Premier Christian Radio
Premier Christian Radio is a British Christian radio station, part of Premier (a Christian communications organisation), owned by the charity Premier Christian Media Trust.
Not to be confused with Premiere Networks.United Kingdom
Premier Christian Media Trust
10 June 1995
MW: 1332 kHz
Premier Christian Radio broadcasts Christian programming, including news, debate, teachings and Christian music across the United Kingdom.
History[edit]
Premier Christian Radio was founded in 1994, broadcasting exclusively on medium wave to a Greater London audience when it also began its telephone counselling service, Premier Lifeline. It took the air at a launch party in Battersea Park, London on 10 June 1995.[1]
A series of magazine titles then joined. The charity currently produces Premier Christianity, Premier Youth and Children's work, Premier Woman Alive.
In 2001, Premier Christian Radio received an official warning from the Radio Authority for broadcasting "items that were offensive to people of other, non-Christian beliefs". A "yellow card" warning was issued, recognising that Premier had acknowledged its errors and put in place significant new compliance measures to ensure such breaches would not be repeated.[2]
In the months of April to July 2014 Premier Christian Radio reached its biggest-ever audience in its near twenty years history. RAJAR figures showed a weekly reach for the period of 240,700 people in London and the South East of England, and also showed that each listener tuned in for an average of 10.1 hours each week.[3] This boost followed on from a rebranding exercise in the beginning of 2014, and a new website which included listen-again features and breaking news. As of March 2021, reach and listening had fallen back to 121,000 people and 3.5 hours per week.[4]
Availability[edit]
Medium wave AM[edit]
It operates on three frequencies on medium wave across five transmitters:[5]
Listenership[edit]
Premier Christian Radio's supporters come from many different Christian denominations, including those from the Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Evangelical, Methodist and Pentecostal churches.[11]
In 2004, The Times placed Premier Christian Radio at number one in a chart of the "most upmarket stations" based upon the percentage of its audience (81%) that is ABC1.[12] In the quarter ending June 2010 the station was receivable by 10,983,000 people; 143,000 listened, for an average of 12 hours each, 0.80% of all listening hours.[13]
As of September 2023, the station has a weekly audience of 101,000 listeners according to RAJAR.[14]