- Hitz Radio
Hitz Radio was an
internet radio station based inAyrshire ,Scotland founded by Ryan Dunlop in 2006, it is now owned and operated by HMG (Hitz Media Group Ltd) who also operate in the television, music and recording fields internationally.Dunlop claimed his drivetime slot averaged 80,000 listeners,cite web|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1466623.ece |title=Teen tycoon hits paydirt with shed radio station |date=
2007-03-04 |publisher=The Sunday Times |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] and that he employs 40 staff. These claims were disputed by various experts in the radio industry during 2007. As of November 2007, Hitz Radio was investigated byTrading Standards over these claims, and questioned about operating without the licenses which radio stations require.cite web |publisher=Ayrshire Post |url=http://icayrshire.icnetwork.co.uk/ayrshirepost/news/tm_headline=dj-x2019-s-claims-out-of-tune%26method=full%26objectid=20174649%26siteid=73592-name_page.html |title=DJ's claims out of tune |date=2007-11-28 |first=Stuart |last=Wilson ]A video broadcast service, Hitz Television, made its debut in July 2007 by using video service,
YouTube , to broadcast [ [http://www.hitzradiouk.com/eastfortune2007/index.html Hitz TV First Coverage] , Hitz TV now broadcasts 24 hours a day.]According to Radio Today, Hitz Radio came under fire from some in the UK radio industry.cite web|url=http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.2049 |publisher=Radio Today |date=
10 June 2007 |quote=Ryan [Dunlop] came under fire recently within the industry. |title=Listen out for The Big Listen (Registration required)]Origins
Hitz Radio launched on
16 January 2006 .cite web|url=http://www.hitzradiouk.com/station/about.html |title=About Hitz Radio Limited |publisher=Hitz Radio |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] when Dunlop was age 14,cite web|url=http://ryandunlop.com/aboutme.html |title=About me |publisher=Ryan Dunlop |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] but the station was operating as a hobby since December 2004 or earlier. [cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041214161336/http://www.hitzradio.co.uk/ |date=2004-12-14 |title=Archived copy of hitzradio.co.uk |publisher=Internet Archive |accessdate=2007-06-14 ]Hitz Radio filed as a
private limited company atCompanies House on2006-10-02 ,cite web|url=http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/ |title=Hitz Radio Ltd (SC309461) |publisher=Companies House |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] which is wholly owned by Ryan Dunlop.cite web|url=http://icayrshire.icnetwork.co.uk/othernews/ayrshirenews/tm_method=full%26objectid=19175982%26siteid=73592-name_page.html |title=Ayr's King of Spin |date=May 23 2007 |first=Stuart |last=Wilson |publisher=icNetwork |accessdate=2007-06-14 ]Hitz Radio launched its services from Dunlop's bedroom PC,cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=5-million-listeners---and-radio-boss-ryan-is-only-15--&method=full&objectid=18675932&siteid=66633-name_page.html
date=26 February 2007 |title=5 Million Listeners.. and Radio Boss Ryan is only 15 |first=Rod |last=Mills |publisher=Daily Record |accessdate=2007-06-14 ] before moving into the 'infamous' shed where it was reported in press and media during February and March 2007.Hitz Radio is now owned and operated by HMG (Hitz Media Group Ltd) in the United Kingdom. The group operate radio, tv, new media and recording companies.
Audience
In common with most online radio stations, there were no independently verified figures on the audience of Hitz Radio.
In March 2007, Hitz Radio claimed 250,000 listeners, with the peak slot averaging 80,000 listeners. In May 2007, Dunlop claimed Hitz Radio had "around five million people from all over the world visiting at any one time." [cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/news/tm_headline=she-has-beaten-cancer--she-has-survived-kidney-swap---but-all-sonya-wants-to-do-is-help-others&method=full&objectid=19141779&siteid=66633-name_page.html |title=Business Hero: Ryan Dunlop |publisher=The Daily Record |date=
21 May 2007 |first=Lachlan |lastMackinnon |accessdate=2007-06-16 ]Awards
Hitz Radio received an industry award in 2007, and was a regional winner for a second. The "Daily Record" awarded its 2007 Our Heroes Business Award to Ryan Dunlop and Hitz Radio, [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM_lhSoUAgI Daily Record Our Heroes video] ] described in the award-winners list as having "5 million fans."cite web|url=http://www.dailyrecordourheroes.co.uk/2007_winners.html |title=Our Heroes 2007 |publisher=The Daily Record |accessdate=2007-07-30 ] Ryan Dunlop and Hitz Radio were also the regional winner for south west Scotland in the
Shell Livewire 2007 Scottish Young Entrepreneur Awards.cite web|url=http://www.shell-livewire.org/awards/main.php?catid=41&subcatid=&artid=1181554915.142&PHPSESSID=2f0de894e5bb5d0c2... |title=Shell Livewire Finalist (Scottish) |publisher=Shell Livewire |accessdate=2007-07-30 ]Investigation by Trading Standards
In November 2007, Hitz Radio was investigated by
Trading Standards , after they received complaints about the claims made about the companies operations.Trading Standards also found that despite Dunlop's claims, Hitz Radio was in fact operating without licenses from the
Phonographic Performance Limited orMechanical Copyright Protection Society , which are required to operate a radio station."The Final Countdown"
Hitz Radio ended online broadcasting on
June 2 2008 with a 2-hour show presented live by Dunlop entitled "The Final Countdown." It took the form of a music request show interspersed with highlights from HitzRadio's time on air. During it he courted controversy by calling people in the radio industry "tits"; and making claims that the station could possibly be moving to New York. He continually called Hitz Radio "the world's biggest / greatest radio station" during the broadcast.Hitz Radio re-launched an online broadcast on
September 14 2008 in the form of its new music radio station Hitz Radio Xtra.References
External links
* [http://www.hitzradiouk.com Hitz Radio UK official website]
* [http://www.hitzmediagroup.com Hitz Media Group Homepage]
* [http://ryandunlop.com Ryan Dunlop's official website]
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