<P> The Sound Broadcasting Act received Royal Assent on 12 July 1972 and the Independent Television Authority (ITA) accordingly changed its name to the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) that same day . </P> <P> The IBA immediately began to plan the new service, placing advertisements encouraging interested groups to apply for medium - term contracts to provide programmes in given areas . The first major areas to be advertised were London and Glasgow, with two contracts available in London, one for "news and information", one for "general and entertainment". </P> <P> The London news contract was awarded to London Broadcasting Company (LBC) and they began broadcasting on 8 October 1973 . The London general contract went to Capital Radio, who began broadcasting on 16 October 1973 . In total, 19 contracts were awarded between 1973 and 1976 . Due to government limits on capital expenditure and turbulence in the broadcasting field (mainly due to the Annan Report), no further contracts were awarded until 1980, when a second tranche of contracts were awarded . All stations were awarded an AM and an FM frequency, on which they broadcast the same service . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> Airdate </Td> <Td> City </Td> <Td> Station name </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 October 1973 </Td> <Td> London </Td> <Td> LBC </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 16 October 1973 </Td> <Td> London </Td> <Td> Capital Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 31 December 1973 </Td> <Td> Glasgow </Td> <Td> Radio Clyde </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 19 February 1974 </Td> <Td> Birmingham </Td> <Td> BRMB </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2 April 1974 </Td> <Td> Manchester </Td> <Td> Piccadilly Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 15 July 1974 </Td> <Td> Newcastle - upon - Tyne </Td> <Td> Metro Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 30 September 1974 </Td> <Td> Swansea </Td> <Td> Swansea Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 October 1974 </Td> <Td> Sheffield </Td> <Td> Radio Hallam </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 21 October 1974 </Td> <Td> Liverpool </Td> <Td> Radio City </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 22 January 1975 </Td> <Td> Edinburgh </Td> <Td> Radio Forth </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 19 May 1975 </Td> <Td> Plymouth </Td> <Td> Plymouth Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 24 June 1975 </Td> <Td> Stockton - on - Tees </Td> <Td> Radio Tees </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 3 July 1975 </Td> <Td> Nottingham </Td> <Td> Radio Trent </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 16 September 1975 </Td> <Td> Bradford </Td> <Td> Pennine Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 14 October 1975 </Td> <Td> Portsmouth </Td> <Td> Radio Victory </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 28 October 1975 </Td> <Td> Ipswich </Td> <Td> Radio Orwell </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 March 1976 </Td> <Td> Reading </Td> <Td> Radio 210 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 16 March 1976 </Td> <Td> Belfast </Td> <Td> Downtown Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 April 1976 </Td> <Td> Wolverhampton </Td> <Td> Beacon Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td>--</Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td>--</Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 11 April 1980 </Td> <Td> Cardiff </Td> <Td> CBC (Cardiff Broadcasting Company) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 23 May 1980 </Td> <Td> Coventry </Td> <Td> Mercia Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 July 1980 </Td> <Td> Peterborough </Td> <Td> Hereward Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 15 September 1980 </Td> <Td> Bournemouth </Td> <Td> 2CR (Two Counties Radio) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 17 October 1980 </Td> <Td> Dundee </Td> <Td> Radio Tay </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 23 October 1980 </Td> <Td> Gloucester </Td> <Td> Severn Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 November 1980 </Td> <Td> Exeter </Td> <Td> DevonAir Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 14 November 1980 </Td> <Td> Perth </Td> <Td> Radio Tay </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 December 1980 </Td> <Td> Torbay </Td> <Td> DevonAir Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 27 July 1981 </Td> <Td> Aberdeen </Td> <Td> Northsound Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 September 1981 </Td> <Td> Leeds </Td> <Td> Radio Aire </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 September 1981 </Td> <Td> Leicester </Td> <Td> Centre Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 September 1981 </Td> <Td> Southend - on - Sea </Td> <Td> Essex Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 15 October 1981 </Td> <Td> Luton </Td> <Td> Chiltern Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 27 October 1981 </Td> <Td> Bristol </Td> <Td> Radio West </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 4 December 1981 </Td> <Td> Ayr and Girvan </Td> <Td> West Sound Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 December 1981 </Td> <Td> Chelmsford </Td> <Td> Essex Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 23 February 1982 </Td> <Td> Inverness </Td> <Td> Moray Firth Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 March 1982 </Td> <Td> Bedford </Td> <Td> Chiltern Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 4 October 1982 </Td> <Td> Worcester </Td> <Td> Radio Wyvern </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 October 1982 </Td> <Td> Preston </Td> <Td> Red Rose Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 October 1982 </Td> <Td> Swindon </Td> <Td> Wiltshire Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 November 1982 </Td> <Td> Bury St Edmunds </Td> <Td> Saxon Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 4 April 1983 </Td> <Td> Guildford </Td> <Td> County Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 13 June 1983 </Td> <Td> Newport </Td> <Td> Gwent Broadcasting </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 29 August 1983 </Td> <Td> Brighton </Td> <Td> Southern Sound Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 September 1983 </Td> <Td> Stoke - on - Trent </Td> <Td> Signal Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 September 1983 </Td> <Td> Wrexham </Td> <Td> Marcher Sound (Sain y Gororau) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 17 April 1984 </Td> <Td> Kingston - upon - Hull </Td> <Td> Viking Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 September 1984 </Td> <Td> Leicester </Td> <Td> Leicester Sound (Launched after failed Centre Radio went into receivership) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 October 1984 </Td> <Td> Norwich </Td> <Td> Radio Broadland </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 October 1984 </Td> <Td> Northampton </Td> <Td> Hereward Radio </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 October 1984 </Td> <Td> East Kent </Td> <Td> Invicta Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 20 October 1984 </Td> <Td> Crawley </Td> <Td> Radio Mercury </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 12 October 1986 </Td> <Td> Southampton & Portsmouth </Td> <Td> Ocean Sound </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 30 November 1986 </Td> <Td> Northampton & Northamptonshire </Td> <Td> Northants 96 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 3 March 1987 </Td> <Td> Derby </Td> <Td> Radio Trent </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 22 May 1987 </Td> <Td> Bath </Td> <Td> GWR Radio Bath </Td> </Tr> </Table>

When did commercial radio start in the uk