KISS UK plays dance, pop, hip-hop and chart hits for younger listeners across Britain, and it streams free right now on Radio Shuffle, wherever you are in the world. It began in London as a pirate station and is now a national digital brand owned by Bauer Media.
From a Pirate Signal on 94 FM
Kiss FM started on October 7, 1985, as an unlicensed pirate station, broadcasting first to south London and then across the city on 94 FM. According to Wikipedia's history of Kiss, it was founded by Gordon "Mac" McNamee, George Power and Tosca Jackson, and it built an audience the press put at around 500,000 listeners. Its early DJs included Norman Jay, Tim Westwood, Judge Jules, Danny Rampling and Trevor Nelson, names that became fixtures of British dance and urban music.
Club Nights and a Legal Licence
The pirate station was known for club nights, including what is described as the UK's first acid house party at the Wag Club. Facing pressure from the authorities, the founders stopped broadcasting in December 1988 to chase a legal licence. They were first turned down when the licence went to Jazz FM, but Kiss reapplied with backing from Emap and was awarded a licence on December 17, 1989.
Kiss 100 Goes Legal in 1990
Kiss 100 went on air legally on September 1, 1990, on 100.0 FM in London, as the UK's first legal black and dance music specialist station, as this Radio Fidelity history also recounts. Emap took full control in 1992, the brand was overhauled in 1998 and 1999 and again in 2006, and regional sister stations followed in places such as Manchester and Bristol.
Going National and Digital
Ofcom approved a national DAB service in 2010, and by December 2012 Kiss was on the national Digital One multiplex. Bauer Media, which bought Emap's radio division in 2007, launched Kisstory in 2013 with throwback dance and R&B. As of September 2024 Kiss became digital-only after losing its FM frequencies in London, Norfolk and western England to Hits Radio, so streaming is now one of the main ways to listen.
Tune In
From a rooftop pirate transmitter to a national streaming brand, Kiss is one of the great success stories of British radio. Stream KISS UK free on Radio Shuffle to hear it live.