Radio Tay

Radio Tay is a group of two Independent Local Radio stations serving Tayside and northeast Fife in Scotland. Radio Tay is owned and operated by Bauer Radio, based at studios at 6 North Isla Street in Dundee and forms part of Bauer’s Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio network of local stations.

Tayside Sound Limited was incorporated on 27 April 1979 to set up a radio station in accordance with the then regulatory body, the Independent Broadcasting Authority.

Radio Tay commenced broadcasting on Friday 17 October 1980 from the Taybridge TV transmitter site at the southern end of the Tay Road Bridge on 95.8 MHz FM and an AM transmitter on 1161 kHz at Greenside Scalp close to the Taybridge site but located lower down, at the shoreline of the River Tay. Relay transmitters in Perth opened on 14th November 1980 - FM on 96.4 MHz from the existing Perth TV transmitter on Craigie Hill on the SE edge of the city and a new AM transmitter on 1584kHz at Friarton Road, also on the southern perimeter.

The Taybridge FM transmitter changed frequency to 102.8 MHz as part of a European agreement to reallocate FM frequencies. The 95.8 MHz having been allocated to BBC Radio 4 in Scotland.

The 102.8 MHz transmissions from Taybridge were moved to the larger Angus TV transmitter site, near Tealing , on 10 February 1994. The Taybridge transmitter became a relay site and changed to the same frequency as the Perth relay transmitter (96.4 MHz)

Originally launched as a simulcast station on AM and FM, Radio Tay split into two distinct radio services on 9 January 1995: Tay FM, playing contemporary hit music and Tay AM, carrying an older selection of classic hits. On 19 January 2015, Tay 3 was launched as a locally-branded service of pop music aimed at 15- to 25-year-olds. These stations broadcast to the Tayside catchment area, with a potential target audience of 391,000 people.[1] As of 2015, Radio Tay attracts a weekly audience of 204,000 listeners across its three services.

Most of Radio Tay's locally-produced programming airs on Tay FM, consisting of 13 hours on weekdays and 4 hours at weekends. Tay 2 produces a Scottish drivetime show on weekdays from its Dundee studios as well as live football commentaries on Saturday afternoons. All three stations also carry local news, sport and traffic bulletins every day. Networked programming is also carried on the three services from sister stations including Radio Clyde in Clydebank and Hits Radio in Manchester.

Radio Tay offices in Dundee