmark in UK broadcasting. The original station launched in March 1990 from studios in Brixton, founded by Patrick Berry and Neil Kenlock as Britain's first 24 hour black music station to hold a broadcast licence, according to London Remembers' account of the station. It became the first British station to play reggae, soul and hip-hop every single day, giving genres the mainstream dial largely ignored a permanent home on South London's airwaves.
From Brixton to a National Brand
Choice FM grew well beyond its original South London licence. A second licence in 1995 brought a Birmingham version of the station, and a further North London frequency arrived in 2000, aimed at reaching a larger Afro-Caribbean audience across the capital. Capital Radio, now Global, bought the station in 2004, and in October 2013 it was rebranded as Capital Xtra, the name under which that lineage continues today, with a blue heritage plaque unveiled in 2021 to mark where it all began.
A Name Carried Forward Independently
This station keeps the Choice FM name alive on its own terms, streaming soul, R&B and contemporary hits for listeners drawn to that same musical identity. It is a separate, independent operation from Capital Xtra, but it taps into the same appetite for music built around soul and R&B that made the original station matter in the first place.
Listen to Choice FM UK Free on Radio Shuffle
Press play on Choice FM UK on Radio Shuffle for soul, R&B and contemporary hits, free, with no sign-up required.